BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - DRAMA

VALERIEBEAN

The Last Straw - Ch 6
Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Ch 6: The crew finds out where they're headed. Jayne seeks help from an old friend. Inara gets back in the game! Slightly more action-y.


CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 2352    RATING: 9    SERIES: FIREFLY

CHAPTER 6

Jayne stormed from the cargo bay to the passenger dorms, his mind in a whirl, looking to kick some serious gou shi out of Mattie. He burst through the door to her room, panting angrily, staring her down. She was on the bed, leaning half-upright against the wall, her legs calmly crossed at the ankle, her comm supported by both hands. She considered him with a placid frown, raising one eyebrow, making no move to hide the device. For a moment, Jayne considered the possibility that he was wrong. “More estate issues,” he challenged, gripping the door frame so tightly it cracked. She smirked disrespectfully. “Coming to say good night again?” Snidely, she slid the device under her pillow, swung her feet around the side of the bed, and walked toward the door, ready to crowd him out of the space. “I came to see who you been talkin’ to,” he growled, stepping around her easily and snatching the handheld. She didn’t even try to stop him; she just leaned haughtily against the door frame. Either the device was encrypted or she’d done nothing but play games on the thing since she’d come on board. Jayne waved the device at her angrily. “Rule number one! Go radio silent as soon as the job starts!” “Rule number one?” she laughed, loftily, sauntering in and taking the device. “Are you trying to teach me about crime, Mr. Cobb?” “I am trying to save your life, girl.” She stepped even closer to him, invading his personal space, but he refused to back up. Her voice was low and sure. “I don’t need you to save me. I know what I’m doing.” He couldn’t help but sneer at her arrogance. “Don’t lie to me, girl. I will find out what you’re up to and I will stop you,” he promised seriously, placing emphasis on each word. They were almost nose to nose now, and Jayne took advantage of the short distance. He grabbed the comm from her hand and with a quick swing, smashed it against the floor. Mattie quickly masked the concern and fear that swept across her face with a look of annoyance. “That was… rude,” she sniped as evenly as possible, her eyes flickering between Jayne and the damaged device. “Tell me the truth,” Jayne demanded. She considered him briefly, not wanting to be smashed in the same manner as the handheld. He grabbed her collar, but she brushed him off. “Hands off,” she ordered, her words stronger than she felt. Jayne could tell she was trying to keep her voice from shaking. He maneuvered craftily to keep himself between her and the door. “You need to leave this room to finish your job,” he threatened. “You ain’t leavin’ till I know what you know.” “Would you let me finish the job if I told you?” she asked. “Fools errand, a girl like you takin’ work alone,” Jayne countered. He hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. “What if I cut you in?” There, she’d broken rule number two. Or maybe that one was rule number one. But then, they should all be rule number one, because breaking any of them could get you killed. Jayne reigned in his tongue and listened, vowing that whatever the damage, he’d keep her safe.

*~*

Kaylee bit her lip as the navigation computer continued to lie to her. The computer was convinced they were facing Boros and even offered a nice chart with all the stars they should be facing, but it would not be convinced of the fact that the stars outside their window were the wrong ones. Software had never been her strong point, but whatever the software was doing, it was affecting the hardware as well, and that was her problem. It didn’t help that Mal was berating Wash in the background. “I didn’t notice at first because there were just small tweaks to the nav guide,” Wash explained. “We’re to the point now where the stars are just not what they should be. According to the computer, we’re still headed for Boros.” “And according to the stars?” Mal sighed. Wash shrugged. “Somewhere closer to Santos. Another half-hour and I’d have seen it turn disc-like and made a beeline, being none the wiser … until we got close enough to hear the local chatter.” Kaylee sighed, frustrated, and disconnected the nav guide, auto-pilot, and any other kind of fly-assist software they had. She and Wash would have to isolate and test the system independently to see if the false signal was coming through here. It was possible this system was completely clean and a signal modifier was somewhere else one board. Scrunching her nose, she emerged from under the console, trying to decide how best to start. “Kaylee, what’s the story?” Mal asked as soon as her eyes were visible. “We should be able to fly manual again,” she reported. “Very manual. Meanin’ someone’s hand constantly on the controls.” “We can do that,” Mal nodded. “So long as the problem is contained in the software here,” Kaylee qualified quickly. “Which we aren’t sure it is,” Wash contributed. Mal frowned. “If it ain’t here?” “Then the signal is gettin’ screwed up somewhere else along the way, and it’s a bigger problem than ghost software.” “Won’t take more than a few hours flying to determine that,” Wash said. “Okay,” Mal nodded. “Start the engine, get us back going to Boros.” “And if it won’t let me?” Wash asked. “We don’t have the food or fuel to fight this thing. If it becomes apparent we’re wasting, we’ll set down on Santos restock, and fix the problem there.” “If we have enough control to land,” Kaylee murmured. Mal touched her cheek, lifting her eyes to meet his own. “Tell me what you need, Li’l Kaylee, and we’ll fix this.” “Sir,” Zoë interrupted. “Someone’s sendin’ a wave from Shuttle 2.” “To Santos?” “The shuttles have independent systems. Why would it bounce through the computer here?” Wash wondered. “Long distance,” Kaylee answered quickly. “Who and where, Zoë,” Mal ordered, his voice low and heavy.

