The Mercenary takes a wife : The Mercer girls

Jayne’s worst nightmare and wildest fantasy

*Nightmare*

“Captain! We have a distress call.” Wash yelled down to the kitchen.

Mal and Zoë came onto the bridge. “Can you tell from what?”

“It’s a transport ship, the Mercer, out of New Bedford.” Wash read off the registry. “Call’s about 5 weeks old.” He looked between the Captain and his wife. “They said they were attacked by the ugliest pirates ever.”

Mal and Zoë exchange knowing looks.

“You thinking Reavers?” Wash looked at Mal, swallowed hard and muttered quietly to himself. “Oh God, oh God, oh God.”

“How far out? Call was five weeks old? Reavers will be gone by now, no need to mention that part to anyone. Wonder how they survived?” Mal looked at Zoë, his mind turning a mile a minute. They hadn’t had a good job in months and he was hoping for a little salvage work.

Wash messed with his dials. “About… three… hours. Should I set a course?”

“Yeah, time for some good humanitarian work.” He headed down to the engine room to warn Kaylee to get her salvage stuff ready. He would wait until the last minute to tell the crew about the ugly pirates.

*

There were to two ships merged together, like no two ships should be. One was obviously the transport and the other was just as obviously a Reaver ship. The transport had rammed into the Reaver’s ship in a last ditch effort to protect the shuttle that was caught on the grappling hook. It had saved the people in the shuttle, but trapped them too.

“Wash, you got someone?” Mal came back up onto the bridge.

“Yeah, there are five still alive. She looked normal on the vid.”

“She?” Jayne had followed Mal onto the bridge. “What do you mean ‘Normal’?”

“Just… you know... being alone… for five weeks can do stuff to a person.” Wash looked at Mal and hoped Jayne bought it.

“That’s gotta be the meanest looking ship, how come they rammed her like that? Only reason I can see ramming a ship like that… would…be… Gorram it Mal, that’s a Reaver ship ain’t it?” Jayne sta