TITLE: "MIGHT AIN'T RIGHT"

SERIES: THE DEVIL'S CRADLE

CHAPTER: 20. Sequel to "HAIR OF THE DOG"

FANDOM: "FIREFLY"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

PAIRING: Zoe/Wash Kaylee/Simon Mal/Inara

SUMMARY: "With the Alliance breathing down their

necks the crew have to come up with some creative

version of the truth but will it be enough? Meanwhile

Lucy goes on the run and a wild card throws the Triads

into a quandry that can only end one way."

"MIGHT AIN'T RIGHT"

A "Firefly" Story

Written by Alison M. DOBELL

* * * * *

They stared at the huge hulk of the Alliance Dreadnought. What in the nine hells was it even doing here? Not a Cruiser or a smaller inspection vessel but one of the pride of the gorram fleet. Malcolm Reynolds knew exactly what he was looking at and how much top of the line fire power she carried. Had to wonder why. It was Shepherd Book who put it into context.

"I'm guessing they came in response to the discovery on Ithaca Moon, Captain."

Couldn't argue with that. Once an Alliance team landed and checked out why they could get no response from Rufus Pol or any of his crew on the old terraforming ship they must have asked for assistance and the Alliance had come loaded for bear. Obviously the discovery of the bodies had set their collective ant's nest into overdrive and now a gorram Dreadnought was breathing down their rutting necks. Yet if that were true the Dreadnought, top of the line or not, would not have been able to arrive on the scene so quickly. No. Instinct told Mal that the Dreadnought must have followed in the inspection vessel's wake almost as if expecting just such an outcome. How creepifying was that? Wash looked worried.

"They're hailin' again, Cap'n."

The Captain glanced around at his crew and indicated for all of them to leave except his pilot and Zoe, though he