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"Wong ba Dun." Durden Kokezaru sighed the stale recycled air of the suit, shaking his head as he tried jamming the panel back into place. It didn't budge much.

"That good?" The crackled voice bounced around inside the hermetic bubble.

"Conduit's shredded completely." Again he worked at budging the misshapen hunk of metal back into place. "I managed to rig some of the wiring back up, but..."

"Radar keeps blinking out."

"Right."

"It's enough to get us a push us in the right direction."

With the gentlest of nudges, Dru floated back from the ship's hull. The blackness of space filled the horizon past the Looking Glass's bow. There was nothing, and it was all around them. There was comfort in that. He looked back down at the jagged gash pulled up from the hull. "You just don't get her a case of the fiery deaths when she breaks atmo. That anchor left a nice wound." Dru drifted back around. Looking down the ship's back he muttered under his breath. "Gorram Reavers."

"She'll hold together. She always does."

The tips Durden's gloves found at a seam in the hull and effortlessly sent him on his way. His other hand reached up on the tether and gave it proper yank, guiding him up along the tail of The Rabbit and back under to the open airlock. He pooled up the slack on the cable, slowly floating into place. As his feet tapped against the grating he stuck a thumb up against the thick square inner window. The whining of the closing door was punctuated by the compression and hiss of life support returning to the box. As the interior doors pulled, back Durden popped the seals to the headgear and pulled it off.

"How bad is it?" The old gentleman at the hatch controls stepped forward, reaching for the globe. He bore a look of concern as honest as his eyes.

Dru handed it over and started unzipping. "It's just a scratch, preacher. Alice's seen worse." He stepped free of the suit and draped it over his shoulder. "We won't be needing any last rites quite yet."

"I certainly hope not." The Shepherd set the headgear beneath the spacesuit Dru was hanging and then followed him across the cargo bay to the stairs. "That'd be an unfortunate end to our recent good fortune."

___________________________________________________

"I've got good news." Tyler Kokezaru called back from the cockpit when he heard the feet coming across the flooring. "That hard burn put us ahead of schedule nicely." He spun the chair around and slumped into the armrest as they entered the cockpit. "Of course we'll be pushing on fumes by the time we reach Beaumonde."

Dru dropped himself into the co-pilot chair, half glancing at the blinking console. "Physics and gravity."

Ty grinned. "It's all we need."

"Mostly gravity."

"Mostly gravity."

Reverend Copernicus Jones cleared his throat. "So we're plannin' on 'crashing' on Beaumonde, then?"

"Not planning on it, Shepherd. Just don't want to be surprised if it happens." Tyler gave him smile, spinning back to the ship controls. "I'd be more concerned with turning to a ball of molten flame when we break the atmosphere."

Copper's brow raised as his eyes fell upon Durden. "Just a scratch, huh?" Durden shrugged. He reached over and gave Tyler's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, then walked over to the cockpit's exit.

"If you need me, I'll be in my quarters, brushing up on my Last Rites," he said, tipping his hat to Durden. "Y'know... just in case."

"Sòngyáng shì wŭng Shénfù," Copper said as he closed the door, sequestering himself in his prayer closet. "Praise be to God." The room he used for prayer was, at one time, a refrigerated storage area, inside of a small storeroom outside of Looking Glass' infirmary.

When he'd come aboard ship to become its medic, they'd offered him his choice of the guest berths. Instead, he'd taken over the small storeroom, moved in a single bed and some modest furniture, and emptied out the broken-down refrigeration unit. A Shepherd's quarters didn't need to be anything opulent, and the berths, while far from majestic, were better served for transporting paying customers.

He knelt in front of the utility ottoman that he'd stripped down and turned into a makeshift altar, and lowered his head. Copper wasn't worried about crashing. He'd come to trust the skills of the Brothers 'zeru over the last couple of months. The talk of going down in flames was just that: talk. Still, a little prayer never hurt.

After a moment's silent reflection, wherein he'd asked for a safe landing, and for the Lord to touch the boys' hearts and souls, he opened his eyes again and unlocked the small drawer in the altar. Sliding it out, he took out two photographs and placed them next to the brass cross that had been bolted to the old ottoman.

One picture was beginning to show the wear of a long-held memory. It showed a beautiful young woman with long, curly hair tinted red over auburn in the light of Paquin's small moon. The second photo was the same woman, twenty-five years later, with two children, a boy in his mid-teens and a girl just entering puberty, standing outside of an antique shop on their first trip to Beaumonde.

He prayed over both pictures, then kissed them both and placed the second one back in the drawer, closing and locking it. The first picture was placed in a small stand behind a glass used for holding votive candles. He put a fresh, red candle into the holder and lit it beneath the picture. The light reflected off the glossy finish and bounced around his face as the flame flickered.

"Don't worry, Addie," he said to the photograph. "I'm not joinin' you just yet."

Rising slowly, not for ceremony but more because he was a man in his early fifties, he stepped out of the prayer closet, closed the door, and sat down on his bunk. "Probably a good time to belt in, Shepherd," said Tyler's voice, speaking through the comms. "Looks to get a mite bumpy."

Copper smiled to himself and opened the top drawer of his dresser. Pulling out the Holy Bible, one book among many, he pulled down the door to his quarters, climbed out to the hallway, and made his way to the common area. Choosing a seat from which he could see through the cockpit window, and sat down and read out loud, Proverbs 29:25... both for comfort and, admittedly, a little humor.

"The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe."

"What was that, Shepherd?" Durden asked, honestly having not heard him clearly through the sounds of grinding metal from a taxed ship trying to fight gravity.

"I was askin' God to keep me safe in case it was your 'time'," he said, a bit louder.

Durden looked back at the old man with a smile. "You ever think it might be your time?"

Copper tipped his hat back and got comfortable, looking at the ceiling. "Not even a little," he answered honestly, loud enough to be heard, while locking the seat belt on the emergency landing seat. Then, low enough that he knew no one could hear, he added one last thought. "It'd be way too easy...".

"Wong ba dhun…" Ty dropped to the ground causing a billow of dust. He wiped his soot-stained hands on his trousers, and then proceeded to examine the gash on palm, all the while seeming to ignore his brother and the Shepherd.

"Well?" Dru prompted.

Ty flexed his hand and looked back to 'Alice,' and the thin wisp of smoke rising from her damaged hull. "It could be worse…"

"Please, son. The landing was – interesting – enough," said Copper. "But as they say, any landing you can walk away from…"

"Well, it's mostly cosmetic. The only major system that was affected was the long-range sensors," he took a mostly clean rag from his pocket and wrapped it around his palm. "About half a day to splice the line, then cut and weld a patch. I'd say we can be back in the black by tomorrow night."

"Should be enough time to see a man about a job."

Copper nodded, "I'll see to some fresh supplies. There's also an antique shop near about that I'd like to look in on."

"That leaves me to check with the shipyard master about repairs, and nose about for a mechanic," With the discussion at a close, the three men parted company.

The hustle and bustle of the star port gave way to the hustle and bustle of the main street into town. After haggling down the shipyard master to a deal only slightly the wrong side of extortion; Ty set about to find one of the kiosks that listed folks looking for either work on a ship, or passage off world. Sometimes they were lucky enough to be one in the same. As he was browsing the listings, Ty felt someone lingering nearby. He cut his eyes left and then right, never turning his face from the screen.

"Unless you enjoy the idea of eating all your meals through a straw, I'd suggest you take your interest elsewhere."

The man shuffled a few steps back, "Beggin' your pardon, sir, but I couldn't 'elp but noticin' you was in the market for a ship's mechanic?"

Tyler turned, letting his hand stray to his gunbelt, "And what of it?"

The fellow certainly noted Ty's attitude and extended a hand, hoping to head off any unpleasantries "Gebbie Moore's the name," Moore smiled.

Tyler's expression remained flat and Moore, getting the hint, let his hand fall. "I was just going to let you know that I know of a right shiny mechanic looking for a ship to crew."

"Really now?" Ty searched his memory for any outstanding warrants posted on the Cortex for him or his brother. Nothing came to mind, but it never hurt to be cautious, "Alright, you tell this fellow to go to the Bottle and Cork. Ask for Alice. He'll get more information there."

Moore shook his head, "Right you are, sir. I'll pass that along presently. Good day to you."

Tyler watched Moore fade back into the throng. He'd have to talk to Dru and Copper. It didn't feel like a setup, but if there was one thing life had taught him so far: Never take anything at face value. Especially random acts of kindness…

Maene was a decent enough town for Beaumonde standards. A nothing special dot on the map. The IKner and Katy factory at its edge pumping thick gray clouds into the sky kept the streets crowded. Dru maneuvered through the noise and bodies of the bazaar that ate up the real estate of the city square to the small non-descript building right along the beaten path. There was no marquee that read "shady dealings done dirt cheap", but the goon standing beside the door was evidence enough.


The thick man adjusted the weight of his rifle as Durden approached him. "I'm here to see Ford."

"What's your business?" He asked, eying the Walker Colts strapped high on Dru's thighs.

"My business is his business.". Pausing the briefest of moments, the guard reached over and pushed the door open, motioning him inside with his head. Dru stepped indoors.

"Durden." The man sitting behind the desk had a wide and pleasant smile under that thin mustache.

"Ford," he replied, nodding.

"You're early." As far as middle men went, Ford was a decent fellow. Most of his work may have been less then legal, but he was a business man at heart. Still, he had always been fair.

"Never saw early as a problem, 'cept maybe if it was time to get corpsified." Dru gave a cursory glance about the room, acknowledging the heavies there. "In which case, I'd generally appreciate a little notice, so as to properly delay myself."

Ford's laugh was almost genuine, "That's why I love doing business with you, Durden." Continuing to write, the business man gestured to the seat across from him. "Don't mind them. There not for you. Local politics. A senator's daughters have gone missing. Once under suspicion, always under suspicion."

Dru continued to stand and close to the door at that. "So they tell me."

"Where's your better half?" Buisness man or not, Ford was one for pleasantries.

"Seeing to our girl."

Ford's brow arced as he looked up from his paperwork. "There hasn't been any trouble, has there?" He made no effort to mask his change in tone.

"None to be of your concern."

"Because I don't like surprises, Durden."

"And I'm not bringin' you any."' Dru stepped forward, reaching his hand into the sack that hung around his shoulder. He produced the small wooden box and set it at the front edge of Ford's desk. "Assuming you've got our wage, I'd say we're both shiny."

Ford reached across his desk and took the box. His fingers ran along it's grainy lid with excitement. Gingerly, he turned it back and reached inside. "Excellent." A jeweled pendant emerged at the end of the golden chain. He held it to the light. "Isn't it lovely?" The businessman nodded to one of his men on the side.

"Not to my taste." Dru caught the bag tossed to him. "Clashes with my eyes." He weighed the bag in his hand and dropped it into the sack.

Ford put the pendant back in its box. "How long are you planning on staying?"

"At least a day or so."

He put his hand on a closed folder in front of him on the desk. "There's a shipment of Alliance goods bound for Ariel which I'd rather see find its way to a man on Regina."

Durden Kokezaru's eyes fell upon the folder then back on Ford.

"You're a gorram buhn dahn, you know that right?" Jackson yelled from the flame licked engine room of the small Hornet class starship the Bartrand, "I told you to take it easy on this piece of feh wu till we got to Beaumonde and I could replace the hydraulic stabilizer!" Jackson turned his head just in time to duck out of the way as a tongue of flame came dangerously close to his face. Jackson leveled the fire extinguisher at the flames covering the ships engine and fired. He had to calm down these flames before they got to the fuel cells.

"We were behind schedule. If we don't get this shipment to Gebbie, we don't get paid," the Captain of the Bartrand, shouted back toward Jackson.

"Great idea genius. Let's kill ourselves rather than get home alive."

"We're about to hit atmo right now can you just give me a few more minutes of power?"

Jackson finished putting out the fire around the engine, "If I can give you thirty seconds, it'll be a miracle," Jackson tore off the outer panel to the Iskellkian 80-10 Dual Piston Reactor and crawled inside, "God I hate these gorram things. The extenders ain't braced, this things just a big piece of luh suh," as Jackson reached behind him into his tool chest, "I swear if I live through this I am never working on one of these things again." The ship moaned and rocked, Jackson slammed into the side of the engine panel, "Lio coh jwei ji neong hur ho deh yung Duh buhn jah j’wohn, did we just hit atmo?"

"Yeah," the pilot said a visible amount of worry in his voice, "we got like about thirty seconds till things get serious."

Jackson went back to work. He continued to pull wires and reroute them. With about ten seconds to spare, he pulled his head out of the panel, "Okay hit it, but be...gentile."

The pilot turned the engine of the Bartrand over and it sputtered and wheezed to life. He let out a whoop of success, "You are amazing Jacks!"

"Just get us down."
__________________________________________________________

Jackson walked into Gebbie’s office. The office was just a little bit bigger than a large broom closet off the west wall of an antique shop Gebbie ran as a front for his more illicit activities. Gebbie smiled happily and waved his right hand toward the empty leather chair. Jackson’s eye burned deep into Gebbie’s as they both sat down. Jackson took a deep breath visibly trying to calm himself before he spoke, “Gebbie, we’re friends right?”

“Thick as blood my son.”

“And the reason I help your cousin out on the Bartrand is because I owe you for the incident, right?”

“Exactly, and what valuable help it is.”

“Well I would say almost getting my face burned off just about makes us even wouldn’t you?”

“Listen Jacks old man, that business was nasty, but nuthin’ to end our partnership.”

“That go neong yung duh almost got me killed.”

“Listen Jacks I understand how you feel…”

“You ain’t even got the first clue!" Jackson stood up, both his fists balled up, “I told that idiot not to push till we got back here and I could fix the gorram hydraulic stabilizer! He nearly killed us both.”

