001 - Inara Serra

[notanambassador]

[The feed turns on completely on purpose, a poised, lovely woman gazing at the camera.]

If anyone is receiving this wave, I’m Inara Serra. I believe I’ve been taken hostage and I require assistance. I can provide compensation for your efforts.

If my captors can hear this, there is nothing to be gained from silence. Make your demands known, I am

Comments

[Video]

[hugmagnet]

You're not actually being held hostage. It's more like you've been kidnapped but it's not for the reason you think. The people in charge aren't looking for a ransom or anything like that.

[Video]

[notanambassador]

I appreciate the information. Why am I being held, if not for ransom? The Alliance has no warrants against me or any grounds to hold me.

[Video]

[hugmagnet]

I'd like to give you a good reason for this crap but there isn't one. Basically, you're in a torture facility in space to be an experiment. We don't know why, except maybe for the entertainment of the crazy people watching us. Oh and any powers you might have are being limited by the thing around your neck. [She tags her own blue collar to demonstrate]

[Video]

[notanambassador]

[She runs her fingers around the collar resting above her necklace.]

I don't have any . . . powers. [Everyone here is crazy. Great.]

Do you know what system the station is in? My friends tend to travel the uninhabited parts of space, they may still be within range. Assuming I was not unconscious for weeks.

[Video]

[hugmagnet]

[Shrug] You never know. Most people here do.

Oh, so being in space isn't a problem for you. Good. No idea which system though, sorry. I've never seen outside the station. It's probably safe to assume that it's a good way away from Earth. But I guess that's assuming the universe you're from actually has an Earth. That's another thing. Everyone here is from different universes or alternate versions of the same universe. We're most likely not in the same place you came from.

[Video]

[notanambassador]

We left Earth a long time ago. If we were in that system, it wouldn't help.

Different universes. [The camera wobbles and there's a thump. Inara had to sit down.] This is . . . a lot to take on faith.

[Video]

[hugmagnet]

I get it, believe me. There's a document that explains it all probably better than I just did. Give me a minute to find it. [There's a pause and then she sends Inara the long document that explains the whole thing] That make it easier to take?

[Video]

[notanambassador]

[There's a pause before she replies while she reads over the information. And then reads it again.]

Thank you. It . . . answers questions, but seems unbelievable. I'm starting to think I've gone mad.

I apologize, but I'm out of sorts. May I ask what your name is?

[Video]

[hugmagnet]

Totally understandable. I think most people feel that way, actually. But it's the truth, as shitty as that truth is.

My name's Carol.

[Video]

[notanambassador]

Run-tse duh fwotzoo...

It is a pleasure to meet you, Carol. And thank you for the information, as impossible as it seems.

[Video]

[hugmagnet]

You too, Inara. I know it's pretty hard to believe. I've been here a month already and it's still weird to me. But if you have any questions or need anything, I'll try to help out.

[Video]

[notanambassador]

A month already.

[She takes a deep breath, bracing herself for what is surely going to be a rather impossible day.]

Thank you, I suspect that I'll need help getting used to a place like this. Assuming this is not all a bad dream and a sign that I should not be drinking anything Kaylee brews in the engine.

[Video]

[hugmagnet]

No problem. I wish it was a bad dream, believe me. It'd be cool if it was. But it's real.