Disclaimer: anything recognizable is property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc. The story is mine though. I had to take a couple creative liberties, but only on things never explained in the series. I also used my own translator for the Manderin, so it may not be perfect (although either way, it is comical).

“I love Ariel.” It was daytime in Ariel City. Ariel had water and an atmosphere before humans came here. It had some flora and fauna as well, although nothing as advanced as the ecosystem on Earth-That-Was. They terraformed it to make it inhabitable a few centuries ago. It’s a water world with large islands dotting the surface. Every island is well developed, and the close ones are connected. Ariel City covers 26 islands over 100 kilometers. There are smaller cities around the planet covering clusters of 5 or 6 islands. And then there’s the bigass ocean covering whatever hasn’t been developed yet. It has a few beautiful underwater cities, and some ruins from what was probably akin to the dinosaurs of Earth-That-Was. The underwater cities (and I use the term lightly. They’re small villages at best) are mostly high-class people who love the view and wildlife there. But mostly, they have research labs down there. Anyhow, we were at the edge of Ariel City at a port overlooking that aforementioned ocean. The ramp to the cargo bay was halfway down, and I was standing at the edge of it looking in awe at my surroundings. The sunrise was making it even more spectacular. I’d seen it before, but it’s always a sight worth looking at. “Hey Eddie,” Tobias said sneaking up behind me. “Why do we have to be on this world? I’d like to remain in one piece. If Feds find us-” “The Feds have no clue you’re on this ship,” I assured him. “Besides, we won’t be here long.” “I could’ve sworn I heard you say that about the Dortmunder.” Libby had come up to catch the view too. “Beautiful…” Tobias leaned toward me. “Does the lass even know about beauty?” She heard that. “I know enough about it to know you ain’t.” An engine started up behind me. It had to be my stormtank. I turned around to see Bill in the “armored pickup truck” driving it toward me. “Bill, what are you doing?” “I figured you could use some armor on your side.” He pulled up perfectly next to me on the edge of the ramp and parked it. “That is beautiful.” “I take it you’ve never been on Ariel.” He jumped out of the tank. “You’re doing that mind-probe thing again, aren’t you?” He turned toward Libby. “Is he always like this?” “He almost never has people on board. Only me.” Then she gave that look to me. “So, about what we discussed in your room…” “NO!” I walked back into the cargo bay. “And we’re not going by ground.” I hit the button to raise the ramp just as Bill backed up the stormtank. “We’re taking the shuttle. If you two want to come so bad, meet me up there.” “Shotgun!” Bill yelled. Tobias shook his head. “Ai ya, he’s good. I guess I’ll sit in back.” He walked toward the back of the cargo bay then turned around. “How much room do we need?” “Enough for one more person.” Bill was also heading for the rear of the ship. “Would that be a physical person, or a person in a box?” I stared at him until he gave up and went back toward the dorms. Libby and I went up the stairs toward the dining room. “Looks like you’re stuck here. The usual, keep the ship ready to leave at a moment’s notice.” We got to the dining room. “Just curious, about earlier, can you actually… you know. I mean, I know you have feelings, but can you actually feel?” “Eddie, that made no sense.” “Of course not,” I responded. “You’re a machine. A very technologically savvy machine, but a machine nonetheless. That’s not supposed to make sense to you. Which brings me back to earlier.” “Look, forget about it,” she said. “Hey, chances are we’ll be moving Doctor Ng to a border world out of Alliance reach.” That excited her a bit. “Ooh, we’re picking up Serra?!? “Most like,” I said grabbing a small box of food. “Maybe she’ll be able to cook up something for you.” I was out the door and down the stairs. I crossed the catwalk to the shuttle. Both doors were already open, and Tobias and Bill were ready to go. Except they had just about every gun they could find on Liberty in the back with Tobias. “Hmm… you ever think you may have a few too many guns?” Bill made his way to the front of the shuttle. “Oh, come on boss, a guy as smart as you should realize you can never have too many slug throwers.” Beat, I went to the front of the shuttle and started it up. I heard the clank of the docking clamps that attached the shuttle to Liberty disengaging. I pulled up on the yoke, and we were airborne. “Uh, boss,” Bill chimed, “care to explain why we’re flying away from the city and over the water?” “Come on