“Jacks, Jacks,” Gebbie said giving a reassuring smile and waiving both his hands in submission, “we’re all friends here. There’s no reason to get hostile. Listen, we’ve worked together for what over a year now?”

"Something like that."

"I understand that this isn't what you had in mind when you got into this. Small little runs between here and Osirus. Fine Jacks I'll see what I can do about getting you something more, meaningful."
________________________________________________________

Jackson walked into the Bottle and Cork. The smell of stale beer and sweat assaulted his nostrils. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the dimmer light. This was a little bit rougher establishment then he was used to. He crossed over to the bar and flagged down the bartender, "Um, excuse me?"

"Yeah whatta ya want?"

"I'm looking for, Alice?"

"Hmph," the bartender grunted and jerked his head toward a table in the back of the room. Jackson scanned the room until his eyes fell on the table. The darkened corner shrouded its occupants from his view. Jackson turned back toward the bar, ordered a drink, and walked toward the back table.

"Alice?" He said with a slight bit of confusion voice, as a wry smile crossed his face.

A look of confusion passed over Jackson's face as he approached the table. He paused, taking a short sip from his glass. The amber liquid smelled like JP-50 and tasted worse. His grimace melted into a wry smile as he surveyed the three men at the table. His first impression was that of two brothers - twins? - and their father. He couldn't fathom why Gebbie had sent him their way.

"Alice?" try as he might, Jackson could not keep the confusion out of his voice.

One of the brothers, the clean-shaven one, kicked a chair such that it slid out in front of Jackson. Taking the hint, and the seat, he rocked on the back legs of the chair, his drink clutched to his chest.

"We hear tell that you're a passing fair mechanic."

Jackson looked between the two. "I've been told as much."

"For example?" The other brother may have been talking to him, but clearly his attention had been drawn over the man's shoulder. Dru rapped his knuckles against his brother's shoulder and directed his attention across the room with a nod of his head. Ty muttered something inaudible in chinese as both brothers leaned a bit further from the light.

The mechanic sighed, collecting his references with a lungful of dirty saloon air. "Most recently?" The clean shaven brother shrugged. "The captain of a hornet that should've left a smoldering crater in the dock yesterday. I'd say he'd have some pretty colorful words." Jacks smiled "At least he will when he hears I'm not not coming back aboard."

Durden rubbed his goatee, refocusing his attention. "Hornet, eh?" The grease monkey nodded. "The Bertrand?"

The front legs of Jacks' chair dropped. "You know him?"

The two brothers didn't answer, but they did share a smirk. "You know your way around an Osprey?"

"Been up in a couple. Sturdy bird." He said, nodding and draining his glass. "Running a T-38 OverCam?"

Ty shook his head. "Herb-Adams 42-XSPKD."

The mechanic's brow rose. "Yeh soo... Serious?" Ty nodded, his expression one of pride. "You boys must do some interesting work."

Durden picked his glass off the table. "You don't take issue with interesting work, do you?" The brown of his coat was caught in the light. Jacks looked at his collar and back to the man in it.

"Lot's changed. Times is tough. Man's gotta find the work that's there, long as he can live with it." Jacks shrugged. "Wouldn't be here otherwise."

No words to speak of were exchanged, but the brothers were clearly conferring with one another. As they did, that certain someone what had drawn their attention had noticed their presence.

"Well well well." The slightly bigger, perhaps a tad portly man stood with his hands on his hips, dangerously close to the pistol that hung on his belt. "If it isn't the Brothers Kokezaru."

Durden groaned. "Go back to your drinking, McNally. We got no quarrel with you." Under the table beside him Tyler had already unsnapped his holster and rested his finger against the trigger.

Jackson Carter's eyes rose up on the man beside him, his head cocking back to see the three men accompanying the big man before turning his tentative gaze back across the short table. "Friends of yours?" The two brothers seemed to find something funny in the question.

"This is Bruce McNally. Bruce here captain's the BearCat. Bruce this is..." Dru paused, remembering they hadn't actually exchanged names.

"Uh... Jackson. Jackson Carter," he replied, a little unsure of what sort of situation he was sitting between but reaching the conclusion that they weren't old war buddies.

"Well there you go." Dru gave a flat smile that lasted only a moment. Tyler's eyes never strayed from the three men that flanked him. "Now that we're all acquainted, why don't you kwai jio kai?"

"You owe me, Durden," McNally spat, "both of you."

"Chwee Ni Duh." Tyler's eyes narrowed.

"Jien Tah Du Guy. That's between you and Badger, chwen." His patience was clearly wearing thin. "Not us."

"Fuhu pi," the big man sneered. "G'en Ho Tze Bi Dio se. You and that flying piece of gos se-"

Bruce McNally had barely gotten the last word out before Dru had full-on thrown a glass into his round face. Ice and blood mixed as the heavy glass broke on his skull.

"I'll do ya for that," he snarled as he wiped blood from the bridge of his nose. With a roar of anger, he lept across the table toward Dru. The two of them toppled backward onto the ground in a mass of swinging arms and legs. The other three took their cues from their boss, and jumped after the others sitting around the table.

"Why can't things ever go easy for us?" he slid from his seat, snapping a kick to his attacker's knee and dropping him to the floor with a solid left-right combo punch.

"Why is it you always get the one with the glass jaw?" Dru spat as he fought to keep McNally's hands from closing in on his throat.

"Maybe it's because you hit like a girl?" Tyler shot a glance in Copper's direction, "Shepherd, you okay?" The old man had his assailant pinned to the far wall with a chair and was in the process of smacking the man about the head an face with a broken table leg. Seeing that Copper had his situation well in hand, Tyler jumped onto McNally's back.

Jackson felt himself yanked from his seat by the back of his shirt, and slammed against a pillar right next to their table, "You seem a might too pretty to be floatin' around the black. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were a gorram purple belly."

"Yaknow," Jackson forced through the thug's grip on his throat, "I normally don't mid folks tellin' me I'm pretty, but when it comes from a go neong yung duh like you," he lifted his knee and connected with his attackers private area, which forced him to lose his grip on Jackson, "I tend to take it wrong."

Tyler had wrapped his arm around the big man's neck and started to squeeze and pry him off his brother. Dru ceased trying to pry the man's fingers from his windpipe and took to repeatedly smacking his knuckles across McNally's face. McNally roared. Dru coughed as his airway opened back up completely. The big man had thrown himself back, juggling the Kokezaru on his back. Tyler saw stars as their skulls were introduced, but his lock held. McNally pushed them back against the bar.

"Look," Durden's voice was a tad strained as he picked himself up from the floor. His eyes fell on the over turned bottle on their table. "Ah, hell." He snagged the bottle by it's neck and brained their problem with it. Bruce McNally went slack in Tyler's arm, who let him fall to the ground.

"Was that so hard?"

"Okay. Next time Bruce McNally is strangling me, feel free to shoot him." Dru dropped the remains of the bottle. "Better yet. You get strangled. I'll shoot him."

"Nee tzao se mah," the thug growled as he jumped back to his feet and connected his fist to Jackson's jaw, and sent him sprawling against a neighboring table, splintering it. Jackson groaned as he stirred, and tried to get back up. As he go back to his knees, the thug was back on top of him, "I'm gonna break every bone in your alliance lovin' body."

"I'm sorry," Jackson said, "but I believe you're confused, I never said that I was alliance, ugly, hell I ain't even with these guys! So why don't you just back off!" Jackson pulled his gun from his holster, and leveled it at his assailant. Some of the patrons in the bar gasped. With a snap of his wrist, Jackson spun the gun so that the butt was now facing out from his hand, a sickening crack came next as Jackson swung and connected with the man's jaw, breaking it, and he collapsed into a heap on the floor. Jackson turned to see both of the Kokezaru brothers staring at him in amazement. "What? I'm a mechanic. I'm not gonna break my hand on that idiot's jaw. So do I get the job?'

The two brother looked at one another and shrugged, "Welcome aboard."

Copper loved coming to Beaumonde, because it usually meant he'd have time to swing by Doheney's to browse anything new that had come in since the last visit. Ol' Mike was a good guy, and he generally got in a higher quality of merchandise than the local shops on the Rim.

It had been ten minutes since the bell had rung, tolling his entrance, and he wasn't any closer to bored. It had been a while, and Mike had caught a few good, solid bargains in the time since his last visit. One that particularly caught Copper's eye was a beautiful, three-leg nightstand, just perfect for resting a Bible on before bed.

The Reverend toted up to the counter and pulled the tag off, handing it to Mike. The old man, old even by Copper's standards, put it close to his face and started working the antique register. "Haven't see you 'round these parts in a bit," Mike said as his fingers tapped the keys.

"Sure 'nough. I've missed your gab, that's for sure."

Mike smiled. It was a rare thing these days to have a 'regular' come in and spend money every trip. "You still traveling with those boys of yours?"

Copper returned the smile. "Yep. They get into trouble here and there, but they're good boys."

"Then you might wanna steer 'em clear of the Bottle this trip, Cop," Mike said, his smile disappearing as he took the Reverend's money and started counting out change.

"Why's that?" Copper asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mike frowned, handing a couple of bills and a receipt back. "McNally and his boys been there abouts lately, askin' about the brother's Kokezaru."

Copper's face darkened. "Wuh de tien ah!"

"Sheh-sheh," Mike called out, waving at Copper as, nightstand in hand, he dashed out the door and turned towards the Bottle and Cork.

As the door closed, the old man heard Copper's "You're welcome" fading into the distance.

The brawl was well underway as Copper came rushing into the bar. He scanned the room, seeing the brothers holding their own, and began to walk over to try to salvage the situation with some well-placed words. It was then that one of McNally's men noticed him approach, table in hand, and immediately got the wrong idea.

Without a word, the inebriated young man charged towards Copper and tackled him into nearby table with a crash. The Reverend stumbled back to his feet, scanning the floor, and found his new nightstand crushed into a dozen splinter's on the floor. He grabbed one leg, and held it up incredulously, staring at the ruined wood even as his assailant got back to his feet.

The beer-basted man charged again, but Copper side-stepped, and his attacked flew head-first into the wall. When he turned around to find the old man, he instead found himself pinned to the wall with a bar-chair, the old preacher staring at him with a resigned and slightly annoyed look... table-leg in hand.

"You broke m'nightstand," Copper said, frowning. "I just bought that nightstand."

"Shepherd, you okay?" Tyler called from across the room. Copper just nodded back, his attention still on the brawler.

His attacker smiled when he heard the word 'Shepherd.' "What are you gonna do, Preacher? Beat me to death?" the man asked, though his voice wavered slightly as he proposed what he hoped would be an empty threat.

"'Course not," Copper said, still frowning. "But the Good Book says, 'Withhold not correction from a child: for if thou strike him with the zhūozi zú, he shall not die." And with that, the old Reverend brought the table leg down across the man's head, knocking him senseless. "So y'see... you ain't gonna die." Another whack, and his opponent slumped to the ground, fully unconscious. "But it'll sure as Hell hurt."

Copper turned to walk back towards his boys. "Thou shalt beat him with the zhūozi zú, and deliver his soul from hell, Proverbs 23: 13-14...," he said as he walked away from the unconscious brawler. "...slightly paraphrased."

"Copper," Durden said with a smile as the preacher approached. "This is Jack, the new mechanic," he said, acknowledging the new hire. "Jack... this is the Reverend Copernicus Jones, our medic."

The older man smiled, holding out his blood-specked hand. "Please to meetcha," he said, sincerely. "And you can just call me Copper."

"So," Jackson said as he, Copper and the Kokezaru brothers left the bar and started out down the streets of Beaumonde. "I suppose I should be asking which of you gentlemen is the captain."

A soft laugh was shared by the rest of the crew he had just joined. "You could ask."

"I was thinking I just had."

"None of us."

Confusion fell over the mechanic's face. "So... there's no captain?"

Durden shook his head. "No captain."

"Alright then. As crew, who do I take orders from?"

"Alice."

"Fair 'nuff." Jacks nodded, slightly perturbed.
"Can I ask another question?"

"We ain't stoppin' ya," Dru said with a smile.

"Who is Alice?"

The brothers and Copper chuckled again as Jacks stared back at them quizzically, "What?"

"You'll see," Tyler laughed, gripping Jacks by the shoulder for a moment as they continued on. After a few minutes, the brothers lead Jackson to the shipyards and the pad that held their Osprey class ship. The brothers and Copper both stopped.

Dru waved his hand and smiled, "Jackson Carter, meet the Looking Glass, or as you'll get to know her, Alice."

Jackson's eyes widened. "Gao guhn," he said under his breath as his eyes scanned the ship, "That's an Osprey right?" Alice was clearly a well worn ship, with a lot of miles under her belly. None the less, among the modifications beyond the bird's original specs she was clearly well cared for. Sure fire marks of love.

"Sure enough."

"And she has a Herbert-Adams 42-XSPK Drive?"

Both the Kokezaru brothers nodded with the smile of a proud father.

Jackson gave a low whistle, "I bet she's got some punch to her?"

"She can get from here ta Whitefall in just under a week at full burn."

"Ta ma duh."

"She gets us where we need to go," Copper interjected, tipping his hat to the others as he started to walk toward Alice, "now then if you gentlemen will excuse me, I need some time to reflect on the days events. See y'all for supper." And with that the Shepherd disappeared into Alice's belly.

"So what kind of shape is she in right now?"

"We've had a few scrapes lately. Some worse then others," the Kokezarus led Jackson to the other side of the ship showing a large gash in the bow of the ship. "This last run was particularly... eventful."

"Wuo duh tian ah. What happened?"

The brothers looked at each other, "Reavers."

"Ai yah tien ah."

"Yeah they cut 'er open right nice, but she'll fly." Durden gently ran his hand along Alice's hull, his eyes straying onto the masthead. "It's worse then it looks. Busted open one of the conduits. Long-range sensors are still on the fritz."

Ty nodded. "We managed a decent splice, but..."

