fic: Ji Jie Qing Ren - Stargate Atlantis/Firefly - Jennifer/Kaylee
Title: Ji Jie Qing Ren
Author: finding_jay
Rating: PG
Fandoms Crossed: Stargate Atlantis/Firefly
Pairings/Characters: Jennifer Keller/Kaylee Frye
Word Count: 11,885
Prompt: After all this time
Seasons/Spoilers: Some minor spoilers for Serenity and for season five of Atlantis.
Warnings/Disclaimers: No real warnings. I don't own Stargate Atlantis or Firefly.
Summary: If the Wraith didn't attack the planet and if River didn't go and kick her in the face, Jen thinks that she never would have met Kaylee. That doesn't make her like the Wraith any more or forgive River for splitting her lip, though.
Author's Notes: There's more notes at the page but I'll just say- it's on two parts. I appear to write a lot when it comes to crossovers since I have this urge to explain everything and how the universes collide. Also, I don't speak Chinese, so any errors (and there's bound to be some!) are my fault.
Happy International Day of Femslash, everyone!
P27-4TX was, for all intents and purposes, a trading planet. Few people lived there and the numbers dropped significantly in the winter months when the planet was covered in several inches of snow and ice. Only the most desperate of traders stuck it out during that time. But once the snow melted and the trees started to sprout their leaves the people returned to hawk off their goods for prices much higher than they were worth.
A particularly bad winter had passed over the planet and Jennifer had been called to treat those that had stayed behind, willingly or because the gate had been shut out due to a massive snowdrift. Surprisingly there was minimal frostbite and most of the injuries were caused by a rough storm that had occurred towards the end of the season. Lingering injuries, nothing too serious, but the townsfolk were appreciative nonetheless.
‘You have to come back,’ they told her as she was about leave with Sheppard’s team. ‘Pretty girl like you needs pretty things.’
Although Jen never intended to return- travelling through the gate always made her a bit anxious and more than a little nauseous- John reported two weeks later once the snow had melted and the traders returned that there really were some things there that might be of interest or use to Atlantis. If they continued to provide medical care to the locals, or even fruits or vegetables or even, dare the idea even be suggested, chocolate, then they may actually benefit from the arrangement. A team would head out every few weeks when new shipments arrived and see what they could find. Soon enough, though, other people would go with them on their days off and would come back with trinkets and carvings and, more frequently, some kind of treacle that looked disgusting but really added something special to pancakes.
They had been trading with P27-4TX for close to two months when Jen was asked to go back there. Sheppard’s team was heading to the planet again- Radek had returned from one trip with word that there was a device that may be of some use against the Wraith. Although he had been dismissive of first, it had piqued Rodney’s interested and he had been on John’s back to let them return to the planet. John had finally relented but when they asked just what the traders wanted for it, Jen had been pulled into the mix. They wanted medical supplies. They were a travelling group of traders and their supplies were running low. They didn’t need anything out of the ordinary, just the basics would do. Packing her bag full of what they could spare and some first-aid necessities, Jen was ready to go.
The village was much more alive and bustling than when Jen had been there two months earlier. The weather was also a lot warmer and the sun had finally appeared. The marketplace was busy when she and the rest of Sheppard’s team arrived and it was hard not to get caught up in the thick of it. As John went to hunt down the traders with the possible Wraith-deterring device, Jen, along with the rest of the team went to poke through what was on offer.
To Jen it reminded her of the flea markets back in Wisconsin that she’d go to with her mother on Sundays before she got sick. There really was nothing worth buying- just knick-knacks, maybe the odd gypsy skirt, a pair of badly fitting moccasins- but what they lacked in craftsmanship they made up for in charm. Several female team members had returned with necklaces and earrings and the like, made out of shells and bone and polished stones. Try as she might, though, Jen couldn’t find anything like them.
‘They’re not here yet,’ John announced once he had called them back together. ‘I spoke around to a few of the other traders and they said they should be here soon.’
‘Soon?’ Rodney repeated. ‘When is soon?’
John narrowed his brow and eyed Rodney. ‘Soon is when they arrive here. In the meantime I suggest we just wait.’
‘Well, it’s not like we can do much else,’ Rodney spluttered.
‘How will we know when they arrive?’ Teyla asked, clearly ignoring Rodney’s display of irritation.
Shrugging, John looked over at the stalls before turning back to Teyla. ‘They said we’d know. Apparently they make a bit of an impression.’ Adjusting his pack, John jerked his chin towards one of the stalls that were offering various kinds of breads and cakes. ‘In the meanwhile I suggest we settle in. Make ourselves friendly with the folk here.’
*
The cakes they bought were rich and moist and nearly melted in Jen’s mouth. They were almost sickeningly sweet but so delicious that she couldn’t stop from eating them.
‘Zelenka said they were good,’ Rodney said as he sat with her and Teyla.
‘They are,’ Jen said, licking her thumb.
‘He also said they had citrus in them. He just doesn’t want me having any.’
‘Are you sure Radek is not just looking out for your well being?’ Teyla asked, picking at her slice.
‘Ha! Sure. He’s been holding a grudge after me ever since he realised Carter preferred me over him.’
Jen and Teyla shared a glance.
‘I’m not tasting anything like citrus, Rodney,’ Jen said, eyeing her cake.
‘It’s probably in trace amounts. Even the most minute- ’
A sudden gust of wind and a giant roar of an engine cut him off. Dirt and dust flew into the air and Jen covered her eyes with her arm to stop any from getting in her eyes. Her hair blew with the force, whipping around her face. The wind stopped as soon as it started and the roar died down. Sand covered the table and the remains of her and Teyla’s cake. Shaking her hair, granules of dirt going everywhere, Jen couldn’t help but stare in dismay at what remained of her lunch.
‘Hey, you think those are the traders?’ Rodney asked, pointing off behind Jen.
Turning her head, Jen saw a ship barely a hundred meters away. It looked old, patched-up and as though it had seen better days.
‘It does make an impression,’ Teyla commented, sounding more than a little unimpressed. ‘Their arrival leaves much to be desired.’
‘Alright folks,’ John announced, clapping Rodney on the shoulder as he passed, Ronon tailing behind with a slice of cake of his own. ‘That’s them.’
‘You sure?’ Jen asked, a little uncertainly as she picked up her bag and swung it over her shoulder.
‘By the language the traders are sprouting I’d say so,’ Ronon replied, unable to keep the laughter from his voice.
‘We’re looking for a man named Reynolds,’ John said as they headed over.
Lingering a small distance from the ship with a few other people who had never seen it before, the name ‘SERENITY’ blazoned on the side, Jen couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit of apprehension. By the looks of it John was feeling the same; his hand was resting on his gun, his eyes never leaving the ship as the cargo door bays opened.
‘We could just leave, you know,’ Jen said in a hushed whisper to John. ‘Come back when they’re set up, we don’t have to- ’
‘Shh!’ Rodney hissed, glaring at her.
‘I’m just saying, everyone’s so edgy, we don’t need to stand here gawking.’
‘They’re out,’ John suddenly cut in, having paid the two no heed. Heading over, Ronon following a few steps behind, Jen watched as John approached the two people who had left the ship.
A few of the bystanders had drifted off, no longer interested in the commotion. Several others lingered, gossiping with a sense of quiet awe. Jen’s eyes darted from who John and Ronon were talking to who Jen could only presume was the Reynolds man and his first mate to Serenity the ship and back to Rodney and Teyla. Were they meant to head over? Did they typically stay behind? What if a fight broke out?
‘Where do you think they’re from?’ Teyla suddenly asked. Her eyes were on the ship. ‘I do not recognise any of the designs.’
Rodney was silent for a moment. ‘I don’t either,’ he finally admitted, albeit it sounded somewhat reluctant. ‘Though the ship looks a little like Larrin’s. The cockpit.’
‘Is it just me or does it share a resemblance to the Daedalus?’
There was a moment of silence after Teyla’s comment. Jen glanced over to her then back at Serenity. Rodney suddenly snorted.
‘Don’t be stupid. If anything it looks more like a Genii design with maybe a few of our influences but it looks nothing like the Daedalus. Come on, Sheppard’s waving us over.’
He walked off, muttering to himself. Looking back over at Teyla, unsure what to say, she shrugged and followed him. It did look like the Daedalus a little if she was being completely honest with herself, though it was entirely possible that they copied its design. Wasn’t that how cultures and technologies grew?
