Firefly: "The Race"

Disclaimer: If I weren't just a poor college student and could finance the series myself, I would, but I can't. So all I can do is just play around in Joss Whedon's 'verse. Also, I don't know a lick of Chinese so I haven't bothered to put the translations because they're probably horribly wrong. If it were Japanese or Latin, well, that'd be another story...

Episode 3 in my second season of Firefly: The crew of Serenity finally take a vacation on a pleasure world. Things look fine, until they uncover a plot that threatens Inara's friend, and are forced to enter Serenity into a race to save her.

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Captain Malcolm Reynolds stepped up onto the flight deck of his Firefly-class transport, Serenity. Kyo Nagiama, the ship's pilot and an old war buddy, sat in the pilot's chair. He was steering very lazily, with a slouched posture and one hand at the dip in the U-shaped control yoke. Wasn't Mal's way of flying, but he knew Kyo could snap alert in an instant.

"How're we doin'?" Mal asked Kyo, bracing himself on the upper bulkhead and the back of Kyo's chair. Rather than looking at the scopes himself, he choose to peer out into the black of space, which wasn't so black at the moment. Three planets were rapidly growing larger in their field of vision, spread out in a loose sort of triangle, with a moon swaying uncertainly in the center thanks to the gravitational pull of the three large planets.

"Smooth," said Kyo, reaching out with his left hand to turn on the Cortex connection. Mal looked down at the round, green screen as information flickered across it. "There were three Alliance cruisers in the area, but they got called off on an emergency signal."

Mal's jaw involuntarily clenched as he looked at the Chinese characters that scrolled by the screen. Ever since Wu Yo a few days back, Mal had an increasing dread of Alliance warships in orbit. It was one thing to know that Alliance played by the rules, but in the last few months the purple-bellies had turned that notion up on its head. The fact that the Alliance could go on overkill and eliminate an entire town just for one person made Mal twice as anxious around their presence.

"Well let's be thankful for small favors," said Mal humorlessly, but a wince on Kyo's face out of the corner of Mal's vision made him think something different. "What?" he demanded, looking square into Kyo's gray eyes.

"They were recalled because of Reavers two sectors over," admitted Kyo. His hand ran across the keyboard and punched up a map on the nav com. He'd already extrapolated a simulation based on the reports filtering in from the Cortex. The Reaver sighting was in a sector of space nearing the seventh rim. It was a high traffic sector nearly a day's time from their position, which meant ample time to know if something bad came their way.

"Zang," said Mal sarcastically. "Keep on course. We promised the crew a vacation and they deserve to have it, but just keep an eye open."

"Always do," was Kyo's reply as he shut off the nav com and Cortex. Mal gave a pat on Kyo's shoulder before he took off back down the hall. Past the dimly lit corridor of the crew bunks was the warm, yellow walls of the mess hall, which Kaylee had enhanced with flowers and vines years ago. Mal put a hand on one of those decorations as he addressed the crew seated at the worn, sturdy oak table.

Inara Serra, registered Companion, and simultaneously the most beautiful and annoying creature Mal'd ever seen in the 'verse, was standing behind the counter. From the square locker open behind her, and the bubbling pot on the stove, Mal assumed she'd come to fetch more of her fancy tea that smelled great but tasted...well, it was an acquired taste. Jayne Cobb, resident mercenary and strong man, sat at the far corner of the table working a big hunting knife over a whetstone. To anyone else, that blade might've seemed like a miniature sword, but in Jayne's hands it looked completely proportionate.

Sitting on the diagonally opposite corner from Jayne, as if seeking to put as much distance between themselves and the large merc, were Kaylee Frye, genius mechanic, and Simon Tam, genius, uptight, doctor. They were also a couple; a new couple, which meant for copious amounts of public displays of affection. Still, if it meant Simon would be a little less broody and rigid around Kaylee's carefree and light self, Mal didn't exactly want to spoil that; tease, maybe, but not spoil.

"We'll be hittin' Ambrosia within the hour," he told them, smiling slightly; it was easier after seeing Kaylee's bright grin. "Lookin' to stay a spell. We deserve ourselves a long break, and we've finally got the funds to treat us to it."

"Do we gotta, Mal?" asked Jayne, looking up from his knife and whetstone. "Ambrosia's a bit...fancy for my tastes. Too clean."

"Of course," sighed Simon as he leaned his elbows onto the table top. "Leave it you to have a problem with cleanliness."

"We're not havin' this discussion, Jayne," Mal cut in before the verbal sparring could escalate. "Ambrosia fine for all folks, yourself include. Ain't that right, Inara?"

"We'll be staying in a Companion house run by a friend of mine," she nodded pleasantly, looking around at those assembled.

"Do I get 'em for free?" asked Jayne lecherously.

"No," said Inara. "Same arrangement as mine aboard Serenity."

"Hell, see? Ain't a damn thing for me!"