Alice's new mechanic nodded as if nothing more need be said. "Well then," Jacks said as he rolled up his sleeves, "guess I better get to work."

Jacks followed Dru and Ty on board. The two brothers gave Jacks a quick two cent tour of Alice ending with the engine room, "Well, here she is, Alice's heart."

"Wuo duh tian ah, she's beautiful," he walked into the engine room and ran his hand along the side of the engine. The Kokezaru brothers exchanged meaningful glances as they watched Jacks back away from the engine and allowed his eyes to scan the Herbert-Adams 42-XSPK Drive one more time. He stopped about half way through, and focused in on an area about half way through, "When was the last time you had full burn?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Right here, this fuel regulator," Jackson pointed down at small cylinder connected to two hoses, "this thing looks like it was put in here with chewing gum and prayer," Jackson stopped himself and flashed a worried look toward the brothers, "It wasn't one of you was it?"

The two brothers both laughed, "That would be that chwen Gauri. He was our mechanic a while back. That fool told us when he put that in it that it would make the boat more efficient."

"Well it would if the gorram thing wasn't about ten years old."

"Ten years!? That idiot told us that was brand new," Dru knelt down right next to Jackson, "It still looks new to me."

"It was put in a new casing but the insides are rebuilt and badly. You don't need it anyway," Jacks reached back and grabbed a wrench, "you guys got a spare hose?"

Joe landed on his back outside of the Broken Horizon, disrupting a group of passersby. The ship's owner, Captain Lior, tossed his bag out after him, scattering capacitors and wire cutters in a fan across the ground. He pushed himself up onto his elbows and yelled at the man who had unceremoniously ejected him and his things. "You're making a big mistake you ching-wah tsao duh liou mahng. Ain't no one on this rock can fix your piece of gos se like I can." He stood, wiping the dirt off of his hands.

The older man sneered down from his place in the door of the ship. "You stole from my ship. I ain't paying no thief to waste time on my ship while he lifts everything of value from right under my nose."

Joe turned red at the accusation. "You and I both know that is complete tsway-niou. I didn't steal anything." He swiped his hat off the ground where it had fallen and crammed it back on his head. "I know what this is about. You call me in to do nine tenths of the work an' kick me off before payin' me. Then you bring in some third rate wire splicer to do a pitiful patch job on that ancient comm system savin' yourself a pretty load of cash." He bent over, collecting the various bits of his belongings off the ground. "You are a real piece of work."

The sound of a gun hammer pulling back returned Joe's attention towards the ship. Captain Lior grunted in an aggressive gesture as he pointed his Walther P99 between the boy's eyes. "You makin' inferences on my honesty? 'Cause I don't take kindly to those who want to go tarnishin' my reputation."

The components he was gathering fell and bounced away as he slowly raised his hands. This wasn't the first time he had had a gun aimed his direction, but those times were few and he didn't care for a one of them. "Listen here, Lior, I don't want any trouble. You put away your arms and we can come to a civil arrangement. I'll finish the work on your 'lectricals and even show you how to use 'em so you don't have problems again. All I ask in return is that you don't come to me lookin' for anymore help from here on out. This ends our workin' relationship."

Lior jumped down from his perch and stood over the boy. "It ain't up to you as to when we are no longer in a workin' situation. If Ida known you were this easy to influence, Ida put you on my ship at gunpoint months ago!" He laughed derisively at the boy who was sweating on the business end of his gun.

The staccato sound of cocking hammers echoed from behind Joe, catching Lior's attention as he flicked a glance over Joe's shoulder. "It doesn't seem like the young fella would take kindly to the sort of shanghai-ification you're implyin'."

"And neither do we."

Joe risked a look away from the gun barrel in his face to see who belonged to the voices of his mysterious saviours. The men wore dusty brown overcoats and at first glance appeared to be twins, though one wore a beard and the other was clean shaven. The next thing he noticed were the twin revolvers pointing over his shoulders. "Now there's no need for, um, unpleasantries gentlemen." He sidestepped, getting out from in between the guns. As he hoped, Lior and his gun were distracted by the threat.

Lior was a bully plain and simple, so when the brothers confronted him he began backing down. "Fine then." He spoke towards Joe but kept his eyes on the two. "Just fix the gorram thing and we can call things even."

Joe dropped his hands to his side, no longer the focus of potential gunfire. "Even?! You ain't even paid me for the work I've done!"

Ty and Dru exchanged a knowing look, both rolling their eyes before Dru spoke, "And as soon as you're on board, up goes the ramp and said shanghai-ification is well underway."

"I'm of a mind that you two gents should just consider each other's company a loss and continue on with your continuin'." Tyler added.

It looked - for the briefest of moments - as if Lior was going to argue the point further. Instead, he spat on the ground and growled as he holstered his gun. "Fine," he locked eyes with Joe once more, "But you best watch over your shoulder from here on out boy, you just never know when I might be standin' behind you." With that, Lior stumped back to his ship leaving Joe, the brothers Kokezaru, and the townsfolk that were hoping to witness a gunfight in the street.

Joe let out his breath and slumped a little, looking at his things scattered around. He turned to his rescuers, unsure of how to react as he was not used to strangers helping for no reason. "Thanks, fellas, Lior is a big jerk. I think I'da been touring the black with his filthy crew if you hadn't come along. I swear I didn't lift anythin' from that giant piece of gos se." He bent over and grabbed his bag by the strap, tossing it over his shoulder. The brothers holstered their weapons and turned and began to walk away. Joe jogged a bit to catch up with them. "Hey, I don't want it goin' around that I am ungrateful. Is there anything I can do for you gents to show my thanks?"

"Don't get yourself corpsified," Tyler said over his shoulder, not bothering to look back.

Hazarding a look back at the Broken Horizon, Joe hurried to catch up with the two men, obviously feeling more safe in their company than alone on the streets. "Really, I can do all sorts of jobs, fixin' 'lectronics and such." He fell into step as best he could, trying to keep pace with the brothers. "I know my way 'round a com board better'n anyone twice my age." Met with silence save but for the sound of footfalls, he continued, "And I'm fair at plotting a course for most of the 'verse-"

Durden stopped dead but Tyler kept on walking, "Look, kid," he began, "Don't mistake our gettin' you out of a jam for any sort of invitation to join our crew." He turned abruptly and picked up his pace to catch up with his brother.

"C'mon," he looked back over his shoulder to his former ship, Lior's words echoing around in his head. "I really need to get off planet..." Again, he was met with silence as the brothers continued to put more distance between them.

"I can pay!" he hollered finally.

That stopped both men in their tracks. Durden turned back, "And you can prove that?"

"Well... I... if you're bound for anywhere near, uh," he had to think quickly, "Uh, Regina, I have an account there I can draw from..."

"How amazingly coincidental of you," Durden replied, then turned away again.

"I can cook!" It was a last ditch effort, he knew, but it was the only card left to play. Luckily, it seemed to work, as both men stopped again. They exchanged a look, some unspoken form of communication that seemed to cause Durden's shoulders to slump. He turned to Joe and waved him on. Not wanting to question the decision, Joe caught up with them once again. "Thanks so much. Lior was gonna have my hide if I stayed here. I swear I ain't no thief. You won't regret it, I swear."

"Remember when it was you and me on this boat?" Tyler leaned against the open doorway of his brothers quarters, arms folded across his chest.

Durden didn't look up from his work. "Golden years, brother."

The echoing of feet against the metal grates in the cargo hold faintly bounced up the steps. "Shepard and the boy have taken to each other pretty quick." He looked back over his own shoulder. "I think the preacher appreciates having the youth about."

"Youth as in "boy" or youth as in "young folk"?"

"You know what I mean. The old man just likes having family about." Ty smirked and walked over to set himself on the bed. "Jacks says we're shiny." He locked his hands behind his head and stretched out. "Boy knows his way around an engine room and then some. Might be a keeper."

"He's a mechanic, Ty. Get your feet off my bed." Dru leaned back in the chair and planted his arm up on the back of it. Tyler didn't move. "I'm sure we'll figure out his mark soon enough."

"True 'nuff," he said, nodding. "So what's the skinny with this work for Ford?"

"Should be pie." He tossed the datapad over to his brother. "Courier's a Remora by the name of Blackstone. Ring a bell?". Tyler shook his head. "Captain's Kevin Lefton, former Alliance boy from the war. Registered crew is pretty small, just a pilot and a first mate."

"No medic?" Ty's brother shook his head. "Odds are then they're not ones to experience much trouble."

"Well, they appear to be a 'by the books' operation."

"Which would explain why the name doesn't ring a bell."

Dru nodded. "My thinking too. Wasn't too hard to dig up their dispatch and arrival schedule."

Ty looked up from the datapad. "Should be able to calculate their rough flight plan."

"Way ahead of you." The edge of Dru's lip curled.

"The Sitting Duck?" he asked, his grin mirroring his brother's.

"Why mess with the classics?"

Tyler swung his legs back off the bed, sitting up. "What's the take?"

The two men stood. "Worth a trip to Regina." They headed through the doorway.

"I'll set the flight plan up and run the registration falsies."

"I'll go talk with our mechanic about maybe bringing him in on a bigger cut."

"Good idea. Wouldn't hurt to have another foot in the door if things turn south."

Dru nodded as he headed toward the engine room, his brother rounding the corner up to the cockpit.

Jackson Carter was putting the final bolt in the engine panel and wiping his grease marked hands across his pants. "You do pretty good work." Durden smiled, standing in the mouth of the engine room. "And you seem to be settling in nicely." He looked about the engine room. It was as clean as it had been since he and his brother first bought Alice and gave her her first bath. A hammock stretched from wall to wall besides the PK drive.

"Yeah," Jackson took his own look around the engine room, seeing all those little things Durden wouldn't, "It's still going to take a lot of work to get this baby working like it should. The engine seems to have been through hell."

His eyes fell upon the ground, as his mind rolled through the long unfortunate catalog of Looking Glass's mechanics. Dru smirked, sharing a laugh with himself that seemed to fall upon the walls. "Alice's been through her fair share of boyfriends, girlfriends, and one night stands." He crossed over and crouched down infront of the drive, staring fondly into that lively blue glow. "She's just been waiting for somebody else who will treat her right." A moment sat there. "Ty seems to think that might just be you."

"What do you think?"

"I think it's up to her," he said, pushing up on his knees. "We do what's right by our girl. She says that's you, that's all the word I need."

The mechanic nodded. "Can't say you two don't treat her right."

"We take care of Alice, she takes care of us."

Jackson nodded, "Well I'll tell you this," Jackson said as he finished storing the last of his tools, "It's certainly a damn site better than the last ship I was on. You've heard of second hand parts right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Yeah well Morrison only believed in fourth hand parts."

Dru chuckled and hung his head.

"But, I will say this for him: what he lacked in business sense and maintenance, he certainly made up for in stupidity and bad hygiene," Jackson said, easing down into the hammock. it pulled taut under his weight.

"That may be true, but the Bertrand is the black market go-to ship for the fast and dangerous done dirt cheap."

"I got no issue with black market or fast or dangerous. Hell, it ain't my preference, but I can be convinced for the cheap," he said with a laugh. "What I don't go for is constant out and out stupid."

Durden nodded. "Well, we aim for not constant stupid round here. But when stupid's the answer, well..." He trailed off, and hooked his thumbs into his belt. "We'll be taking off shortly."

"Where we headed?"

"Regina," he paused, reading Jacks, "eventually. Got a job sending us there abouts. Ty and I were curious if you might be interested in increasing your wage on this."

Jackson smiled, "What do you have in mind?"

"There's some cargo which we've been contracted to intercept. Should be simple, but another hand could make for a spoon full of sugar if the ship's crew gets to feeling prideish."

"I can live with that. I've been on more than one job like that in my life."

Durden nodded, turning in the door. "Alirght then. We'll go over the details after dinner."

****

Joe peered around in the cupboard for a moment, pondering on the options available to him. After a few moments of consideration, he pulled out a tin of curry powder. It would take magic to make nutrient bars taste like anything other than nutrient bars, but he was determined to make them slightly more palatable until they could get their hands on some tastier fare. Humming quietly to himself he went about preparing dinner for five, adding some fats and rice to the mix.

"So I haven't met you yet?"

Joe looked up from the task at hand to the face that greeted him. He pushed the nagging familiarity out of his mind and smiled a bit as he mixed the food up. "Name's Joe. Had a powerful need to get offa this planet and the brothers are kindly lettin' me come along in trade for my cookin' and 'lectrical skills."

"Cooking huh, never can go wrong with that," Jacks said as he sniffed the air, "and an electrician to boot, shiny. That'll really help me out. I know my way around an engine, but I'm just alright when it comes to comms and such."

"I prefer the intricacy of wirin' and components. I can also aim a ship towards just about any planet in the 'verse and hit it most of the time." The concoction simmered over the heated surface as the rice absorbed the flavors, sending a pleasantly spicy smell throughout the room.

"Well it looks like you and I will make a pretty good combo don't it? Names Jackson Carter, but you can call me Jacks." He stuck his hand out towards Joe.

The name bounced around his head for a moment before settling in the same familiar place his face had been. The two bits of memory paired and brought with them a flush of remembrance. He froze for a split second before offering his hand over to Jacks. Surely he didn't recognize Joe. It had to have been five or six years since the two had seen each other last. Though he was mildly suspicious as to what an Alliance boy was doing on this Browncoat vessel. "Pleased to meet you, Jacks"

"So what brings you out to this part of the 'Verse in the first place?" Jackson said as he hopped up on one of the counters in the kitchen area.

"Uh, just movin' around. I go wherever I can get a ship to take me. Don't feel like stayin' in one place too long." Joe looked at the other man. "And you?"

Jackson sat and thought for a moment. "'Bout the same really."

"So I see both of you have met," Dru said as he and Ty walked into the living area as well.

"Just wanted to let you all know we're on our way, we oughta be to Regina in no time," Tyler sniffed the air, "What smells so good?"

