The Promise: part2 Dellitar

“…….and what the hell are we supposed to do now!!?” Mal was furious.

“ She is forbidden to be on the bridge…” He stopped “ …..she is forbidden go anywhere. Just her bunk, till I reach a decision on what to do!”

Mal was hopping mad. River had set a destination and it couldn’t be changed. Where were they going, Dellitar? He’d never heard of the place. One thing he did know was that it was on the fringes of civilized society as the alliance would call it. A small planet three days away. Who’d given her permission to choose their next port of call? Simon stood, mouth open trying to explain. His sister did things. Things even he had no idea that she would do or that he could control.

“………in her bunk and lock the door!” Mal continued

Simon only nodded in the affirmative.

Mal turned back to Kaylee, “ How’s it look!”

“ I don’t know captain……I really need Wash’s hel…..” She paused, “ Someone’s help that knows how to do these things. My experience is more with my baby’s ass……..Serenity’s other end.” She stopped

“ Well do what you can!” The transport captain said as he headed off to the galley. He needed Zoe’s advice on this one.

*****************************************************************************

“ I don’t know captain. Like Miranda no ones ever heard of the place. Dellitar isn’t on any map although there is a planet in it’s location listed with only a number, 571-36-22. ( planets and moons with numbers were unusually unterra-formed or found to be uninhabitable)

“Think River has a connection to her past there?” a brief pause, “You know we have been through this type of thing before.”

Mal looked at his second in command.

“I know, that’s what’s bothering me.”

*********************************************************************************

Dellitar: A planet in the middle stages of being Terra-formed. Not much there to speak about . Half the planet had containment water ponds, fields, wildlife and an atmo that got thinner the further away folk got from the atmo processors. Not many people there, some workers, planet engineers. It was a place that had seemed to have lost alliance interest after the war started and now just seemed to be there, existing.

But River knew better, she knew much more. There was another secret that was held by 571-36-22. The new verse held lots of secrets. If Book were there he would probably know about it. Dellitar was a staging area, for the gifted. A place, like some others, where special minded young folk were brought to be studied. The true destination wasn’t Dellitar 571-36-22, no, the true destination was 571-36-22A. A small moon off of Dellitar. This is where River was headed. Where she’d been held a short time before being transferred to the place where Simon was able to get to her. This place 571-36-22A held evil. Bad men. Doctors and scientists not looking for the betterment of people-kind, no, their job was to study folk with special abilities, the gifted. The individuals that could cause a difference. What was the old idea of thought, the “butterfly effect“ where any change of any circumstance, even the slightest could cause universal differences. Something that the powers that be looked upon with ill favor. No, there was no controlling the future, but with help there was guidance. A steering of future events to help them go in the right direction. Left to it’s own devises worlds would destroy themselves. Look at history and “Earth That Was”. Try as they may the powers had tried to control the old world, without success. It had been to late and mistakes had been made, or maybe let happen. But this time things would be different. Without knowing people weren’t really living free, they were being controlled.

The living had the freedom to move about, go to the market, take vacation, live in a society without fear of harm or threat. But really how much freedom did people have? There were the powers at the top and they meant to stay there. Freedom? There was no voting the actual power mongers out…..there were planet presidents, quadrant delegations and law representation ……these people were selected by vote, but the true folk in control had no thoughts of being changed out. No idea of loosing power. Best to keep any threat to that in check. One way was to make sure anybody expressing special ability were to be studied and kept under wraps. River had found herself a member of this questionable group. No matter that she were a young innocent girl, her ability noted that she was dangerous. Who would miss these chosen few were they to drop out of society? Better yet have the folk that cared for them, their families told they were off at some elite school. Special place of learning. The great minds, they would someday be counted among these.

Well some people knew the truth and the Young Ms. Tam was one of them.

Serenity would make port on Dellitar 571-36-22 and River would see, for the powers that be, that changes were to come.

End part2