"There are whore houses available to you, if you feel so inclined," Inara told him, pausing slightly on the word "whore," chiefly because Mal happened to be in the room. "You'll need to purchase their services as well, but they'll more likely be affordable to you; a little more your style."

"Got no problem with that," shrugged Jayne.

"Are you sure River and I should take part in this?" said Simon hesitantly. "With the Cortex bulletin on my father--"

"Was a minor deal, Doc," Mal told him straight up. "They haven't put out any more bulletins on either of you, and your dad's charges are minor. If I had to guess, I'd say they just wanted to nettle you some; get you all riled up and irritated."

"Yeah, all ornery like usual," Jayne cut in unwantedly.

"Besides," Inara broke in diplomatically, "you'll be staying at a Companion's house as her invited guest. Not even a Fed could challenge a Companion on her own established house of operation. You'll be completely safe."

"It'll be shiny, Simon, honest!" Kaylee pleaded with him, wrapping both her hands around his as she snuggled against his side. "'Nara told me all sorts of things about them fancy homes they have. Oh! That reminds me! 'Nara, can we have one room?"

"O-one? Ah--bu--well--" sputtered Simon incoherantly as the whole of his face turned a bright pink. Mal, Inara, and Jayne all held various faces of amusement at Simon's predicament; most obvious of which happened to be Jayne's grin.

"C'mon, Doc, you tellin' us y'ain't--"

"Jayne!" warned Mal, holding up his hand to stop the merc from crossing some sort of imaginary line of words. "Somethings on this ship I just don't need to be knowin' about."

"Yes, mei-mei," Inara answered Kaylee. "I can arrange it with Cassandra that you and Simon can share a room."

"B-but we don't even... Here on Serenity... You and I..."

"Well, I'll just go on and inform the rest of the crew, while the rest of you plot and plan your vacations," smirked Mal at Simon's rapidly fading intellect, particularly under Kaylee's hard gaze that seemed to be incomprehending and unflinching. Never a good combination in Mal's vast experience of dealing with women.

"I'm trying to explain!" was the last thing Mal heard from an exasperated Simon before he found himself on the catwalk of the cargo hold. He leaned over the metal railing under the bright, hot overhead lights to watch Zoe Washburne prep the Mule. River Tam, the doctor's sister and resident Reader and warrior, sat atop one of the cargo crates and watched absently. Both women had the air of being particularly busy of late, and Mal hadn't had the slightest inclination as to why.

"Hopin' we won't be needin' the Mule down on Ambrosia," Mal commented as he jogged down the steel mesh stairs. "She only seats four, and at my last count there's eight of us on this ship that'll be headin' off. We can walk just fine to the Companion house and I'm sure--"

"Five," said Zoe when it became clear that Mal wouldn't stop his mini-speech.

"Wha?" was Mal's very articulate reply once he cleared the final step.

"Mule seats five now," Zoe informed him, gesturing at the aforementioned fifth seat in the back row. "Kyo did it when he customized it a while back."

"Oh, well, we still won't be needin' it," said Mal, running his hand along the yellow paint of the hovercraft. "Inara's puttin' us up with her Companion friend. Apparently we're in for a real fanciful treat."

"That so, sir?" asked Zoe conversationally before anchoring the active Mule to a hitch on the floor. Mal had been mildly put off by her lack of exuberance about their vacation for the last few days, but now that they were moments from touching down it was disturbing him greatly. "Think it's wise to leave the ship unguarded, sir?"

"We'll lock her down," shrugged Mal. "She'll be within walkin' distance, and the Companion house's got their own security system. Should be fine for kickin' up our heels a stretch."

"Reckon so, sir," agreed Zoe mechanically before she strode out of the cargo bay towards the infirmary.

Mal was about to follow after her, but River's soft voice already answered his unspoken question. "It's him. Talked for weeks; talked for months; talked until their minds were one, but now there is only one when she wishes for two."

"Speak plainer for us non-genius type, little one," prompted Mal as he stood before the steel gray cargo container she was seated on.

"She was going to wear a slinky dress and visit a naked beach," said River, speaking to him like she'd just dropped the biggest hint possible. It took a moment for his brain to catch up with his mouth, but when it did his frown melted into a look of concern. "This will be good for her, really. We're taking her shopping."

Mal couldn't help but snort at that bit of information, and began to doubt whether or not River was the genius she made out to be.

"I am," she answered him firmly with a bit of irritation in her doe eyes.

"Little one, I'm not sure you've ever met Zoe before," chuckled Mal over the impossibility of the scenario. "She ain't the sort to be goin' shoppin' for anythin' other than weapons to hurt people and food to keep herself satisfied."

"She's a girl," River told him.

"That I know, but all the same... Anyway, what're you gonna be doin' down on Ambrosia? Got yourself a certain someone take you someplace fancy?" asked Mal with a wink, knowing that Kyo and River had been thick as thieves since the moment he'd stepped on board. Of course, that hadn't been the case of late with Kyo spending much more time on the flight deck and River reverting to old habits back in the cargo hold.

