Kaylee heard the loud double clang-hiss through the deck, where her ear was currently pressed. She grinned widely, then pushed herself out from under the assembly she was disassembling and shouted gleefully “Inara’s back!” She had been hip-deep in maintenance – her idea of therapy, really – when the deck vibrated under her ear. She knew it was Inara, too, because the other shuttle made a slightly different sort of clank when it docked. The engineer struggled to her feet, and then looked down at herself. Her coverall was coated in grease, grime, dirt and dust – not how she wanted to see Inara, especially in light of the nature of her problem. “I gotta get cleaned up!” There was usually a bit of celebration whenever Inara returned from a meeting with clients – and this time she had been gone for three solid weeks. That called for a little more than the standard celebration to Kaylee’s mind. It certainly merited washing her hands and face, getting out of this nasty cover-all, and trying to look prettier than normal – because that’s the kind of effect Inara inspired in most women. Homicidal jealousy occasionally came up, too. But Kaylee wasn’t like that. She loved Inara. Inara was stunningly beautiful, and she was a very nice person, and Kaylee didn’t see any reason at all to hate her or her beauty. She wasn’t that petty. But she valued her friendship with the Companion very highly, and after three hard weeks, she needed her company badly. Ten minutes after that first clang, she was standing outside the shuttle lock dressed in a casual but very pretty cotton floral print dress, face quickly scrubbed clean and augmented by just the barest hint of makeup. She wasn’t at all surprised that Mal showed up in a similar state – minus the dress and makeup – just moments later. He gave her a shy, fleeting grin. “Nice dress,” he said, noticing, as he did now and then, that Kaylee was, indeed, a girl. Sometimes he forgot. He said that it was because she was such a good mechanic, but she figured the truth was closer to the fact that the Captain was just that dim, sometimes. “Thanks. Just did laundry.” “I know. There was a pair of someone’s panties left in the airlock, and they aren’t Jayne’s size.” “Uh, what color– y’know what? Just never mind. I’ll come by later to ID ‘em.” “You do that,” Mal grinned. “Otherwise, they have to be posted on the bulletin board ‘lost and found’.” “Gee, Captain, you’re so funny. Jing ze.” “So, why are you so fired up to see Inara?” “Oh, girl stuff. Nothin’ important. Y’know.” “You know, Kaylee, if you’re having, how should I say this? Personal problems? I want you to know my door is always open.” “Really, Captain? That’s so sweet.” “No, not really, I was just makin’ that up. But it sounded good, didn’t it?” “Hmm. Crank up the sincerity a notch, cut back just a hair on the sarcasm, work on the concerned expression, I think you got a winner.” “Y’think Inara would buy that fei hua?” “You really want me to answer that?” “Thought so.” There was an embarrassing pause. “Maybe we should figure out a way to make these locks cycle faster?” Mal suggested. “Might help out with all these ai ya awkward silences.” “I’ll get right on that, good idea.” Before more awkward banter could be dredged up, the airlock mercifully hissed, clunked, jammed slightly, and finally slid open. Inara emerged through the lock, dressed – well, if not to kill, then certainly to badly maim – in a knee-length red-and-gold dress of embroidered silk, with matching silk ship-shoes and a selection of gold ornaments strung from neck and ears. It was elegant, true, but compared to what she had in her closet for formal affairs, the dress was work-detail fatigues. Inara also wore her patented make-everyone-who-sees-it-feel-special smile, which she used on Kaylee first – along with a girlish hug-and-kiss-greeting – then on Mal, who she turned and faced head on. “Permission to come aboard, Captain?” “Welcome as always, Ambassador. How was your trip?” “Uneventful. Yours?” “’Bout the same. Just wanted to check in with you, let you know what our itinerary might be. It don’t have to be right now, of course. We can discuss it after dinner – if you’re staying for dinner, that is.” He eyed her nervously, though only one who had known Mal for any length of time would have recognized that expression for what it was. There had been something . . . weird