Secrets of Parliament

Part 7-The Chain

Jayne made his way to his cousin’s apartment along one of the narrow rows of building structures that bordered the market area on Skyplex. As Jayne’s luck would have it his cousin wasn’t home.

Jayne began to become more nervous. “ What was it that his cousin wanted to tell him? Well, whatever it was he sure wasn’t going to find out about it in the next few minutes.

Jayne spied a bar across the cluttered street from his cousin’s apartment.

“Might as well wait for him there!” He wonder if the bar had a billiards table?

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Back at Serenity’s loading ramp:

River Tam stood in her long flowing dress, just as she had stood as Jayne had exited the little transport an hour earlier. Kaylee had just finished her morning chores. Giving the heart of Serenity, it’s engine, it’s morning cleaning.

“ River, what are your plans for today? Be interested in some “Planet Jax”, or maybe a hand of toll cards?”

River looked over at her mechanic friend.

“ No, I feel more like an “Ice Planet”. Lets go get some!” She answered pulling on Kaylee’s arm.

“ River, I don’t think that’s a good idea! What with the captain and Zoe gone and your brother and Book discussing philosophy and religion up in the Shepherd’s bunk. Don’t think we should be thinking of leaving the ship.”

River looked at her young companion. Kaylee could see the disappointment in the girl’s eyes. She felt a sadness for the girl. River rarely got a chance to venture away from Serenity.

“ Well, Ok! Just for an Ice Planet then right back, I can check on any posts I have while we’re out too.” Kaylee satisfied herself with these reasons for leaving Serenity, although something in the back of her brain was telling her that they shouldn’t……………but then, what trouble could they get into?”

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Rhett Vaugner and agent 453-21-768: Death Nail, entered the avenue of Market Street, in the merchant district of Skyplex. They were focused on the individual standing out front of “ Omar’s Show Odyssey’s” spouting all of his vile, antigovernment BS, trying to attract people to his business for more inappropriate government transgressions.

It was time to put a stop to it and agent 453-21-768 was in the process of formulating a plan.

“ Mr. Showman! May we have a word with you?” Death Nail spoke above the noise of the crowd.

“ Well gentlemen I would be more than happy to converse with you, at a later time. But for now I’m in the middle of exposing government affairs.” Clive told them, although he really knew why they were there.

“But now is a good time, we insist.” Death Nail’s tone was a bit more forceful and a lot more matter of fact. There was a confidence in his voice that told Clive that he was going with them. With an agent at each side the showman was seen to be escorted down market road, destination unknown. Not a good sign from anyone’s point of view.

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Trish Quasar had noticed two men approach her associate. They seemed to be discussing something, then she saw them accompanying him down the road. She wasn’t sure what had happened and she didn’t know where they were going, but she was sure that it wasn’t good. She followed at a distance……….

Milowe Perkings made his way back to Rhett’s apartment only to find that the others weren’t there. He looked out of the window towards Omar’s and saw the two escorting the showman down the road. He also became aware of someone following them, Trish Quasar! Something was happening and he didn’t plan on being left out. He secretly began to follow Clive’s female associate.

Vaugner and agent Death Nail were following the beacon signal being given off by the communicator which Milowe had secretly placed into Harvey Hanson’s pocket. Maybe in some way they could arrange a location where the sum of these misfits could be controlled all together.

The output signal emitted by the band of three criminals ( Mal, Zoe & Harvey) seemed to be heading for the taxi dock on the far end of Skyplex. Maybe they were headed off satellite? Good! It may lead them to a more satisfying location to deal with the likes of this riffraff. Even better if they were headed for the planet itself.

The two escorted their prisoner through the crowd. No one paying a bit of mind to what was going on. They had their own reasons for being on Skyplex. The visitors of the orbiting satellite had their own worries to think about.

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Jayne, after a couple of drinks and losing the rest of his cash at billiards had exited Millie’s bar. He noticed his cousin cruising down the streets of Market Arena. He followed.

Jayne was about the call out to his cousin when the big, burly Milowe caught up with some redheaded woman and seemed to be in a bit of a confrontation with her. Jayne decided to hang back. No reason to get into his cousins business or disrupt anything that was going. Jayne followed at a safe distance.

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With River’s appetite appeased for an Ice Planet, Kaylee suggested they head to the posts office but River had an alternate destination…….JAYNE!

River, with the six-sense she’d been gifted with, which had also been enhanced by the powers of the Alliance, knew something was up. She alerted Kaylee to the danger Jayne, the Captain and Zoe were in and suggested that they follow. Kaylee was a little disturbed by River’s abilities to see things the way she did, but she also knew that the young girl would use it only for good. She agreed to the plan. They began to shadow the big mercenary. River cautioned that they should not reveal their position to Jayne. Kaylee agreed.

In about fifteen minutes they had followed Jayne to the Skyplex taxi yard. They noticed him entering a shuttle that was headed to the planet below. They entered their own cab and followed the one Jayne was in.

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Mal Reynolds, Zoe and Harvey Hanson had entered Harvey’s shuttle and made their way down to the planet surface of Ezra to continue their illicit business. Smuggling!!

There was materials that had been stolen from a military outpost on one of the border worlds that needed to be transported to a waiting customer on a rim world. For the right fee, Serenity had just the team to do it.

Harvey’s shuttle landed in a secluded area on Ezra. Something not hard to do being the planet had very little inhabitants. They walked maybe three hundred yards through sparse trees and grasses to what looked to be a barn well off the beaten path.

“ Well, here we are!” Harvey said. “ I’ll show you what’s inside so you can determine if you want to make the deal!”

So Far Mal didn’t like the way this transaction was being conducted. Firstly Harvey had refused to tell them what type of cargo needed to be transported off world to a place way out on the rim. Secondly he wasn’t sure the gamble would be worth the risk. The only thing Mal did think was working in their favor was that the transaction was being conducted under cover of darkness, it was nighttime on this side of the planet.

Mal, Zoe and Harvey all entered the structure. Harvey lit a couple of lanterns that hung by the door. As light filled the room the two crew of Serenity became aware of shelves of packages that lined the walls. Malcolm Reynolds, and his trusted second mate Zoe’s mouth fell open as they recognize just what the Badger’s associate wanted they to transport.

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Rhett Vaugner, Agent 453-2143-768 and Clive Barker had landed in the opposite direction of Harvey’s shuttle, yet not too distant from the same structure Mal, Zoe and Harvey where in at that time. They had used Clive’s personal shuttle to tail the renegade that the showman had called his friend. Harvey, Mal and Zoe were unaware that they’d been followed.

Soon after, Milowe arrived with his captive Trish……..followed by Jayne, then Kaylee and River. Each had tracked the other in session as to not make them aware that they had been followed. It had resembled the links of a chain that had flowed down to the planet surface from Skyplex. A strange thing indeed.

Now they were only moments away from a string of events that could end in a multitude of ways. Many of those scenarios were not good. At lease when it came to the crew of Serenity.

END PART 7