"I've got plans," declared River loftily as she fell gracefully from the cargo container. It was the steel glint in her eye and slow smile that put Mal on edge. That put out his spark of curiousity quickly as he watched her head down towards the infirmary as well, undoubtably to finish up her packing in the passenger quarters. He couldn't help but feel bad for whoever ended up being the victim of River's plan.

"Wait, River! Them plans don't include me...do they?" he called out as an afterthought.

*****

Ambrosia was a pleasure world. That meant climates and environments of all types, where resorts and tours were set up for folks that were interested. For just the casual visitor, however, the largest continent was the place for them. A large spa and resort catered to folks of all types and treated them like kings, so long as they had the money. Serenity was set down on the main port, located downhill from a rustic brick mansion that sprawled for acres. The spa resort was adjacent to the mansion, a pristine white complex full of modern curves and sparkles.

"Inara!" a pleasantly pitched voice called out. Up on the cobblestone lane was an entourage of five women and two men. All of them were dressed in the sharpest of clothing that Mal'd only seen on Inara and Simon.

"Cassandra!" returned Inara just as pleasantly. Mal noted that one didn't seem more pleased than the other, but both seemed to be on equal footing. That didn't seem natural to him, but then again, appearances were everything in a Companion's life.

Everyone watched as Inara closed the gap hurriedly to embrace a tall woman with ivory skin and golden curls. Cassandra was a very beautiful girl in her golden gown with complimentary wrap, but she looked too delicate for Mal. She hadn't been tested or toughened like Inara or Nandi had been. If he had to guess, Cassandra would be a good indicator of what Companions really were.

"I'd like you to meet the crew of Serenity, the transport I use," said Inara, gesturing back to everyone that'd finally caught up. He noticed she hadn't said "friends." He also wondered about her emphasis of the term "transport."

"Come now, Inara, we've all heard stories of your adventures with pirates," teased Cassandra with a sly wink.

"Pirates," Mal couldn't resist saying in amusement. He gave Inara a bright grin, pleased to see her face tighten in annoyance, before turning back to Cassandra. "Oh I can't say we're much pirates, ma'am. Just honest folk lookin' to make a livin'."

"No, you're not," agreed Cassanda. "You're much more handsome than any pirate I've seen set down here on Ambrosia, Captain..."

"Reynolds, ma'am," supplied Mal helpfully. "And handsome? Wouldn't go that far, myself. Ornery, morelike. Mean and old, to be more accurate."

"Oh I can see why you stayed, Inara," said Cassandra, turning back to Inara and smiled wider at the other Companion's wan smile. "My indentured servants will take your things to the house. We're still settling the logistics after a last-minute change, but you're welcome to tour the rest of my home."

Mal looked down the lane as Kaylee flushed with some embarassment, which was mirrored by Simon. Oddly enough, both were standing apart from each other, and Mal had a notion that whatever had gone on in the morning hadn't been settled. Both looked eager to speak up, but Mal interrupted them quickly.

"Fine offer, ma'am," smiled Mal apologetically, "but we wouldn't wanna impose anymore than we have; you already bein' so kind as to put us up without payment or question. If you ain't done, we won't rush you. This here's a vacation, and there's a lot of Ambrosia for us to experience."

"That's right," spoke up Kyo to Mal's surprise; Kyo really didn't seem to be looking towards their vacation during the trip. "Simon, I believe we've got a previous engagement."

"Oh, hey, that's right," grinned Jayne maliciously, and Mal watched as the young doctor paled. He looked desperately like a man trapped and wanting out, and for the life of himself, Mal couldn't figure out what his pilot and merc had been plotting. "C'mon, Doc. Let's see them skills of yours."

"Miss--"

"Just Cassandra, please," said Cassandra to Kyo.

"Cassandra," acquiesced Kyo with a bow. "Just point us in the direction of the nearest gun shop."

Gun shop? Now Mal was very interested as Simon paled further.

"Why the Promenade has a vast selections of stores, including firearms and dresses," Cassandra informed them, gesturing towards a lane that bisected the path they currently stood on. It led past an open, gazebolike bar and right down under a tented area filled with trees and shops. Even at this distance, Mal could see it had an excellent view of a nearby bay and slope of an emerald mountain.

"Dresses," said Mal with the same amusement he had when he said "pirate." He gave Zoe a sly look while he rocked back on his heels. "Did you hear that, Zoe? Dresses."

"I heard, sir," said Zoe, shooting him a look that would freeze an overheating engine.

"I promised I'd take the girls shopping," Inara explained to Cassandra, who immediately brightened at the suggestion.

"Wonderful!" beamed the other Companion. "I'll join you through the Promenade! You two, take their things back to the house and get their rooms set up."

"Don't think I'll be joinin' you," said Mal. "Think I might wanna check out the bar there. Have myself a drink."

"Think I'll join you, sir," said Zoe quickly.

"No," said Mal teasingly, knowing he would die for this later. "No, no. Shopping. Dresses. Fun. Wouldn't wanna distract you from all that, would I? I mean, what sorta friend would that make me?"