Joe dragged his watchful eyes from Jacks and turned to Tyler "Um, curried nutrient bars. . . I ain't makin' any promises on how it'll treat your appetite but it will taste alright and keep you fueled until we get some real food. These gorram things have an underlying flavor you can't char out so don't go passin' any judgement on my cooking 'til we pick up something that doesn't come wrapped in foil."

"What is that terrific aroma? Oh howdy Joseph, boys," the old preacher tipped his hat to the rest of the crew. Joe smiled to himself at being called Joseph. He had told the preacher his name was just Joe but the old man insisted.

"Yeah it's been a while since real food got smelled 'round here."

"I'll start gettin' the table set, Jackson if you would help?"

"You got it Reverend."

Quiet echoed throughout the Looking Glass as she drifted through space. Most of the crew were tucked away in their beds. Night and day were null concepts in the black but people still tended to turn in at the same time. The only movement was Tyler who had gotten stuck with watch duty while the others slept. Silently, Joe crept out of his bedroom and moved towards the front of the ship. He slipped into the bathroom on the same side as Tyler's room to avoid waking anyone unnecessarily. He laid his towel on the sink and began to peel away the bits of Joe.

As the last of the clothing dropped to the floor, Joelle stood and appraised herself in the mirror. It had been so many weeks since she had a proper shower, it was lucky she had found herself on a ship that had such a luxurious commodity. She turned on the water and waited for it to warm up. She pulled a bar of soap out of her pants pocket and stepped in the shower. The water ran through her hair and across her filthy skin. These people seemed alright but Jacks' presence was alarming. Was it really just coincidence that he was out here or had her father realized that she hadn't been on that ship when it was destroyed. She would just have to be careful; she wasn't even entirely sure that they would not kick her off the second they found that he was a she. As she cleaned away the weeks of dirt and electrical grease, her mind wondered back to when she had first met the young Alliance Lieutenant.

_______________________________________________________

Fancy suits and satin dresses hid the military elite that twirled around the room. From the looks of the party-goers, one would guess that they were just wealthy debutants but the reality under the glitter was that the room was populated with several of the highest ranking officers in the Alliance military and some promising up and comers. They were all assembled for one little girl. One girl that was celebrating her thirteenth birthday today.

General Robert Urugar clapped a young navy lieutenant on the shoulder. "Jacks, my boy, you know my daughter will be on the market soon and I am looking for a good match for her. Your commanding officer tells me that you are a promising engineer." The older man smiled down at Jackson.

"Um, well thank you sir," Jackson looked down at the girl who was almost half his age, "Nice to meet you Joelle."

Deep brown eyes looked Jackson up and down. Joelle evaluated the man infront of her before turning to her father. "At least this one is not as old as some of the others you have tried to pawn me off on so far."

The General grabbed her by her arm and shook her slightly but still speaking to Jackson. "She's a willful girl."He let go of her arm and dug into his jacket pocket, pulling out a fat cigar and inspecting it before clipping off the end. "But I know a man with such a shining service record as you would have no problem taming this little fire cracker." He put the cigar in his mouth and patted his pockets in search of a light.

"Um, sir sorry to disappoint you, but don't you think that she's a little young for marriage."

The General laughed, smoke billowing out of his mouth. "Of course my boy! She's got another three years of training before I curse another man with her presence. Never too early to scout decent prospects though. It would be a very prudent move for you, career wise."

"Curse? Sir no, disrespect but is that the best way to talk about your daughter?"

He smiled knowingly. "You obviously do not know her. Like I said, she is a handful."

Joelle looked up irritatedly at both men. "I am still here. I may be willful and a handful but I am not rude."
________________________________________________________________

Joe toweled his hair off and looked distastefully at the dirty clothes. He had just gotten clean but he was on borrowed time. He dressed quickly and moved back to his room. There he changed into something clean and dry and sat on his bed. He reached into his bag on the floor and came back with a small locked box. He pulled a chain from around his neck and used the dangling key to unlock it. He gingerly removed a picture, curling from age, of a young girl in a pink dress standing in front of a tall broad man in military dress clothes. That whole evening hadn't been a complete waste of time.
________________________________________________________________

Joelle stood in the hallway outside of the ballroom, music drifting out from the party that had been thrown in her honor; the party that continued without her. She gazed out the full length port window at the various ships moving in space outside the giant ship. She would much rather be out there than in here with all these stuffed shirts.

"You allright?"

Joelle whirled around to discover the man she had been introduced to earlier in the evening. She frowned. "Shouldn't you be in there telling my father how great of a man he is?" Her face mirrored her hurt voice.

"Naw," Jackson said as he looked back toward the party, "Too stuffy in there for me. Look you shouldn't take things your dad says personally. I grew up hearing the same things from my father."

Joelle's face softened sligtly. "Sorry. I am used to "up and comers" wanting to leech onto daddy and encourage his meanness. Besides, I am just a kid. Should be seen and not heard." Her voice dropped slightly as she spoke and fidgeted with a bow in her hair.

Jackson smiled, "Yeah I know those guys. I believe the technical term for them is cheong bao ho tze huen dahn."

Joelle looked at him blankly. "What is a "cheng bo ho zee hen dan?"

"For now, lets just say it's a world class jerk," Jackson said with a laugh. He stood next to the thirteen year old and looked into the black, "For me though, this is why I do this. Not cause of a career, or prestige, but to get to look out on on a view like this. It's too bad this gorram war has to be going on. We could all enjoy the beauty of what we have rather than trying to kill each other."

"Oh." Joelle blushed. "I don't care much for the war either. Makes otherwise normal guys mean and violent." She rubbed her arm slightly as she spoke.

Jackson looked down at the girl next to him and smiled, "Wow that's pretty darn philosophical, I think you got a lot better mind on you then you're father thinks. Don't ever let him tell you other wise."

She blushed deeper. "Don't worry about me. I am probably the only person in the 'verse that doesn't let the General push me around." She looked at him with her best serious face. "I wouldn't mind if it were you. If it has to be anyone. I wouldn't hate it."

This time it was Jackson's turn to blush, "Heh, well you never know," He smiled broadly, "You never know what could happen in the future."

Joelle smiled genuinely and stood on her tip toes to plant a light kiss on his cheek and pressed one of her delicate pink hair ribbons into his hand before running off to rejoin the party, it was almost time for her picture to be taken with her father.
________________________________________________________________

Joe returned the photo to its place in the box, right next to the other of the ribbon pair she was wearing that night. He closed the box again and relocked it, careful to put the box in a secure place and replacing the key around his neck. He doubted Jacks had the same ribbon but it was still a reminder to him of a time less than miserable at home. He laid down and stared at the wall for a moment, the shower having done an effective job of making him tired. He soon joined the rest of the crew, asleep and far from home.

Alice was adrift in the cold of space. She spun there, dark and dead with barely the signs of life support to keep her belly warm, slowly coasting toward no destination. She was waiting for her destination to come to her. TylerKokezaru sat in the darkness, the springs of his pilot's chair fully compressed. It had been hours since they'd "parked" and there was still no sign of their quarry. Not so much as a crackle of comm traffic nor a blip on the screens, only the blinking red light reminding him that the distress call was still going broadcasting. The chill was starting to set in, and that always made him grumpy. Of course, given what they had planned, grumpy wasn't a bad state of mind to be in.

"'c'mon." Back in the kitchen Joe tied his arms across his chest and stuck his chin out. "I'm good. I'm wily." He grinned and bounced his eyebrows.

"Well aware of your wilyness," Dru said, shaking his head his head. "It got you on this boat. And in the future, you'll put it to good use, but not today."

Across the table he appeared to have a bit of a pout by the light of the candle. "Let me earn my keep."

"You do. You're a fine cook and pleasant company," Dru thought on that a moment and clarified, "most of the time. But we're not about to have you waving a gun about on your first stretch."

"Whoa now, I never said nothin' about a gun. I just want to help." Joe pulled the blanket around himself tighter. At this point, the thought of invading another ship didn't seem all that bad, especially if it were heated.

Dru sighed. His breath hung about his face, and he let it mask the way the edge of his lip pulled toward his ear. He let a few moments of silence pass between them. "Rule number one, son: don't put your eggs in one basket."

"Eggs?" He replied with a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Everybody can't be part of the boarding party. You help," Dru pointed at the young electrician, "but you stay on the ship with the Shepherd. Stay in the cockpit. When Alice's power kicks you make sure they get no signal out. No report. No cry for help. Nothing."

The prospect of using his unique talents to show the guys he was valuable sparked his interest and made him forget how cold it was. "So, you want me to squelch their comms? From all the way over here?" A smile crept across his face. "I'll see what I can do."

"Alright then." Durden maneuvered around the table. "And remember to stay out of sight. You're not on this ship."

"Aye aye, Captain."

Dru shook his head. "Don't call me captain, Joe."

In the drift, Alice really made no sound. There was no creaking hull, no humming engine to fill that void. As such, the ping of the incoming call on the distress beacon echoed through the cockpit and around the rest of the ship. Every head picked up.

(writing props to Ty and Joe)

Jackson sat in the dark of the engine room checking the auto start systems for the third time, "Alright darlin'," he said gently as his hand stroked the metal of the engine. He had only been on Alice for a week or so, but he already felt like the Herb-Adams 42-XSPKD was a part of him, "There isn't a single reason why you shouldn't kick right back on as soon as your needed."

Joe walked into the engine room to check on Jacks' preparation and stopped short, raising a brow. "Do you two need a few more minutes. . . alone?"

"Oh, uh no. I was just triple checkin' her to make sure everythin' was shiny before we do this. What about your end?"

"Got the program down, just need to quick solder some wires and pop in the disc. That and try not to freeze out here while you three go storming the heated ship." Joe peeked around the room, checking out the engine of the ship. He knew tons about the wiring and electrical bits of this ship but the engine was a hunk of mystery to him.

"Well it's a solid plan, if our mark really is former Alliance, he won't pass up a chance to help a ship in need. We just gotta make sure the lio coh jwei ji neong hur ho deh yung duh buhn jah j’wohn don't get wise."

Joe looked at him quizzically. "What's a lo co jwi gee nong hur whatever?"

"You haven't been in the black very long have you Joe," Jackson laughed, "It means Stupid son of a drooling whore and monkey."

Joe was caught off guard. "Oh well, I, um. I usually stay planetside. Not used to you foul mouthed space pirates." He tried to laugh it off causally. "Usually I am brought on a ship to fix its wires while they are grounded then sent on my way. This is my first time off of Beaumonde in years."

Jackson laughed, "Remind me to get you a "foulmouthed space pirate" dictionary for your birthday." Jacks walked by Joe and patted him on the shoulder as he did, "Well we better both get ready for our parts, it's almost showtime."

---

The square body of the Remora maneuvered into the view of Alice's cockpit. Who knows how long it had been waiting and watching. In a moment, the comm screen lit up. With the face of a slightly older man. He leaned in and his voice came through with the appropriate amount of static and disruption. "-ot your dis-ss call ... Wha-... to be th- rouble?"

"Hang on,"

Tyler Kokezaru disappeared under the control panel and properly reconnected the wires he had previously loosened. His brother leaned into the comm's field of vision. "Alright. Come again?"

"This is Captain Lefton of the Blackstone. We got your distress call, Fortuna." The man repeated. "What seems to be your trouble?"

"You're a pleasant sight, Captain." Dru smiled his business smile. "We've been drifting nothing but our own wake for the better part of a day. We'd been having problems with our power converter since we left Whitefall. Seems our luck ran out last night. Another couple hours and life support might give."

Lefton shook his head. "I hate to say it, but I don't have a replacement to offer."

Ty chimed in. "That's okay, we couldn't expect that."

"The sheer odds of you actually finding us is all the luck we could possibly hope to ask for." Durden nodded. "We've got money. There's only three in our crew. We'd be more then willing to pay for passage to whatever rock you're passing by."

"We'd be grateful for as much as a chance to warm up a bit."

The Blackstone's captain looked tense. "Hang on..." The com went black.

"They going to go for it?" Jackson stood in the doorway of the cockpit.

"They'll go for it." Ty nodded with a grin.

Sure enough the comm came back to life. "Alright. Can you extend your dock?"

"Yeah," He signaled the others on down to the cargo bay. Dru and Jacks disappeared down through the kitchen. "We'll manually crank it out. We can't thank you enough, Captain." He clicked off the com and pushed back from the flight console.

"And now I wait."

Tyler got up. "And now you wait." He pulled the blanket from off his chair and lowered it down to where Joe was hiding in the corner, far from view. "Sit tight." He picked up the remote starter and pocketed it and headed down.

---

Joe sat on the floor of the cockpit whistling breathily to himself while he braided some wires together. Hopefully the boys would like the little surprise he had planned for their new friends on the Blackstone. He also hoped that they would not need to use their intercom systems during this job. He had to rewire it to perform the jam he was preparing. He put the finishing touches on it with a quick temp solder and popped the program disc into the drive. Now all he had to do was sit on the freezing floor and wait.

---

The three men took turns on the manual crank inching the docking arm ever closer to the external hatch of the Blackstone. A metallic thud indicated the magnetic clamps had made contact with their prey, and a quick tap of the control panel locked them in place and pressurized the passageway. Air hissed as they opened the door and made their way across, only a few inches of metal and plastic separating them from the void of space. Jackson repositioned his grip on the rifle hanging at the end of his arm. He looked to the brothers. Dru's fingers tapped at the handle of one pistol patiently. He nodded and looked back to Tyler who stood by the console. Blackstone's bay doors began to slide open, it's welcoming warmth and light, spilling into Alice's cargo bay. "Time to get to work." Tyler smacked the square red button.

Something jammed the opening doors at about halfway. The Simultaneous soft click of Alice shutting down completely didn't go unnoticed by The Blackstone's crew. It didn't sound like panic, it was more like concern. Now even life support was out. The hum came quick but quiet. With the confusion on the Remora, none of them heard it. As the electromagnetic pulse shuddered through her, The Blackstone's power flickered once or twice and dropped into blackness.

