Chapter 1
The inky blackness seemed to stretch on forever, like the canvas of a painting, dotted with a deep blue planet and the small white lights distant stars, shimmering in the darkness. One of the stars moved, though, soaring across the sea of darkness, faster and faster it moved until it drew closer to the nearby planet. Wreathed in fire drew closer and closer, going through the planet's lower atmosphere. But wait, it wasn't a star, it was a ship, a firefly class ship, tumbling down through the lower atmosphere.
"I thought you said you had it!" Zoey said a little irritably from her chair where she was strapped in.
"I still have it!" Mal said glancing back to her before looking back out the windows where the fire was climbing higher up the outside of the windows, the ship jolted violently, threatening to throw them about, "I think" he muttered under his breath. The ship jolted again and the hull groaned, "Kaley!" he called down the COM, "you keep my boat together you hear?"
"You got it Captain!" came the anxious reply.
The fire around the ship began to dissipate as the ship made it through the atmosphere. The hull hissed and groaned as the hot changed to cold and raindrops began to fleck the glass. They were in clouds now, still descending faster than ever now. The clouds disappeared and revealed a vast ocean below with a massive rig standing almost a hundred and fifty feet above the churning waves. A long pipe stretched down into the water and completely out of sight.
"Least we've got a landing spot" Mal managed as he wrestled with the controls, turning the falling craft towards the rig.
"That's an awful small target Captain," Zoey said very quickly, concern visible on her face.
"Well we're gonna need a bullseye then aren't we" Mal grimaced as the ship drew nearer and nearer to the rig. Down on it, people were scattering from the pad at the sight of the craft soaring towards them. "Kayley get ready for quarter reverse okay?"
"Quarter reverse ready!" Kayley replied from the engine room, she closed her eyes as she placed her hand on the switch.
The ship was even closer than ever now to the rig, the pad was completely clear and the noise of the ship was almost deafening. "Three..." Mal muttered, "two...one.....Now Kayley!"
Kayley pulled the switch and the ship jolted violently as the thrusters fired with a thunderous roar. The force of the thrusters blew up a whirlwind blowing water off of the pad and brought the ship to a grinding halt over the pad. Serenity hover there for a moment, majestic in the stormy wind, resolute and unmoved before slowly dropping down onto the pad and resting there.
Slowly, people began to emerge from the shelters on the rig and crept towards the ship. "I guess that's not quite as good as Wash but it'll have to do".
Zoey looked away out the window, "we should go, we have some explaining to do" she said, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice.
