Disclaimer: all things Firefly/Serenity are the property of Whedon et al. I'm not making any money off this, just playing with the toys.

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The next time I decide on something stupid, Zoe’d better direct a bullet into my brainpan. Bitter thoughts continued on as Mal made the arduous climb out of the hole and up the port side of the ship. The wind was blasting snow and other fine material into his cheeks and goggles, obscuring his vision. He hoped that the safety line was fastened securely enough.

Finally reaching his destination, the former Browncoat opened his utility bag and pulled out the pliers. Grasping the metal antenna firmly, he clipped the pliers on and began the slow process of bending the array into something resembling normal.

He felt the tension in his muscles as his hand began to cramp from the cold. He couldn’t let go, though, couldn’t face his crew with failure.

Satisfied after another couple of minutes, Mal replaced the pliers with a sensor pad and connected it to the outlet after first wiping away the snow. He flicked off his miner’s light to read the backlit display, punched some buttons on it and yelped at seeing the reading. A solid connection had been established and the signal was getting out. Whether or not it could get past the storm was another matter, but this was something at least.

Hauling himself back into the ship, he manoeuvred the crates as best he could in front of the opening. Less snow was coming in, but the cold was still present, still threatening. He hoped to hell that Inara had some luck with her shuttle.

Mal whipped off his leather hat and smacked it against his legs to rid it of snow. He strode from the guest quarters back towards the infirmary. “Any change, Doc?”

Simon winced at moving his neck too fast. “No.” He removed his stethoscope from his neck and blew on his numbing fingers. “And if we don’t get some heat soon, it really won’t matter.”

Mal eyed River sitting placidly on the couch in the lounge. “What about y