between them since the Heart of Gold. Kaylee couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “Why yes, I’ll be staying for dinner. And I look forward to hearing what exciting ports of call we have in store. Is there . . . anything else, Captain?” “Uh, no, no, not right now. Just wanted to—I mean, just checking to make sure everything went well.” “Oh, yes, it did,” Inara smiled mischievously. “Quite well.” “And the shuttle? Performing OK?” “It’s performed adequately. I noticed that the control relays to the starboard wing are sluggish in atmo.” “I’ll get right on that,” Kaylee said eagerly, exactly at the same time that Mal said “I’ll get Kaylee right on that.” The two looked at each other curiously, then Mal half turned and pointed toward the cockpit with his thumb. “I’m just gonna go do . . . some Captain stuff, now. There’s a lot of Captain stuff piling up. A whole lot. Needs my attention. See you at dinner. Fresh fruit, tonight! Your gonna love it!” He disappeared through the hatch. The two women looked at each other hesitantly for a bare moment, then both broke out laughing. “Oh, ‘Nara, you GOT to teach me how t’do that!” Kaylee said between choked gasps for breath. “First, you start with a man with only the two neurons to rub together,” Inara explained, as she struggled to regain her composure. “After that, the rest is easy.” She put her arm around the giggling Kaylee and led her inside the shuttle. “I can only assume,” the Companion said as Kaylee found a comfortable spot – not a difficult task in this flying pleasure palace – “that something has happened that you want to talk to me about, and that something has to do with a man,” she finished as she poured some water in the little kettle. “Well, yeah, but how’d you know?” blurted Kaylee. “Bao bei, I’m used to the Captain scratching at my door like a three-balled tom cat every time I return from an engagement,” she said, one eyebrow arched. “It’s only natural. But to see you there, that means you need to talk to me – before anyone else does. The fact that you are freshly bathed and wearing a dress tells me that it concerns a man – unless you have decided to pursue a more sapphic personal life, which based on our previous conversations I somehow doubt.” “Well, I can’t fault your reckonin’,” Kaylee said, cheeks flushing. “Fact is, ‘Nara, I missed you. Three weeks! You ain’t been gone that long in while.” “Was it that bad? Jayne behaving himself?” “Oh, he ain’t bothered me none.” “And Book, Mal, and Wash would have nothing to trouble you about. Which leaves Dr. Tam. And since I know you have had feelings for him for months, now, I can only assume that you have somehow acted on those feelings.” Kaylee wrinkled up her nose. “Well, kinda . . .” She let the sentence trail off, staring plaintively at the Companion. “Kwin-gwe-je deh,” Inara said quietly. “Why don’t you tell me all about it . . .?” * * * Simon was going over the plan yet again at the kitchen table, finding areas that needed more thinking through, places that needed more data, and sections that had to be stripped out and replaced. The list of materials and breakdown of tasks kept changing as more information came in, or as he had better ideas. Part of him really enjoyed the work; it reminded him of all-nighters to finish end-of-term assignments in Medical school. It was easily the most intellectually stimulating work he’d done in months. The Ariel job had been simple by comparison. Part of him was terrified that he’d make a mistake. And get them all bound by law or killed. That was the part that was drinking all the coffee. “How goes it, Doc?” Mal asked as he came up from the cargo hold – or the shuttle lock, Simon mentally corrected, having heard Inara’s shuttle finally docking. “As well as can be expected. Now that we have a buyer, the rest is fairly simple: a series of incredibly intricate steps and highly improbable suppositions that, when combined with the sheer audacity of the objective makes success highly dependent on random factors working in our favor.” “You wanna say that again in people language?” “We make one mistake anywhere along the line and we’re humped,” he sighed, throwing down his pen. “Ah! That, I understand.” “Good. Because the deeper I get into the details, the more lost I become.” “ ‘The Devil is in the details’,” Mal quoted, taking a cup of coffee from the decanter