"What the hell?" One of the voices rose above.

"Goddamnit" This one was closer. Dru could hear it right by the door. It was Captain Lefton by his tone. "There must've been a surge in docking. Riley? Get the us back on line before we all end up freezing to death out here. And get a call out to the nearest Federal Outpost!" In the dark, Durden focused on the sound of his voice, easing pistol from its holster. Further in Riley acknowledge his captain's request. Lefton sighed. "Maybe they can lend us a hand."

"Lets not do anything rash..." The Blackstone's emergency lighting finally flickered on. Dru had the Peacemaker aimed level with Lefton's head. The point was driven home by the sound of Durden's shotgun and Jackson's rifle cocking. "Now then Captain," Dru's voice was barely above a whisper, "Why don't you tell us exactly where you're cargo is?"

"I'm not telling you anything," Lefton returned Dru's gaze, "Any minute now Riley's going to send a message to the outpost near here and..."

"Ain't nuthin' gonna happen 'less of course we want it too. Now, Captain, we don't want to cause no fuss. We're just here for that cargo you're hauling."

"Now listen boys," Lefton tried to reason with the Kokezaru brothers, "This cargo is federal property. I can't just go handing it over to..." Captain Lefton stopped in mid sentence. He locked eyes with the Alice's engineer. There was a moment of recognition in his face. His mouth began to open, but just as it looked like words were about to escape his lips, Jackson connected the butt of his rifle with the side of the captain's head knocking him unconscious.

"Looked like he was about to yell out. I mean we don't want anyone to get wise till we have the cargo right?" He looked at the brothers for approval.

It didn't exactly come. Both of them looked at him stunned for a moment. "Yeah...," Tyler said exchanging a sideways glance at his brother.

Dru's eyes kept on Jackson's. "Bind him."

The three set to tying Lefton up and hiding him in the half open airlock. "Okay. Cargo."

Jackson pulled out his datapad, "Well unless our boy here changed things up a ton, our prize should this way," Jackson pointed down the darkened hallway. The three members of Alice's crew headed into the crew quarters. The quarters were empty. No doubt the pilot was in the cockpit, and the firstmate was getting the power back up and running. In theory, that would leave the cargo unattended.

"Okay let's stay on our toes. Like we talked about earlier: two more crewmen. We have have them outnumbered, so they should be easy to take care of, but" Dru opened the hatch to the quarters. All three stood in the doorway and stared at a pair of Federal soliders, "Mi tian gohn."

((All the credit here goes to Dru, Jacks and Joe. I am but the lazy messenger.))

Joe sat with his back against the console, the mic in his hand, waiting for the Blackstone to get enough power up to try and comm out. He was gonna have more than a few words for the boys when they came back, mostly about how terrible an idea it was to leave crew members on a dead ship. He flexed his fingers, trying to keep them from getting stiff. He'd given up on trying to breathe warmpth on them. It had been about fifteen minutes since the pulse went off, he figured something was going to happen soon enough. Sure enough, moments later, Alice flickered to life. It still seemed that not everything was up yet. I guess the guys set it up so that only some stuff came on. Thankfully he felt the air begin to circulate again. Fresh oxygen and, hopefully, heat was on their way. Joe knew that since the power was up, the Blackstone would be trying to contact help any minute now. He leaned up and typed the program's activation code into the comm system and let it take it's course. Within seconds both ships were cloaked in an electronic net that kept signals from getting out. Soon, the other ship was going to try and contact the Federal Outpost that was stationed just an hour away on full burn.

Just as he suspected, a signal shot out and hit the net which funneled it to him. Thankfully they had only gotten the audio up, "This is the merchant vessel Blackstone. Do you read us?"

Joe braced himself for a moment this should be easy, he had heard conversations like this a thousand times in his youth. He fought to keep the shuddering chill out of his voice. "Yes Blackstone, this is the Federal Outpost 499X2. What is your emergency?

"We have lost power and are adrift in space. We are on emergency power but that will run out shortly."


"Do you know what caused the malfunction?" He figured while he was doing this, he might as well find out how the guys were.

"We found a Osprey class also dead in space... Registration: Fortuna, sending out a distress call. We connected to offer assistance. When we connected to her we lost power as well."

"Must be something in the area. What is it you were transporting?" If he found something worthwhile he would let the others know. He was sure that they would appreciate a little intel.

That's classified. Not even the captain or the federal guards know."

Joe was stopped short. Federal guards? He had to contact the others as soon as possible. "Very well, we will send a repair ship out to help you. Keep your eye out for The Queen of Hearts. It should arrive in an hour. Hold tight, Blackstone." He cut the signal and dropped the mic on the floor, grabbing his hand comm and hitting a low tone to get they guys' attention without giving himself away. Hopefully they heard it and would get back to him before they found themselves in some trouble.

---

Both Kokezaru brothers flung themselves against either side of the doorway. "I thought you said this would be a cake job? I didn't expect the gorram feds."

"You think I did," Dru pulled his second pistol and cocked it. He spun around the corner and returned fire. Three shots impacted off the wall, one of the Federal Agents behind his cover. "What the are they carrying on this boat to warrant alliance protection?"

"You are bound by law. Throw down your weapons and surrender."

Joe could hear pops on the other side of the comlink, "What the hell?" He shook the comm. It couldn't be what he thought that was, certainly they hadn't run into the feds already. He sent two more signals to their comms. They had better answer this time.

Durden muttered under his breath. "Bound by law..." He stuck his arm around the corner and emptied the pistol. He heard the com link chirp to life, "Kinda busy right now.

"So I guess you guys know about the feds now huh?" Joe's voice came across loud and clear with just a tinge of worry.

"What was your first clue?" Tyler fired several more rounds toward the federal agents.

"Well, you guys have that 'cornered and bein' shot at' sound to you. Everything okay?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle if we had gotten the correct intell," Ty shot his brother a dirty look.

"Hey don't look at me," Dru reloaded his pistol and returned fire again, "blame Ford. He's the Huen dahn who told me it would be a walk."

"Boys, how about we discuss this when we don't have federal agents shooting at us," Jackson popped up from behind one of the beds and fired shot at one of the solider's knee, shattering it.

"Nice shot," Dru swung around the corner and shot at the other solider, the other in the shoulder. The solider screamed in pain, and dropped his gun. On cue, Tyler jumped out and slammed the base of his palm into the bridge of his nose breaking it and sending him to the ground.

The brothers set to tying the two agents to each other. "Well, so much for the element of surprise."

"I really want a bigger cut after this."

"We haven't even discussed cuts yet."

"Yeah well when we do, I want a bigger one," Jackson smiled as he pulled back out the data pad, "Okay, so according to this, the cargo bay should be just down this staircase."

Dru reloaded his pistols. "Stick to the plan. Crew first.

"Well, I would assume that everyone on this boat heard our little party a second ago." Tyler started loading shells into the shotgun.

His brother nodded. "I would assume."

"Joe is the pilot still on the line?

"No, but I can resignal them"

"Do it. Let's see if we can get a head count."

"Sure thing." Joe left the comm on so the guys could hear his conversation. He picked the mic up off the floor where he had dropped it. "Queen of Hearts hailing the Blackstone. You guys still out there?"

"Hurry I think we've been boarded!"

"How many men do you have onboard? Do you know how many men have come aboard?"

"I dunno. We have three alliance soldiers present on board right now, and it sounds like they've met up with them.

"And how many crew members? Will you be able to hold them off? It looks like our ETA isn't for another forty-five minutes."

"Only three."

"So you are carrying six people, three are soldiers, but you do not know how many men came aboard? The Outpost told us you do not even know what your cargo is. Who ordered this shipment? Is anyone even waiting for you at your destination? We will be writing up a full report once we drag you out of the mess you have found yourself in. A ship on federal orders shouldn't be stopping to help some convenient ship floating in their path. If it weren't for the federal soldiers onboard we would leave you floating in the Black to think your predicament over." Joe hit the mute button before he laughed outloud.

"Queen of Hearts," the pilot came through with an unsettled tone, "What is your registration?"

The humor left Joe's face and he grabbed the other com. "Guys? I think they're catching on."

"Dammit." He cocked the shotgun.

"Okay, so there's one more... down with the cargo more than likely."

"Then we have the pilot and the first mate somewhere around here."

"Shiny, we're almost there. Everyone stay alert. Where's the cockpit the pilot's gotta be in there."

"Right over here," the three moved toward the door. "Hey," Jackson tapped on the window with the barrel of his rifle, "Hey you in there."

"The door is maglocked." Tyler pulled at the handle and nodded. "And I have a very big gun in here."

Dru shook his head, "Seriously we haven't killed anyone, and we don't plan on it. So keep a level head about this."

"Where's the Captain?" The muffled voiced of the pilot called back through the heavy door.

"He's fine. He's napping." Tyler angled his head, peering into the window. Stepping back and shaking his head, he whispered, "he's not going anywhere."

"I'll tell ya what. You stay in there, and we'll leave you alone. Deal?" No response came. "Remember: outnumbered and short on back up."

"Deal."

"It's really gonna be that easy?"

Durden smirked. "You heard him, he's got a big gun."

The three then moved on. With the layout of the Remora, they would have to get through the cargo hold to get to the engine room. They crept up to on the staircase. Dru peeked through the slats of metal. One purple belly stood down there, rifle at the ready. "Alright," he shouted down. The fed's rifle trained right up in the direction of the sound. "We know you're down there, and you know we're up here. Why don't we just all play nice and y'all give up your cargo. Won't nobody need to be hurt."

"This cargo is Alliance property!" The sights of his rifle scanned the catwalk above. "You will stand down and return to your ship! You will be bound by law!"

"What is it with them and saying bound by law?"

"I don't even know what that means," Tyler leaned over the railing, "Listen pal. Your buds have been taken out of commission, so has the captain, and the pilot as well."

"Actually he just locked himself in the cockpit and won't come out."

"Whatever. Anyway it's just you and the copilot down there to protect your cargo. You seem to be a good guy. Hell, you might even have a family. There ain't no need to let this thing get sideways."

There were a few moments of silence, "What have you got in mind?"

Ty and Dru looked at each other and smiled, "How's this? You let us have the cargo, we'll give ya two hundred credits."

Tyler shot Durden a sideways glance and mouthed the words, "We don't have two hundred credits."

Durden mouthed back, "Cool it."

There was more silence, "Okay."

The brothers both beamed at each other, and slowly moved down the stairs. The hold of the Blackstone was almost completely empty except for a large container in the center of the room, and the man guarding it. "Som where's my credits?" He still held his rifle aloft.

Durden eased into his space, pistols holstered. "Well don't forget we gotta make it look like you put up a brave fight. You don't want to get tossed out just cause you gave this up, do you? What with that family and all..."

The solider looked at them confused, the barrel of his gun hesitant but relaxing. "So what do you suggest?" Before the solider could respond, Dru punched him squarely in the jaw rendering him unconscious.

"Why do I ever doubt you?"

"One would think you would stop by now."

The Kokuzaru brothers each grabbed either side of the container, "Okay, get Alice back up. we'll get this on board and get the hell out of here," Dru pulled the remote starter out of his jacket and pressed the button. From inside the Blackstone they could here Alice's engines begin to roar to life. "This trip has had enough surprises."

"What the hell is that?" Riley came running from out of the Blackstone's engine room, his gun already drawn.

"Crap."

Durden sighed. "Listen pal, you're the last one left; we've taken care of everyone else. Our ship's running and yours isn't so..." Dru's voice was drowned out by a loud *CHA-CHOOM* and then Alice's engine's were silent.

Just then Joe came over the radio, "Uh guys all of electrical just shorted out, everything including the jamming system, they're gonna be able to get a signal out."

"Wong dahn."

"Listen bud, put the gun down." Tyler had the shotgun trained on Riley's belly, Riley in turn had his trained on his brother. "You're only going to get yourself shot."

"Joe?" Dru turned away from The Blackstone's lone gunman as if he wasn't even there, which only made the man itchier. "Joe? Get the power up. Get it up, now. Time's a-wastin' and our sky's gonna get mighty crowded with feds the longer we're drifting here."

"I'm not putting nothing down." Riley was cool and collected. "Tables have turned, haven't they?"

Jackson looked from Riley to the each of the brothers. "I should get back to Alice, see what I can do about getting us out of here."

"Things have turned, but nothing's turned in your favor." He took a step closer to the man. "Instead of us being cool and pleasant, we're now irritated and a might bit short on temper, what with the time factor. Look in my eyes and ask me if I won't shoot you where you stand if I need to."

"He'll shoot you." Durden answered for him. But he wasn't looking at his brother or Riley. He was looking at Jackson. An uncomfortable amount of coincidences had been mounting up, and he didn't like it.

---

Joe looked around for a minute. He had never been in a situation where the immediate lives of people he had begun to care for were at stake; or his own for that matter. Once his brain had kicked back in, he noticed that there had been an odd metallic smell filling the area. There were several things that could have caused that and he got right to work. He fumbled with the comm a moment before speaking in it, trying to keep the unsure sound out of his voice. "Um, yes. I'll fix this. No problem. I'll have us up and runnin' in no time."

---

Durden jammed his thumb on the com. "There's a good lad." His eyes, however, lingered on Jackson Carter. Time was of the essence here. He nodded to the mechanic. "Do it."

"On it," and Carter turned to bolt back to the ship.

As soon as his body turned, Riley's barrel swiveled away from Durden and aimed for Carter's back. "Nobody moves!" Without hesitation, Tyler's gun discharged as soon as the first mate's finger itched that trigger. He was thrown aside by the force and screamed in pain. He clutched at his leg, which pooled blood across the metal flooring.