Crossing over as Sheppard waved them over, Jen tried her best to look confident. Ever since her trip to New Athos with Teyla, she had been uneasy about meeting people on new planets. Still, it didn’t look as though this Reynolds fellow was about to start chasing her and trying to eat her flesh any time soon, and she did have Ronon to hide behind if things turned bad.
‘Captain Reynolds, this is Teyla Emmagan and Dr Jennifer Keller.’
‘This is my first mate, Zoë.’
Giving their hands a shake, Jen smiled. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you.’
‘Malcolm Reynolds,’ he replied, nodding his head at both Teyla and herself. He turned back to John and motioned a small distance away from the marketplace stalls. ‘How’s about we sit ourselves down and see what we both have to offer? I’ll introduce you to the rest of my crew.’
John nodded and said they would wait while Malcolm and the woman beside him gathered what they needed.
‘He seems nice,’ Jen said when he was out of earshot and nobody was saying anything else.
‘He seems like a business man,’ John replied, keeping his eyes on the cargo bay doors.
‘The good kind or the bad kind?’
‘We’ll see when we shows us what he’s got on offer.’
Several minutes later Malcolm appeared, a sack under his arm and a man following him and Zoe. Taking a look at the tall man heading over, Jen edged closer to Ronon.
‘Colonel, this is Jayne. Jayne, this is Colonel Sheppard and his team. We’re here to make a deal with them.’
‘And them?’ John asked, tilting his head to the ship. Two other younger women were coming out of the ship, carrying something like a card table between them.
‘Rest of my crew. Got some trading to do on this planet whether we make a deal or not. Now how’s about we seat ourselves and see what we can’t work out?’
‘Ronon, Rodney,’ John said as Malcolm walked off with Zoë and Jayne. ‘You’re with me. Teyla, Keller- try to stay out of trouble.’
‘I should say the same for you,’ Teyla replied with just a hint of a laugh.
‘I’m always on my best behaviour!’ John shot back with a smile tugging on the corner of his mouth before walking over to Malcolm and his crew.
Spinning on the ball of her foot, she turned to Teyla, her eyebrows raised expectantly. ‘What do we do now?’ she asked.
‘We should not walk too far off,’ Teyla answered, her eyes lingering to where John and the others were sitting before turning to Jen. ‘In case John requires our help.’
Flashing her eyes over to where they were sitting, she trailed after Teyla, who was heading to the stall the rest of Malcolm’s crew were setting up.
‘He won’t need our help though, will he?’ she asked, hating the quiver that entered her voice. ‘I mean, there’s not going to be any gunfight. That… that Jayne, he looks like he could take Ronon.’
‘So long as they remain calm there should be no need for us to enter into a fight,’ Teyla replied. The tone to her voice told Jen that that was to be the end of the discussion.
Reaching the table as one of the girls on Malcolm’s crew headed back into the ship, Jen looked at what they had to offer. It seemed to be much of what else was on for sale- pottery, clay and wooden statues, funny metallic playing cards.
‘What’s this?’ Jen asked, picking up a wooden carving.
‘A swan,’ the girl behind the table replied, her large, wide brown eyes staring intently at Jen.
‘A swan?’
‘Same carvings on every planet. It’s made with longing I’ve been told.’
‘I didn’t know you had swans out here,’ Jen murmured as she set the carving back down.
‘We don’t.’
Frowning, Jen stared at the swan. They didn’t have swans out in the Pegasus galaxy, despite the fact that she was staring at some hard evidence to suggest that they actually did. Lifting her head, intending to ask Teyla just what the hell swans were doing in the Pegasus galaxy, she found her gone.
‘She went that way,’ the girl behind the table said, pointing further down the aisle of stalls to where Teyla was standing, looking at baby clothes.
‘River! River!’
Turning her head in the opposite direction, she found a young man running over, motioning for the girl.
‘River, where’s Kaylee?’
‘Inside. She went to get the bei zi. Won’t be long.’
‘What are you doing out here?’
‘Serving customers,’ the girl- River- replied, tilting her head to Jen’s direction.
‘I’m getting the swan,’ Jen replied, the words out of her mouth before she had even realised she had even said them.
The man put his hand on River’s back, pushing her towards the ship. ‘River, you’re meant to stay inside. Stay with Inara.’
‘Inara’s serving customers, too.’
His brow furrowing some, the man gave River another gentle push that sent her going. She moved with a small skip on her step, her arms out like a dancer’s. Jen watched her until the man cleared his throat.
‘Sorry, she- right, you wanted the swan?’
Turning her attention back to the man, Jen nodded, still in a slight daze. ‘Oh, right, right. The swan. To be honest I haven’t seen any in… these parts.’
‘I haven’t either,’ he replied, taking what Jen presumed to be some kind of currency. John had handed it to her before they had left. ‘I haven’t seen any in a long time.’ As he handed the swan over to her, he glimpsed over to where John and Malcolm were. ‘You with them?’
She nodded and held her hand out. ‘Jennifer Keller,’ she said as he shook her hand. ‘I’m the doctor.’
‘Doc- oh! Oh! I’m Simon, I’m the ship’s doctor, I- ’ He moved around the table and took her hand again, shaking it once more. ‘I didn’t expect you to be so young.’
‘Speak for yourself,’ she countered, though she smiled, a little stunned at his enthusiasm.
‘Do you have the…’ He gestured to her pack.
‘I brought what I could,’ she said, swinging her pack over her shoulder and putting it on the ground after setting the swan back on the table. ‘I wasn’t sure what you needed specifically.’
‘Once they’re done, I’ll, um… you come on the ship and I’ll show what we need. You can bring your team if you’re afraid we’ll kidnap you.’
Jen stared, unsure how to respond to that.
‘We won’t kidnap you,’ Simon added.
‘Oh. Oh, good. I’m not a fan of being kidnapped.’ Taking hold of the swan, she looked over her shoulder to where Teyla stood, still looking over the baby clothes. ‘I should catch up to her,’ she said, jerking her thumb towards Teyla.
Thanking her for her time and the possible medical supplies, Jen nodded her head in return and swung her pack over to her shoulder. Giving the swan an odd look, she set off to catch up with Teyla, wondering just what swans were doing in this part of the universe.
*
The deal was set- for the most part at least. Malcolm only had half of the would-be weapon on him. In return, John agreed to give them half the medical supplies. The rest would be handed over once they received the other half of the device. Rodney said to Jen on the sly as the final negotiations were being made between John and Malcolm that he should be able to rig the device so some use may be able to come of it, whether or not they got the final piece.
While Jen was in the small medical bay of the Serenity with Ronon watching what was going on, John went to the gate to dial back to Atlantis and give them the news. There were a lot of instruments that she recognised as being of Ancient design, though there were others that she couldn’t figure out at all. She didn’t want to poke around, though. River, who she figured out to be Simon’s sister or at least someone of close relation, kept poking around and at one point grabbed her ponytail and gave it a hard yank.
‘River, don’t- I’m sorry, she’s just- River, let me take you back to your room.’
‘She’s not right,’ Ronon muttered once they had gone. Jen nodded in silent agreement and went back to sorting out just what she could hand over. John had given her instructions to only give a little- bandages, mild pain relievers, nothing they couldn’t do without but not the stuff that would be beneficial in the long run.
Simon returned, looking a little embarrassed. ‘I’m sorry, she’s…’
‘Is she okay?’ Jen asked quietly, handing him a few of the bottles.
‘She’s been through some trauma.’ It sounded rehearsed but it was also clearly the truth.
‘Is she coping?’
Simon gave a shrug. ‘I don’t have the facilities I need to monitor her.’ And with that he refused to say anything more.
A crackle went through her radio and Jen pressed the switch.
‘Keller.’
John’s voice came through. ‘Wraith. We’ve got the gate open but the ships are coming in fast. We need to leave, now.’
‘Wraith,’ Jen started before John even had a chance to finish. Grabbing her pack, ignoring the medicine packets that fell out, she grabbed Simon’s arm. ‘You need to leave.’
Ronon snatched her wrist and started to tug her out. River nearly ran into him, her small hand closing around his shirt.
‘You have to stay. It’s dangerous out there. We’ll take you home.’
She ran off again, her feet moving briskly up the metallic stars that lined the medical bay. Ignoring her, Ronon continued to pull Jen along, up and through the doorway and to the cargo bay doors just as Malcolm and the rest of his crew came up. The buzz of the Wraith darts that had become all too familiar to Jen’s ears filled the air, the rush of blue light passing in the distance.
