Disclaimers: Everything belongs to Joss, except for one character of my creation.

**Mousing over the Chinese should reveal the English translations on most browsers. If not, translations follow the story. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Serenity’s engines folded in and whined to a stop as the ship touched down on the Three Hills Dock. What there was of a dock. Three Hills was far out on the rim and lacked the modern conveniences of the central planets. The cargo that had been “diverted” here would be badly needed. Most of it consisted of basic supplies necessary to a less-civilized planet; medicine, farming implements, seeds and crop supplements. Mal didn’t know where the cargo had been destined to go before Lonnie Pearl hired him to bring it here, nor did he want to know. Knowing the folks on Three Hills could use it and he would get paid as well was enough for him. Best to get the job behind them, get the cash in hand, and get back in the sky. They had a passenger to deliver to a place still a fair piece away. That passenger, Mal thought, might best be delivered soon. He had awakened in the lounge where he had obviously been tucked in on the sofa. As his memory of the night returned, he recalled talking with Alex and being convinced to drink a cup of tea. The next thing he was aware of was waking to the crew gathering for breakfast. He made up an excuse as to why he was there, but he was aware even as he was speaking that no one was buying it. Zoë was giving him her patented “whatever you say, sir” look—a sure sign they all knew he was full of gou shi . Mal decided then to just shut up and get on with the day ahead. Alex was conspicuously absent from the breakfast table. She probably figured he would be angry with her. And Mal knew he should have been. By all rights, he should have been furious. She had pulled two stunts in the past twenty-four hours that should have gotten her tossed off the ship at the first convenient stop. Interfering with their job had been presumptuous enough; doping the captain was plain unacceptable. What if something happened in the night that needed his attention and the crew couldn’t rouse him? Mal knew all this, and would, in most circumstances, have taken action. Hell, he’d knocked Simon on his ass for far less. But he was strangely unable to get really angry with her. She was clearly not trying to cause them any harm—what she had done both times had actually worked to the benefit of himself and everyone else. She was not afraid to stick her neck out, that was for sure, but trust did not seem to be an issue here. She appeared to have the well being of Mal and the crew in mind. Could it be that she was that rare find in the ‘verse they knew—a person with a genuinely good heart? Mal wasn’t sure, but she was confusing him. Best to get her to her destination before she muddled him up any more. As they loaded the mule and prepared to make the delivery, Mal detoured to the passenger dorm and knocked on Alex’s door. There was a pause, and then the door opened a crack. “Hi,” she said, eyeing him uncertainly. “‘Mornin’,” he answered, trying for cheerful and nonchalant. “Can I come in?” She slid the door open. Mal entered and closed it behind them again. “We’ll be dockin’ at Three Hills momentarily,” he told her. “I want everyone not directly involved with the job to stay on the ship.” His tone grew serious. “ That means Zoë, Wash and myself get off. That means, no getting off. Prob’ly best you not even look out the window. Dong ma? ” Alex nodded. “Repeat after me,” Mal emphasized. He took her shoulders and stared into her eyes. “Stay. On. The. Ship.” “I stay on the ship.” “Okay,” he said, satisfied. He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a small revolver and placed it in her hand. She looked at it, then looked up at him questioningly. “What’s this—I thought—?” He turned to leave. “Just in case you decide to disobey my direct order,” he said, sliding the door open. “I don’t want you grabbin’ my gun again.” He stepped away, then poked his head back in. “It’s disconcertin’ for a man to have his gun grabbed in the middle of a job.” He closed the door and walked away. He would see now if she could be trusted. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHINESE: gou shi = crap Dong ma?= Understand? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go to Chapter 15.

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