“Scars” “Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds?” The voice was cold and sterile, much like that heard through Serenity Valley through those perilous weeks. It was the type of voice he had grown accustomed to in the cold nights of huddling in any crevice he could find to hide. “The Independence will fail. The Alliance outnumbers you. If you wish to see your families again, you will lay down arms immediately.” There was no malice in the voice that boomed over flying speaker boxes, just the confidence of victory. Malcolm’s eyes slowly opened and adjusted to the dim lights of the holding pin and looked about the wide bare room that had been converted from a cargo hold. Around him were his fellow Independence fighters who had the supreme fortune, or misfortune depending on perspective, of making it out of Serenity Valley alive. Across the room he could see Zoe, the only person he trusted in the galaxy, attending to a fighter who had lost his arm about a week before being taken off of that planet. “Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds!!” Malcolm slowly lifted himself to his feet and walked to the middle of the room and looked to the catwalk that ran down the middle of the room. There, he saw the same typical Alliance figure he had seen a thousand times before. Malcolm looked away, uttered a swear in Chinese, and looked back up, “Is it required all Alliance officials look the same?” A chuckle came from the few Independence fighters who were conscious. The Alliance official dismissed the quip and grabbed a board from a low level flunky. “By decree of the Parliament, as a condition of surrender on the behalf of all Independence fighters, all of your men and women are to be released pending a registration of all fighters with our records. You will all be free to plan your lives after the war.” Mal shot Zoe a quick look of astonishment and then returned his gaze to the official, “You sayin’ you’re just going to let us all… go on home?” “Sadly, that is exactly what I am saying. If it was up to me you gorram fighters would all be sent on a one-way ticket to Reever’s space,” The reserved official handed the communiqué back to his assistant who left the room as his boots clanked on the metal, “but that is not my decision. The Alliance only wants peace with the Independents. We only seek to bring everyone under the protection of the Central Planets. Harmony brings order.” And with that, the official turned and left the war-weary fighters to contemplate life after the war. Malcolm stared off to space and made a slow turn to Zoe who met his gaze. The two stood in silence among the wounded who let out a groan or a cough every so often. Life after the war. For so long he fought for what he expected life to be like after the war. This was not it. He was battered and broken – a shell of his former self. Where would he go from here? He directed his gaze downward and then clenched his teeth as he lifted his gaze up to stare at the one monitor on the wall that contained the phrase “PEACE AT LAST!” in bright white letters. “CAPTAIN!” The yell was enough to startle him awake from his dream. “Huh? Wha? Somethin’ happen?” Zoe walked up behind him on the bridge and flipped a switch on the control panel in front of the pilot’s seat to shut off the warning lights and gave a deep sigh. “No sir, but in another twenty minutes we would’ve gotten an up close and personal knowledge of what it would’ve been like to be a bug on a windshield.” She pointed to the port window where in the distance they could see an asteroid slowly moving to block their direct path. “WHOA!” Mal said with a start as he quickly grabbed the wheel to change Serenity’s path. “Heh… Well, that’s a might fine way to get the heart pumping. But see -,” Mal grabbed the wheel for emphasis and smiled, “Everything’s just fine.” Zoe raised her eyebrow and gave out an, “Uh huh, Of course sir.” She spun on her heels and walked back out the bridge doors. Mal jumped to his feet and looked down the passage after Zoe, “I’ll have you know I flew plenty during the war!” “I recall they quickly took you off that duty because you nearly crashed into a medship.” Zoe called back. “I was exhausted!” “You were drunk, sir.” Mal pondered that as he tilted his head to his side, “Oh, yeah.” A smile crossed his lips, “Good times.” He turned to sit back down but took a step back when he saw River standing in silence a foot behind him, “GAH!” “She doesn’t have much confidence in your flying abilities.” She said plainly. “That your fancy psychic training talkin’?” He quipped as he collapsed into the pilot’s seat rubbing his temple. Sighing, he continued, “Now why don’t you just go off and… do whatever the gorram thing it is you do.” River stared at him blankly and Mal finally looked up at her and looked around the room. “I can fly.” “Well, as much as the thought of a crazy girl flying my boat might be, I think I’ll keep at it, much thanks.” He flipped a few switches and grabbed the wheel again. The young girl stuck her tongue out at him and then grabbed the railing to the stairs leading to the lower deck. She lifted herself up and formed a perfect hand stand. Mal looked at her in amazement as his lower jaw dropped down when he saw what she did next. Her muscles on her body bulged out and she began to move down the stairway and out of sight. His eyesight strayed to the dinosaurs on the console, a constant reminder of the pilot they lost just after their crash landing on Mr. Universe’s sanctuary. The husband Zoe lost. He was responsible for many deaths during the war but Wash was different. He was no soldier, just a man. A good man who followed his captain and delivered miracles that got them all through the mess of just a few weeks prior. He looked away and took a hard swallow as the quiet beeps from the ship filled the room. The thought he held so long ago returned to him: where would he go from here?

