Link to Chapter 1. ***

(Act1)

Dining room – serenity Interior

“its Reavers ain’t it gorram Reavers we gotta get outta here Mal!”

Rolling his eyes ‘for a start it ain’t Reavers’

The rest of the crew are relieved

‘Its alliance’

The crew start

“um captain..me and River I…”

‘don’t worry doc it’s a dead fed…ship’

Smiles at own joke

“Dead boat – its just floating in the black” supplies Zoe

‘oh’ says Jayne who thinks it over before adding ‘ya mean were gonna pull some illegal salvage?’

“you catch on quick Jayne”

Scowling ‘wanna go little man?’

Zoe places her hand on her hogleg and moves between Wash and Jayne causing him to back down

“we done?”

The crew nod there heads

“good got us some crime to be done”

‘Mal do you have to do this – its dangerous’

With a fixed gaze “’Nara so’s every dam thing in the ‘verse, now I figure it best if you were in your shuttle” turns back to crew “we get compromised I expect you to run”

‘there’s nowhere in range of my shuttle Mal’

Turns back “you’d still have a chance”

Inara storms of to her shuttle

“Wash need you on the bridge –remember we keep the coms open and report in frequently – you ought to get back up there Wash”

‘You keep safe honey’

“thank you Wash but try to be more formal in future will ya”

‘I was talking to my wife’

“Sir are you making a move on my husband?”

‘He came on to me! He came onto me!’

“can we get back to the job now please sir”

Pause

‘sure thing’

Wash snorts and heads to the bridge

‘Now that we’ve got the silliness outtove are systems – we go in, in two teams’ looks at Zoe ‘Zoe your with Jayne –your to find the armoury…’

‘um point of interest I guess’

“yes Jayne”

‘Now I like guns as much as the next man’

“No really? We’d never have guessed”

Simon receives a glare from the disgruntled mercenary

‘but surly an alliance ship has something we can sell ta git some coin’

“Alliance weapons should be able to find some one who’d risk buying them”

‘that’s alright then’ smiles at the thought of 2 of his 3 favourite things – money and weapons – all he’s missing now is a lusty girl to complete his day

(He won’t get one – I just thought I’d mention it)

“So we’re gunrunning now? I suppose it’s a new crime” Book shakes his head sadly

‘Crime ain’t crime Sheppard - - - at least until you get caught, now you an the Doc are to wait here – might want to prep the infirmary just in case’

‘Now you keep the inner doors open but the outer doors closed until we return…Dong Ma?’

‘We understand captain’

“Captain let me come too”

‘Kaylee I think you should stay here’

“but Zoe I can show you which parts we can take that are worth the most – c’mon captain if I stick with you I’ll be safe enough”

‘Not too sure about that Kaylee’

“Hey I don’t go looking for no trouble”

‘No sir but trouble usually finds you’

“I never start it”

‘No sir but we usually have to finish it or end up humped’

“Hey no one humps my wife but me!”

‘Wash’

Pause

“Yeah Mal?”

‘Get of the coms’

“Yes sir!”

‘pleeaase I ain’t never seen an Alliance ship ‘cept that time we was bound by law’

“Oh for the love of Jeong Jia Ching Jien Soh alright! Alright but if you die – you share the blame Dong ma!”

‘I love my captain’

“Me too”

Everyone looks at River who rolls her eyes

“I want to come too”

Everyone gets what she’s saying except Jayne who’s looking at her in amazement

‘Uurh River I..I..I you can’t take her!’

“Yeah Mal that’s…that’s just plain wrong”

Kaylee elbows him

“Owww what did I say?”

‘I dunno doc a reader could come in handy – could spot danger before it happens’

“but…she’s just a girl…a..”

‘I want to go Simon’

Goes up to Simon

‘Don’t worry Ghuh Ghuh I’ll be safe and sound with the captain Bad’

“but..”

‘sorry son but on the rim she’s old enough to make her own decision and I happen to like that decision’

“I will not let you use my sister on your jobs”

Dangerously ‘Don’t order me about on my own boat doctor’

Pause

‘It’s settled’

“Okay me and Zoe hunt for the armoury, you lil’l Kaylee an’ the crazy girl search for what?”

