`TITLE: "STANDBY"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

FANDOM: "FIREFLY"

PAIRING: No specific pairing.

RATING: PG-13.

STATUS: SEQUEL to "TRUST"

ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.

FEEDBACK: Welcomed.

EMAIL: AlisonMDobell@aol.com

WEBSITE: http://carlajane.50megs.com/Ali00.html

SUMMARY: "Badger recovers the technology from the

junker. Simon discovers River is no longer on Serenity. The

Captain comes face to face with the occupants living below

ground then wishes to *diyu* he hadn't."

The usual disclaimers apply. The characters and 'Firefly'

are the property and gift of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.

No infringement of copyright is intended.

"STANDBY"

"Firefly" story

Written by Alison M. DOBELL

* * * * *

Some things are constant even in a 'verse as contrary as this one. Badger knew Munro hadn't told him everything but he had sources that had been able to verify that the man's claims were basically sound. Now the proof of the pudding was before him and excited as he was at the high yield find part of him began to wonder whether stripping out and reclaiming those specialist systems had not been a mistake after all.

Munro was grinning, supremely pleased at having his assurances verified. Anticipating the rest of his finder's fee. With hardly a word Badger paid him, nodding to one of his men to show Munro out. Badger stared at the collection of exotic systems and grinned, hard currency turning cartwheels inside his head as he thought how much this little lot was worth. The trick was not that it was very valuable but in assessing *how* valuable and to whom it could be sold without too many questions being asked. It was one of his tech men, Gordon Lancaster, who put the dilemna into a nutshell. "You were right, *laoban*. Whoever lost this is gonna want it back. This is some serious *goushi* an' we don't wanna be on the wrong end of it."

"What you sayin'?"

"Just this: bein' handed a valuable,