LOST CONVERSATIONS VII 1. WHERE MAL FIRES BESTER IN “Out of Gas” INT. SERENITY, ENGINE ROOM Bester looks at Mal with a look of disbelief as he fixes his clothes. BESTER Whaddya mean you really don’t? Mal starts to walk away as Bester follows. INT. AFT HALL BESTER Mal! Are you firing me? MAL (not stopping) Appears to be so. BESTER What? (beat) Wait! INT. DINING AREA - DAY Zoe and Wash are sitting, drinking coffee, grinning and laughing about something, holding hands. They see Mal and Bester coming, release hands quickly, put on straight faces. WASH Was there a young lady who just got off the boat? ZOE Seemed mighty happy, sir. MAL She’s our new mechanic. ZOE (puzzled) Sir? New mechanic? BESTER (pleading) Give me a chance here, Mal. She’s just a girl, she don’t know nothin’ about a Firefly. MAL More than you. ZOE What’s going on? MAL Tell you what's going on. If you two hadn’t noticed, we got our engine running again. (looking at Bester, cold) After a week of sitting. WASH So, we can go? MAL Not yet. Waiting for our new mechanic to come back. ZOE Sir, I hate to point this out but, we really don’t need two mechanics. MAL Exactly. Bester’s gettin’ off. WASH He is? BESTER Mal, you can’t leave me on this rock. Ain’t nothin here. MAL Nothing except a prairie harpy that seems to know her way round a Firefly better than you. ZOE (getting it, to Wash) She fixed the engine. MAL Seems that young lady knows more about engines here than our former mechanic so she’s got his job and Bester here is outta luck. BESTER (determined) I got wages coming to me. MAL (angry) You got nothin’ coming to you. That job on Paquin be more than likely gone by time we get there. You mighta just cost us a good payday plus a small piece of my reputation. BESTER Mal...that ain’t right. MAL You took this job I said as long you keep her in the air, she’s yours. Instead of doing your job you’re off chasing girls and bedding them when you shoulda be thinking more about your crewmates and your ship. WASH Bedding...? Zoe gives him a look and mouths “shut up” as Wash give her a raised eyebrow. MAL (to Bester, mad) Get your gear and get off. Bester looks like he’s gonna argue again, but goes slack, resigned. BESTER I’ll get off. But she won’t keep her in the air any better than me. This old heap ain’t nothing but a piece of junk. KAYLEE (O.S.) Piece of junk? She’s standing in the aft hall doorway, a look of puzzlement on her face. KAYLEE (CONT’D) She ain’t “junk”. She’s a sweet little ship.

MAL Well, miss.... (to Bester) What’s her name? Bester has a look of confusion. BESTER (embarrassed) Ah, don’t rightly recall. Kaylee looks at him and rolls her eyes. KAYLEE Kaylee. Kaylee Frye. (beat) Jerk. Mal smiles at this last. BESTER Yeah, that’s right. Kaylee. KAYLEE (angry) You might be something in the sack, Bester, but you ain’t a gentleman, that’s for sure. Wash stifles a laugh at this. WASH Feisty one. Zoe gives him a glare. WASH (CONT’D) What...? MAL Miss Frye... KAYLEE Kaylee, Capt’n.... MAL Reynolds. Malcolm Reynolds. Just call me Mal. KAYLEE Ok, Capt’n. MAL Kaylee, what’d your folks say? Kaylee reacts like she’s just remembered something. KAYLEE Oh! My daddy’s just outside, come looking for me actually, almost ran him over, so excited. Um, wants a word with you. Said no ship gonna take my girl away without I see its owner. Mal nods then looks at Bester. MAL I get back, you best be gone. ? Kaylee looks between them, a little worried. KAYLEE I ain’t caused...no trouble, have I? Mal smiles and heads toward the aft hall. MAL No, no trouble. Let’s go talk to your father. Zoe, Wash have the boat ready for Paquin when we get back. With that, Mal leads Kaylee out toward the aft hall. Bester looks at Zoe and Wash. BESTER You coulda said something, Zoe. He listens to you. (beat) Sometimes. ZOE Me? I’m just a “girl” after all. BESTER I didn’t mean...Wash? WASH I just fly her, which I haven’t done much of, of late. Mal makes the decisions. BESTER That gonna drive you two off for long, too. Bester trudges his way to the fore hall. Wash and Zoe look at each other. WASH Interesting day. ZOE You think they were doing it in the engine room? WASH Appears to be so. ZOE I like the bridge better. She leans over and strokes his hand. WASH So, when we gonna tell Mal? ZOE Enough drama for one day. He’ll find out when I’m ready to tell him. WASH He isn’t going to like it. Shipboard romances and all. ZOE You let me worry about that.

