CHAPTER 13

Time was ticking. They were orbiting still. From her position in the hallway, she could see River throwing occasional glances in her direction. Zoë listened as Wash guided Shuttle 2 in for docking. Jayne would try to take charge and tell them to forget Mal and run. That plan was as natural to Jayne as breathing. How long did they have before they had no other option? Wash would know.

They’d circled the planet once. Zoë could see the moon rotating back into view. River looked at her again, encouraging her onto the bridge with a raised eyebrow and a tilt of the head. Zoë didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. Just prayed.

Her prayer was interrupted by a burst of static from the radio. Shuttle 1 was calling in!

“Mal, we got about half an orbit before they notice us gone,” Wash informed.

“Shuttle’s being a bit sluggish. Can you slow down?” Mal answered.

“Shi a, Captain. Mission accomplished?”

“Not till we’re docked and running. And make sure—”

The line suddenly went dead. The hair on Zoë’s arms stood on end. She pushed herself to her feet, tipping her head in to listen more closely.

“Make sure what?” Wash asked, fiddling with the comm. “Mal? Ai ya! Huai le. Talk to me. Shuttle 1, Serenity, respond.”

She couldn’t stop herself. Zoë dashed in, relieving River of the copilot’s seat and grabbing the comm from that side.

“Sir?” Zoë called desperately.

Nothing.

“They hit?”

Wash checked his readouts. “They’re not falling, just … drifting. Can you access their controls.”

“Already on it,” Zoë said, her hands a blur on the controls in front of her. If you’d asked her later, she would not have remembered what keys she hit, but in that moment of desperation, her fingers knew exactly where to go. She hit the comm again. “Shuttle 1, this is Serenity, I’m taking flight control.”

“Nice and easy,” Wash coached. “Bring her in.”

Zoë grimaced as she tried to control the shuttle with paddle commands rather than a yoke. “That left thruster is out.”

“Just hold her steady,” Wash soothed. “I’ll do the