‘What in tyen shiao duh is going on here?’ Malcolm barked at them.
Stopping just short of the exit, Jen jumped back as one dart passed particularly close, the grass waving in the breeze inches from the bottom of the ramp.
‘We can’t go out there,’ she murmured.
Ronon’s hand was still around her wrist and her jerked back, turning to go back up to the cargo bay.
‘Wraith,’ he yelled as Malcolm started up the stairs leading to the catwalk above. ‘You need to- ’
‘Already on it,’ Malcolm yelled back before adding, ‘Kaylee, get the drive online!’
A distance, ‘Shi ah,’ was heard.
Zoë slammed a button down and the cargo bays started to close. A shrill Wraith buzz echoed and fell. Jen threw a panicky look to Ronon before looking back at Zoë, her pack sliding down her shoulder.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked, this time ignoring the tremble in her voice completely.
‘Where do you need to be?’
Ronon and Jen shared a look.
‘You got the other half of the device on your ship?’ Ronon finally asked.
Zoë arched a brow and crossed her arms over her chest. The engine had roared to life and Jen felt the ship start to rise, the floor vibrating beneath her feet.
‘That depends,’ Zoë said, ‘do you have the other half of the medicine we need?’
*
The trip back to Atlantis was long. Ronon and Jen were shown to a guestroom. It was small and mostly bare- a cramped bed in one corner with a tiny bedside table and not much else. Jen sat on the bed with Ronon in the far corner. The silence seemed to stretch between them. Although Ronon seemed content with it, Jen found it uncomfortable. She knew they hadn’t had much choice but to go with Malcolm and his crew, but they hadn’t been able to get a call back to John. New Lantea was meant to stay a secret location and they weren’t doing much to keep it like that.
‘We could have just had them take us to a close planet with a stargate,’ Jen finally said.
Ronon lifted his head, his brow arched just slightly. ‘Bit late now.’
‘I know,’ she said, her eyes downcast.
Pushing up to his feet, Ronon gave a shrug and slid the guestroom door open.
‘I’m gonna have a look around. See how long it’s gonna be until we get there.’
Watching Ronon leave, Jen clasped her hands together and settled them between her legs. Listening as his heavy footsteps disappeared down the corridor, she fell back against the bed. She closed her eyes and listened to the hum of ship around her. In a way it was almost familiar- it reminded her of Atlantis, or even of the long trips on the Daedalus. It relaxed her and eventually lulled her into a state of calm before falling completely asleep.
She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep for when a large explosion echoed through the ship. The ship shook and Jen sat bolt upright. Running from the room as an alarm started to screech, she spun around, searching for someone, anyone.
‘Ro- Ronon!’
Reaching for her, Ronon pulled her up the stairs. The alarms continued on as their feet slammed on the metal floor.
‘Nearly back to Atlantis,’ Ronon said as he led her to the upper corridor.
‘Kaylee!’
‘On it, cap’n!’
The girl Jen saw earlier- Kaylee- pushed her past her. Watching her, she saw her dart to the engine room, smoke starting to come from it. Ronon continued down the corridor, his hand releasing her wrist. Jogging behind, she followed him to the cockpit, River sitting there with Malcolm behind her.
‘How- ’ Ronon started.
‘Almost there,’ River replied, oddly calm.
‘Second time it’s happened,’ Malcolm muttered as he stood behind her, his hand clutched around the pilot’s chair. ‘Second time it’s rutting happened. Ben zhuo drive.’
‘Nobody’s hurt, sir,’ Zoë announced as she entered the cockpit.
As Malcolm turned and left the cockpit, leaving Zoë to watch over the re-entry, Jen finally looked out the window. New Lantea was before them, blue and white, a sense of home coming over her. The ship continued to shake, the explosion seeming to have damaged the inertial dampeners.
‘Mainland’s nearby,’ Ronon said. ‘Gonna need to make a call to Atlantis. Let ‘em know where here.’
Zoë handed him the radio. When John’s voice came over the other end, a wash of relief came over her. Ronon told them they’d be landing on the mainland before saying there had been an explosion.
‘You should return to your room,’ Zoë said, her hand gripping around the chair a little tighter. The shaking had increased the closer they got to the planet.
Heading back down the corridor, Jen brushed past Kaylee once more. She felt her hand sweep across her arm, a line of grease staining her jacket sleeve that, somehow, comforted her.
*
It was a miracle they landed, at least according to Jen. The ship continued to shake, right until they landed. They bounced once, twice, before coming to a standstill. She sat petrified in the guestroom, breaking only out of her terrified trance when Ronon opened the door. They arrived in the cargo bay just as the doors started opening. On the other side was Lorne’s team, Sheppard at the front of the group, their guns raised and ready to fire.
‘Woah-ho-ho, easy folks,’ came Malcolm’s voice from behind them. Walking up to the bay doors, he clapped Jen on the shoulder, guiding her over, Ronon staying close. ‘Got your friends right here, in one piece.’
‘From the sounds of your arrival, I can’t say much for your ship,’ John said, lowering his gun though he was still visibly ready in case things took a turn for the worst.
Jen headed down the ramp and to the ground. As she passed the group, spotting the puddle jumpers in the distance, Woolsey walked by her as he headed up to Serenity. Lingering in the background, she watched as Malcolm spoke to John and Woolsey, Ronon filling them in the details. The rest of Malcolm’s crew started to come out from the ship, waving and introducing themselves to those waiting for them. They continued on for several minutes before they started splitting up, Malcolm’s team pairing off with Sheppard’s and Lorne’s.
‘What’s going on?’ Jen asked as she followed Lorne to his puddle jumper, Simon, River and Kaylee following the rest of Lorne’s team.
‘Their ship’s broken. They’re not going anywhere until it’s repaired.’
‘Broken?’ Jen repeated. ‘Something exploded.’
Lorne nodded and glanced over his shoulder where the three were following them. ‘Apparently a new hyperdrive was installed on their ship. When they exited hyperspace, it kept looping and…’
‘Exploded?’
‘Pretty much. Nobody appears to be hurt, though.’
Jen sat in the cargo hold with Kaylee, Simon and River, with Lorne’s team in the front. All but Kaylee were silent on the flight back to Atlantis. She kept looking around, nudging Simon who was on her right and pointing things out.
‘Hey, what does that do?’ she suddenly asked, pointing at something Jen couldn’t identify.
‘I- I don’t know.’
That didn’t seem to falter her, though. She continued to look about, grinning and pointing at whatever grabbed her interest while Simon sat looking caught between embarrassed and jaded and River looked out the cockpit window, wide-eyed with her head tilted.
Atlantis started to come up before them and Kaylee quietened, a soft ‘ooh’ coming from her. Its lights twinkled before her, the sun playing across the bright, clear water. It was getting close to sunset but the shadow of the city still stretched across the ocean.
Sheppard’s team had reached the jumper bay first and they were waiting for them when they arrived. The rest of Malcolm’s crew was there, along with a well-dressed woman Jen didn’t recognise. Hadn’t River mentioned someone called Inara? Woolsey was also there, looking more than a little off put, though that didn’t appear to stop him from looking over Inara. Malcolm, on the other hand, looked a little amused. Introductions were given and Woolsey announced he wanted to speak to Malcolm and Zoë.
‘Dr Keller,’ he said, ‘would you mind looking over our guests?’
‘No one was hurt in the explosion,’ Simon started.
‘It’s best to be on the safe side,’ Jen cut him off with a smile. ‘And a general check-up can’t hurt, seeing as the supplies on your ship were low.’
Agreements were made over plans for their new guests and Jen led them to the medical bay, Ronon and Sheppard behind them. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Kaylee, grinning and nudging and whispering about what she was seeing. Jen could feel a smile tugging on the corners of her lips. She seemed so genuinely excited, more so than the rest of the group, though they all seemed to be looking around in a mixture of awe and uncertain curiousity.
The news of what had happened on P27-4TX had already spread throughout the city and by the time they arrived at the medical bay, the nurses and doctors were already prepared. Several of the nurses led the crew of the Serenity to the beds, preparing to give them a check-up. Leading Kaylee to a bed, Jen gave her a smile.
‘Just relax, this shouldn’t take long,’ she said, reaching for her sphygmomanometer. ‘I’m just going to start by taking your blood pressure.’
