Dayle whistled, eyes wide in amazement. "That is one large apartment."

Raines examined the odd ship. The hull was mostly bullet-like save for a head atop a slightly raised 'neck' which she guessed to be the cockpit. The remains of what looked to have been an engine or propulsion unit took up its entire rear, but it was beyond badly damaged. "Something about this craft seems familiar."

"You guys have never seen Firefly?" Arthur questioned, brow raised in surprise. He stepped past them, eyes wide in amazement. An excited laugh escaped his lips as he spun around to face them, arms raised wide, "Guys, this is a Firefly!"

Dayle snorted as he leaned in and whispered to Raines, "Did you know he was a nerd?"

Raines punched his shoulder as a retort. "Shut up."

Dee meanwhile, was surprised by Arthur's insight. "Yeah, it's a Firefly Class ship. How'd you know that?" Art made to speak, but she smacked her forehead, "Right, sure. You guys have your own world. Keep forgetting that." Dee looked up at the ship. "Name's Ventura. Been rebuilding her piece by piece for the past year." She motioned to them. "Come on, we go in through the cargo hold."

Arthur caught up to Dee's brisk pace. "Is she capable of space travel?"

"What?" Dee questioned with a laugh. "Space travel? What gave you that idea."

Arthur reddened, scratching the back of his head as he answered, "Well, a show I used to watch."

"Hmm," Dee considered, "It shouldn't be impossible," she said as they rounded the craft to its the front below its neck. "The hulls are designed to shield radiation and suffer damage from radiation storms." She took out a device from her pocket and pressed the sole button on it. They took steps away as the cargo door slowly dropped to the earth to form a ramp. "The engine's definitely too weak to break the earth's gravity though."

"Assuming we could boost the propulsion?" Raines asked. Arthur turned to her with a pleased smile. Dayle on the other hand, regarded her with a 'not you too' look. "What?" she protested. "It sounds interesting." She ignored Dayle's subsequent snort, then followed Dee and Arthur up the ramp.

"That might work," Dee guessed. "Would still need FTL drives or at least the Nexus' Fusion Cores. If that fails, there are Class7 monsters whose cores can create a similar effect. Hmm.. But then they are far more unstable. Would need metal capable of withstanding the pressure, not to talk of..." She suddenly stopped when she realized she'd been rambling. "Sorry bout that. I get carried away sometimes."

"Don't worry," Dayle soothed with a smirk as he took in the cargo bay. The hall itself was quite large, about 80-100 ft wide by 120-150 ft long. The craft's age showed on its damaged walls, tell-tale rust spread across several places. There was a door at the opposite wall, but Dee headed for a flight of stairs to the left that led to a catwalk which hung above the bay. "I like ramblers." Dayle suppressed a scream as Raines purposely stomped against his toe. He settled for a death glare which she gamely ignored.

Dee on the other hand, just snorted. "Point is, it's not impossible," she surmised as she led them up two flights of stairs." The Nexus recently developed FTL drives. If we can steal and study a couple of those, we might be able to create a couple of our own." They emerged at a corridor which lead to a narrow hallway.

Dayle frowned as they went left to what looked like a dining area. 'Looked'. There was so much junk scattered around it was hard to tell left from right. Only indication was the small kitchen to the left of the room and a lounge sofa fitted into an octagonal depression in the wall at the top left corner. "Why would the Nexus create FTL drives?"

Dee shrugged as she tussled through the junk, seemingly looking for something. "Dunno. Precaution maybe? Some dreamers think we should flee to space."

Raines picked up the remains of damaged sniper rifle off the floor. The barrel was thicker and longer than any she had ever used. "You're against that?" A quick mag check revealed it didn't use bullets either.

Dee emerged from the rubble, a satisfied smile on her face as she displayed a set of keys. "Couldn't care less really," she said as she walked past them back to the hallway. "Don't think I'll be alive either way to see how it all goes down."

"But you said the Nexus have FTL drives," Arthur called as she disappeared down a ladder. He followed behind to land in a narrow hallway blocked off ahead and behind him. Three doors to his right, and two to his left brought a wide grin to his face. These guys had really stayed true to the model. "Would you not be able to obtain the same technology if you understood it... Like you said earlier."

