Ch.44

I woke up having fallen onto a planet I didn't recognize from high altitude and destroyed a skiff ship during the battle of Serenity Valley. I was shot at by some alliance men and roared, killing hundreds of them in seconds. I used the strength of my legs to rapidly increase my speed. I went wild and only rockets dropping from above stopped me as I saved a man who looked like Caleb and his friend, Zoey.

I asked them to help me before falling, exhausted. They lied saying I was a brown coat volunteer from some backwater planet. I got discharged with the rest and the only thing I was allowed to keep was wages I'd earned under my false persona and a gun without ammo. The credits we were given went to a ship Mal as he called himself said would be worth it.

I didn't know the currency exchange so he promised that if I went half in with him he'd teach me the ropes and we'd be partners of sorts. I cleaned and repaired the ship, upgrading it in places and not understanding it in others because I'd never come across an engine from this reality yet. I did install portable showers that suck in moisture from the oxygen in the air and released it as clean filtered water.

Mal called me a dumb genius at times like that because I knew next to nothing about anything and yet I could make something worth so much. I spent the second half of my pay joining the merchant guild and making a decent mint on the portable shower systems for ships. After studying the laser rifles for a time, I was able to make a laser cannon from scraps and store it in the cargo hold for now.

I even built an arc reactor that replaced the ships main power supply, but I didn't have the supplies or time to fix the rest. I got to meet Wash and Kaylee when they joined up after Mal fired the idiot that he'd hired. I met Inara and we agreed on a price to rent my shuttle for her business as a professional companion from the guild. Mal was happy because it opened doors for business that would otherwise remain shut and he didn't have to give up his shuttle for it.

That along with my ability to hack in and make a merchant guild manifest legit to slap seals on stolen cargo pretty much made up my contribution to the crew in spades. Of course the guild had to be paid and I had to renew my license every few years, but it was a small price to pay. Inara's fee for renting my shuttle was simple, if she wasn't with a client, she shared my bed exclusively and no one else's on the crew.

No money, a simple exchange of services and it worked for us for the most part. She knew I preferred to be clean shaven and showered every day, several times if I'm on a job with Mal. She said I was handsome enough and found my equipment pleasing. She also knew I was incredibly strong, durable beyond belief and the fact that I had metal claws that could burst forth and kill anyone that hurts her.

She basically used me and I knew it because I used her as well. I had no way of tracking Buffy and the rest to whatever reality they'd ended up in assuming the three ships ended up there together. In the end I was alone, but they were immortal and had a seed of wonder as well as the knowledge to build more ships if necessary so we'd find each other eventually, someday.

For now I needed time to heal internally and mentally. I didn't speak much because my mind had witnessed so much in the destruction of the reality from the inside while the screaming void pretty much scrambled my memories to shit. So much chaos took time to heal and repair. Physically I was fine, if a little low on magic, but my body was recovering and with the seals it wouldn't leak any once it was completely recovered.

Inara called the enochian scripture unique and enjoyed kissing and tracing it when we were alone. Our first time was awkward because while I wasn't the biggest male she'd ever seen, I was the biggest she'd ever taken. Add to that my lack of speech or even making a sound most of the time and she asked when we were done what happened to me.

I had to write a bit down saying I was injured in a war and fell from orbit, through a skiff and impacted a crater in the alliance hot zone before they started attacking me. My hand trembled as my mind struggled to control it before she grabbed my hand, telling me not to if I can't. It took several months before she had enough to piece the story together and asked where I came from.

I shrugged helplessly and she said it didn't matter now. I went down on her for the first time and used my vibes to bring her the most intense pleasure of her life, over and over again. She told me we'd make love and I cupped her cheek before saying. "No games."

She nodded and squirted like a fountain several times, needing to stop for hydration as we went well into the night. She didn't mind when I released inside her and by the end of the year she agreed to maintain her female clients and drop the males. She knew I disliked being with her after another male and that I could smell them in and all over her.

She found learning about me fascinating and as caring as she was, she knew I didn't take other lovers often. Hell, even Kaylee was an exception when she really needed a man and no one was available that didn't run on batteries. Soon six years flew by since I'd come to this reality and eight months since I'd gotten with Inara. We got Jayne Cobb on our crew after I killed his old crew and took their weapons.

Mal had taken a shine to him and offered him a spot before warning him that if he ever turned on the crew he'd set me loose and dear old Jayne would be a memory. Mal had been chipper when we got the illegal salvaged nutrition bars from the junker since it was the first paying job in a while so we headed back to Persephone and Badger, the low life asshole who gave us the tip. We'd had to rabbit from the alliance patrol but we got away fairly clean.

Badger refused to take the goods and pay us so I went to bring out my claws only Mal shook his head so I stopped. He and Badger had words and we left before I asked if he needed me to go back and make a mess. Even Jayne grimaced, agreeing that I should go back only Mal disagreed saying it would draw too much heat on us if Badger hadn't already. I told him to let me deal with the cargo because I should be able to remove the stamp and sell them on a rim world legitimately without too many questions.

He said if I could remove the brands then Patience would take them for far higher prices so I told Jayne to help me move the cargo to the extra room near the medical bay. There I used my suit's nanites and smoothed out the seal, removing the stamps on all of the bars one by one. I'd rediscovered the suit a month ago when my memories smoothed over a bit. There was just so much to them and it was taking a long time to piece them together.