"Terrible one," Kyo piped in, grinning just as madly inspite of the murderous glare from the Amazon standing before them.

Cassandra walked by them with Inara on her arm. "The bar is excellent, Captain Reynolds. I find myself down there at least once a week, and I know my girls love to flirt with old Jonah. You go on and enjoy yourself. As you say, it's your vacation."

"Much obliged, ma'am," said Mal, miming a tip of his hat.

*****

The Promenade was buzz of activity in the mid-morning. Tourists of all shapes and dress ambled down the lane pleasantly, taking in the sweeping vistas between the shops, or the colorful displays of the shops themselves. To Kyo's amazement, none of the shops seemed unassuming or obtrusive in the natural paradise environment. He assumed that much of it had to do with the tent, or the faux greenery that adorned each white structure.

Kyo felt he was fortunate that the gun shop was rather close to the entrance. Jayne was surprised to see a gun shop dressed up so prettily, but guns were guns and neither of them were in a position to argue. The big merc steered Simon forcefully in the shop, despite his meager attempts at staying rooted. Kyo had to notice that Simon didn't seem eager to run off to Kaylee for help, but after their arguement he couldn't blame him.

Before passing through the double doors and into air condition, Kyo paused to turn back. The girls were standing on the opposite side of the street, examining a side vendor full of trinkets. She was dressed in her simple, flowy red dress and tight, latex shorts, but still ambled around barefoot. Knowing his eyes were on her, River turned to level a look right back. It was a calculating look with a slight curve of a smirk.

The damn girl had been grinding on his nerves for the past two days, ever since their discussion on the flight deck. She'd been avoiding him, just as he'd practically ordered. She hadn't prodded or probed his locked memories, nor had she snuck into his room in the dead of night. In fact, she hadn't even so much as looked at him those last few days. That didn't alleviate his worries none, mostly because he knew River to be a smart girl and stubborn girl. She hadn't given up; she'd simply retreated to plan out a new strategy--a better strategy. That just worried him more.

Oh yeah, he could definetely do with some shooting.

"Take a look at this here," Jayne called out to him the moment he stepped inside. The doctor was standing in the middle of the cramped front, lined wall to wall with firearms from a variety of ages. From the way he was framed between two, towering racks, Simon looked like a lost little boy. Kyo slipped around three racks until he found Jayne staring at a wall rack full of automatic rifles.

"What am I takin' a look at?" asked Kyo, folding his arms across his chest.

"This!" said Jayne, looking over his shoulder at Kyo while gesturing emphatically with his hands. Seeing that Kyo still didn't know which rifle Jayne was drooling over, the big merc simply picked out the middle one. "An A.C.R. Scorpion! The Mark VII series with the single-load grenade launcher."

Kyo was worried at the look of bliss on Jayne's face, along with the way his hands caressed the black molding of the body. "Jayne, it's just a gun."

"Just a gun?" hissed Jayne softly as he cradled the rifle to his chest. Kyo got the distinct impression that Jayne was trying to stop the gun from hearing the conversation.

"All right," conceded Kyo with his hands raised apologetically. "It's just an expensive gun."

Kyo walked away to let Jayne admire the large caliber rifles that could probably cut a man in half with just one shot. He found Simon frowning at an array of accessories ranging from scopes to silencers and customized magazines. He had one arm wrapped tightly around his body while he chewed nervously on a finger of his other hand. From the cautious way he peered over the glass counter, it appeared that Simon was afraid just the accessories might attack him.

"You oughta learn how to relax some, Doc," Kyo told him as he browsed the pistol rack.

"It's not easy," said Simon tersely. "My whole life is dedicated to preventing, what these...things are made to do."

"Protecting?" smirked Kyo as he picked out the pistol he wanted.

"Killing," said Simon flatly.

"Semantics," retorted Kyo. "I'm not here to teach you to kill, Doc. Here to teach you how to protect you and yours. Take this."

Simon's frown deepened as he hefted the empty pistol in his hand. He picked it up with his thumb and middle finger like it was a germ infested piece of biohazard to be dumped.

"It's a good pistol for you," Kyo said while he pulled out a handful of platnium to pay the man behind the counter for some range time. "Got a lotta power and a lotta ammo, and the grip's energy-absoarbin' to eat up some of the recoil. Just take a steady aim, and you'll make your point real clear the next time someone thinks 'bout hurtin' you, Kaylee, or River."

"I don't--"

"C'mon," he cut off the Doc, gesturing to the door the cashier had opened with a hidden switch. "Let's get some practice in."

The range was as empty as the store, but just as nice. Obviously no one had a lot of need for firearms on a pleasure planet, but then that didn't explain what the joint was doing with a state-of-the-art shooting range. A chute popped open next to Kyo the moment he cleared the last step of the very sterile and quiet shooting range. Three magazines, which he removed and passed over to Simon.

"I assume you know how to load at least," remarked Kyo, giving Simon an appraising look. Simon rolled his eyes as he slipped the magazine into the grip and primed the chamber with a bullet.