"Maybe," Dee replied distractedly as she fought with one of the doors. "Fu-BAM-cking beu-BAM-reaucrats don't want to waste resources on a lost cause. Something 'bout not finding suitable planet to colonise." A disgruntled kick and punch later, the key turned in the lock and the door swung open. She motioned to the room and Arthur, followed by Dayle and Raines inspected their new room.

"Not exactly Case de Royale," Dayle joked, brow raised.

Dee snorted as she opened the remaining doors. "Never promised Patron standard. Told ya I got a room, well there you have it." She spun around to glare at him. "Got a problem?"

Dayle raised his arms in mock surrender as he entered the room furthest from the ladder-which just so happened to be the smallest of the lot. He glanced around, and laughed inwardly. All the rooms had the same layout. A single small bed, a desk, and a sink. That was it. Definitely military standard. The walls were dark grey, most of the paint from its previous occupant having rubbed off. The room was probably just about six to seven feet wide, but about 20ft long. Not large by any means, but he had definitely been in worse.

He would have to look into replacing the mattress. That thing looked like a nest for all sorts of creepy crawlies. The only other furniture housed two standing rods. Dayle recalled the service clerk at the Patron. He walked over and tapped it by the side... but nothing.

"It's broken."

Dayle turned to see Dee by the door, arms crossed. Her good eye watched his every move, almost with a hint of suspicion. "Is there anything that's not broken in this place?"

"Ha-ha," Dee sarcastically shot back. "Come on, Still gotta show you guys the rest of the ship."

After one last tap against the rod, (which caused Dee to shake her head), Dayle followed her out of the room. He noticed Raines come out of the room adjacent to his (which happened to be the largest) while Arthur came out of the room opposite hers.

They ascended up the ladder, then followed Dee as she took them on a tour of the ship. Dayle realized Dee had not been kidding when she said she was building this ship piece by piece. More than half the ship was dead. The cockpit was more of a pit than anything, and the engine room lacked a working engine. Rust ate away at the walls, roofs and catwalks. If this were the real word, this craft would have been scrapped for parts. Then again, they were in a junkyard. Who was to say that wasn't the original intention.

Dee's tour came to an end at a chamber next to the Cargo Bay. "This used to be an infirmary," Dee revealed as she pushed the door open. "Turned it into my workstation though."

"Whoa," Dayle muttered as he examined the large room, eyes wide in amazement. "So this' the heart of the beast." If the dining area had been chaos, this hall was ordered chaos. He could clearly distinguish the 'sections' in the room, though each one had tools and items scattered about.

"...Yeah," Dee replied in drawn-out confusion. "Sure." She shook her head to shake off Dayle's madness. "This is where I work. I modify and create weapons, armour, shields, RVs, you name it." She flashed a proud grin, arm on her hips as she took in the room. "You won't find a better engineer in the Outer Ring."

"Hmm," Dayle murmured. He walked over to one of the workbenches and picked up a pistol. The weight was okay, and the scope wasn't so bad. He released the magazine to check the bullets. There was only one left, but it was weird. It was translucent, with bluish cloudy liquid inside it. He took out the bullet for closer examination.

Dee snatched it out of his hand. "That's a special bullet I've been working on." She placed back in the magazine, which she then slid into the gun. "Highly volatile, so unless you want to look into growing an arm back," her voice rose as she finished, "I suggest you don't touch anything."

Both Raines and Arthur flashed sheepish looks as they dropped the items they had been looking at.

Dayle watched her place the gun on the table. "If you're so good, why are you out here and in debt to Vega." Raines immediately casted a hard glare his way. She looked like she would strangle him with her eyes alone. Arthur on the other hand, raised a brow as if to say 'Why would you even ask that?'

"Money," Dee replied without missing a single beat, much to their surprise. "I have ideas. Ideas which need money. Ideas I cannot put to practice if I'm working a scheduled job in Central. Vega and I have an arrangement. He sponsors my ideas and takes a lion share of the profits. Sometimes they pan out, others..."

"Makes sense," Dayle acknowledged. "So, how do you think we can help with that?"

Dee rested against the workbench, arms crossed as she raised a brow. "What makes you think I want your help?"

