PART 1:

They were marooned. Mal remembered that much right off the bat – literally. Consciousness found him flat on his back with Zoë cradling his concussed head (damn baseball bat!) while Jayne shouted obscenities at Serenity’s silhouette disappearing into the sunrise. Immediately concerned for his crew, Mal pushed up to his elbows, ignoring the stars exploding behind his eyes. Inara and Kaylee watched him hopefully; Simon struggled to keep pace with a ranting Jayne who was bleeding from the shoulder; River sat tucked on a rock, her chin resting on her knees. Fortunately, she wore her boots today, but in general the group was not prepared for the weather on Perth this time of year.

“Report,” Mal grunted. Zoë clasped his hand, pulling him to sitting. She looked relatively unscathed considering.

“Just the clothes on our backs, sir,” she answered quietly.

“I’ve been left with less,” Mal commented, though he was not encouraged by the memory. “Where’s the nearest town?”

“Hard to tell in this light.”

“I’m sure that was the point.”

“If there is a city nearby, it’s east of us. Thought I saw it just before the sun peeked. There’s a wooded valley between us, but I’m sure we could walk it in a day or two.”

Mal stood as quickly as his pulsing head allowed. “Let’s get walking, then.”

“Captain,” Simon began, coming toward him, cloaked in his doctorly confidence. He must have been in the middle of something in the Infirmary when the attack started because he still wore a white apron over his clothes.

“Son, ain’t nothing you can do but look me over and say I’m not dead,” Mal dismissed, then raised his voice to address the others. “Let’s move.”

*~*

Inara, Kaylee, Simon, and River walked shoulder to shoulder as much as possible, but still shivered whenever an icy breeze came through. Simon had wrapped his apron around River’s bare shoulders. Mal led them between the trees, looking for the smoothest possible path. Zoë scouted ahead, making sure they kept direction while Jayne prowled in zig-zags seek