"Yes, I know that much," Simon told him balefully.

"Now, now, just 'cause you've got intimacy issues don't mean you gotta take it out on me," teased Kyo as he stepped up towards a booth.

"Intimacy issues?" declared Simon, and Kyo could practically imagine his slack-jawed, indignant face. "I do not have intimacy issues! Kaylee and I...well, that's just none of your concern!"

"Mmhmm," said Kyo, hiding a smirk. His hands danced over the touch screen as he cycled through options. "This here's the most advanced shootin' range in all the 'verse. Targets are lifesized and made out of a special gel that absoarbs bullets. But, there's more to the gel than that."

"Pressure sensitive," said Simon. He'd stepped up next to Kyo to lay the magazines on the counter as the blue gel was pumped into the mold of a human body at the far end. "I've seen scanners like them before. Used them, actually, in the medacad."

"Right," nodded Kyo as he finished up. "They'll tell you everythin' there is to tell 'bout where you shot a man. Here." Kyo took the pistol from Simon's limp grip, took a quick aim, and pulled the trigger all in a second. The dummy's head snapped back as the bullet impacted the gelatin, and the screen blared out a minor alarm.

"Headshot," said Kyo, gesturing to the monitor, which listed odds of death or paralysis; depth of bullet penetration; pain indicator; among other technical things. "You wanna clear your progress, just press reset. Injuries are cumulative on these things." Kyo pressed the block button on the lower right corner of the screen and the bullet ejected from the gel dummy as the readout returned to normal.

"Unless Gel-Man, here, is going to charge me like a Reaver, I don't see how this'll help me," said Simon hesitantly as he took the pistol back from Kyo. Point in fact, Reavers were the only things that Simon had killed; but they weren't people--not anymore. They weren't the same as gunning down a live human and watching the life fade from their eyes.

"You're a surgeon, right?" asked Kyo while removing the orange sound dampeners from the wall of the booth. Simon nodded. "Bet you had to practice all sorts of dissections and things before they let you perform your first real surgery, right?"

"There were animals," said Simon, placing the dampeners around his neck. "And corpses donated from the cornoer, or from people who willed themselves to the dedication of science. A few assisted surgeries as a resident. Why?"

"Practice," smirked Kyo. "You need to train the body; teach it what to do. Hell, I bet with all the surgeries you've done, you could do most routine procedures in your sleep, right? Same principle here. If a Reaver does come at you, run. If it's a bandit, pirate, or other big bad? You let that gun do the talkin'. Like I said, you should know your human anatomy enough to know where to hit without killin' a man. If not, the computer'll help you. Three magazines is all I paid for, so get crackin'."

With that, Kyo left the booth and entered the one to the left. He called up a dummy of his own, but calibrated it for a further distance. He paused before placing the mufflers over his ears, and smiled as a gunshot rang out from Simon's booth. He didn't even have to see Simon's screen to know where the bullet had struck. Kyo could see it plainly from the way the dummy's left arm had snapped; a clear shot straight through the elbow. The boy had all the makings of a good sniper, if he applied himself.

"Docs make wicked shots," he muttered to himself before sighting his own dummy with his Peacemaker. "Ho-ah!"

*****

The bar was open all around, meant mostly for folks who wanted to take a break from the nearby beach. Despite the white ceiling and tiled floor, all the furniture looked to be made of faux bamboo, and the underside of the roof looked like it'd been thatched. Pleasure planets and their artificiality were beyond his scope of mind. In his opinion, it would've just been easier to build the hut they'd obviously wanted in the first place; might've looked a mite better as well.

Mal looked out of place in his combat boots, slacks, suspenders, collared shirt and brown duster. He didn't think he'd ever stood out more than he did surrounded by folk in much more leisurely attire. The bright sunlight reflected off the white sands and illuminated everything harshly, which got him thinking that he was in the right place and it was the bar that was the aberration. After all, what self-respecting bar put itself out in the open with nothing to hide? Where was the grime? The dark corners? Where was the personality on the furniture?

Giving himself up to the fact that this would probably be the staple of bars on the planet, Mal strode up to the bar and sat down on a rattan stool. He gave it a wary little twist with his waist as he heard the fibers creak and groan under his weight.

The gorram thing's no more stable than a toothpick, he thought. I'd love to see Jayne give 'em a go, though.

"Howdy stranger," said a voice infront of him. Mal looked up from his beige stool and had to do a quick look around. The voice had sounded light, like a man his age, but all he saw was an old man standing before him. The man grinned and commented on Mal's confusion, "Yeah, it was me. I get that a lot. It's the hair." He added that last bit as a conspiratory whisper.

Mal leaned back from the bar and gave the bartender a closer scrutiny. The bartender had shoulder-length, snow-white hair, which had been the main reason Mal had mistaken him for an old man. A jagged scar that cut across the bartender's left side of his face, stretching from his hairline to his upperlip helped with the masquerade. It cut right through his left eye, and the simple black eye patch he wore didn't do much to disguise that fact. Despite those characteristics, the man looked only slightly older than Mal with a bit of crow's feet and worry lines.

