Disclaimer: Joss, Fox, Universal Own em’. (Except for Allan and the kids. they're mine) I’m just playing. No money being made.

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This story takes place nine years after Serenity (BDM) and has the established couples of Simon/Kaylee, Mal/Inara, Zoë/Allan and Jayne/River. Takes place five years post “The Bash”

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Thanks again to Woonsocket and Chris for the Beta work

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Relics

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Chapter Six

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Allan clicked down the visor on his helmet, “Ready?”

There were acknowledgments from his companions. The engineer hit the switch to depressurize the shuttle; after a few moments, he began to feel his suit stiffen against the vacuum.

When the status light indicated it was safe, Allan opened the shuttle’s door revealing the micro-meteorite scarred hatch that led to the Kansas. Once outside the deck plates of the shuttle, he was in zero g, floating forward to the hatch. As he was looking at the mechanical status display, Lt. Henderson floated up beside him.

“I expected an electronic status display. Good thinking, whoever decided to use a mechanical one,” the young officer said.

“Thanks for saying,” Allan grinned.

“You mean the rumors are true?” Henderson asked.

Allan reached out tentatively with his gauntleted hand and reverently touched the hull of Kansas, “I designed her.”

“What?” Robert's voice crackled across their headsets.

“Allan's from Earth-that-was,” Mal replied, “Came here in his own ship, spent about four hundred years in cryo himself.”

“Laotian ye,” Robert replied.

Allan smiled. One glance over at young Lt. Henderson showed what looked like a bit of hero worship on his face.

“Mal?” Allan asked.

“What is it, Allan?”

“Pressure shows 10 PSI on the other side. Can you bring the shuttle’s pressure up to match?”

“On it,” the Captain replied as he moved back to the shuttle’s environmental controls.

As soon as the pressure was equalized, Allan began turning the stiff hand crank in the center of the hatch. A puff of ice crystals flashed around the