Kaylee just grinned in response, her eyes still darting around the room. Wrapping the cuff around her arm, Jen reached for the pump. Before she could start, though, an ear-piercing scream cut through the air. Jumping back, Jen looked over to where the scream came from. River was struggling and trying to get off the bed. Simon was standing over her, trying to calm her while River kept shoving the nurses away. People were calling her name, telling her to calm down from all sides, but their yells went unheard.
‘Hey! Hey!’
Jen ran over just as one of the nurses managed to pin River’s right arm down. Simon was holding other one.
‘I’m sorry, she doesn’t like doctors,’ Simon tried to explain as River let out another scream.
She managed to work her arm free from the nurse. She was strong- a lot stronger than Jen had suspected.
‘We need to sedate her,’ Jen called, trying to get above River’s screams.
It all happened in a split second. A sudden rush of pain went through her jaw, the taste of blood filling her mouth. She fell backwards onto the ground, her hand coming to where she’d been hit. River had kicked out, hitting her jaw.
‘Get her boots off her and sedate her!’
Moving to her feet she felt a warm hand around her arm, helping her up. Keeping her hand to her mouth, she watched as Simon took the syringe from the nurse and slid it into River’s arm. Her screams died down and her kicking slowed. When she stilled, Jen nodded and told them to take her to another room. As the rest of Malcolm’s crew were given their check-ups, Jen found herself being led to a hospital bed by Kaylee.
‘You okay, sweetie? That’s a real shiner.’
Waving her hand, Jen motioned for Kaylee to sit back down on the bed. ‘I’ll be fine. Just cut my lip.’
‘Looks like it’s already starting to bruise.’
Touching her jaw where it still hurt, Jen couldn’t do anything but shrug. ‘Let’s just get your check-up done,’ she said, ignoring the throb in her jaw. She couldn’t do anything else, not until everyone was cleared from the room.
*
‘She kicked you in the face?’
Jen rolled her eyes and pressed the ice pack a little harder against her jaw, ignoring John’s laughter. Her jaw had definitely bruised and there was some light swelling. She’d split her lip, too, but for the most part it was just bruising and pain.
‘She’s traumatised and obviously got some issues with hospitals. Her brother told me before we left the planet.’
‘Someone should take her boots off her,’ Rodney said around a mouthful of food. ‘What does a girl like her need boots like that for, anyway?’
‘Probably to kick doctors in the face with,’ Jen muttered as she pulled the ice pack away. She turned to Teyla. ‘How does it look?’
‘Sore,’ she replied gently.
Replacing the ice pack, Jen turned to her lunch tray. ‘How’s the drive on their ship?’
‘In pieces,’ Rodney replied.
‘Apparently their hyperdrive was installed just under a year ago. This is the second time it’s exploded when they’ve exited hyperspace,’ John added.
‘Any reason why?’ Jen asked.
‘We’re still working on it,’ Rodney said. He took a glance at his watch and pushed back from the table. ‘And I need to get back to it. The engine’s got a very interesting design. Like an Ancient/Earth hybrid. Very interesting. Nobody seems to know how it’s like that. Of course, they could have looked into one of our broken pieces or gotten on board or- ’
John followed Rodney who was still rambling on as he walked, saying goodbye as he left the table.
‘They seem like a very friendly group,’ Teyla thought aloud.
‘Apart from the kicking.’
Teyla gave a light laugh and turned back to her lunch. Keeping the ice pack against her jaw, Jen sipped her coffee, feeling the burn down the back of her throat. Teyla was quiet for a moment, a contemplative look on her face.
‘Is it just me, or do their names seem very much like those from Earth?’
‘Pardon?’
‘Simon, Malcolm, Zoë… Those are of Earth origin, am I correct?’
Taken aback, Jen was unable to respond. Teyla was right- they were common names on Earth. She didn’t know what it meant, though. It didn’t matter, however, as she didn’t get time to think much about it.
‘You mind if I sit here?’
Standing just to the right of them was Kaylee, a tray of food in her hands.
‘Oh, go right ahead,’ Jen said, motioning for her to sit.
Kaylee sat in front of them and took a large bite from her salad. She was silent for a moment, digging into her lunch with fervour.
‘Don’t got much fresh food on the ship,’ she said after she had swallowed. ‘Flying for weeks at a time without landing, we mostly eat protein. It works but it ain’t got much flavour.’
‘Kaylee,’ Teyla said, watching with an amused look on her face as Kaylee continued to scoff down her salad, ‘how often do you and your crew travel on your ship?’
‘Oh, all the time,’ Kaylee replied, waving around a carrot stick. ‘We’re always flying around. We’re rarely planetside. We go here and then we fly over there. We do jobs, we get another job. It’s fun. It’s life.’ Stopping to take a bite of her meal, she motioned at her jaw. ‘How is it? ’S’actually why I came over. Wanted to make sure you were okay.’
Setting her ice pack down, Jen gently pressed her fingers to it. ‘It’s- it’s fine. I’ll be fine.’
‘I’m sorry about River.’
‘It’s fine.’ Jen shook her head and set the ice back against her jaw. ‘No serious damage.’
‘She got a good kick in.’
‘She’s got a good eye.’
Clearing her throat, Teyla moved back from the table and picked up her tray. ‘I have to pick Tagan up.’ And with that, she left.
Jen watched Teyla leave. Kaylee cleared her throat. She had finished her salad and was heading onto the next plate. Turning back to her, Jen crossed her legs and set the ice pack down.
‘Is that going to be okay?’ Kaylee asked.
Jen nodded. ‘It’ll be fine. No loose teeth. It looks worse than it actually is.’
‘Should’ve given you a heads up ‘fore we went in.’
‘Well, what could have been, would have been. It doesn’t matter now.’
Stirring her spoon through her lukewarm soup made from some traditional vegetables from one of their trading planets, Kaylee cocked her head, a coy smile playing on her lips. Taking a sip, she set the spoon aside, her nose scrunching up somewhat. It was bitter and just a little too salty.
‘So… what do you do for fun around here?’
‘Fun?’
Kaylee nodded, looking at her expectantly.
‘Oh. Um…’ Draining the rest of her coffee, Jen shrugged and licked her lips. ‘We don’t usually get time off. I know there are often trips to the mainland. People go swimming, fishing… Sometimes we’re allowed offworld to some of our trading planets, like the one we meant you on. Rarely, but sometimes, so long as there’s another team that’s already meant to be heading there.’
‘What do you do for fun, though?’
‘Me?’
Kaylee nodded again, the same expectant look in her eyes.
‘Well…’ Jen scratched her neck, unsure how to reply to that. ‘I like reading. I don’t get much time off, so getting through one book can took a long time.’
‘What else do ya’ do?’
‘Er… well, I don’t typically get a lot of time off. Running a department of such a big size… it takes up a lot of my time. People always getting hurt, always trying to stay atop of it all.’
‘You sound like someone I know,’ Kaylee laughed. ‘He doesn’t let himself have any time off.’
Jen chuckled and re-wrapped the ice pack. It was starting to melt. ‘It’s not that I don’t let myself. It’s that I just don’t have the time.’
‘Yup, definitely sounds like someone I know.’
With a laugh, Jen shook her head. Kaylee joined her, her entire body shaking as she laughed.
‘We do sometimes get time off, but… we usually go home.’
‘This isn’t your home?’
‘It…’ Jen faltered. ‘It is in a way. Like Serenity’s your home. But… we’ve all got another home that we like to return to every so often. You know what I’m talking about?’
Kaylee nodded.
‘So, every so often, we’re permitted leave and we go home. I usually visit my father. And I just relax.’
A silence passed over them. Kaylee returned to her lunch, happily eating, while Jen put the melting ice pack back against her jaw. As she finished her meal, Kaylee wiped her mouth with a napkin and turned her attention back to Jen.
‘You should come to the mainland. I’m heading over this afternoon to help Dr McKay. He thinks he knows what he’s doing but nobody knows Serenity better than me. You wanna come?’
‘I… I’ll see.’
‘Aww, c’mon, it’ll be fun.’
Jen shrugged. ‘I’ll see what I can do, I promise. But I can’t see what’s coming up, and there’s an offworld team due back in a few hours, and another due any time now, but…’ She was starting to ramble. She didn’t know why, but she was still rambling. ‘If you let me know just when you’re leaving, then I might…’
Kaylee waved her hand, cutting her off. ‘Xing, xing. Gotcha.’
There was a crackle in her radio and Woolsey’s voice crackled through. The first offworld team was back and needed medical assistance.
‘And that’s my cue to leave,’ she said with a sigh as she moved from the table.