*~*

Jayne walked up the stairs into the galley, hoping he would run into someone along the way, but he could hear them all on the bridge talking. By their tone, he had a feeling they already suspected something was wrong, and that might work in his favor. Mattie had screwed herself royal, but there was no convincing her of that. And telling Mal directly wasn’t going to fix it. He wished desperately that Book were still on board. He could’ve told the preacher, and then someone would’ve had his back when things went awry. Mal would throw him out the airlock, Zoë would defer him to Mal, Simon was … not the kind of man to second you in a gun fight. Loudly, Jayne banged through the cabinets, making himself a sandwich and hoping someone would come tell him to shut-up, but they seemed preoccupied with whatever problem they’d found. He couldn’t tell them anyhow. This was his fault. He’d brought Mattie on board. Quietly, he crept back to the cargo bay and into Shuttle 2, using the link to the cortex. He wanted to talk to Book, so he’d talk to Book. If everyone on the bridge was being their normal selves, they’d be curious enough to eavesdrop. Crossing his fingers, he sent out the call and waited. Book appeared on the screen a few moments later, looking pleasantly calm. He’d done something funny to his hair, possibly because he was in a town where there were actually folks who would do fancy things like that for you. He greeted Jayne warmly and after a few moments small talk, Jayne explained about his mother dying and the appearance of his estranged daughter. Fortunately, he’d already told Book a fair bit about Mattie the year before, when he’d gotten word she was sick. It was easy for him to talk to Book, to see him smile, and to hear his sage advice. “If she don’t get this boat to Santos in two days time, they’ll hunt her down and kill her,” Jayne groaned as he conveyed the current situation. “That isn’t where you’re headed I take it,” Book surmised. Jayne shook his head, leaning back in the chair. “And when you get there?” “They take the ship and the crew.” “And you agreed?” “Said she’d cut me in, fifty-fifty. That’s 3k-platinum each.” Book let out a slow whistle. “That’s a hefty sum of money.” “Yeah. If only it were real.” “What do you mean?” Jayne smirked easily. “I double-crossed enough people to know. She means to double-cross me.” “So why not call her bluff?” “Started thinking about who she’s dealin’ with,” Jayne shrugged. “They ain’t gonna let her off and they certainly ain’t gonna let me off. I know she’s in somethin’ over her head. I just wanna be there when she’s the one getting’ stabbed in the back. Think if I am, she won’t get stabbed dead.” “Why not talk to Mal?” Jayne shifted uncomfortably. He knew he should trust the Captain; he did so all the time. But he hesitated at the thought of confiding something like this. “I already promised him she’d be no trouble.”

*~*

Mal stared slack-jawed at the vid, suddenly aware that the bridge had gone very quiet. He wasn’t sure if he was more shocked by the conversation he’d overheard or the fact that Jayne had set still for two full minutes while Book said a prayer over him. At times, he was certain that Jayne was trying to meet his eye, not Book’s. Damn merc certainly had a knack for underhandedness, and clearly had no intention of speaking direct on the subject. “That explains that,” Wash huffed, breaking the silence. Silently, Kaylee headed out of the room. “Kaylee, where you goin’?” Mal said softly, still trying to organize his thoughts into coherence. “Problem’s not in the nav guide, Captain,” she answered wearily. “Mattie’s had her hands all up and down Serenity. Alls I gotta do is fine the spot she’s modifyin’ the signal from… and hope there’s only one.” “How long will that take?” “If I’m lucky, an hour. If not, two or three weeks.” “Let’s hope you’re lucky then.” Mal nodded curtly, dismissing Kaylee. “Wash, shut her down. We don’t move again ‘til we have to.” “Sir, it may be best to keep movin’,” Zoë countered. “You heard what he said. There seems to be some unfriendly folks who want to collect us on Santos.” “I did hear that, sir. I also heard that if we aren’t there in two days, they’d hunt us down.” “Hunt Mattie down,” Mal corrected. “We ain’t fit for runnin’, sir. And we can’t drop the girl ‘til we hit dirt.” “Can and will. The airlock still works right Wash?” “It does,” Wash said, protest and criticism lacing his voice. “But even if you drop her out the back, that doesn’t help us escape when whoever this is comes to check.” Mal closed his eyes, replaying Jayne’s conversation with Book. He needed more information but had no way to ask Jayne without Mattie knowing she’d been played and he needed the girl to keep to her own plan. Much as he didn’t like her now, he wasn’t prone to killing his crew or their family. “How long ‘til we hit Santos?” “Mid-day tomorrow. It would be nice to have attitude control before we land.” “What’s the plan, sir?” Without answering, Mal turned and headed out, hearing Wash flap his mouth flabbergasted. “Mal, get back here! We’re scheming!” “I know. I’m goin’ straight to the horse’s mouth,” Mal offered by way of explanation. If Jayne bullied an answer out of the girl and still felt lied to, perhaps Mal could bully her and get a better lie. Hopefully between the two, there’d be enough truth for a plan.