I remembered the ships, my lovers and children before the collapse and that was pretty much it. The rest was the world's largest jigsaw puzzle of memories in my mind and it was frustrating. Shaking my head I finished the bars and put them back in the three cases. I told Jayne to let me know when we were up and the guests were out of the cargo area.

He did so while I hacked the merchant guild listings and records before making a manifest under my account name from Persephone to Whitehall. I put the alliance seal below the merchant guild seal and sealed the cases. Once the cases were tucked in the cargo hold, I met the passengers before joining Inara after Mal and her had a snipe about her profession.

Shepherd Book asked Mal as Inara pulled me away if she was servicing crew. Kaylee told him she only services women folks because she knew I didn't like sharing with men on account of my sense of smell can pick them up and I get, aggressive. Mal clarified that I don't much hurt anyone, but my rage can be something fierce and that's not a good thing in the air so Inara took it upon herself to coddle me on account of my memory loss from war wounds.

I stopped listening and helped Inara bathe before we were interrupted by Shepherd Book who brought us food. He talked a bit and apologized for thinking I was mute when Inara told him it takes a while for me to talk because my mind was scrambled from a skiff blaster concussion and a big fall from another that nearly killed me. She told him that when I do speak it's usually because it's important enough to risk headaches for.

He apologized again for thinking ill of us and left. I shrugged and let her eat while picking the seeds out of the tomatoes and strawberries. Inara asked why and I set my food on her plate, waving a hand. "More?"

I nodded and smiled, gesturing to the pile. She raised an eyebrow. "You're going to start a garden?"

I nodded and she smiled before splitting my food with me, knowing I'd insist on her taking the bulk. Once we finished, we were busy when Mal comm'd me telling me to get to the cargo bay. I got there as Kaylee was shot and dropped down from above, killing the fed immediately with an axe to the head. I growled before seeing Kaylee and ran to her.

Mal asked if I could do anything and I tried to think only shaking my head and catching a nose bleed when I tried to hard. A severe migraine set in and Mal told me it was alright before telling the Doc to patch her up. He told us to rabbit and he'd do so or he'd let her die. I stood up and Jayne, Mal and Inara had to hold me back.

Mal told him if they let go he dies just like the gorram fed. He told us to rabbit and Mal agreed before telling me to calm down because the hood doctor would patch her up. I stopped and he told Jayne to space the fed and Inara to get me out of here before I kill Kaylee's only chance at surviving. Inara grabbed the sides of my face, telling me. "Be with me, here and now, not there and then. Come back to me."

I shook my head and they released me before she led me away. Sometime later my head was clear of the violence and Inara was really tired. I held her while we washed off and apologized to her. She said it wasn't my fault, it was Mal's for putting too much pressure on me all the time.

Once we were dressed, I carried her to the mess hall where everyone was gathered to hear Simon's story. I held Inara in my lap where she told Simon he was safe because I was calm now. She told him that wasn't all him before, but the stress of killing a fed to protect everyone plus my mind being scrambled from the war and the frustration of not being able to help when he denied helping Kaylee. Simon apologized and I nodded slowly while Inara played with my fingers to insure I stayed calm otherwise I might hurt her.

Simon gave us River's story before I turned to Mal. He told us Simon and River were getting off at Whitefall. Inara said they'd be dead if he forces them off there before saying if he does she'd take me and we'd get off with them. Mal looked to me and asked if I'd go so I wrapped my arms around Inara and she smiled while he understood I'd go wherever she goes.

He cursed in Chinese before telling me to get on the net and find out how much the Alliance knows about us. I nodded and Simon asked how I was able to do anything like hacking if I'd lost my mind. Mal patted my shoulder saying computers just speak to me. He told Simon he'd best not get too comfortable because if Kaylee doesn't make it he'd be getting off a mite bit sooner than Whitefall if only to save him the headache of losing his ties to the merchant and companion guilds.

A bit later I was laying in bed with Inara when sound over the coms came on of a reaver ship we'd be passing. I laid there relaxed and Inara asked if I was afraid of Reavers. I shook my head and she nodded before asking if I'd keep her safe. I grabbed her hand and put it over my heart and put it over hers before saying carefully. "Always."

She smiled and kissed me before telling me I should go before Mal has an aneurism. I kissed her passionately before getting up and popping my body as I stretched. I walked to the bridge and Wash asked if I could take a whole ship full of reavers in a fight. My claws came out fully and looked intimidating before he seemed relieved. I smiled and looked at the reaver ship while Zoë told Mal I looked like I wanted to fight.

Mal said hopefully not today before telling me that if we had to I'd be first though while they defend the cargo bay with guns. I grinned and my claws sparked off each other before I put them away. I looked at the Reaver ship expectingly before it passed us by.

I growled and the crew grew tense before nothing happened. I grunted after we continued. "Sleep. Wake me when it's time for fighting."

Mal nodded and I headed back to our room where I watched Inara give Simon inoculation packs. Mal came in and asked. "I thought you were going to sleep?"

I gestured to Simon and Inara before Inara said I don't sleep with other males in our room. She turned to Simon and asked him if there was anything else and he shook his head saying it was enough. Mal asked what she was doing and she said she was doing her job and giving the boy a thrust since he wasn't long for this world.

Mal snorted saying not while I was here especially since Simon was breathing. She said it was none of his business and since it was her shuttle, he needed to leave.