and swallowing a prodigious gulp black. “What seems to be the issue?” “Finding everything we need without stopping at more than three places,” Simon said. “I don’t know of anyplace out here where we can find . . . oh, even half of the stuff on that list.” “Well, the Rim ain’t a Core mega-mall, that’s certain,” agreed Mal as he took a seat at the table opposite the Doctor. “But there are places that might not be on all the latest tourist guides. Places you ain’t aware of. The nooks ‘n’ crannies of the ‘verse, dong ma?” “Places where we can get . . . all of this?” “Most of it,” conceded Mal. “And way, way under Alliance radar. You probably haven’t heard of them, though. They don’t tend to make the news or the history books, ‘less there was a battle there or somethin’.” “Great. Well, pick one, Captain. One we can afford.” He slid the list over the table. Mal picked it up and started scanning through it. “That’s quite a list,” Mal admitted. “Are you sure we need—?” “Yes, I’m certain. I’ve winnowed that list down to its barest essentials. I can see now why you may prefer simple armed robbery: there’s less paperwork.” “That’s one reason,” agreed Mal. “Th’other is that it’s a lot easier to find a passel of trigger-happy bastards like Jayne than it is to find even one jing zi mastermind what can get us set up for a job like this.” Simon blinked. “Captain, that was almost a compliment. Are you feeling all right? No headache? Fever? Because for just a second there I felt as if you really meant that.” “Pretty close,” he admitted. “Y’all have been a lotta trouble – sometimes a whole lotta trouble. But you’ve also saved the lives of pretty near every crewman on board, myself included. That buys you a lot of capital, Doc. But every time your sister goes and stabs Jayne, or screams her lungs out at Zoe ‘cause o’ the shirt she’s wearin’, or tears apart Book’s Bible, well, you lose some o’ that capital. Dong ma?” “Fair enough,” agreed Simon. “You’ve been more than fair, all things considered. You took us in when you stood to gain from turning us in. You came back to get us when leaving us behind made more sense. Your sense of duty and loyalty do you great credit, Captain. Sie-sie.” “Maybe,” Mal said, face impassive. “Maybe I’m just anglin’ for the best advantage. It don’t hurt that the Alliance wants you, and I ain’t exactly a fan o’ theirs, niao se dub doo gway. If keepin’ y’all away from them sticks in their craw, then sign me up. Y’all are a danger, it’s true – but I done rode with danger before. It don’t scare me. And I reckon we can find some way to get you two to a safe place, eventually. But until we do, well, safest place for you both is right here,” he said, slapping the table. “Well, I appreciate it – we appreciate it. And I don’t plan to let you down – or Serenity. And I’m glad Inara’s back, too, because I think we’re going to need her. But we need to set a new course, now. To wherever you think we can score all of this equipment.” “Doc, I know just the place.” “Thought you might.” “But don’t go including Inara in our plans. She ain’t part o’ the gang. She’s just a payin’ customer.” Simon fixed Mal with a long stare. Mal didn’t blink. “Captain, I appreciate your . . . loyalty to her, but after all we’ve been through, I’d hate to hump this up just because we didn’t have an essential part of the plan when we needed it.” “Well,” Mal said, slowly, “You just run anything involving her by me before you talk to her ‘bout it.” “I promise.” “Pinky swear?” “Captain, don’t—” “Doctor, I asked you if you were willing to pinky swear. If you ain’t, then we may have to reconsider the wisdom of this whole job.” “But I don’t see how my—” “Pinky swear, Doctor? I ain’t gonna ask again.” Despite himself, Simon held out his hand and extended one slim, delicate pinky. Mal wrapped it in his own calloused pinky and solemnly shook three times. “Dang ran. You realize that pinky swearing isn’t considered a valid or enforceable method of contractual obligation, don’t you?” “Nyen ching-duh,” Mal said, rising, “you gotta understand somethin’: out here on the Rim it’s a dangerous place. Bandits, Alliance purplebellies, slavers, pirates, corporate mercenaries, Reavers – the whole gorram ‘verse is constantly conspirin’ to kill you dead. So you gotta stand on your own.” He fixed Simon with a serious stare. “Out here, man’s only as good as his