Jackson stopped dead at the sound, at first wondering if he'd been the target, he swiveled back. Tyler was closing in on the man laid out on the ground, shotgun carefully aimed, and Dru was bending down to pick up the scattered firearm. "Go!" Dru shouted back. Jacks leapt to the stairs and took them two at a time.

Tyler kept his eyes on their victim. He struggled on the floor. His hands were coated in his own blood, holding his wound. "Was that smart?" he asked his brother.

"Probably not." Picking up the pistol and stuffing it into his belt, Dru put the com to his lips. "Joe?"

Joe popped the cover of the console with a jerk of his screw driver and laid it aside. Peeking into the mess of wires and electrical bits, he answered the comm. "Y-yes Dru?"

"Listen to me, and listen to me very carefully. When you get the power up under no circumstances does Alice go anywhere unless you hear from my brother or myself directly. Do you understand?"

Joe frowned at the comm. "Uh, no, please explain move to me." The sarcasm came across the comm crystal clear. "I may be young but I am not stupid. She won't move an inch 'less one of you gives me the order."

"Very nice."

Tyler looked over. "The pilot."

Dru nodded. "Are you still in the cockpit?"

"Yes. . . "

"Good. Seal yourself in and don't open for nobody but Tyler or Me. Nobody. Not Jackson. Not even the Preacher. Only leave if you have to to get her up and running. Clear?"

He was sure that they had a good reason that he would have to ask them about later. "Uh, sure thing guys. Just make sure you come back so I am not stuck in here. . .

"We will. We'll be knocking on that door soon." Dru took his thumb off the com and stuck it back on his belt.

His voice drifted up from Dru's hip. "Good, if you take too long then you are cooking for yourselves for a week. . ."

---

Jackson flew through the airlock between Alice and Blackstone. As he rounded the corridor, he pulled the comlink from his belt and flipped it on, "Joe where are we at?"

"Um, well. . . Space, I'd say."

"I mean with the gorram ship."

"Well, I am in the cockpit and you are not."

"I mean with the status of the electrical systems," Jacks said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, umm, gimmie a minute," Joe's side of the conversation fell silent.

"Da shiong la se la ch’wohn tian."

His attempt at easing the stress of the situation didn't help him much. Joe was still scared. He crossed the room quickly and bolted the door, hoping that he would be able to open it to one of the Kokezarus soon. Following his nose, Joe dug through Alice's innards with the care of a surgeon. After some inspection, he found a burned wire. "Well, that shouldn't have happened. Joe followed the wire through the jumble looking for the source of the short. He was halfway in the console before he found the real mess. An entire panel was melted to the mount. "How did this happen if the-" His eyes caught the glint of light shining off the heat sink laying on the floor. "Well, I guess that will do it. . . "

"Please tell me you fixed it. I'd at least like to have some light trying to find my way to the engine room," there was a large crash coming from Joe's comlink as Jacks tripped over a stray container in the dark and landed hard on the deck, "Son of a bitch!"

---

"I told you he'd shoot you," Dru pulled the belt off the unconscious federal soldier and tightened it above Riley's wound, "So you can't say you weren't warned. You walked right into that bullet, friend."

The wounded man's head looked up from the cold ships floor. "You're all dead. Your whole ship."

"Yeah, yeah. We've all be killed."Dru shook his head, wiping the blood from his hands on the man's shirt. He stood and looked around the cargo room. The blue tinted light of the infirmary caught his eye. "Back in a sec." He rushed off toward the light.

Tyler stripped the sleeve from the shirt of the Blackstone's first mate, helping to stop the pooling blood, "Now that's no way to talk to the men who aren't letting you bleed to death on the ground." He double wrapped it and tied the bandage tight. Blood seeped through the cotton, but the flow across the ground slowed.

"They'll find you. We've got your registration." His dry throat swallowed. "After they find us, every federal ship in the verse will be looking for you."

Tyler gritted his teeth. "Are you asking us to make sure they don't find you? Cause that could be arranged." Their eyes met. It took the briefest moment before Riley averted his gaze. "I guessed as much."

"He still with us?" Durden knelt back down, setting the white box beside Riley's head. Tyler nodded as his brother popped it open and took out the syringe. He gripped the sterilized bag in his teeth and tore it open. "Alright." He jammed the needle into Riley's neck. His body relaxed and his eyes rolled back.

---

Joe crawled back out, bringing the burned out electrical panel with him. "Not fixed so much. But I found out what went wrong. . . I can fix this. I think I can fix this. I hope. . . never mind. I can do this. Just give me, um, five maybe ten minutes. All i have to do is completely rebuild a panel. . . How hard can it be?"

"Oh I'm fine by the way," Jacks grunted as he stood up, "Double time it if you would I really don't want to miss a step and break my neck on the gorram stairs."

"Okay, just let me rush this and blow that engine you love so much." He huffed a bit. "and be careful."

Joe pulled his bag of tricks out from under the chair. A few of the components were melted beyond recognition so he would just have to recreate them from a good guess. He assembled the components he thought he would need and dug his soldering iron out of his bag. He needed to work quickly. Diodes here, capacitors there, a transistor and a rectifier all being linked with silver pen in the pattern he hoped would bring life back to Alice. From the looks of it, this piece sent the signal from the fuel governor to the engine. Without it fuel would not flow and they were dead in space.

After almost 10 minutes of sitting on the floor hunched over his project, he carefully laid down the soldering iron. Holding the two pieces up next to each other, he inspected them to see how similar he had gotten them. After he was satisfied with their similarities, he finished it by securing a shiny new heat sink to the piece. "Well, I guess this is as close as it's gonna get." He grabbed a wire of approximate gauge to replace the shorted one and crawled back into the console. The new piece clipped right back into where the other was before it. He smiled, forgetting for a few precious seconds the situation they were in. He finished the job quickly by replacing the wire and closing the panel.

Keeping out of sight through the front windows, he slunk over to the pilot's seat and said a quick prayer. Where was Shepard when you needed him? Joe turned the power key and hit the ignition button. Nothing. He hit it again. Nothing. It was as he had feared, the engine had to be manually primed before they were going anywhere. It was getting cold again. Dru had told him to try and stay in the room if at all possible. The tone in the brother's voice had scared Joe. Why were they so afraid? What had happened? How wrong had things gone? Hopefully he would see one of those two similar faces soon to answer all his questions. He especially wanted to know what had happened for them not to trust Jacks or the Preacher. He sighed and flicked the button on his comm, once again keeping the fear in check.

---

Jacks finally skidded to a halt in the engine room, "Okay baby what's the matter?" Jackson fired up a flashlight and started poking around. He pulled the communicator off of his belt, "Okay Joe what's our status. And this time gimmie a real answer."

"I am all set here. Replaced the governor panel and the wires, apparently the heat sink just up and fell off. Anyways, I am all set up here, you just need to prime the engine and we should be running. If you don't mind, it's gettin' a might chilly up here. . . "

"On it," Jackson groped around for a flashlight and walked to the back of the engine, "alright baby I know you're hungry. Let's get you some of the good stuff and we can get the hell outta here," Jacks pressed the primer button but nothing happened right away. He pressed it again.

---

"You want to take a look?" The brothers stood on opposite sides of the cargo, looking down at it. The plain steel box stood about knee high. It was completely nondescript. No markings, no federal imprint, nothing. There was only the small console on the side, registering the environmental controls.

"Terribly." It was too small for a person, that much was obvious. Still, the idea of what the Alliance would move in such a manner was, to say the least, unnerving. The looked back at each other, both feeling that clock counting down.

---

"That's creepy, Jacks

"Not exactly the best time to judge. The primer's not getting juice."

"Do we have fuel?"

"Yeah, looks like the boys fueled up before we left. It's gotta be...Wong ba duhn!"

"That sounds bad"

"Goram right. I smell something burning."

"That's never good. Can you find it?"

"Hold on." Jacks put the flashlight in his mouth and pried open the panel, "Found it. looks like one of the wires burned out."

"Um, alright, is the wire crunchy all the way back?"

"Looks like about six inches. You better get down here."

"No can do. You are a big boy, this is easy stuff. Do you have some wire?"

"Yeah."

"Wire cutters?"

"Yeah."

"and electrical tape?"

"Mmmhmmm," Jacks was getting a bit annoyed.

"Well, then, take your wire cutters and go back about two inches from where it is crunchy and cut it. Then replace the wire with new, making sure that you leave about an inch of bare wire to twirl around the ends, cover that with electrical tape and she should fire right up."

"Alright," Jacks got to work. He followed Joe's instructions to the letter, cutting, stripping, twisting and taping back together the wires. Once he was done, he closed the panel, "Okay here goes nuthin'." Once again Jack's pressed the primer button. The engine sputtered, wheezed and finally came to life, "Hot Damn!"

"What, no tearful reunion?"

"Oh ha ha, just get the boys back over here so we can get the hell out of here."

"Sure thing, Jacks." Joe sat in the pilot's seat and entered settings to keep Alice still before flicking her comm over to the brother's frequency. "Dru? Ty? You guys still alive?"

---

"Do you have the ship back online?"

"Of course!"

"Then we're still alive," he reached down and grabbed the handles of the crate. "Why don't we examine the booty back on the boat?"

"Now that's a plan that can't fail..." he hefted his end and they made their exit.

---

Once the cargo was secure, Ty sprinted back to the cockpit and Dru went to work retracting the dock arm. Joe saw him coming and had the hatch open, partly because he was ready to get underway as soon as humanly possible, but mostly because it let in more warm air. Ty slipped into the pilot's chair and started flipping switches with practiced ease.

"Jacks," he punched the intercom to the engine room. "How long of a full burn can she give me?"

"It's kinda like she just came out of a cold start, Ty..."

"Did you hear anything in my voice that sounded like I care that she just woke up?"

Dru stepped into the cockpit and slid into the other pilot's console, "Docking arm's secure. Why aren't we moving yet?"

"I wouldn't give her more than fifteen or twenty seconds, Ty... we don't want to run the risk of really losing her." Jacks' voice crackled over the com.

"Dormice?" Dru offered.

"Dormice." Tyler agreed. They both began flipping switches and entering commands. Outside on the hull, several hatches slid open to reveal small pods. One-by-one, lights began to flicker on the pods as they were shot off in all directions.

"Wait, what was all that?" Joe asked from his seat in the communications console. The board had lit up with close to a dozen automated ship registration pings with varying degrees of strength.

"Dormice," Tyler replied - as if that was enough of an explaination - and went back to manuvering the ship and laying in the coordinates for their rendevous with the buyer.

He looked at Durden as if appealing for more information. "Comm relay pods, modified to transmit our altered registration."

"So when the Alliance comes out here to investigate, they'll get multiple readings from a buncha diffrent directions," He concluded.

"And-"

"And since most Alliance commanders refuse to stray from their regulations manuals, they'll be forced to investigate every one."

"And we'll be halfway across the sector by then."

"You're picking this up pretty quick." Dru said, giving the young man a grin.

"Not nearly fast enough," Ty remarked absently, to which Joe simply stuck out his tongue at the surly pilot. "Jacks, can I hit the go button now?"

"As long as you don't hold it down too long," came the reply. Without any preamble or warning, Tyler accelerated Alice on course for Regina...

Durden leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. The wheels were grinding. In the pilot's chair his brother Tyler was settling Alice into the push their hard burn boost had given them. Satisfied that they had put enough space between them and the Blackstone he settled her into the course. "We should be shiny." With a push on the console his chair swung out. "Shame to lose the Fortuna, though. She was a solid cover." Dru nodded, now looking out into the black.

Joe was getting a tad impatient. "Sooo?" The brothers looked at him.

"So what?" Tyler replied with a smirk. Joe huffed a little.

"You done good. Quick thinking on your feet." He gave Joe a nod.

"I told you guys I was good." The boy beamed with gratification a little, or perhaps it was just the warmth returning to his cheeks. Even Tyler grinned a little at their young crew member's enthusiasm. "But to be fair, Jacks did help get us going. I couldn't have done it in here by myself."

"Yeah..." He shook his head. "And we got the goods despite that and the the ri shao gou
shi bing we walked into back there. Still..."

"Ford's got some questions coming his way." The pilot leaned forward in his chair, glancing over at the chronometer. "My question is, do we pop the seal and find out just what exactly we just appropriated that would warrant such an 'escort.'"

"First things first." Dru stood up. He unholstered the Peacemaker from his right hip, popping open the cylinder. Finding each chamber loaded he jerked the pistol, snapping it back into place.

"We lettin' the air out of someone?"

"We'll just have to see about that."

"This have anything to do with you guys telling me to lock myself in here?"

"Stay here, Joe." Dru ordered the electrician cook as he and his brother filed out of the cockpit door. Of course the young man took no heed and followed them through the galley. Durden Kokezaru pulled the engine room door open and found Jackson Carter putting a panel back in place.

"I take it we're safe?", he said replying to the sound as he ratcheted the plate back on.

"For now."

"Things got a bit hairy back there..." Wiping his hands on his knees, the grease monkey stood up. Turning around his found the Kokezaru brothers standing in the doorway. Tyler's arms folded across his chest as he leaned against the frame. Slowly his eyes trailed down, past Joe peeking between them to the firearm hanging at the end of Durden's arm. "Hookay."

"Let me be plain," the tone was flat, a bit cold, "Joe says you helped get Alice running when she went south back there. That's the one thing keeping this conversation from happening with you in the wrong side of an airlock. Dohn ma?" Jackson's jaw tightened, but he nodded. "Good. Now what say you come a bit clean?"

"Come clean about what?" Jackson's eyes locked onto Tyler's then Dru's. He picked up one of the oily rags on the ground and wiped his hands, his eyes never leaving theirs.

"You came along right when this gig did. You spent a good amount of time making sure Alice didn't have problems."

"Yeah."

"We had problems." He felt that smoke wagon hanging heavy.

Jackson's eyes widened "Whoa hold it a gorram second, you don't think I had somethin' ta do with that?"