"Come on," Dayle replied with a chuckle. "You didn't bring us here out of the goodness of your heart."

"Fine," Dee admitted. "I didn't." Before Dayle could offer up a smug reply, she added, "But, it's not like I plan on mooching off you guys either. I think we can be beneficial to each other."

"How you figure?"

"I need three things: Money, resources and power," Dee revealed. "You can get those for me. You won't even have to go out of your way. A small percentage of your forays in the field ought to be enough."

A little ways off, Raines (without touching) examined cluster of round devices which notification prompts revealed to be damaged shield generators. Judging by their size, they were most likely for armor. "What do we get in return," Raines asked.

"Like I said, I'm the best engineer you'll find in the Outer Ring," Dee boasted. "I'll fix, tune and upgrade your weapons and armour at a considerable discount. Far cheaper than anything you'll get in Central." Dayle clearly looked dissatisfied so she added, "I'll also turn in my inventions for free. They'll need field testing anyway."

Dayle glanced at the gun beside her. "Including that volatile bullet thingy?"

"Yes," Dee confirmed with a roll of her eyes. "Including the volatile bullet thingy."

"Dayle," Arthur called, momentarily looking up from a section with many scattered melee weapons. None of them looked ordinary though, not even the basic sword, what with the buttons on its hilt, and the strange depressions along its blade. "Aren't you forgetting something?" At Dayle's frown, he supplemented, "The reason we're here in the first place?"

"Right," Dayle acknowledged with a sharp nod. "The reason we're here." He clapped his hands, then placed them against his lips as he inquired, "And Vega? How do we meet him?"

"You don't." A smile teased the corner of Dee's lips. "Normally. But I can arrange a meeting."

"Would you please?" Raines asked.

Dee shook her head. "Not until you guys hit Experience Level: Four. If there's anything Vega hates, is people coming up short on their promises."

"Fair enough," Dayle acknowledged. There was a slight pause, then, "What's the fastest way to gain experience again?"

Dee's eye widened with shock. "Hey I thought this before, but you guys are thorough greenhorns, ain't you?"

Dayle pouted. "Well, when you put it that way..."

"Oh, no I didn't mean it that way," Dee apologized. A pause then, "Okay maybe I did. Point is imma have to teach you guys from the ground up."

"Well then," Dayle prompted with a smirk. "Teach away."

Dee groaned inwardly. Had she made the wrong choice? No, no, she should just consider this part of a very large investment and she would be able to emerge through it all. Hopefully with her sanity intact. "There are a few major ways for your kind to gains money, experience and prestige..."

She went on to explain the various ways they could earn money in the world. The most stable source of income were the cores. Each core had a fixed price attached to it which would be paid when they were turned in at the entrance. The rarer or more valuable the core, the greater the reward. There were also prize rewards from participating in the Crucible, or completing both individual/faction contracts or quests. There were also lesser common ways like getting a job, participating in races and gambling.

Experience almost worked in a similar manner. The Overall experience was measured from a mixture of contracts completed, enemies defeated, and RADs defeated in the field. This was the Experience Level Vega wanted raised to four. Beyond that however, the Experience matrix could further be split into three: Contractor (Contracts & quests), Mercenary (Nexus destroyed) and finally Terminator (RADs killed or captured). Enemy combatants killed in the filled also raised experience points but they didn't get a specialized Experience Count. Probably to discourage killing among Augers. All these different components added together raised the overall experience count.

Each Level granted Tuning Points which could be turned in at a Tuning Station to increase the level of augmentations or even purchase new ones. Kind of like stat points, but for mechanical parts. Radi did not have internal augmentations so they (and only they) had the option to exchange Tuning Points for cash, which they could use to upgrade their gear or buy a core to ingest.

"Sounds complicated," Raines mused.

"We will get used to it eventually," Arthur soothed. He turned to Dee. "So, which route would you personally recommend we take?"

"Well, you guys are pretty low level so you might want to get some experience in the field," Dee advised. "Pick up a few cores, get the hang of how things work 'round here." She turned to Dayle who looked lost in thought. "You're silent," she pointed out.

Dayle smiled. "Just thinking."

"Of what?"

"The future." At the collectively raised brows, Dayle elaborated, "Time is an important factor for us, so we're gonna have to be pretty efficient with our actions from here on out."