pinky swearin’.” He left with a dignity and grace that belied his size – or the goofy grin on his face. “That man is psychotic,” Simon pronounced. And then rubbed his pinky. “And he’s our . . . gorram leader?” * * * “So that’s it,” Kaylee concluded. “I made a fool out of myself, and Simon is completely oblivious. I don’t rightly know if that’s a good thing or no.” Inara took in deep breath and exhaled. “Kaylee – so much . . .” “Yeah, I know,” Kaylee said miserably. “First, don’t worry about the stuff with Buck. It sounds like you had a good time and you really needed to have a good time. In fact, what you did with him is a special honor. To initiate a man – or a woman – into the great mystery that is eroticism is a noble and meaningful responsibility. It’s a special calling. For my vocation, it is an occasion of great ceremony and meaning. For everyone, it colors their sexual experience for the rest of their lives. It sounds like it went well, and you should be proud, dong ma? No one got hurt – OK, no one actually involved in the sex got hurt – and you both have a pile of happy memories.” “The parts I can remember were pretty happy,” admitted Kaylee, sipping her tea. “The problem of Simon, though . . . that may well be your downfall.” “Yeah, I know. He’s just got me so gorram confounded all the time!” “But not because of what you think. You see, River’s right: Simon does expect to be dead or imprisoned within the next year – despite his confidence in Serenity’s crew, yourself included, he feels he won’t be able to dodge bullets forever. Not with River spending every other day in the land-of-make-believe. Sooner or later, he thinks that the ai ya Alliance will catch up with them. Then it’s off to jail for the rest of his life, or summary execution, while they take River back to the Academy and finish whatever it is they started. Dong ma?” “Yeah, I guess,” said Kaylee sullenly. “Good. Because it does explain the man’s actions – and his reactions. He’s a highly principled man, Kaylee – you can’t become a doctor, much less a surgeon, without high moral and ethical standards. Oh, you can – I’ve met plenty of doctors who were absolute slime. But if you have your choice of specialties and you choose trauma surgery, there is a compassionate side to your character that lifts you out of the mainstream of physicians. Jen duh sh tyen tsai.” “So he got a conscience. Don’t he also got a—” “Yes, yes he does. But a doctor learns to put his personal feelings, even his personal life, aside for the consideration of others. Right now, River is his primary patient and primary responsibility. He has sacrificed everything for her. Sacrificing any hope of a personal life is a small additional price, and he’s willing to pay it.” “So he’s never gonna look at me like a . . .” “Hold on, now, that’s not what I said. Simon is as complex as a man can be. And his compassion extends beyond River to encompass the entire crew – even Jayne, despite himself. He feels unbounded gratitude by the protection that Serenity has offered him. And he has developed strong feelings for everyone aboard. He feels very close to everyone, and that is starting to worry him even more. “Because he knows his capture is likely inevitable, and he doesn’t want to repay all of our kindness with imprisonment or death. And that is all he foresees. So despite how much he desperately wants to be able to reach out to us, he has instead withdrawn emotionally from us, trying to keep his relationship with the crew as strictly professional as possible. And that includes not schtupping the cute little engineer girl.” “But I wanna schtup!” Kaylee protested. She thought for a moment and cocked her head. “Wait. That does mean what I think it does, don’t it?” “Yes, of course, silly. Simon’s deep-seated code of ethics prohibits him, though. In his mind it would be unfair to start anything with you, only to bring you closer, expose you to certain imprisonment – or worse – merely because he was your lover.” “‘My lover’! That sounds real pretty when you say it like that! But he ain’t. If he even cared . . .” “But don’t you see? He does care for you – which is why, in his mind, he cannot get any closer than he is now. Why he contents himself with sharing your company platonically, and hiding his feelings under a veneer of polite mannerisms. To do otherwise would put someone he cares about – you – in mortal danger.” “That’s just stupid!” protested Kaylee. “I ain’t in any more danger with him than I am not with him!” “Yes, you are correct. It is stupid of him – and noble, and entirely predictable. You all – we all, I should say, for I’m just as guilty – are so culpable under the law already that one more or less emotional entanglement will mean little when this story finally plays out. But Simon doesn’t see that.” “Simon don’t see a powerful lot.” “Most men don’t. Especially about affairs of the heart. Oh, there are other factors as well: would time spent with you take away his time devoted to River? Would he in fact be toying with your affections, taking advantage of you simply because you are close by and willing and available? Don’t forget, Kaylee, Simon has never had the chance to know someone like you ever in his life. He comes from privilege, from one of the richest worlds in the Core – whereas you come from Rim-world settlers. He has a vast and impressive education – and while you are brilliant at what you do, you have little or no formal schooling. Part of his dilemma is about social class, Kaylee, and that isn’t about the money. It’s about your backgrounds.” “Simon’s a snob?” “No more than you or I. Had he really been a snob, he never would have made it this far. Give him credit where it is due, Kaylee: he’s managed to overcome a highly sheltered and limited upbringing, extremely specialized education, and virtually no exposure to the variety of human cultures the ‘verse has to offer, all for the sake of his sister. He’s had to use bribes, violence, coercion, and other tools a doctor rarely has in his medkit. He even refused to assist you, if you recall, that time you got shot just after he came aboard.” “He didn’t really mean that, he was just tryin’ to get Mal to not rat him out to the Feds. He didn’t know Mal real well back then,” defended Kaylee. “Oh, yes, I know that. But I also know that making that decision – refusing to help a gravely injured patient who was shot right in front of him -- that was perhaps the toughest decision he ever had to make up to that point in his life. Like a Companion, a Doctor has an incredible professional ethic to live up to – they cannot not help. It would violate their oath. But he was willing to risk his entire professional career on a roll of the dice. It was the only way he could see to save his sister. Even if it meant betraying everything he ever believed about himself. I dare say he remains ashamed of that to this day – which also speaks to his character.” “When you put it like that . . .” “He’s a remarkable man, Kaylee. One I wouldn’t hesitate to take as a client. He’s proven himself wonderfully adaptable. Going from a pampered Core-world professional to consorting with a . . . a bloodthirsty gang of armed criminals and scoundrels out in the Black—” “You make it sound so . . . tawdry when you describe us like that,” Kaylee complained. “— with his brain-damaged little sister tagging along and the Feds constantly dogging his heels, well . . . that’s pretty remarkable.” Kaylee sagged. “So your sayin’ I ain’t got no hope . . .” Inara stiffened. “I’m not saying anything of the kind! Quite the contrary, actually. What I’m saying is that Doctor Simon Tam, brilliant surgeon and nascent criminal mastermind, is such a remarkable man that he should be able to overcome the issues that are keeping him from currently pursuing any kind of personal happiness. I’m saying, Kaylee, that I think he does care about you, and he finds that frightening for several reasons. Once he can overcome that fear, once he can admit his attraction to you—” “You really think he’s attracted to me?” Inara gave her an indulgent smile. “Little one, there was never any doubt. I’m trained to recognize erotic responses, remember? Once he got over seeing you as just a patient, once he really got to know you a little, yes, sweetie, he showed all the signs. From dilated pupils to ‘accidental’ violations of your personal space. It’s all there. But his culturally accrued social conditioning is standing in the way.” She stood and poured herself another cup of tea. “I wouldn’t worry, Kaylee. Just be patient. This ship – this crew – have a way of . . . changing a person. Making them capable of doing things – and feeling – in ways they never imagined.” She turned back to the engineer for emphasis, trying to hide the slight shiver that raced up her spine as she contemplated her own . . . predicament. “Trust me, I know.”