"So, son, what'll you have?" the bartender asked. Mal searched for a name tag, but found none on his clean white shirt and apron.

"'Son?'" repeated Mal incredulously at the sly grin of the bartender, which did nothing to help the scary factor of the scar.

"I look the part of an old man--and God-willing will be one--so might as well live the part," shrugged the bartender, his voice taking on a harder, more gravelly tone. "Why don't you try the house whiskey? Not a lot of folk drink it, but then again not a lot of folk come here to drink."

"Yeah," nodded Mal, looking over his shoulder at parents taking a rest from their demanding children, or bachelors out on the prowl for fresh meat to swing their way. Most of them just wanted a place to sit down and loiter, but then again it was early in the day. "What's the night life here Mr...?"

"Hex. Jonah Hex," said the man as he poured a shot glass and left the bottle. "Things get a little more exciting at night, but not by much. This here's a pleasure world, Captain..."

"Reynolds. Malcolm Reynolds. And how d'you know I'm a captain?"

"This here's a pleasure world, Captain Reynolds, and people come here for...pleasure," said Hex, ignoring Mal's question for the time being. "There's not a lot of people looking to find that pleasure at a bottom of a bottle; not a whole lot of single folk either. Nope, mostly what I get are the folk who work here and are looking for a little relaxation before turning in. Miss Marron stops by some nights to have a little chat."

Mal didn't bother asking who Miss Marron happened to be until Hex answered his first question. Instead he slipped the murky, burning liquid straight down his throat in one go, and exhaled a breath so hot he thought he might catch the bar on fire. "Might wanna take it a little easy on that there drink, Hex."

"Yup, she is a strong one," chuckled Hex as he poured one last shot before hiding the bottle. "And I'm a bartender, Captain Reynolds, I know a captain when I see one. Sure seen a lot of them in my life; good and bad. That and I saw your ship land."

Hex smirked and nodded his head back in the direction from where Mal came from. Sure enough, when Mal turned his head, he spotted the "head" of Serenity peeking over a green slope and just under the awning of the bar. He couldn't help the slow smile that slid over his face as he saw her glimmer in the sunlight. She was beautiful.

"Didn't think anyone still used them old Fireflies," said Hex wistfully.

"Been on one yourself, old man?" quipped Mal, much to Hex's amusement.

"First boat I ever served on was a Firefly," Hex told Mal proudly while he busied himself with dirty mugs. "That was back during the war, and it was a first series Firefly. The compressors and stabilizers on them things... Entries into atmo were skittish, let me tell you, Captain. Very skittish."

"Served durin' the war, huh? Browncoat or purple-belly?" Mal asked with sharp eyes. Hex's pale red eye took in Mal's look, and then the worn brown duster around his shoulders, before giving a slight smile.

"Neither," was Hex's answer. He slapped a dishrag over his shoulder and leaned forward onto the bar. "We were a transport ship. Did courier work on both sides. Wasn't always easy, but it was honest. Saw some things that didn't sit right with me from both sides, and I bet you have to."

"Folk are folk," nodded Mal in agreement, his hand hovering over his drink.

"That they are, son. Hear them ought-three models have some good hidey-holes for folk to crawl into. Must help someone, such as yourself, maximize the amount of goods you can carry."

"I'm just a shipper like you used to be, old man," smirked Mal around his drink. "Honest work's just somethin' that's a little hard to define these days."

Hex looked like he was about to answer when a commotion from Mal's left drew his attention. Both of them looked to see a posse of men stride into the bar like they owned the place. Not unlike Mal, neither of them looked like they belonged on the serene beaches of Ambrosia. The leader wore a black duster and a dirtied set of coveralls dusted in ash. A red scarf was wrapped loosely around his neck and a well-worn, wide-brimmed hat sat upon his dark curls. The five behind him were dressed similiar in dust if not clothes, but were taller and thicker--more like Jayne--while the leader was long and lanky.

They had the dangerous sort of swaggar that said "I'm the king of all of you," and it put Mal immediately on edge. One of the grunts pointed a meaty finger at a girl two seats from Mal. From her fancy, silky dress, he'd have guessed that she worked in Cassandra's home. Girl certainly had too straight a posture even in the mercilessly uncomfortable chair to be a regular whore.

Mr. Leader leered at the girl, who'd turned at the smell of vomit and sulfur; his stubbled, ash covered face split into a smile that put Hex's to shame as he approached her. The girl had smarts enough to try and get out quickly, but Mr. Leader's reflexes were much too quick for herself. He latched onto her bronze wrist with a grimy claw and propped up a boot on the footrest of her stool.

"Aw, where ya headed ya purdy thing?" he drawled with a wheezy cackle. His sharp nose was so close to her chin that Mal thought it could draw blood. Mal's right hand slipped off of the bar and onto his lap as quietly as possible. Keeping a good view of them in the periphery, he continued to move his hand until his fingers brushed steel.