‘Bridge, anywhere with supplies, a boat this size must be carrying a lot of stores for the crew, so are we all agreed?’

“No!”

‘Tough, c’mon River girl, Kaylee…Jayne try to think before you act, Zoe be careful, Doc – Sheppard guard the fort, (into coms) Wash?’

“Yeah Mal?”

‘Keep listening in’

The two teams leave the cargo bay

A morose Simon looks after River as she leaves

‘Simon’

Simon jerks his head in Books direction

‘Perhaps you should check the infirmary’

Nodding Simon leaves in a daze

‘He’s a devoted young man’

Book shakes his head

“It’s inspiring” Inara leans over the balcony on the catwalk

‘I don’t believe the captain would be happy with you disregarding his orders’

“No he won’t be…but then I am not a member of his crew”

(End of Act 2)

(Act3)

Alliance Research and Development Mothership

Team 1) Is Mal, Kaylee and River Team 2) Is Zoe and Jayne

T1) “10 bottles of booze on the wall and if 1 Jerain were to purposely drink ‘em all – there’d be 10 empty bottles of booze on the wall”

‘Stop! Stop! Stop! Sttoooooorrrrrppe!! Huh huh huh’

Kaylee and River stop singing – River sullenly hums to the tune under her breath while Kaylee glares at Mal

“We we’re just singing captain”

‘On a deserted alliance ship! We don’t know what happened here – we’re unsure whether there’s any feds or whatever happened to this ship is gonna happen to us, and you! Are singin!!’

“Isn’t anything here – all my memories are mine and yours and Kaylee’s and Simon’s and Zoe’s and Jayne’s…”

‘Now you stop right there I have no need to know what runs around his brain pan (shudders) sides I think we can all guess about that’

“All there is, is us no one else a tranquil ship” a look of peace alights on Rivers face

‘You can sense all that?’

Dismissively “yes and as I said there is no one here but us”

“Well that as maybe but the rules are in ascending order 3) Don’t wander off without me, 2) Do not touch anything until we’re sure it’s safe and the most important rule 1) singing is forbidden at all times – Dong ma?”

‘Grumpy old Grouch”

“That’s captain Grumpy ole grouch to you’

‘Warped, cross dressing, weird old man, adrenalin junkie, Testosterone freak!’

“I’m not saying I fully understood that insult but I knew I missed off rule 4) Do not insult your captain in the presence of your captain”

“Sides I ain’t warped or weird”

‘Yes you are!’

“Keep out of this River”

‘Nope’

“God it’s going to be a long long day, why o why didn’t I take Jayne and dump you with Zoe”

‘That’s not very nice’

“The chain of command Kaylee – Zoe would have to put up with yo..it”

‘I meant to us’

“Oh”

‘I was under the impression that you didn’t believe in God’

“if you can see into my mind – you’d know that I believe in God it’s just that I believe he’s a Bastard”

T2) ‘Jayne do you have to loot every cabin we come across – you’ve only got the two arms’

“What’s there’s is mine now if arr find it first”

Sighs ‘we’re supposed to find the armoury’

“Maybe your right lets get going”

Silence – they continue to search rooms as they travel through the corridor

“So what in Ai Yah Tien Da Ya do ya think happened here anyways?”

‘I don’t know’

“Think the captains got any idea?”

Thinks it over

“he’ll have some idea or thought an I bet they ain’t very pleasant either”

Zoe thoughts – oh God why did I get stuck with this Chwen Jo, why’d the captain have to take the easy babysitting task, leaving me with HIM!

‘Oh honey’

“Wash? Anything happening?”

‘Nah, well Mal is Screaming at God, accusing him of been a Lurn shwei Jah JwoHn’

“Isn’t that blasphemy?”

‘Not if it’s quoted…at least I don’t think so’

“Anything on the level were on?”

‘Well it’s hard to be specific – there are spots of Electro Magnetic Radiation all over the ship’

“It ain’t dangerous is it?”