*~*

Inara sat in the galley across the table from Mattie as Mal leaned against the back of the chair at the head of the table. Mal had pulled her from her shuttle in the middle of the day with little explanation other than ‘watch Mattie.’ She sat straight in her chair, sipping tea, trying to put forth the appearance that such events were commonplace, keeping one eye on Mattie as the girl faced Mal intently. “I brung y’all here, since y’all’s schedules are affected by this,” Mal began evenly, using that smooth voice he told white lies with. “Seems we have a problem with our nav guide and we’ve been aimed more in the vicinity of Santos than Boros.” Inara’s eyes flashed toward Mal, momentarily alarmed by the revelation. If Mattie had shown any alarm, she’d missed it. “I noticed the ship stopped,” Mattie mentioned, concerned. “We did a moment, but I figure it’s best to keep headin’ where the ship wants and get ourselves in the vicinity of help. Hopin’ we’ll have gotten the control we need to land.” “Hoping?” Inara repeated, unable to process what was being said. Mal shot her a look and she cast her eyes toward her tea. Taking a sip, she glanced over the rim at Mattie, who seemed to have relaxed subtly. “When will we make it to Boros?” Inara asked, suddenly wondering if Mal was stalling her departure intentionally. “Not more than a few days late. We stop just long enough to fix this.” Inara nodded, standing to leave. Mattie stood as well. “I suppose I should start revising my plans,” Inara said courteously. Mal gave them a nod of dismissal and headed back toward the bridge. Inara paced Mattie until they hit the catwalk, and then decided to challenge the girl. “You don’t seem surprised by this detour.” Mattie raised her eyebrows, shifting her posture to stand straighter. “Should I have expected aptitude?” Inara bristled slightly on Mal’s behalf, then covered it. “I suppose this ship has its faults. What’s on Santos?” “Why do you assume this is my doing?” Mattie balked rhetorically, heading down stairs. Inara paused briefly, remembering how well Mattie had matched Jayne in a fight. Biting her lip, she lifted her skirt so as not to trip and followed Mattie anyway. “So it’s not your doing,” Inara pressed apologetically. “But you do know something don’t you?” There was a flash of concern in the girl’s eyes, and Inara smirked inwardly. She was getting close and the game was empowering. “There’s nothing to know,” Mattie said quietly, her face turning to stone. Inara grabbed her elbow, pulling her into the nearest closet. In the dim light, it was hard to see more than a few glints of light off the moisture in her eyes. “Please,” Inara pleaded, using her recent trauma to well up some fake tears. “I can’t go down with this crew. What do you know?” Mattie ducked her head, pressing her lips together. She was drawing some tears of her own – amateur, but Inara had to admire her skill. “It’s not me,” Mattie wept urgently, her head shaking. “He planned this from the beginning. He set up that whole fight in the bar and forced me to go along.” “What do you mean?” “He means to sell you all out when we land. I don’t know any more than that, I swear.” “What about you?” “I don’t know,” she cried, fingering her injured wrist. “I think he means to sell me too.” Inara reached out and pulled Mattie into a hug, letting the poor girl cry on her shoulder. Despite the web of lies, the tears she’d summoned were real enough to inspire pity. And with a little bit of training, the girl would make an excellent companion. She certainly had the potential.