"Prob'ly yer bed, Toombs!" tittered the saw-toothed oaf hovering over Toombs's shoulder.

"An' tha's right where she should be. Ain't that right, purdy-birdy?" smirked Toombs, brushing back his own duster to reveal a handgun holster at his hip with a pearl grip. The girl's arm was trembling in Toombs's iron-clad grasp and Mal knew she'd be walking away with bruises, but he was determined that she wasn't going to walk away with anything else.

To his astonishment, however, it was Hex that beat Mal to the punch.

"What've I told you about dusting your filth over my counter, Toombs?" Hex demanded icily with a sawn-off shotgun all primed and aimed straight at Toombs's face. Mal assumed Hex kept it latched under the bars in the event of an emergency, but the scoring and pits along its casing gave its age, and the ease with which Hex had drawn and aimed spoke volumes of the man's familiarity with it.

"Cao! Ni chou-e yi jing guai-wu!" cursed Toombs vehemently, but refused to let go of the girl's wrist. Mal saw Toombs's finger twitch involuntarily against the pearl grip of his pistol as his coal black eyes stared down the barrel of a shotgun. "Hex, ya better get that ruttin' shotgun out o' my face 'fore I--"

"Get it blown off?" finished Hex shortly.

"This here ain't yer bar, Hex," hissed Toombs. The girl let out a whimper and Mal got the notion that Toombs was squeezing extra hard out of anger. "Ya can't tell me what t'do!"

"While I'm behind the bar, Toombs, it's my bar and my rules! So you go on and let that girl go, lest you want Miss Marron to bring a whole lot of hurting down on your shoulders. That's if you've still got them after I squeeze this trigger, bub."

Toombs's lip quirked as he looked down at his hand wrapped around the girl's. Mal could see the calculations working behind the black eyes of Toombs. The four other muscle behind him seemed to be itching to grab at their own weapons, so Mal cautiously wrapped his fingers around his. Toombs let go of the girl's wrist, which already showed signs of bruising, but before she could scramble away one of the goons cocked a pistol at the small of her back.

Hex swiftly swung his shotgun around to the thug. Toombs reached down for his pistol, presumably to take aim at Hex, but Mal was faster on the quick draw. Because no one expected his intervention, he managed to pull the girl behind himself while he took aim at Toombs's second head--below the belt.

"Now, friend, iff'n you ever want to partake in carnal pleasures again, I suggest you and yours back on out of this here bar," said Mal with a deadly charming grin. Toombs's face screwed up into one of utmost hatred as he did as Mal ordered.

"I ain't about ta forget this, boy, so you'd best make yer peace with God 'fore you leave this world," hissed Toombs before sliding a wink at the frightened girl. "Hex. Be seein' ya."

Mal and Hex kept their guns trained on the posse until they disappeared into the wavy mirage of the sun-heated ground. Once they were satisfactoraly out of eyesight, Mal uncocked his pistol and holstered it.

"Well, now, you've got some stones, son," commented Hex approvingly, his shotgun resting on his shoulder where the dirtied dish rag was. Mal noticed there was a different look in the man's red eye; much more open and accepting of Mal than it had been. "Make no mistake; Toombs may be a son of a bitch, but he's a son of a bitch who carries through on his threats."

"I've handled worse," Mal shrugged before turning to the girl who was shaking like a leaf against his back. "You all right, darlin'? You're one of Cassandra's girls, ain't'cha? Best run on home before anythin' worse happens."

"T-t-thank y-you," stammered the girl, looking up at Mal with big blue eyes. Mal gave a heavy sigh as he watched her run off. That cold, creeping feeling in his gut that told him bad things would happen oozed the mirth right out of his body. Why couldn't things just go perfectly for once?

*****

Simon had little time to take in the furnishings of Cassandra Marron's mansion. The fight with Kaylee had left him drained mentally, while the exercise of firing a weapon had left him drained physically. His knees wobbled and his right hand trembled in a way that it never had before. The pistol Kyo had bought for him burned a hole against his very heart. The weight felt twice as much as his body, and he hated the need to carry it.

"Had fun?" said Kaylee the moment he walked into the room. Simon paused in his tracks, halfway in the process of removing his jacket. That was the first time he had the opportunity to take in their surroundings. The room was high-ceilinged with a floating chandelier directly above the center. Lines of wooden paneling adorned the walls, giving the room a rich, warm quality to it. Fancy curtains on tall, narrow windows along with hand-woven rugs reminded Simon greatly of Inara's shuttle.

"Not--ah--particularly, no," admitted Simon truthfully. He finished removing his jacket and let Kaylee see the pistol strapped under his left arm. Her eyes focused on it, just like he knew it would. It was a pain to shrug off, and he thought Jayne might've strapped it on too tightly for a joke. "How was, you know--did you--ah..."