Millions of miles away, in a filthy smoke-filled bar, a figure sat in the shadows of a corner booth. Noise rose up and filled the small dark dive, covering up the conversation being held in the booth. The young ebony woman leaned forward with a start, slamming her glass down on the table with one hand as she grabbed the elderly bald man sitting across from her with the other hand. The old man grabbed onto the table for dear life as he was lifted off the seat with a swift pull. “They’re coming here?” The woman’s eyes narrowed. The old man could smell the alcohol on her breath, “Y-y-yeah! I swear!” He shifted his eyes toward the bar to see if anyone would come to his aid. Nobody in the entire bar paid the booth a second glance. “Is your information trustworthy?” “Hey, Alliance brass get drunk just like me and you!” Sweat dripped from his head. He pulled away and fell back into his seat as the table shook, “It’s a universal truth: everyone talks to the guy behind the bar.” The old man grabbed his gray jacket and pulled it open and showed the young woman his Alliance clearance badge. Nobody gets into any Alliance cruise ship’s leisure room without clearance. A few incidents near the border planets during the war made all locations onboard a dangerous place to be. “Their ship was released after repairs were completed and they were last spotted within three planets of here just two days ago. Ever since their Browncoat captain aired the Alliance’s dirty clothes, they’ve been left to be.” The woman contemplated the information, ignoring the old man for a few moments. He slid his sweaty palms over his pants until she turned her attention back toward his direction, “I need an identity documentation. Know where I can get them made up before that ship gets here, Lee?” “If it’ll get you out of here, I’ll tell you where my lady keeps her family jewels,” Lee gave a nervous chuckle to lighten the tense situation. She seemed unenthused. The old man slicked his hair back with one hand as his other hand fidgeted with his pants leg. The mysterious woman gave a long sigh, “Then she has more jewels than you. Just tell me what I need to know.” The smile left Lee’s face quickly as he stared back at the young woman, seeming to have found a new source of resolve. “There’s a bloke by the name of Rodger. Exit the bar and take a right but don’t let the building’s façade fool ya.” She leaned in curiously, “Why is that?” Lee continued to fumble with buttons on his pants while he gave a smirk, “He runs a doll shop of some kind.” Finally, Lee undid the clasps on the pocket of his pants leg and slid his hand in slowly. His eyes never left the woman as she leaned back and wondered whether to accept the information as truth. Meanwhile, his right hand grabbed onto a plastic handle he had felt before. Slowly, he slid his hand back toward his body. “You better not be fooling me here, old man, gorram it.” She looked down and reached into her leather jacket’s interior pocket, “I guess you’re worth your weight in pay, after all.” That’s when the old man took his opportunity to strike. Raising his right arm, he swung his arm around above the table toward the woman opposite him. She never looked up as she dug her hand into her inside pocket. Yet, she knew she didn’t need to. As Lee’s arm swung toward her, his eyes caught a glimpse of the object in his hand and grew large. Or rather, what wasn’t in his hand. For years, Lee had carried a lightweight razor sharp knife in his concealed pocket on his pants. It had saved his life once or twice back in the War. Yet, what he saw now in his hand was not his deadly weapon: it was a plastic spatula that was equal in length and weight. “Looking for this, Lee?” The woman across the table said as she pulled out the knife he had been sure was in his pocket. Her head slowly lifted and she caught his bewildered eyes, “I’m a resourceful woman, Lee. You’ve been a big help to me. It really didn’t need to end like this.” Lee didn’t know what to say. He just kept glancing back and forth from the knife to this mysterious woman he had only met three days earlier. Who was she?? “You made me do this. Just remember that. You were not the one I came to pick a fight with.” That was the last thing Lee heard her say. In a flash, the ebony woman threw the lightweight knife into Lee’s chest, piercing his heart and killing him instantly. His body fell forward and hit the bar table with a loud bang. The woman looked around to see if anyone had seen the altercation but everyone who was still conscious in the bar was too busy drowning their brain cells in their drinks to pay them much attention. She slid out of the cushioned seat like a cat and walked through the crowd and out the bar door into the dark cold night. She now had to see a man about getting her the necessary identity to get on board a Firefly class ship.