‘Let me know if you can make it!’ Kaylee called after her, her bubbly voice echoing in Jen’s ears.
Author: finding_jay
Rating: PG
Fandoms Crossed: Stargate Atlantis/Firefly
Pairings/Characters: Jennifer Keller/Kaylee Frye
Word Count: 11,885
Prompt: After all this time
Seasons/Spoilers: Some minor spoilers for Serenity and for season five of Atlantis.
Warnings/Disclaimers: No real warnings. I don't own Stargate Atlantis or Firefly.
Summary: If the Wraith didn't attack the planet and if River didn't go and kick her in the face, Jen thinks that she never would have met Kaylee. That doesn't make her like the Wraith any more or forgive River for splitting her lip, though.
Author's Notes: There's more notes at the page but I'll just say- it's on two parts. I appear to write a lot when it comes to crossovers since I have this urge to explain everything and how the universes collide. Also, I don't speak Chinese, so any errors (and there's bound to be some!) are my fault.
Happy International Day of Femslash, everyone!
P27-4TX was, for all intents and purposes, a trading planet. Few people lived there and the numbers dropped significantly in the winter months when the planet was covered in several inches of snow and ice. Only the most desperate of traders stuck it out during that time. But once the snow melted and the trees started to sprout their leaves the people returned to hawk off their goods for prices much higher than they were worth.
A particularly bad winter had passed over the planet and Jennifer had been called to treat those that had stayed behind, willingly or because the gate had been shut out due to a massive snowdrift. Surprisingly there was minimal frostbite and most of the injuries were caused by a rough storm that had occurred towards the end of the season. Lingering injuries, nothing too serious, but the townsfolk were appreciative nonetheless.
‘You have to come back,’ they told her as she was about leave with Sheppard’s team. ‘Pretty girl like you needs pretty things.’
Although Jen never intended to return- travelling through the gate always made her a bit anxious and more than a little nauseous- John reported two weeks later once the snow had melted and the traders returned that there really were some things there that might be of interest or use to Atlantis. If they continued to provide medical care to the locals, or even fruits or vegetables or even, dare the idea even be suggested, chocolate, then they may actually benefit from the arrangement. A team would head out every few weeks when new shipments arrived and see what they could find. Soon enough, though, other people would go with them on their days off and would come back with trinkets and carvings and, more frequently, some kind of treacle that looked disgusting but really added something special to pancakes.
They had been trading with P27-4TX for close to two months when Jen was asked to go back there. Sheppard’s team was heading to the planet again- Radek had returned from one trip with word that there was a device that may be of some use against the Wraith. Although he had been dismissive of first, it had piqued Rodney’s interested and he had been on John’s back to let them return to the planet. John had finally relented but when they asked just what the traders wanted for it, Jen had been pulled into the mix. They wanted medical supplies. They were a travelling group of traders and their supplies were running low. They didn’t need anything out of the ordinary, just the basics would do. Packing her bag full of what they could spare and some first-aid necessities, Jen was ready to go.
The village was much more alive and bustling than when Jen had been there two months earlier. The weather was also a lot warmer and the sun had finally appeared. The marketplace was busy when she and the rest of Sheppard’s team arrived and it was hard not to get caught up in the thick of it. As John went to hunt down the traders with the possible Wraith-deterring device, Jen, along with the rest of the team went to poke through what was on offer.
To Jen it reminded her of the flea markets back in Wisconsin that she’d go to with her mother on Sundays before she got sick. There really was nothing worth buying- just knick-knacks, maybe the odd gypsy skirt, a pair of badly fitting moccasins- but what they lacked in craftsmanship they made up for in charm. Several female team members had returned with necklaces and earrings and the like, made out of shells and bone and polished stones. Try as she might, though, Jen couldn’t find anything like them.
‘They’re not here yet,’ John announced once he had called them back together. ‘I spoke around to a few of the other traders and they said they should be here soon.’
‘Soon?’ Rodney repeated. ‘When is soon?’
John narrowed his brow and eyed Rodney. ‘Soon is when they arrive here. In the meantime I suggest we just wait.’
‘Well, it’s not like we can do much else,’ Rodney spluttered.
‘How will we know when they arrive?’ Teyla asked, clearly ignoring Rodney’s display of irritation.
Shrugging, John looked over at the stalls before turning back to Teyla. ‘They said we’d know. Apparently they make a bit of an impression.’ Adjusting his pack, John jerked his chin towards one of the stalls that were offering various kinds of breads and cakes. ‘In the meanwhile I suggest we settle in. Make ourselves friendly with the folk here.’
*
The cakes they bought were rich and moist and nearly melted in Jen’s mouth. They were almost sickeningly sweet but so delicious that she couldn’t stop from eating them.
‘Zelenka said they were good,’ Rodney said as he sat with her and Teyla.
‘They are,’ Jen said, licking her thumb.
‘He also said they had citrus in them. He just doesn’t want me having any.’
‘Are you sure Radek is not just looking out for your well being?’ Teyla asked, picking at her slice.
‘Ha! Sure. He’s been holding a grudge after me ever since he realised Carter preferred me over him.’
Jen and Teyla shared a glance.
‘I’m not tasting anything like citrus, Rodney,’ Jen said, eyeing her cake.
‘It’s probably in trace amounts. Even the most minute- ’
A sudden gust of wind and a giant roar of an engine cut him off. Dirt and dust flew into the air and Jen covered her eyes with her arm to stop any from getting in her eyes. Her hair blew with the force, whipping around her face. The wind stopped as soon as it started and the roar died down. Sand covered the table and the remains of her and Teyla’s cake. Shaking her hair, granules of dirt going everywhere, Jen couldn’t help but stare in dismay at what remained of her lunch.
‘Hey, you think those are the traders?’ Rodney asked, pointing off behind Jen.
Turning her head, Jen saw a ship barely a hundred meters away. It looked old, patched-up and as though it had seen better days.
‘It does make an impression,’ Teyla commented, sounding more than a little unimpressed. ‘Their arrival leaves much to be desired.’
‘Alright folks,’ John announced, clapping Rodney on the shoulder as he passed, Ronon tailing behind with a slice of cake of his own. ‘That’s them.’
‘You sure?’ Jen asked, a little uncertainly as she picked up her bag and swung it over her shoulder.
‘By the language the traders are sprouting I’d say so,’ Ronon replied, unable to keep the laughter from his voice.
‘We’re looking for a man named Reynolds,’ John said as they headed over.
Lingering a small distance from the ship with a few other people who had never seen it before, the name ‘SERENITY’ blazoned on the side, Jen couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit of apprehension. By the looks of it John was feeling the same; his hand was resting on his gun, his eyes never leaving the ship as the cargo door bays opened.
‘We could just leave, you know,’ Jen said in a hushed whisper to John. ‘Come back when they’re set up, we don’t have to- ’
‘Shh!’ Rodney hissed, glaring at her.
‘I’m just saying, everyone’s so edgy, we don’t need to stand here gawking.’
‘They’re out,’ John suddenly cut in, having paid the two no heed. Heading over, Ronon following a few steps behind, Jen watched as John approached the two people who had left the ship.
A few of the bystanders had drifted off, no longer interested in the commotion. Several others lingered, gossiping with a sense of quiet awe. Jen’s eyes darted from who John and Ronon were talking to who Jen could only presume was the Reynolds man and his first mate to Serenity the ship and back to Rodney and Teyla. Were they meant to head over? Did they typically stay behind? What if a fight broke out?
‘Where do you think they’re from?’ Teyla suddenly asked. Her eyes were on the ship. ‘I do not recognise any of the designs.’
Rodney was silent for a moment. ‘I don’t either,’ he finally admitted, albeit it sounded somewhat reluctant. ‘Though the ship looks a little like Larrin’s. The cockpit.’
‘Is it just me or does it share a resemblance to the Daedalus?’
There was a moment of silence after Teyla’s comment. Jen glanced over to her then back at Serenity. Rodney suddenly snorted.
‘Don’t be stupid. If anything it looks more like a Genii design with maybe a few of our influences but it looks nothing like the Daedalus. Come on, Sheppard’s waving us over.’
He walked off, muttering to himself. Looking back over at Teyla, unsure what to say, she shrugged and followed him. It did look like the Daedalus a little if she was being completely honest with herself, though it was entirely possible that they copied its design. Wasn’t that how cultures and technologies grew?