"Lefton knew you, Carter." Dru's eyes narrowed. "Starts to smell like a stacked deck. We don't like being played."

"You ain't being played," Jackson's eyes darted between the two Kokezaru brothers, "Either of you. It's a big verse, I-I'm bound to run into people I know, right?"

"Except you lied about it."

"Should we expect a lot of former Alliance military to recognize you, Carter?"

"I ain't lied about nuthin, for the first time Jackson's eyes averted their gaze, "I just ain't completely told the truth."

"You cold-cocked Lefton when he saw you and claimed he was going to yell out. That was a lie."

"Well okay," Jackson scratched the back of his head, "I guess that would be true, but it ain't what you think."

"Okay, then." Durden's head cocked to the side. His thumb rested on the hammer of his pistol. "Time's running long and this gun is getting a might bit heavy to just be holding. Lets say you give me a reason not to use it... If it's not what we think then what is it?"

"I am sure Jacks has a good reason." Joe had finally forced himself to speak. This situation hit frighteningly close to home and he felt the urge to try and help Jackson. "Tell 'um" His eyes pled with the other man.

Jackson's hands flew up into the air, "Whoa, whoa d’un yi shia. I didn't mean for this to get this far," Jackson sat down on a box next to the engine and hung his head, "I'm sorry I shoulda said something sooner..."

"Wuo jai jeong yi chi," the hammer cocked back, "Give me one reason."

"I was in the alliance during the war. Kevin Lefton was on board the DeLeon the same time I was. I was afraid that if he said anything you guys'd think I was some sort of Alliance spy or somethin'," Jackson quickly looked up at the brothers, "Which I ain't."

"Uh huh," Tyler knelt down in front of Jacks, "Y'see, you ain't been around us long enough to know how twisted up things are here and now. Usually I'm the one with the itchy trigger finger and Dru," he hooked a thumb towards his brother, "Dru's usually the one that keeps the object of our ire from sufferin' a nasty case of explosive decompression. Now I think it's time you come clean."

"You prolly want to start from the beginning, son," the shepherd's rough voice came from the doorway. "I'd rather not have to brush up on my last rights sermon."

"You guys have things wu toh wu. I was in the alliance during the war." Jackson palmed his forehead. "It was hard to get jobs on the border planets being former Alliance, so I just kinda glossed it over. Made it easier that way to get out in the black. So now it's caused all this. Jao gao."

Joe's eyes flickered between the two brothers. If they were this riled up about Jacks, how would they react if they found out his secret? He wished there was something he could say to help the man who's life hung in the balance but he knew this was up to the Kokezarus.

For a few moments the engine room was silent, all except for the soft hum of Alice's H-A PKD drive. There was a click. Dru's thumb eased the hammer back. Tyler looked up at his brother and stood up. With a crook of his elbow Durden dropped the revolver into its holster. "Give us a minute." They stepped around Alice's diminutive electrician out of the engine room and headed toward Durden's room.

Durden sat on the bed. Tyler crossed to the far end of the room and leaned on the wall. Shepherd Jones appeared in the open doorway, but neither brother made any protest to his presence. The preacher didn't wait to speak. "Carter didn't cause what happened earlier but-"

Ty looked to the Shepherd, "Tread carefully, preacher..."

With a smile the old man nodded and continued, "It doesn't matter what caused this chain of events, the boy came clean." Copper tucked his arms under one under the other. "I've staked a good part of my life -the best- on the belief that a man can change."

---

Joe stood in the engine room looking at the other man. He felt bad for him. He felt guilty. He let Jackson take all of the heat when he himself was guilty of the same offense. "I believe you. . . You are a good guy."

Jackson looked up at Joe, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Well, you deserve it. They weren't in that cockpit, I was. You are a helluva engineer. It isn't easy to get away from the alliance. . . " His voice drifted off.

Jackson laughed, "More than you'd ever know, kid."

Joe smiled bemusedly. "Yeah, I can only imagine."

---

"You believe him then?" Durden asked the preacher. They gave Copper a good ribbing now and then, it was all part of being Alice's crew, but in the time that they he had flown with them when matters had become serious the brothers had learned to listen the Shepherd's counsel.

The preacher smiled, pushing back the shadowy brim of his hat. "You don't?" He knew the answer but asked anyway.

Dru nodded. "I do." He looked at Tyler. "I thought you ran a background check back on Beaumonde?"

"Wait..." Ty's brow furrowed. "I thought you did?" They exchanged a tense look for a moment, but instead of raising any ire, the two chuckled softly.

Both of the brothers had been weighing it in their heads. Good man or not, there were probably risks to keeping him aboard. Sure there were benefits, but did they balance the scales out? "He's a good mechanic," Ty added, "came through when he needed to, where it counts."

He sighed, rubbing his beard. "And in the same end of the pool the rest of us are." When it came to doing the right thing it seemed the scales never balanced. Durden got to on his feet and looked to his brother. "We good then?" Tyler nodded.

Copper stepped aside, letting the brothers pass through. Jacks quickly stood when the Kokezaru brothers appeared behind Joe. Dru jerked his head, directing him toward the galley. "Come on," he said quietly. He gave a look to Joe who replied with an encouraging smile and walked out of the engine room. Sitting at the table, Shepherd Jones gave him the same reassuring smile. Jacks' nerves began to settle. "Look... We understand why you kept it quiet."

"And we can appreciate wanting to start fresh." Tyler rooted around in one of the cupboards, coming back with a dark bottle.

"When a man's eyes have been opened, he wants the opportunity to start making the right decisions."

Jackson nodded, Agreed. And honestly, I really didn't mean ta spook you guys or lie or anything, honest."

"Fair enough," Tyler pulled down four glasses, gave Joe an appraising look, then grabbed a fifth. He set them down on the table and poured a measure of amber liquid in each. He held the bottle up to the overhead light, "Gettin' low."

"You could always put your share back."

"And you can gun hoe-tze bee dio-se." The others laughed as he took up his glass, "Our Pa gave us this bottle when we went off to the war. It survived us and the Alliance, through no fault of either I suppose... We started using it to drink to fallen comrades, but the way things were going we figured it wouldn't last a month, so we drank to victories instead. Now we'd like to drink to family." He raised his glass to the others, "To family."

Safely on their way to Regina, most of Alice's crew was in the cargo hold. Normal environmental controls had returned and yet the four of them all stood as if a chill ran through the ship. Their attention was fixed on the one out of place thing in the hold that stood out as foreign, the one thing they stood around. A small nondescript cube which roughly two feet high and three across. The only thing of note besides its latches was the small panel on the side which indicated environmental controls. It was almost too plain. Overly plain. That alone would warrant suspicion, But everything else... Secret private transport of unmarked Alliance goods? Armed Federal guards? None of its crew knowing what they were carrying? None of those signs pointed to anything good.

"What do you think's in it?" Tyler crouched beside it, taking a better look at the console. "I don't think you should open it," she added.

Ty tapped the console and received an error beep in return. He tapped another sequence, again an error. He glanced over to Dru who merely shrugged in response. He rubbed the scruff on his chin and thought hard about what the Alliance would have used for a passcode. A number popped into his head - could it really be that simple? - and he reached out to give it a third try.

"C'mon Ty, I have a bad feeling about this..." Joe's words fell on deaf ears, as Tyler punched the digits into the panel. A green light flashed and the lid popped with a slight hiss.

Wisps of vapor seeped out from the broken seal, "Ooops," Tyler said as he gingerly lifted the lid and waved away the encased fog of cold. Laying in a bed of chill, they found row upon row of liquid-filled vials.

Copper leaned over Tyler's shoulder, "Looks to be medicine. Probably some type of antibiotic given the way it's packed." He reached in, pulling one of the vials from its tray, examining it more closely. "Nothing but a barcode, that's -"

"Really none of our business, preacher." Dru cut in before Copper could say the words that were certainly on all of their minds: 'that's odd.'

Jackson trotted down the steps from the engine room, "Okay I think Joe and I got Alice patched enough to get us to Regina, he rubbed the grease from his hands, "but once we get there I suggest, if we've got the time, to make gorram sure that can't happen again," he looked over at Joe who nodded. Jackson walked up and stood next to the kneeling Ty, "So what is this stuff?"

"Ain't sure."

"If we're taking it to Regina, it could be some new experimental drug to use on Bowden's Malady."

"If that were the case, why would the Alliance take it to Ariel and not straight to Regina?"

Jacks nodded, "Good point."

"In any event,"Ty said as he took the vial from Copper and put it back with the others and replaced the lid, "It ain't really much of our concern," he stood up and turned to address the rest of the crew, "We should hit Regina in about a week. In the mean time, I suggest you two start figuring out what the hell exactly happened."

The two nodded in agreement.

---

Copper stuck his head into Alice's engine room. Jackson was three quarters of the way inside the engine hard at work trying to determine what had caused the distress earlier, "Son, can I have a moment?" Copper heard a smack of skin on metal as Jackson jumped from hearing the preacher's voice.

"Damn it!" Jackson cursed as he revealed himself from inside the engine. The look of anger changed to sheepishness as he saw who the voice connected to, "Oh I'm sorry preacher."

Copper laughed, "I should apologize Jacks, didn't mean to sneak up on you," he laughed again.

Jackson Looked at the preacher for a second and started to laugh himself, "What can I do for you preacher?"

"Please call me Copper," he smiled and held up a bottle and two glasses, "You've had your head buried in that thing all day. I thought you could use a belt."

Jackson's eyebrows raised, "Now that you mention it," he took one of the glasses, while Copper poured.

Copper raised his glass "Bottoms up," Jackson returned the toast and they both buried their respective shots. "You know, kid," Copper said as he refilled his glass, "you've had your nose in her all day," Copper nodded toward the engine and downed his glass, "How is she?"

"Welp," Jacks stood up and put his hand on the engine, "it looks like going from cold to full burn like we did hurt the dampening coils around the core and is gonna need to be replaced once we get to Regina."

"That doesn't sound too good."

"Well as long as we don't go full burn we should be shiny. We do, I can't make promises."

"That sounds, interesting."

Jacks laughed as he took the bottle and filled his glass, "It ain't as bad as all that. Long as the boys have some common sense about um."

Copper smiled and took another shot, "This is most obviously your first trip with these boys isn't it?"

"You just fill me with confidence preacher."

"I must tend to my flock my boy," he gave Jackson another nod and a wink before he downed another glass full.

---

"What do you want to do?" The two brothers sat in Alice's cockpit, both minds on that little enigmatic crate way down in the hold. Dru shook his head looking out into the black. That cargo that wasn't sitting well with either of them. They felt it burning a hole in their ship, but not in the traditional sense. "You don't think Ford would try and screw us..."

"No," Dru pinched the bridge of his nose, "well..." Ford wasn't a scoundrel. He was a business man. Granted his business was more of the shady sort then the broad daylight sort, but business was business. The Brothers Kokezaru had always done right by him. The man had made a pretty amount of coin from using the them. It didn't make financial sense to risk putting them to pasture, did it?

"Did he say whether the job was his or contracted?"

"Didn't say." Durden hopped from his seat and crossed over to the com. "How close are we to a relay lane?"

"Close enough to place a call," Ty's fingers tapped across the navsat and he took the controls. "I'll get us into better reception, but I can't make any promises."

As Alice smoothly veered off her programed path, Durden attempted connecting to the communication cortex. "Damn..." The screen was still cut with static, unable to hold the connection even long enough to dial out, let alone the distance he needed. He reached over and jammed his thumb into the intercom. "Joe? Can you get up to-"

"Yeah?" Dru looked back over his shoulder. Alice's youngest crew member was standing in the doorway holding a can of food in each hand. He took his thumb off the button. "What do you guys want to eat? Cornstuffs," He asked holding up one can, "Or beanstuffs?" He held up the other.

He waved the kid over, seemingly ignoring the question. "Gimme a hand. We need to boost the signal so we can comm out to Beaumonde."

"Sure" Joe tossed the cans to Dru and dug a screwdriver out of his belt. "I can link the transmitter to the hull and use the whole ship as a big amplifier. . .' Joe grinned at the wildly bizzare suggestion.

Durden set the cans down. "Alright then, make with the doings." He stepped away from the console. The Kokezaru was adept enough to get by with his practical knowledge, and Joe may have been young, but he had already proven himself to be canny beyond his years when it came to the wirings of a ship. Combine that with his youthful creativity and eagerness, and well... it would get them further faster then practical knowledge would. "Just don't fry her. She's still a bit sore from earlier."

Joe crossed to the communications panel and began unscrewing the casing. "What is it with you guys and personifyin' this ship like a girl?" Dropping the screws into his pocket, he popped open the console and crawled in. "can someone gimme a light?"

Tyler tossed over a flashlight. His brother caught it and squatted down to shine some light into Joe's situation. "You haven't been up in the black much, have you, Joe?"

Cutting the wire, he shook his head and tried to talk around the pliers in his mouth. "Noh, I usury wor pranet sie." He removed the tool from his mouth. "Okay, hand me the quick solder from my bag." His grimy hand emerged from the gap.

Keeping the light in place, he turned around and fished out the soldering gun. "There's plenty of captains out here what view their ship as a means to an end, that's sure to be true. Some of them may be fine and capable people. Alice is more then a boat to get us place to place. Job to Job." He popped it about in his hand and gave the quick solder over, grip first. "You stay on her crew, fly with us long enough, you'll understand."

"Well, I don't plan on goin' nowhere. Now, you may feel a teeny shock as I-" The pop of the quick solder sounded and the floor buzzed with a low level of electricity. "Ow. . . Kay, make your message quick, I don't wanna keep her like this for long."

Dru hopped up. As he did, the communication cortex lights went green and automatically patched the channel through. In seconds a familiar face appeared. "Durden," Fords tone was pleasant enough, though one wouldn't have been able to tell from his expression. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon."

"No?" He glanced back to Tyler who was shaking his head.