‘Don’t think so it’s to low to cause any significant harm’

“I meant could it be shielding the folk who want to kill us Dumbass!”

Realises what Wash said

“Hey you said significant harm – what sort of harm is it doing?”

‘We’d have detected movement and we got nothing when we scanned the ship – of cause they could have just bee standing very still at the time we scanned’

“Gorram git – sure knows how to give a guy good news”

‘What is it the captain always tells you? Oh yes either you keep a civil tongue in your head or I’ll remove it’

“Mal never said that”

‘No

(Pause)

‘I did’

T1) “what is this place?”

‘Probably some kind of Secret Laboratory – where the alliance make strange experiments with advanced experimental technology’

“Sounds like something of the cortex”

‘Does torturing a teenage girls brain time after time – sticking needles on my head – until she develops psychic powers sound like something of the cortex?’

“Point taken”

Kaylee moves to a pair of sliding doors which are open a crack but are jammed

‘Hey I think the main lab must be through here

“It is”

Kaylee starts working on the controls and is about to open the doors

‘Are you two crazy?’

Thinks it over

‘Well are you mad Kaylee? a..a..some kind of super virus or something probably killed off everyone!’

“If that’s so it didn’t show up on the scanners and besides captain”

Shrugs

“Were already infected”

‘It could be dangerous’

“well we won’t know unless we check it out”

Torn between their own safety and Kaylee’s persuasion

‘ I…I don’t…No!’

“c’mon we might find something worth billions of credits – right River?”

‘It is entirely within the realms of possibility’

Sighs ‘let’s get it over with’

‘Wash were checking out a kooky lab’

“go ahead I’ll tell…”

T2) “Zoe its Mal”

‘Wash? Is mal in trouble?’

“I’m not sure he mentioned checking out a lab and then he was cut off”

‘Wash?’

“Mal?” Zoe and Wash exclaim

‘what happened you started to speak and were cut off?’

“no you were cut off”

‘shush husband – are they in an area of EM radiation?’

“yeah”

‘it must be affecting the coms’

“well it is possible”

‘so just to clarify things if we go back into the lab we won’t be able to call for backup?’

“that’s about it”

‘give us 10 minutes then start worrying’

“it could be…”

‘I know but it ain’t like we have much of a choice in the matter – we’ve already stayed to long to arrive at Paquin in time for the days break, at least this we can get something worth missing some free time’

“be careful sir”

T1) Mal looks around in wonder at a clearly futuristic looking lab – emergency red lighting is in place, Kaylee’s eyes are as wide as saucers and she is acting hyperactive while River is Slow and graceful – looking around with detached interest

Suddenly she freezes and tenses

‘Hello’

An unown voice calls out

Mal pulls his revolver and whirls round

Kaylee jumps and looks towards the source of the voice

River is shocked and then try’s to prevent her fear from overcoming her

T2) Jayne and Zoe have almost reached the armoury when they hear a noise – taken up defence positions they wait

T1) The origin of the voice is in an energy cage – metal sides, floor, and ceiling but with a reinforced – shatterproof – concussion impact Glass front.

The person responsible for the voice is a boy, a teenage boy in plain (uniform like) combat green clothes, calmly sitting on a bench in the cage

T2) A Reaver bursts out of a doorway screaming incoherently it launches itself at them – Zoe and Jayne open fire

T1) the boy smiles and says ‘I expect you’re here for the salvage?’

Drops his grin and scornfully states ‘you’ll regret it if you live long enough that is’

Laughs manically

(end of act 3)

*** Translation ***

Dong Ma = understand Jeong Jia Ching Jien Soh = fornicators of livestock Ghuh Ghuh = big brother (Blood relation) Ai Yah Tien Da Ya =Merciless hell Chwen Joo = ‘Retarded Pig’ = Idiot/Moron Lurn shwei Jah JwoHn = Merciless bastard

*** some things to remember ***

Mal is Bad in Latin Zoes weapon as desribed in the Serenity Role Playing Game is called a Hogleg

Link to Chapter 3.