*~*

Mal knocked on the door to Inara’s shuttle and was pleased when she invited him in. The space looked bare and heartless without all of Inara’s things draped about. Somehow, though they were the same, with its walls exposed, this shuttle wasn’t nearly as homey as shuttle 2. That would take work. Inara sat in front of the mirror, fine tuning the concealer over her injuries, looking radiant and more confident than Mal had seen her in days. “Did you learn anything?” he asked. Inara didn’t turn from the mirror. “She says Jayne intends to betray you and that he forced her into the plan back on Persephone.” “No more details?” “Nothing clear. I think they’re going to meet whoever this is before they hand you over.” “So if Jayne asks to run some errands in the morning,” Mal finished, plopping down on the couch, surveying the filled trunks. Inara finally turned toward him, her eyes filling with unsettling emotion. Mal shifted uncomfortably, not wanting her to speak, but wanting to know what she would say. Finally, she swallowed whatever uncomfortable thought had come up and a wavering smile crossed her lips. “I guess this is one more day I get to spend on the ship.” “You could book passage from Santos,” Mal shrugged, then kicked himself. A cloud fell across Inara’s features, and Mal stood, wishing she still had knick-knacks out for him to fiddle with. “I suppose I could.” “I can get you direct to the Training House if you want.” “After Boros.” “And Greenleaf,” Mal said. “Promised Jayne he could see his momma’s grave.” “And how long will that take?” “Can’t rightly say. How long is this smell goin’ ta last?” Inara’s brow furrowed, her mouth starting to flap in disbelief. “The incense?” “Suppose I should air out the shuttle before I try renting it again.” “You may want to rent it out before the scent fades,” Inara suggested sharply, standing and directing him toward the door. “I imagine you’ll have a hard time of it if it smells as foul as the rest of the ship.” “Hey now,” Mal protested, letting her push him out the door. “Goodnight, Mal.” “My boat does not smell foul!” Mal cried to the closed door, peaking though the window. Huffily, he turned, a small smirk creeping out of his heart. His Inara was back and in form. He jumped only a little when he saw River peaking from behind the bulkhead, her purple sweater crying for mending. “It’s only him she hates,” River told Mal, her voice clear and urgent as if the revelation were the most important thing she’d ever said. “Only him.” Mal leaned slightly against the closed shuttle door, not wanting to think about Inara. “I hate him too.” River’s brow furrowed, her eyes flickering, following Mal’s thoughts, then returning to her own. “She doesn’t want to go.” “It’s her choice, ain’t it?” “She’ll regret it later,” River assured, biting her lip. “If she lives through it.” “Leavin’ this ship never killed no one,” Mal answered, standing up straighter and heading to the engine room. “Don’t let her go,” River pleaded as Mal turned his back and headed down the stair. She didn’t follow, she just met his eyes once more as she leaned over the top railing looking down at him. “She takes him to his death.” Mal stopped walking, briefly leaving his senses to consider that her meaning might be different than what he first thought, but when he looked up, River had already flitted off.

*~*

Chapter 7

COMMENTS

Tuesday, June 5, 2007 12:52 PM

KACIDILLA


i admit, i had to go back and read River's comments a second time before realizing what she meant... and, still:
eep! definitely keeping my interest peaked, here, vb!!!

Tuesday, June 5, 2007 1:00 PM

YINYANG


"My boat does not smell foul!"

I love it! And River's double-speak is creepy.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007 4:41 PM

TAMSIBLING


River's doublespeak is always creepy which is one of the reasons we love her!

This is all building nicely, although somehow I just knew Mattie'd be up to no good. Of course, Jayne is her daddy, so I'm sure it runs in the blood.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007 6:13 PM

BLUEEYEDBRIGADIER


Now now, TamSibling...both Jayne and Mattie are good souls. Just been tarnished by rough lives and all;)

And call me ignorant, but DID River's creepy doublespeak mean exactly? It looks like she's saying Inara will take Mal to his death. Which is plausible, since Mal would charge into a dangerous situation nekkid if he thought Inara needed saving;)

BEB

Tuesday, June 5, 2007 10:03 PM

AMDOBELL


Okay, I loved the reappearance of River. Had really been missing creepifying but somehow comforting double-speak (after all, it IS River). Seems all manner of weird that she says not a word about Mattie setting them up or what is really going on with Jayne. Her selective helpfulness is not exactly reassuring.

I really don't like Mattie but more than that Jayne doesn't seem like Jayne. I really can't see him going quite as nutso as he did in the last chapter and then not talking to anyone but being sullen and beligerant. Then that whole wave to Book instead of just telling Mal straight up. It's as if he wants the decision to tell or not tell taken out of his hands and I was surprised that Book didn't put more pressure on Jayne to do the right thing. After all if they get arrested or handed over to some *wangba dan* it won't just be Mal that will be betrayed but the whole gorram clue including little Kaylee and River. Ali D
You can't take the sky from me

Wednesday, June 6, 2007 5:06 AM

VALERIEBEAN


AUTHOR NOTE:
Ah, the River double-speak. The whole reason it's double speak is because it transcends a single situation. River is not strictly talking about Inara. We just happen to be reading the scene through Mal goggles, and everyone knows what's first in Mal's mind...


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