Crossing over as Sheppard waved them over, Jen tried her best to look confident. Ever since her trip to New Athos with Teyla, she had been uneasy about meeting people on new planets. Still, it didn’t look as though this Reynolds fellow was about to start chasing her and trying to eat her flesh any time soon, and she did have Ronon to hide behind if things turned bad.
‘Captain Reynolds, this is Teyla Emmagan and Dr Jennifer Keller.’
‘This is my first mate, Zoë.’
Giving their hands a shake, Jen smiled. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you.’
‘Malcolm Reynolds,’ he replied, nodding his head at both Teyla and herself. He turned back to John and motioned a small distance away from the marketplace stalls. ‘How’s about we sit ourselves down and see what we both have to offer? I’ll introduce you to the rest of my crew.’
John nodded and said they would wait while Malcolm and the woman beside him gathered what they needed.
‘He seems nice,’ Jen said when he was out of earshot and nobody was saying anything else.
‘He seems like a business man,’ John replied, keeping his eyes on the cargo bay doors.
‘The good kind or the bad kind?’
‘We’ll see when we shows us what he’s got on offer.’
Several minutes later Malcolm appeared, a sack under his arm and a man following him and Zoe. Taking a look at the tall man heading over, Jen edged closer to Ronon.
‘Colonel, this is Jayne. Jayne, this is Colonel Sheppard and his team. We’re here to make a deal with them.’
‘And them?’ John asked, tilting his head to the ship. Two other younger women were coming out of the ship, carrying something like a card table between them.
‘Rest of my crew. Got some trading to do on this planet whether we make a deal or not. Now how’s about we seat ourselves and see what we can’t work out?’
‘Ronon, Rodney,’ John said as Malcolm walked off with Zoë and Jayne. ‘You’re with me. Teyla, Keller- try to stay out of trouble.’
‘I should say the same for you,’ Teyla replied with just a hint of a laugh.
‘I’m always on my best behaviour!’ John shot back with a smile tugging on the corner of his mouth before walking over to Malcolm and his crew.
Spinning on the ball of her foot, she turned to Teyla, her eyebrows raised expectantly. ‘What do we do now?’ she asked.
‘We should not walk too far off,’ Teyla answered, her eyes lingering to where John and the others were sitting before turning to Jen. ‘In case John requires our help.’
Flashing her eyes over to where they were sitting, she trailed after Teyla, who was heading to the stall the rest of Malcolm’s crew were setting up.
‘He won’t need our help though, will he?’ she asked, hating the quiver that entered her voice. ‘I mean, there’s not going to be any gunfight. That… that Jayne, he looks like he could take Ronon.’
‘So long as they remain calm there should be no need for us to enter into a fight,’ Teyla replied. The tone to her voice told Jen that that was to be the end of the discussion.
Reaching the table as one of the girls on Malcolm’s crew headed back into the ship, Jen looked at what they had to offer. It seemed to be much of what else was on for sale- pottery, clay and wooden statues, funny metallic playing cards.
‘What’s this?’ Jen asked, picking up a wooden carving.
‘A swan,’ the girl behind the table replied, her large, wide brown eyes staring intently at Jen.
‘A swan?’
‘Same carvings on every planet. It’s made with longing I’ve been told.’
‘I didn’t know you had swans out here,’ Jen murmured as she set the carving back down.
‘We don’t.’
Frowning, Jen stared at the swan. They didn’t have swans out in the Pegasus galaxy, despite the fact that she was staring at some hard evidence to suggest that they actually did. Lifting her head, intending to ask Teyla just what the hell swans were doing in the Pegasus galaxy, she found her gone.
‘She went that way,’ the girl behind the table said, pointing further down the aisle of stalls to where Teyla was standing, looking at baby clothes.
‘River! River!’
Turning her head in the opposite direction, she found a young man running over, motioning for the girl.
‘River, where’s Kaylee?’
‘Inside. She went to get the bei zi. Won’t be long.’
‘What are you doing out here?’
‘Serving customers,’ the girl- River- replied, tilting her head to Jen’s direction.
‘I’m getting the swan,’ Jen replied, the words out of her mouth before she had even realised she had even said them.
The man put his hand on River’s back, pushing her towards the ship. ‘River, you’re meant to stay inside. Stay with Inara.’
‘Inara’s serving customers, too.’
His brow furrowing some, the man gave River another gentle push that sent her going. She moved with a small skip on her step, her arms out like a dancer’s. Jen watched her until the man cleared his throat.
‘Sorry, she- right, you wanted the swan?’
Turning her attention back to the man, Jen nodded, still in a slight daze. ‘Oh, right, right. The swan. To be honest I haven’t seen any in… these parts.’
‘I haven’t either,’ he replied, taking what Jen presumed to be some kind of currency. John had handed it to her before they had left. ‘I haven’t seen any in a long time.’ As he handed the swan over to her, he glimpsed over to where John and Malcolm were. ‘You with them?’
She nodded and held her hand out. ‘Jennifer Keller,’ she said as he shook her hand. ‘I’m the doctor.’
‘Doc- oh! Oh! I’m Simon, I’m the ship’s doctor, I- ’ He moved around the table and took her hand again, shaking it once more. ‘I didn’t expect you to be so young.’
‘Speak for yourself,’ she countered, though she smiled, a little stunned at his enthusiasm.
‘Do you have the…’ He gestured to her pack.
‘I brought what I could,’ she said, swinging her pack over her shoulder and putting it on the ground after setting the swan back on the table. ‘I wasn’t sure what you needed specifically.’
‘Once they’re done, I’ll, um… you come on the ship and I’ll show what we need. You can bring your team if you’re afraid we’ll kidnap you.’
Jen stared, unsure how to respond to that.
‘We won’t kidnap you,’ Simon added.
‘Oh. Oh, good. I’m not a fan of being kidnapped.’ Taking hold of the swan, she looked over her shoulder to where Teyla stood, still looking over the baby clothes. ‘I should catch up to her,’ she said, jerking her thumb towards Teyla.
Thanking her for her time and the possible medical supplies, Jen nodded her head in return and swung her pack over to her shoulder. Giving the swan an odd look, she set off to catch up with Teyla, wondering just what swans were doing in this part of the universe.
*
The deal was set- for the most part at least. Malcolm only had half of the would-be weapon on him. In return, John agreed to give them half the medical supplies. The rest would be handed over once they received the other half of the device. Rodney said to Jen on the sly as the final negotiations were being made between John and Malcolm that he should be able to rig the device so some use may be able to come of it, whether or not they got the final piece.
While Jen was in the small medical bay of the Serenity with Ronon watching what was going on, John went to the gate to dial back to Atlantis and give them the news. There were a lot of instruments that she recognised as being of Ancient design, though there were others that she couldn’t figure out at all. She didn’t want to poke around, though. River, who she figured out to be Simon’s sister or at least someone of close relation, kept poking around and at one point grabbed her ponytail and gave it a hard yank.
‘River, don’t- I’m sorry, she’s just- River, let me take you back to your room.’
‘She’s not right,’ Ronon muttered once they had gone. Jen nodded in silent agreement and went back to sorting out just what she could hand over. John had given her instructions to only give a little- bandages, mild pain relievers, nothing they couldn’t do without but not the stuff that would be beneficial in the long run.
Simon returned, looking a little embarrassed. ‘I’m sorry, she’s…’
‘Is she okay?’ Jen asked quietly, handing him a few of the bottles.
‘She’s been through some trauma.’ It sounded rehearsed but it was also clearly the truth.
‘Is she coping?’
Simon gave a shrug. ‘I don’t have the facilities I need to monitor her.’ And with that he refused to say anything more.
A crackle went through her radio and Jen pressed the switch.
‘Keller.’
John’s voice came through. ‘Wraith. We’ve got the gate open but the ships are coming in fast. We need to leave, now.’
‘Wraith,’ Jen started before John even had a chance to finish. Grabbing her pack, ignoring the medicine packets that fell out, she grabbed Simon’s arm. ‘You need to leave.’
Ronon snatched her wrist and started to tug her out. River nearly ran into him, her small hand closing around his shirt.
‘You have to stay. It’s dangerous out there. We’ll take you home.’
She ran off again, her feet moving briskly up the metallic stars that lined the medical bay. Ignoring her, Ronon continued to pull Jen along, up and through the doorway and to the cargo bay doors just as Malcolm and the rest of his crew came up. The buzz of the Wraith darts that had become all too familiar to Jen’s ears filled the air, the rush of blue light passing in the distance.
‘What in tyen shiao duh is going on here?’ Malcolm barked at them.