Bill,” I said jokingly, “a guy as smart as you should realize I don’t much care for land.” I let go of the yoke, and the shuttle dropped about five feet to do a belly-flop on the water. It threw Bill out of his seat. “You call that a landing?” “Well that’s what happens when you don’t wear your seatbelt.” Tobias walked up into the front with us. “If we’re going over water, why not take Liberty herself?” I turned to him. “Because where we’re going has about 100 atmos of pressure.” Still, Tobias wasn’t convinced. “How many atmos can Liberty take?” “Well, she’s a spaceship, so I’d say anywhere between zero and one.” I pushed a couple buttons, and the shuttle started sinking. I grabbed the yoke, and the engine quietly purred as it led us underwater. “Hey Eddie, you got a wave coming in!” Tobias was still in back. “A beautiful lass.” I looked back. “Short hair, mid thirties, Asian decent?” “Yep, that’s the one.” Tobias pointed to the screen. “She says it’s urgent.” “Bill, take the helm.” Bill was puzzled. “Uh, how do you fly underwater?” I turned back around. “It’s just like in air, except with friction. It’s just like flying a house.” He moved over to where I had been sitting. “Have you actually flown a house?” I moved to the screen in back. “No, but how difficult can it be? Tobias, make sure he doesn’t drive us into a rock.” I pushed a button on the monitor in back. “Serra, how are you?” A women was on the other side of the conversation. “The usual. Who’s that man I just spoke too?” I dug to the back of my mind to almost a couple days ago. “We took on a couple passengers. I’ll explain to you when you’re onboard.” She smiled. “Good. We can talk about those cold days in Londinum City.” “Ahh, memories.” I paused. “I look forward to it.” I hit a button which turned off the monitor. “I believe I’m walking into a trap.” Tobias looked concerned. “Did you do your mind reading trick?” “It doesn’t work like that.” I went to the front of the shuttle, and noticed one of those research facilities coming up. I pointed it out to my two passengers. “That’s where Serra is. And chances are it’s already been overrun by Feds.” Now Bill was concerned. “Then why are we still heading toward the facility if you’re friend is setting you up?” “She’s not setting me up. Have you ever seen Londinum City? It’s got that greenhouse effect going on making it very warm. It’s never cold in Londinum City.” Tobias’s head clicked. “A compromise code.” I nodded my head. “Which means the Feds know we intend on bringing her off-world and are using her as bait to nab us.” “Hey boss?” Bill was in the back looking at a schematic of the facility I had in my database. “We can blow the hatch here.” He brought up a closer view of one of the sides. “Park the shuttle inside this room, and when the pumps engage, it’ll be a short swim to this room here.” He switched the view to interior. “I hope your friend can swim.” I nodded again. “She can. Of course, it’s not her I’m worried about.” Tobias spoke up. “Just because I’m big doesn’t mean I can’t swim.” I slowly turned around. “It’s not you I’m worried about either.” Bill was shocked. “No way! The perfect weapon can’t swim?” “Well, when you consider that I have electricity flowing through my body…” Tobias got it. “Ahh, understandable lad.” I continued. “I mean, I used to love swimming as a kid in a lake in the countryside on Londinum toward the cooler polar reaches, and I know the human body makes a perfect seal, but the Blue Hands did something to my brain to make me psychologically afraid of the water.” They just stared at me blankly. “Well, at least I won’t have to worry about those 100 atmos once the pumps are engaged.” I went back to the pilot’s seat. “A few shots from the G-Gun on that hatch, and it will blow itself open for us. We ride the shuttle in, and then do that ‘short-swim’ thing.” Tobias was still staring at me blankly. “G-Gun?” “Gattling Gun. I have one turreted at the top of this shuttle. Bill, park it right by the hatch.” I reached up to the ceiling and slid a small panel aside. Pulling down on the small handle that was revealed brought down a periscope-like rod. Above me was the whirring of a gun deploying into firing position. I grabbed a hold of the rod giving me full control of the gun and looked through the sight and aimed at the hatch. Tobias and Bill were staring out the window, eyes fixed on the destruction that was about to happen. Pressing the trigger, I sent one full spin’s worth of bullets toward the hatch. Seeing as it’s a G-Gun, it put the bullets in a nice spread all in about a foot’s radius, putting multiple holes in the hatch just big enough to fit my standard short-range shuttle through. The rest of the hatch buckled, and we were pulled along with the onrushing water into the shaft.