2. WHERE JAYNE CONTACTS THE ALLIANCE TO SELL OUT SIMON AND RIVER IN “Ariel” EXT. STREET, ARIEL - DAY Jayne approaches a public communications console vidphone. He stops, puts in some kind of card in an open slot, looks at the buttons, and sees the one marked POLICE, presses it. The screen comes to life and a young POLICEMAN in Alliance uniform looks at Jayne. POLICEMAN Police Emergency. Please state your emergency. JAYNE I wanna talk to the man in charge. POLICEMAN Sir, this is a public emergency access service. If you do not have an emergency, please disconnect or you will be arrested for violation of the public emergency code. JAYNE I got me an emergency alright. I knows the whereabouts of two wanted fugees and I wanna talk to the man in charge. So, little man, you gonna connect me or do I have to come there myself and shove their arrest warrant down your gorramn throat! POLICEMAN Making threats to a police officer, sir, is a violation... JAYNE Of the public emergency code, yeah, yeah, jus’ connect me to some bigwig, gorramn it! I got these two. Jayne holds up a document with Simon and River’s arrest warrant and plasters it to the screen. The Policeman looks at it for a second. POLICEMAN Hold please. The screen freezes as Jayne waits, looking around, wary, as many people walk by. He puts the arrest warrant back in his pocket. The screen comes back to life. Another Alliance policeman, AGENT MCGINNIS is on screen. AGENT MCGINNIS . You have information about two wanted fugitives? JAYNE You the man in charge? AGENT MCGINNIS I am. Please don’t waste my time. JAYNE I ain’t one for wasting time. I got the Tams, brother and sister. Know of them? AGENT MCGINNIS We have been looking for them, yes. Where are they? JAYNE Now, hold on a sec. We needs to talk about the reward on their heads. AGENT MCGINNIS Of course. Let me check. Pause as McGinnis appears to be operating a keyboard. AGENT MCGINNIS (CONT’D) The reward now stands at 200,000 credits for the Tams. JAYNE (big evil grin) That’s more like it. I deliver them, you have my cash ready. AGENT MCGINNIS Where are they now? I’ll send a squad immediately. JAYNE Now just hold on. We gotta do this all secret like so I don’t seem to be selling them out. AGENT MCGINNIS Why do you care...Mr....? JAYNE Yeah, like I’m gonna tell you my name. We do this my way or no way. AGENT MCGINNIS Very well, what’s your plan? JAYNE Doctor Tam is bringing his sister to St. Lucie’s Hospital tonight right here in Ariel City to examine her. Seems she ain’t all there, if you know what I mean. I’ll be playing bodyguard. AGENT MCGINNIS Contact me when you get inside. JAYNE You’ll have my money? AGENT MCGINNIS If you have my fugitives, yes. JAYNE Nice doing business with you. Jayne hits the END button, the screen goes blank. He turns and sees a man in a beret with a large bag walking down the street. Jayne sticks a bulky envelope into an edge on the vidphone, then walks off.

3. WHERE KAYLEE AND RIVER TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE SKYPLEX BATTLE, SOMETIME BETWEEN “War Stories” and “Trash” INT. SERENITY, CARGO BAY River is in the middle of the cargo bay, twirling and dancing, practicing dance steps. Kaylee is on the upper catwalk watching her. River stops looks up. KAYLEE Sorry to interrupt. River smiles. RIVER I like to have an audience. She starts to dance again. Kaylee walks down till she’s near the bottom of the stairs, sits near the bottom, watches River. River does a twirl and stops, looking at Kaylee, smile gone. RIVER (CONT’D) It’s OK, Kaylee. KAYLEE What? RIVER I know you’re scared of me. You don’t have to be. Kaylee feels uncomfortable. KAYLEE Don’t know what your talkin’ ‘bout. River walks over, getting closer. RIVER Since the Skyplex fight, you’ve been avoiding me. Kaylee looks away, shy. KAYLEE Jus’, don’t know what to think. She sits next to Kaylee on the steps, pulls her knees up. KAYLEE (CONT’D) What happened there? RIVER I saw...you were in trouble...and I don’t know...but something..which I can’t explain... KAYLEE You killed three men. River looks at her, face a blank. KAYLEE (CONT’D) You don’t remember? RIVER I do, in a way. It’s like a fog, swimming in a dank, dark place. I never fired a gun before...there... to my knowledge. But I’m starting to believe I have. KAYLEE I haven’t told anyone. Simon doesn’t know. They go silent. KAYLEE (CONT’D) River, you saved my life there you know, and I’ll always be grateful. Maybe saved the others. If those men had... RIVER But they didn’t. Kaylee puts an arm around her. KAYLEE I’m not scared of you. Jus’...don’t know who you are sometimes. RIVER Neither do I. KAYLEE The drugs are helping? RIVER I don’t know...I can talk to you..I can remember...some...I can dance.. She smiles, looking away from Kaylee. Simon enters from the medical bay. Kaylee’s face lights up too when she sees him. KAYLEE Hey, Simon. He approaches them, big grin. SIMON Hi, you two. Am I interrupting? KAYLEE No, just talking. SIMON Oh, about what? RIVER You. Simon’s eyes go wide and she looks at Kaylee. KAYLEE Yeah, she’s telling me all your secrets. SIMON (gulping) River...

KAYLEE You’re still an easy mark, Doc. Course we weren’t talking about you. (beat, uncomfortable) I mean, not that..we.. I..wouldn’t want to know...I don’t know what I mean. SIMON (grinning) You mind if I steal my sister away from you for a moment, Kaylee? It’s time for her medicine. River sighs. RIVER Not again. Don’t like it. Simon grows serious. SIMON Until you are better, mei mei. She stands, looks at Kaylee. RIVER Gotta do what doctor big brother says. KAYLEE (nodding, standing) Yeah, see you two at dinner. SIMON (teasing, to Kaylee) Guess you'll have to wait to learn all my secrets from my little sister. Kaylee stands gape mouth, not knowing what to say at this unexpected reaction from the normally staid doctor. He and River walk away. KAYLEE (to herself,little smile) Only one secret I wanna know, Doctor Tam. She turns to the stairs, goes up, humming a little tune, grinning.