Stopping just short of the exit, Jen jumped back as one dart passed particularly close, the grass waving in the breeze inches from the bottom of the ramp.
‘We can’t go out there,’ she murmured.
Ronon’s hand was still around her wrist and her jerked back, turning to go back up to the cargo bay.
‘Wraith,’ he yelled as Malcolm started up the stairs leading to the catwalk above. ‘You need to- ’
‘Already on it,’ Malcolm yelled back before adding, ‘Kaylee, get the drive online!’
A distance, ‘Shi ah,’ was heard.
Zoë slammed a button down and the cargo bays started to close. A shrill Wraith buzz echoed and fell. Jen threw a panicky look to Ronon before looking back at Zoë, her pack sliding down her shoulder.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked, this time ignoring the tremble in her voice completely.
‘Where do you need to be?’
Ronon and Jen shared a look.
‘You got the other half of the device on your ship?’ Ronon finally asked.
Zoë arched a brow and crossed her arms over her chest. The engine had roared to life and Jen felt the ship start to rise, the floor vibrating beneath her feet.
‘That depends,’ Zoë said, ‘do you have the other half of the medicine we need?’
*
The trip back to Atlantis was long. Ronon and Jen were shown to a guestroom. It was small and mostly bare- a cramped bed in one corner with a tiny bedside table and not much else. Jen sat on the bed with Ronon in the far corner. The silence seemed to stretch between them. Although Ronon seemed content with it, Jen found it uncomfortable. She knew they hadn’t had much choice but to go with Malcolm and his crew, but they hadn’t been able to get a call back to John. New Lantea was meant to stay a secret location and they weren’t doing much to keep it like that.
‘We could have just had them take us to a close planet with a stargate,’ Jen finally said.
Ronon lifted his head, his brow arched just slightly. ‘Bit late now.’
‘I know,’ she said, her eyes downcast.
Pushing up to his feet, Ronon gave a shrug and slid the guestroom door open.
‘I’m gonna have a look around. See how long it’s gonna be until we get there.’
Watching Ronon leave, Jen clasped her hands together and settled them between her legs. Listening as his heavy footsteps disappeared down the corridor, she fell back against the bed. She closed her eyes and listened to the hum of ship around her. In a way it was almost familiar- it reminded her of Atlantis, or even of the long trips on the Daedalus. It relaxed her and eventually lulled her into a state of calm before falling completely asleep.
She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep for when a large explosion echoed through the ship. The ship shook and Jen sat bolt upright. Running from the room as an alarm started to screech, she spun around, searching for someone, anyone.
‘Ro- Ronon!’
Reaching for her, Ronon pulled her up the stairs. The alarms continued on as their feet slammed on the metal floor.
‘Nearly back to Atlantis,’ Ronon said as he led her to the upper corridor.
‘Kaylee!’
‘On it, cap’n!’
The girl Jen saw earlier- Kaylee- pushed her past her. Watching her, she saw her dart to the engine room, smoke starting to come from it. Ronon continued down the corridor, his hand releasing her wrist. Jogging behind, she followed him to the cockpit, River sitting there with Malcolm behind her.
‘How- ’ Ronon started.
‘Almost there,’ River replied, oddly calm.
‘Second time it’s happened,’ Malcolm muttered as he stood behind her, his hand clutched around the pilot’s chair. ‘Second time it’s rutting happened. Ben zhuo drive.’
‘Nobody’s hurt, sir,’ Zoë announced as she entered the cockpit.
As Malcolm turned and left the cockpit, leaving Zoë to watch over the re-entry, Jen finally looked out the window. New Lantea was before them, blue and white, a sense of home coming over her. The ship continued to shake, the explosion seeming to have damaged the inertial dampeners.
‘Mainland’s nearby,’ Ronon said. ‘Gonna need to make a call to Atlantis. Let ‘em know where here.’
Zoë handed him the radio. When John’s voice came over the other end, a wash of relief came over her. Ronon told them they’d be landing on the mainland before saying there had been an explosion.
‘You should return to your room,’ Zoë said, her hand gripping around the chair a little tighter. The shaking had increased the closer they got to the planet.
Heading back down the corridor, Jen brushed past Kaylee once more. She felt her hand sweep across her arm, a line of grease staining her jacket sleeve that, somehow, comforted her.
*
It was a miracle they landed, at least according to Jen. The ship continued to shake, right until they landed. They bounced once, twice, before coming to a standstill. She sat petrified in the guestroom, breaking only out of her terrified trance when Ronon opened the door. They arrived in the cargo bay just as the doors started opening. On the other side was Lorne’s team, Sheppard at the front of the group, their guns raised and ready to fire.
‘Woah-ho-ho, easy folks,’ came Malcolm’s voice from behind them. Walking up to the bay doors, he clapped Jen on the shoulder, guiding her over, Ronon staying close. ‘Got your friends right here, in one piece.’
‘From the sounds of your arrival, I can’t say much for your ship,’ John said, lowering his gun though he was still visibly ready in case things took a turn for the worst.
Jen headed down the ramp and to the ground. As she passed the group, spotting the puddle jumpers in the distance, Woolsey walked by her as he headed up to Serenity. Lingering in the background, she watched as Malcolm spoke to John and Woolsey, Ronon filling them in the details. The rest of Malcolm’s crew started to come out from the ship, waving and introducing themselves to those waiting for them. They continued on for several minutes before they started splitting up, Malcolm’s team pairing off with Sheppard’s and Lorne’s.
‘What’s going on?’ Jen asked as she followed Lorne to his puddle jumper, Simon, River and Kaylee following the rest of Lorne’s team.
‘Their ship’s broken. They’re not going anywhere until it’s repaired.’
‘Broken?’ Jen repeated. ‘Something exploded.’
Lorne nodded and glanced over his shoulder where the three were following them. ‘Apparently a new hyperdrive was installed on their ship. When they exited hyperspace, it kept looping and…’
‘Exploded?’
‘Pretty much. Nobody appears to be hurt, though.’
Jen sat in the cargo hold with Kaylee, Simon and River, with Lorne’s team in the front. All but Kaylee were silent on the flight back to Atlantis. She kept looking around, nudging Simon who was on her right and pointing things out.
‘Hey, what does that do?’ she suddenly asked, pointing at something Jen couldn’t identify.
‘I- I don’t know.’
That didn’t seem to falter her, though. She continued to look about, grinning and pointing at whatever grabbed her interest while Simon sat looking caught between embarrassed and jaded and River looked out the cockpit window, wide-eyed with her head tilted.
Atlantis started to come up before them and Kaylee quietened, a soft ‘ooh’ coming from her. Its lights twinkled before her, the sun playing across the bright, clear water. It was getting close to sunset but the shadow of the city still stretched across the ocean.
Sheppard’s team had reached the jumper bay first and they were waiting for them when they arrived. The rest of Malcolm’s crew was there, along with a well-dressed woman Jen didn’t recognise. Hadn’t River mentioned someone called Inara? Woolsey was also there, looking more than a little off put, though that didn’t appear to stop him from looking over Inara. Malcolm, on the other hand, looked a little amused. Introductions were given and Woolsey announced he wanted to speak to Malcolm and Zoë.
‘Dr Keller,’ he said, ‘would you mind looking over our guests?’
‘No one was hurt in the explosion,’ Simon started.
‘It’s best to be on the safe side,’ Jen cut him off with a smile. ‘And a general check-up can’t hurt, seeing as the supplies on your ship were low.’
Agreements were made over plans for their new guests and Jen led them to the medical bay, Ronon and Sheppard behind them. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Kaylee, grinning and nudging and whispering about what she was seeing. Jen could feel a smile tugging on the corners of her lips. She seemed so genuinely excited, more so than the rest of the group, though they all seemed to be looking around in a mixture of awe and uncertain curiousity.
The news of what had happened on P27-4TX had already spread throughout the city and by the time they arrived at the medical bay, the nurses and doctors were already prepared. Several of the nurses led the crew of the Serenity to the beds, preparing to give them a check-up. Leading Kaylee to a bed, Jen gave her a smile.
‘Just relax, this shouldn’t take long,’ she said, reaching for her sphygmomanometer. ‘I’m just going to start by taking your blood pressure.’
Kaylee just grinned in response, her eyes still darting around the room. Wrapping the cuff around her arm, Jen reached for the pump. Before she could start, though, an ear-piercing scream cut through the air. Jumping back, Jen looked over to where the scream came from. River was struggling and trying to get off the bed. Simon was standing over her, trying to calm her while River kept shoving the nurses away. People were calling her name, telling her to calm down from all sides, but their yells went unheard.