* * *

“So, Travelers,” Mal said to the assembled crew, “that’s where we stand. I wanted to bring everyone up to date, so you can decide for your own self just how you wanna proceed. Questions?” Wash raised his hand enthusiastically. “Really, folks, now’s the time.” Wash waved his hand around excitedly. “Anyone? Zoe? Gotta question? No?” He sighed loudly. “All right, Wash, what is it?” “Captain, I think I speak for all of us—” “You don’t speak for me, gorramit!” called Jayne. “—when I tell you that were pretty durned enthusiastic about this plan. Except for the part where we get caught.” “Weren’t you listenin’? That ain’t part of the plan.” “I guess that’s my point. This thing is very, very tightly figured. In the past we’ve always left a little wiggle room, places we can improvise – y’know, where Zoe comes in, guns blazin’, savin’ you from doin’ somethin’ stupid . . .” “All right, that’s enough. I get your point. What’s that word I always have trouble with Zoe? Y’know, that thing you plan on doin’ when everything else goes to hell?” “Contingencies?” offered Zoe. “Yeah, that’s them! Contingencies. Well Wash, we ain’t gonna have no contingencies, on account that we ain’t gonna hump this thing up like . . . well, like you think we will.” “There really are only three places where we are in danger of apprehension,” Simon pointed out. “Well, pardon me, but I’m feelin’ a little apprehensive already.” Wash looked skeptical. “You feel apprehensive when your dinosaurs don’t line up just right,” Zoe pointed out. “If you don’t separate the carnivores from the herbivores, they get rowdy,” Wsh explained. “If I may continue, as fascinating as plastic paleontology is,” Simon said, annoyed. “Our three weak points are these: When we make our initial request, when we make the pick up, and when we pass that first Alliance checkpoint. And I do have contingencies planned for all three,” he said, trying his best to sound confident. “But this other part, ‘bout us actin’—” Jayne sounded anything but confident. “I mean, was hard ‘nuff, me memorizin’ one gorram line for the Ariel job.” “But you delivered it so well,” Zoe said, sarcastically. Jayne made a sour face. “Perhaps he had other things on his mind,” Mal said evenly. “I jus’ don’t want the whole job t’go in the crapper,” Jayne said nervously, not meeting anyone’s eye, “‘cause y’all depended on me to be all theatrical. I got a hard ‘nuff time jus’ bein’ Jayne.” “But you do a surprisingly good job,” Wash quipped. “Much better than anyone expected.” “I’ve taken your . . . limitations into account, Jayne,” Simon said, looking at the mercenary intently. “Have no worries. I won’t base the success or failure of this job on whether or not you deliver a sterling performance. Or anyone else, for that matter. Anyone else have concerns?” he looked around. “Kaylee? That’s two meetings now where you haven’t said much.” He looked concerned. “Ain’t had much t’say,” Kaylee said quietly. “Job mostly don’t need my skills, much. All my part is mostly cosmetic. I’ll get us there and keep her together while y’all do the tough part.” “I guess I can’t ask for any better than that,” mumbled Simon. “I do have a question,” Zoe said after an uncomfortable moment. “What are we going to do ‘bout River? One little ‘episode’ and this whole job could go bad in quick hurry.” “I’ve thought about that,” Simon said. “I’ll need to prep her a little, but I think we can actually use her . . . instability to great effect. I’ll know more when we’re done shopping for our equipment. Speaking of which, Captain, you haven’t told us where we’re going to secure these supplies.” “Oh, I was saving that bit o’ news for a special occasion,” said Mal, clearing his throat. “After careful consideration, I’ve decided that our best bet for this list is going to be . . .” “Please say Persephone, please say Persephone, please say Persephone . . .” Wash chanted, fingers crossed. “. . . a charming little out-o’-the-way little corner o’ the ‘verse: Onyx.” There was a long moment of silence. Most of the assembled hadn’t heard of the place. Jayne apparently had. He broke the silence. “That gorram sorry excuse for a gou tsao de craphole?” he said, disgustedly. “Hwoon dahn, we’re better off with the gorram monks!”