"I haven't heard from your contact," Ford said, casually, "but, If you've finished the job already then you and your brother have exceeded even my expectations, Durden..." The man seemed pleased at this prospect.

"No. Job's not done, Ford."

Ford paused a beat. "Is there a problem?"

"Four of them, Ford," Tyler got up from his chair. "All of them purplebellies."

Genuine confusion fell over Ford's image. "Purple?"

"Alliance... The cargo was under armed guard, Ford." He shook his head. "Not exactly what you lead us to believe when we took it on this job."

"I... That's..." The news seemed as surprising to him as it had been to them. "Are you okay? Did you secure the cargo?"

Down on the ground, Joe tugged at Durden's pantleg. "Dru..."

He waved her off. "Cargo's safety isn't my concern here, Ford. I want to know what sort of bie woo long I may be standing in."

"It's legit from my end, Durden." The businessman seemed irked at any implication that he would knowingly deceive the brothers. "The job came from the receiver. All the information was theirs, but I've worked with Kat Frohman for years and never had a problem."

The brothers looked at each other. Joe was tugging at him again, reminding him how the hull of their ship was lit up like a christmas tree. "Okay, Ford... we'll-" Something cut him off. There was a red light beside the console view screen which began flashing. It was the "private line"... Durden's eyes met Tyler's, a twin expression of concern. Out in the black, why would anybody go through the trouble of trying to contact Alice? "We'll be in touch," Dru finished the thought and cut the line.

((OOC: Writing props to Capin, T and Mick!))

Dru's eyes were fixed on the flashing light. His brother had gotten out of his chair to join him at the com. Both Kokezaru's minds raced, thinking of all the people that might know that particular frequency. What possible reasons they might feel the need to try and use it blindly without knowing where they exactly were. The silence had settled so thickly that Joe felt the sense of urgency about it. Even so he couldn't help but remind them of the precarious state boosting the signal had put their ship's communications in.

"Guys..." he started softly, his voice almost cracking. "We can't hold this much longer."

Tyler put his hand on his brother's shoulder, nodding. "Okay."

Durden reached out and switched the com to the private channel and let the call come through. At first all they got was white noise and snow, heavy with distance and interference. As Joe's relay worked its magic, more of the signal pulled in, pixelating into the face of a man. It was a large face, worn and wrinkled as if by years and work. A lot of that was the war, but normally there was usually a warmth in his eyes which belied that fact. That warmth was absent in the transmission coming through. "Durden?" His mouth was covered in a thick bushy brown mustache speckled with gray.

"Truman?" He exchanged a look with his brother. "What the hell?"

"I didn't think I'd get through to you." The older man shook his head, leaning into the screen. It blurred his visage.

"You almost didn't," Durden leaned on the counter, "and you don't got much time to say what it is you need. We're burnin' up out here."

"It's Vanya. She's got a prizzzrttt*" Static cut through the line, but clearly the name resonated with the brothers. "ZZzzaro is trying to collect her. Not for good either."

"Guys. . . " The boy was getting an impatient tone in his voice. "This hurts."

Tyler held his hand, as if to quiet him. "You're cuttin' out, Truman. What about Vanya? What do you mean 'collect? Who's tryin' to collect her?"

"Sterling Matarazzo." He looked uncomfortable. If this news made him uncomfortable, that wasn't good.

"The swell?" he asked, confused. "What the hell does he want with Vanya?"

"He's not the philanthropist you think, boys." Truman shook his head. "Not that anybody really would know that. He's a murderer, Drurden. A powerful one. The most powerful money coulzzrrtt buy. He's spending a fortune trying to find your girl."

"Mi tian gohn.." Durden pressed his palms against his eye sockets, shaking his head. There were few in the verse that the brothers trusted more then Truman. Back in the war, he watched their backs. After the war he helped them get on their feet. He had built a rather healthy service on the black market, using his status and contacts to create a network of trusted contacts and service providers. If Truman said the wealthy, popular, philanthropist businessman was really a murderer, they knew better then to waste their time arguing with him. "Thanks, Truman. We're on it."

"I know. Find her first..." Truman leaned forward and cut the signal.

"Kill it, Joe."

Before Tyler could finish all the lights went out on the com board and the electrical hum went silent. A few grunts later they came back on and Joe wriggled himself back out of the console. He glared at the brothers and shook his hands, blowing on his fingertips. "I hope you enjoyed your leisurely chat. . . " He gave him a look that said this wasn't a time for snarky comments.

"So, who's Vanya?" Jackson's voice came from the doorway of the cock pit.

Durden didn't look at him. He was still fixed to the blank com screen. A few beats passed in silence. "Our sister."

---

There was a knock at her cabin door. The list of potential clients on the screen before her hadn't changed in the last few days, taking a break now wouldn't interrupt anything. "Come in," the Companion called softly.

There was a loud *CHUNK* as the latch released and the door was slid to the side. Durden gave a smile her way, pleasant, but brief. "Hey," he said. She responded with a sweet smile. Even so, as real as it seemed, he could tell it was more professional then genuine. He stood in her doorway a few moments longer as her eyes drifted back to the screen. He walked in and sat on the large bed behind her. "How you doing?"

It was the professional who answered him. "I'm fine, of course. I assume we haven't changed our arrival date for Beaumonde. I have clients waiting for me."

"No." She wasn't looking at him. He ran his hand over the soft comforter. It was fancy. A deep crimson red with a thread count higher then he could probably imagine. "Not since the last time you were out of your quarters."

She nodded faintly, running a hand through her long hair as she stared at the proposals before her again. "That's good to know." The faces on the screen faded away. It was getting hard to even pretend to be working.

"Of course, you remember when that was."

The tension in her shoulders was clearly evident. "Of course I do."

Durden took a deep breath and sighed it out. "Right." As the quiet started to settle back in he rubbed his goatee and got to his feet. "Okay, get up."

"Excuse me?"

"Get up." He said again. "C'mon, lets go." He started for the door.

"Where are we going?" she asked even as she took a step to follow him, pulling a soft blanket from a nearby chair to wrap around her tiny frame.

"Just come on," he replied flatly. She grumbled to her self but followed him nonetheless. He lead her down the corridor into Alice's common room. It was neat and tidy, as if it hadn't been used in days. When she walked in, she found Tyler, seated on the far counter. Durden had joined his brother, leaning against it. Cool violet eyes fixed on one brother then the other. Arms folded across her chest, Vanya waited for one of them to begin.

Tyler hopped off the counter. "We were beginnin' to think you might never come out." He walked around the room to the table. He pulled out two chairs and sat in one of them. Durden followed around and sat on the other side.

"I was just a little caught up in there." It was quite possibly the most unconvincing thing she'd ever said to them, and she knew it.

"Right." He smiled. The two brothers shared a look. Tyler reached over to the seat at the head of the table and took a small rectangular box from it and set it in front of her. It wasn't big or anything. Just a simple thing wrapped in plain brown paper. Some string tied up around it served as a bow.

Finally a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she took the empty seat. She touched the bow lightly, tracing the loop with her fingers. "What are you two up to?" she asked finally, delicate brows arched as she looked back and forth between the brothers.

The pair chuckled. "No good, I'm sure of it." Tyler patted the gift.

She'd never bothered to take the time to examine why it was so easy to relax around them. It was enough that she heard herself laughing too. Curiosity piqued, Vanya reached for her box. "I don't imagine you got me flowers," she chuckled. Since Durden and Tyler had no need to try to win her affections or make themselves more important than they really were, the diminutive woman was fairly certain this was no ordinary gift.

Whatever it was it had a bit of heft to it. Delicately pulling back the paper, she opened the box. Inside, sitting in on a bit of worn cloth was nickel finished .38 caliber revolver, all shiny and new. It wasn't big, not much over six inches from butt to barrel. She ran her finger down over where the hammer should have been and down textured wooden grip before gently wrapping her fingers around it to lift it from its box. She turned it over in her hands, making herself comfortable with the weight. Then her gaze caught the inscription... Mei Mei.

"You didn't need to do this." Her voice was unusually soft as she fell into an old childhood habit of hiding behind her long hair. "I don't know what to say..."

"What's to say?" Tyler smiled, tucking one of her locks back behind her ear. "You know you can't stay in your room forever. And you shouldn't want to."

Durden nodded. "We know we won't always be there the moment you'll be needin' us." He bent his head down, looking up at her to catch her hiding eyes. "We'd like to, but it's better to be realistic then idealistic, mei mei. This way, you carry a bit of us with you." Vanya released the cylinder, popping it out. Durden smirked, "Well, five little bits of us to point and send after anybody deserving."

"I'm sure five little bits will have to do, someday." With a quick twist of her wrist she snapped the cylinder back into place. Then, in one fluid movement, held it out and aimed it at a hanging pan in the back of the kitchen, checking the site as she felt the grip become more familiar to her hand. "But for now..." She didn't need to finish. Setting her gift down, she placed her tiny hand on Tyler's, reaching across the table to take Durden's hand as well. "Thank you."

---

"So what's your plan?" Copper asked. He, Durden and Jacks were sitting around the dining table. Dru had just finished filling Copper in on Truman's message and giving Jacks the Cliff's Notes version of Vanya's history as an adopted member of the Kokezaru clan. The old man leaned back, his chair creaking in protest, "Do you even know where she's calling home nowadays?"

Dru shrugged as he picked at a chip in the edge of the table, "Can't say that I know that, Copper. She's -"

"On a boat going by the name Repose," Ty finished for his brother as he and Joe entered the common room from the cockpit. He slid a datapad across the table to Dru. The brother picked it up to examine it. "Latest cortex had it bound for New Melbourne, but that's dated."

"So, there's no guarantee they're still there." He sighed, tossing the datapad onto the table.

"Well, we top off here, put some full burn in, we can be on Newhall in good time." Jackson picked up the datapad, glancing over it. "We know what they were doing there? Could give us an idea of how long they'd be there."

Tyler shook his head. "No clue."

"So basically what you're telling me is we are going in without an idea of what we're getting into, to find a girl that you can't locate, and possibly running afoul of a very rich and powerful person who is supposedly a murderer that could possibly have us all killed right?"

"Pretty much."

"That's right."

"Just making sure I got the plan down, carry on."

There was that word again. "Plan". There was always the option of continuing on to Regina as originally intended. This pit stop at Santo hadn't really taken them all that far off course. Regina could easily put them further or closer from where they'd need to be. Everything was a gamble. Going on would also put them in the dark for most of the trip. If any news came through they wouldn't know until they were nearly planet side and possibly too late. Not so long ago they could've put a call into Mr. Universe. Lose some money his way and he could've pinpointed that ship with a speed and accuracy worthy of his profit margin. Those days were gone. Ty and Dru had called in several favors. Now it was a matter of waiting and hoping one of them answered with good news.

Tyler shook his head. Neither of them liked the gamble here. "We'll wait it out. Keep our ears to the ground and wait for word."

Copper set his chair back the ground. "You sure, son?" His hands folded on the table in front of him. "It could be days..."

"It won't. We'll have something to go on before long." Copper nodded. "Jacks? Let's dot our I's and cross our T's while we're sittin'. We should be ready to jump at a moments notice."

Joe, who had silently been watching the other men talk, offered his help. "I should probably check the main wirin'. Put a permanent fix on that patch work and make sure nothin else is gonna short out on us. I wouldn't be too worried 'bout this trip, from what I remember Sterling is a pretty stand-up kinda guy."

This much was true. By the public right Sterling Matarazzo was a good man. He was a philanthropist like the verse hadn't seen in ages. He had sunk mass amounts of his personal fortune into cities razed by the Unification War. It hadn't seemed to matter what side of the war they had fought on. To the brothers nobody could come by that sort of money honestly, but to many on the border worlds, even out in the rim, he was a hero. He seemed to always shun politics, but when the shame of Miranda had come to light, there was even some call for him to step up as become Prime Minister. Of course he declined and had even fallen from the public eye somewhat since then. Most assumed he'd returned to his quite life of business. The quietest life money could buy.

"I'll take Truman's word over whatever the cortex says about what a good boy Matarazzo might be." Durden pulled the carafe from the coffee maker and went to filling his cup. "Money buys public opinion. That don't make it true none. If Truman says somethin's rotten in Denmark, well, he'd be knowin'."

The boy shrugged and crammed his hands into his pockets. "Sure thing, Dru." This subject seemed sensitive to the brothers, and it wasn't worth arguing about his own experience with the man, experience he wouldn't be able to mention. "I'll just, ah, get to work on those wires."

"Wait, wait..." The mechanic's brow knit together. He looked up from the data pad, pointing to the screen. "I know this guy..."

"Who?"

"The captain, Keith Saruwatari. He was a medic stationed on The deLeon with me during the war."

"How well did you know him?"

"Well enough to know he's one of the good guys. Keith had a bad time during the Battle of Serenity Valley. Saw some things no one should ever see. He left about the same time I did. Didn't hear he was the captain of his own boat till just now though."

"You reckon he'll give us any noise about Vanya leaving? A Companion lends a certain level of legitimacy to a ship," Ty explained, "Most Captains wouldn't take kindly to such a loss of respectability, much less revenue."

"I wouldn't think so. He's a stand up guy, shouldn't have too much trouble with it if it will be safer for her."

Ty nodded, "Well that's at least one thing we have in our favor. Now all we gotta do is find 'um."

Jackson snapped his fingers, "I got an idea, and it just might work."

Dru leaned back in his chair and folded his arms "Let's hear it."

"Well, if I can get a hold of Kieth via the cortex maybe I can get him to meet me for drinks and we can explain things."

Dru nodded, "Could work. Nobody likes an ambush." He pushed a back from the table, looking back to Joe and Jacks. "Alright, get to dottin' the I's and crossin' them T's. We'll keep pressing for more to go on and plan to be airborne soon. That cargo's already sizziling down in the hold. Won't do us no good burning straight through the hull."

"You got it."

"Right."

(props to alice's crew and vanya)