‘Hey! Hey!’
Jen ran over just as one of the nurses managed to pin River’s right arm down. Simon was holding other one.
‘I’m sorry, she doesn’t like doctors,’ Simon tried to explain as River let out another scream.
She managed to work her arm free from the nurse. She was strong- a lot stronger than Jen had suspected.
‘We need to sedate her,’ Jen called, trying to get above River’s screams.
It all happened in a split second. A sudden rush of pain went through her jaw, the taste of blood filling her mouth. She fell backwards onto the ground, her hand coming to where she’d been hit. River had kicked out, hitting her jaw.
‘Get her boots off her and sedate her!’
Moving to her feet she felt a warm hand around her arm, helping her up. Keeping her hand to her mouth, she watched as Simon took the syringe from the nurse and slid it into River’s arm. Her screams died down and her kicking slowed. When she stilled, Jen nodded and told them to take her to another room. As the rest of Malcolm’s crew were given their check-ups, Jen found herself being led to a hospital bed by Kaylee.
‘You okay, sweetie? That’s a real shiner.’
Waving her hand, Jen motioned for Kaylee to sit back down on the bed. ‘I’ll be fine. Just cut my lip.’
‘Looks like it’s already starting to bruise.’
Touching her jaw where it still hurt, Jen couldn’t do anything but shrug. ‘Let’s just get your check-up done,’ she said, ignoring the throb in her jaw. She couldn’t do anything else, not until everyone was cleared from the room.
*
‘She kicked you in the face?’
Jen rolled her eyes and pressed the ice pack a little harder against her jaw, ignoring John’s laughter. Her jaw had definitely bruised and there was some light swelling. She’d split her lip, too, but for the most part it was just bruising and pain.
‘She’s traumatised and obviously got some issues with hospitals. Her brother told me before we left the planet.’
‘Someone should take her boots off her,’ Rodney said around a mouthful of food. ‘What does a girl like her need boots like that for, anyway?’
‘Probably to kick doctors in the face with,’ Jen muttered as she pulled the ice pack away. She turned to Teyla. ‘How does it look?’
‘Sore,’ she replied gently.
Replacing the ice pack, Jen turned to her lunch tray. ‘How’s the drive on their ship?’
‘In pieces,’ Rodney replied.
‘Apparently their hyperdrive was installed just under a year ago. This is the second time it’s exploded when they’ve exited hyperspace,’ John added.
‘Any reason why?’ Jen asked.
‘We’re still working on it,’ Rodney said. He took a glance at his watch and pushed back from the table. ‘And I need to get back to it. The engine’s got a very interesting design. Like an Ancient/Earth hybrid. Very interesting. Nobody seems to know how it’s like that. Of course, they could have looked into one of our broken pieces or gotten on board or- ’
John followed Rodney who was still rambling on as he walked, saying goodbye as he left the table.
‘They seem like a very friendly group,’ Teyla thought aloud.
‘Apart from the kicking.’
Teyla gave a light laugh and turned back to her lunch. Keeping the ice pack against her jaw, Jen sipped her coffee, feeling the burn down the back of her throat. Teyla was quiet for a moment, a contemplative look on her face.
‘Is it just me, or do their names seem very much like those from Earth?’
‘Pardon?’
‘Simon, Malcolm, Zoë… Those are of Earth origin, am I correct?’
Taken aback, Jen was unable to respond. Teyla was right- they were common names on Earth. She didn’t know what it meant, though. It didn’t matter, however, as she didn’t get time to think much about it.
‘You mind if I sit here?’
Standing just to the right of them was Kaylee, a tray of food in her hands.
‘Oh, go right ahead,’ Jen said, motioning for her to sit.
Kaylee sat in front of them and took a large bite from her salad. She was silent for a moment, digging into her lunch with fervour.
‘Don’t got much fresh food on the ship,’ she said after she had swallowed. ‘Flying for weeks at a time without landing, we mostly eat protein. It works but it ain’t got much flavour.’
‘Kaylee,’ Teyla said, watching with an amused look on her face as Kaylee continued to scoff down her salad, ‘how often do you and your crew travel on your ship?’
‘Oh, all the time,’ Kaylee replied, waving around a carrot stick. ‘We’re always flying around. We’re rarely planetside. We go here and then we fly over there. We do jobs, we get another job. It’s fun. It’s life.’ Stopping to take a bite of her meal, she motioned at her jaw. ‘How is it? ’S’actually why I came over. Wanted to make sure you were okay.’
Setting her ice pack down, Jen gently pressed her fingers to it. ‘It’s- it’s fine. I’ll be fine.’
‘I’m sorry about River.’
‘It’s fine.’ Jen shook her head and set the ice back against her jaw. ‘No serious damage.’
‘She got a good kick in.’
‘She’s got a good eye.’
Clearing her throat, Teyla moved back from the table and picked up her tray. ‘I have to pick Tagan up.’ And with that, she left.
Jen watched Teyla leave. Kaylee cleared her throat. She had finished her salad and was heading onto the next plate. Turning back to her, Jen crossed her legs and set the ice pack down.
‘Is that going to be okay?’ Kaylee asked.
Jen nodded. ‘It’ll be fine. No loose teeth. It looks worse than it actually is.’
‘Should’ve given you a heads up ‘fore we went in.’
‘Well, what could have been, would have been. It doesn’t matter now.’
Stirring her spoon through her lukewarm soup made from some traditional vegetables from one of their trading planets, Kaylee cocked her head, a coy smile playing on her lips. Taking a sip, she set the spoon aside, her nose scrunching up somewhat. It was bitter and just a little too salty.
‘So… what do you do for fun around here?’
‘Fun?’
Kaylee nodded, looking at her expectantly.
‘Oh. Um…’ Draining the rest of her coffee, Jen shrugged and licked her lips. ‘We don’t usually get time off. I know there are often trips to the mainland. People go swimming, fishing… Sometimes we’re allowed offworld to some of our trading planets, like the one we meant you on. Rarely, but sometimes, so long as there’s another team that’s already meant to be heading there.’
‘What do you do for fun, though?’
‘Me?’
Kaylee nodded again, the same expectant look in her eyes.
‘Well…’ Jen scratched her neck, unsure how to reply to that. ‘I like reading. I don’t get much time off, so getting through one book can took a long time.’
‘What else do ya’ do?’
‘Er… well, I don’t typically get a lot of time off. Running a department of such a big size… it takes up a lot of my time. People always getting hurt, always trying to stay atop of it all.’
‘You sound like someone I know,’ Kaylee laughed. ‘He doesn’t let himself have any time off.’
Jen chuckled and re-wrapped the ice pack. It was starting to melt. ‘It’s not that I don’t let myself. It’s that I just don’t have the time.’
‘Yup, definitely sounds like someone I know.’
With a laugh, Jen shook her head. Kaylee joined her, her entire body shaking as she laughed.
‘We do sometimes get time off, but… we usually go home.’
‘This isn’t your home?’
‘It…’ Jen faltered. ‘It is in a way. Like Serenity’s your home. But… we’ve all got another home that we like to return to every so often. You know what I’m talking about?’
Kaylee nodded.
‘So, every so often, we’re permitted leave and we go home. I usually visit my father. And I just relax.’
A silence passed over them. Kaylee returned to her lunch, happily eating, while Jen put the melting ice pack back against her jaw. As she finished her meal, Kaylee wiped her mouth with a napkin and turned her attention back to Jen.
‘You should come to the mainland. I’m heading over this afternoon to help Dr McKay. He thinks he knows what he’s doing but nobody knows Serenity better than me. You wanna come?’
‘I… I’ll see.’
‘Aww, c’mon, it’ll be fun.’
Jen shrugged. ‘I’ll see what I can do, I promise. But I can’t see what’s coming up, and there’s an offworld team due back in a few hours, and another due any time now, but…’ She was starting to ramble. She didn’t know why, but she was still rambling. ‘If you let me know just when you’re leaving, then I might…’
Kaylee waved her hand, cutting her off. ‘Xing, xing. Gotcha.’
There was a crackle in her radio and Woolsey’s voice crackled through. The first offworld team was back and needed medical assistance.
‘And that’s my cue to leave,’ she said with a sigh as she moved from the table.
‘Let me know if you can make it!’ Kaylee called after her, her bubbly voice echoing in Jen’s ears.