Raines recognized that look. Dayle was getting serious. "What's the plan?"

Dayle scrunched his forehead. "We need a clear goal. Something we want to work towards. Or we'll just end up running around in a cycle of fancy gear and monster hunting."

"I thought you didn't play?" Raines teased.

"I don't," Dayle re-iterated. "Research?" he countered with a smirk. "You know, that thing we're supposed to do before every mission?"

"Hardy har har," Raines sarcastically shot with a roll of her eyes.

"Guys," Arthur pleaded, "Focus?"

"She started it," Dayle complained. Arthur's raised brow indicated he was having none of it. "You know, you've been becoming a traitor recently. This your rebellious phase or something?"

"Hey fucktard," Dee interrupted before Arthur could reply. "What's this plan of yours?"

Dayle cast a glance around the messy workshop, to the rust infected walls and ceilings. He grinned as his eyes dropped to meet hers. "We're gonna repair this ship."

"What!?" All three chorused in unison.

"See?" Dayle joked. "We're already gelling."

"Whoa whoa whoa hold up a second," Raines urged. "Why are we fixing this ship? Can we even fix this ship. It's dead!" She sent Dee an apologetic glance, "No offence."

"None taken," Dee replied. "I'm with you on this one." She regarded Dayle with stunned disbeilief. "Look, I know I said I was putting it back together piece by piece, but that's not a pet project. It's something I do when I'm completely bored. This ship is long since dead."

"But," Dayle countered, "If you had the right tools, equipment and personnel, you could fix it right?"

"Well, yeah," Dee faltered, taken aback by the confidence in his voice. "But why would you even want to fix this anyway? With the funds you'll eventually get, you could always buy a new one."

Dayle laughed. "Didn't you say you were gonna be the best goddamn engineer in the city. Hell you claim to be the best in the Outer Ring."

"Yeah so?"

"So? I want a ship made by your imagination," Dayle explained. He playfully shook his head as he added, "I don't really do stock. Which is what I'll get if I buy from the city."

"You want a ship?" Dee repeated, tone incredulous. "My ship?"

Dayle grinned. "Yup. I'll eventually need an FOB. Forward Operatin Ba-"

"I know what an FOB is, jackass."

"Wait," Arthur prompted. "Are you saying you want to use this as an FOB? The Firefly?" At Dee's glare, he corrected himself, "Ventura, sorry."

"Yup," Dayle confirmed. A teasing grin rose up the corner of his lips. "Ah, sometimes my own benevolence supersedes even my imagination. See how I reward a traitor by fulfilling is greates dr-Smack!-OW!" Dayle cursed as he rubbed the back of his head. The bolt that smacked his head hit the floor with a loud bang. He turned to Raines' amused expression. "Hey that could've seriously killed me."

"I know," Raines retorted.

Arthur shook his head as he turned to Dee. "You don't have to agree if you don't want to."

Dee shook her head. "I hate to admit it, but this might be my best move right now." Shoulders slumped in defeated acceptance, she grumbled, "Fine, I'm in."

"Great!" Dayle cheered. "Team FireRain is now officially in business."

Eyes, narrowed, Raines sneered, "What's our first move, brave captain?"

"Oh, I got that figured out before we even got here," Dayle revealed with a confident smirk. "We're going to Hasuni."

Arthur raised a brow. "What's in Hasuni?"

A revolver appeared in Dayle's right hand. He released the chamber to confirm the bullets were in place. Once confirmed, he fixed the chamber, then placed the weapon in a holster that appeared against his belt. He fixed his teammates with an excited glint in his eyes. "Our targets..."

***

A/N: So, I don't know if this' plagiarism or not, but screw it... I've loved Firefly since I was a kid, and still haven't forgiven Space for canceling one of the decent shows on television (and people wonder why I don't watch tv anymore..smh)

Anyway, I swore to myself that one day I would put that beautiful craft in one of my stories... And while this story share's nothing with that universe, this craft is basically the same as Serenity... Dacey might add one or two modifications later though.. we'll see.. Thanks for reading.. and hope you all enjoyed Halloween (those that celebrate anyway) xD

P.S: Added a floor plan (obtained from google) to help imagine the craft space easier..