The crew of Serenity meandered out of all corners of the ship and gathered next to the medlab as Malcolm Reynolds stepped out into the spacious room bathed in bright blue light. He turned his attention from one member to the next slowly as he rolled his shirt sleeve back down his arm. Zoe stood poised at the door leading toward the loading bay, in the shadows alone as she often was as of late. Jayne stumbled down the stairs with a bright yellow mug in one hand and his other hand picking his teeth and grunted out a barely audible, “Can we hurry this up? Vera needs her daily cleaning.” Simon popped out from the medlab and made his way past Mal toward the couch where the bright-faced redhead Kaylee had plopped down on. “It’s just my medical advice but if you don’t start getting off this ship more often, Jayne, one might start to wonder what Vera and you really do during these daily cleanings,” Simon said without even taking his eyes off of Kaylee. He slid himself into his usual position next to her as she clasped her hand in his. Ever since the incident just a few weeks ago, they had become inseparable. Jayne squinted at the doctor as he lowered himself down onto the stairs and let out another grunt in his direction. From behind Jayne, a voice whispered into his ear, “My brother always had a problem with troglodytes. Don’t take any offense from his disposition.” Jayne nearly banged his head against the hard cold wall as he jerked his body around with a start. Standing two steps above him was River who was bending forward at an awkward angle and still staring at Jayne. “She really does scare you, doesn’t she?” Malcolm mused as he temporarily forgotten the purpose of calling them all down for the meeting, “Listen up, everyone. I’ve gotten ourselves a job and from the sounds of it, it’ll pay off.” Zoe eyed him suspiciously, “What’s the job?” “Well, now, it’s a very important job, Zoe,” Malcolm dodged. “I think she meant more specifically than that, captain,” Simon chimed in. Malcolm’s lower jaw dropped a tad as he tried to grasp at something to say and came up with, “Dolls.” “Dolls, sir?” Zoe finally walked into the room and placed her hands on her hips. “That’s right. There’s a shop owner who needs several crates of his dolls shipped off-world and we’re the best he could get.” Mal shot off quickly and tried to give his most charming smile he could. “You mean, we’re the cheapest he could get?” A voice called out from the doorway Zoe had previously occupied. Emerging from the shadows was Inara, her long red flowing dress practically glowing compared to her dark features. “Back from your job? And what news does the Ambassador bring?” Mal said, half-sarcastically and half-relieved to see her again. “You’re changing the subject, Mal. Dolls?” Inara walked toward Mal and stopped just feet in front of him as they held each other’s gaze. It was Mal who broke the silence. “Yes, dolls,” a low grown circulated through the room. “But these are expensive dolls, nonetheless, and we’ll be paid well all the same.” Mal tried to convince them. Jayne’s face scrunched up tight and then he raised his eyebrow and nodded approvingly, “Maybe Mal’s onto something for once. I mean, I know I bought my doll-” “Not that kind of doll, Jayne,” Kaylee corrected him but then gave pause, “It’s not that kind, right? Because that’s just…” Malcolm became flustered, “No, Kaylee! Look, they’re kids dolls but rich folk collect them. They’re supposed to be very real looking.” Simon looked up at Mal, “Like Jayne?” “They don’t talk.” “Well, Jayne…” “I’m sitting right here, gorram it!” Jayne yelled out. “Can we focus here, please? We have a job. What do you want? We’re not exactly the crew anyone wants to be seen doing business. As it is, we’re lucky to have this job so unless you all can magically make food appear, this is the job we will take! Now get ready, we’ll be there in a few hours,” and with that Malcolm stormed off up the stairs, leaving the rest of the crew in silence. “Are you sure the dolls aren’t for-” Jayne began. “We’re sure!” The crew rang out in unison.