"We had a good time, Simon," Kaylee told him with a sort of pitying smile. "We all bought fancy new dresses and had a shiny time with Cassandra."

"That's good," frowned Simon, still unsure if Kaylee was still mad at him or not. That fear prevented him from inching anywhere closer to her, or, in fact, moving at all from his position next to the door. Kaylee nodded at him and smiled but didn't say anything else. She merely sat on the edge of the bed, watching him, with her legs swinging back and forth. "Are you still mad at me?"

Kaylee took a deep breath to calm herself before answering the question. "I was, 'til 'Nara talked me out of it. Seein' as how she's got experience with fancy folk like yourself, I decided to listen to her. Plus, River was kinda insistant that you had an explaination."

Simon gave an honest smile and finally felt welcomed within his new room. Not for the first time, he truly felt thankful for River's Reading abilities, and then felt a bitter pang of regret at that horrible thought. He pushed that out of his mind for the moment so that he could focus on Kaylee.

"I do have an explaination, bao-bei," said Simon as he knelt before Kaylee and grabbed her hands in his own; his jacket and holster left on the floor where he'd dropped them.

"I mean things were goin' so well," pouted Kaylee, not quite able to meet Simon's gaze.

"They are," insisted Simon. "You just--surprised me." At Kaylee's frown, Simon adjusted his position on his feet so that he was more comfortable. "I guess I got kind of used to it just being me and you on Serenity. I had my room and my infirmary, and you have your room and the engine room. The idea of us, you know, sharing one room was a little...shocking to me. It was kind of like...moving in together, and I'd never moved in with a girlfriend before."

"Oh, honey," sighed Kaylee as she extracted her hands from his to cup his face. "You're bein' really silly 'bout this whole thing, aren't you? We already live together on Serenity, and we see each other every day. It's no different from what Wash and Zoe had."

"It is!" said Simon, shooting up from his crouched position to move back away from her. "Wash and Zoe were married, Kaylee! Of course they'd share the same room!" He ran his hands furiously through his once tidy hair, willing her to understand like River would.

"This has to do with you bein' proper 'n' all, don't it?" Kaylee asked him with a skeptical look. "Simon, it don't matter out here in the black."

"But it does to me! You know that! It's just...who I am," sighed Simon, his shoulders sagging in frustration. He had no way to express into words the strange little morality at work within his mind. It wasn't that he didn't love Kaylee; he told her so nearly everyday. It wasn't that he really was a prude with things like sex, just more restrained than Jayne or Kaylee or Inara. But moving in together--taking a vacation together--that was just...a really big step in a relationship.

"I love you," he told her, standing so utterly alone and with such a forlorn expression on his face that Kaylee wanted to just scoop him up and cuddle him to death like a sad puppy. "But this"--he gestured at the room around them--"is just a big step for me, and I would've appreciated it if we talked about it before you just assumed."

From the way her eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened in suppressed mirth, Simon definetely knew this was one of those "proper things" that just didn't matter to Kaylee. He had an inkling that it was on the tip of her tongue to say "Is that all?" and he was gracious that she didn't. That would've been an unnecessary blow to his ego that might not've survived in this state.

"Well," she said cheerfully, but with a coy look he'd come to treat with suspicion, "I'd say it's time you made an honest woman outta me, don't'cha think?"

"I--wha--?"

*****

Kyo yanked off his duster and tossed it onto the edge of his bed. This wasn't his first trip into a Companion's house, but he tried not to think about the last time--nor the person he'd came to visit. On the satiny bed spread before him were brochures he'd picked out on his way to the room. So far, Ambrosia didn't seem like it offered much to make him relaxed. In his mind, this was a vacation for the girls, not the guys. It seemed like he'd spend some time down at the bar with Mal--and possibly Zoe.

"We're going out for dinner," came a voice to his left. His body reacted on instinct alone as he drew his Peacemaker with alarming speed despite its heft and odd angle. He knew the voice and that fact kept his thudding heart from overwhelming his thoughts. When his eyes focused on the intruder, he became gradually aware of his jaw slacking and his eyes popping.

"Gorramit, girl! What the hell're you playin' at?" snapped Kyo angrily, dropping his arm down so that his gun smacked against his thigh. Kyo tried to think that his parched mouth was a result of his near heart attack and not the fact that River was standing in the bathroom in nothing but a towel.

"Getting dressed," she told him blithely, arching her head over her shoulder in a way that sucked the breath out of his lungs.

"I meant," Kyo coughed, trying desperately to reclaim his thoughts from the spill they made on the floor, "what are you doing in my... Oh no... No... You didn't..."

River merely arched an eyebrow as an answer. Her calculating look from early in the day flashed before his mind, coupled with the avoidance of the last few days.

"You planned this!" he accused through gritted teeth. He stomped towards her while using his gun as a proxy for his index finger.

"No guns," she told him calmly. Keeping her eyes locked with his, she gently plucked the Peacemaker out of his hand like an apple off a tree and tucked it back into the holster. It was a very strange experience to have River's hand resting on his gun while she remained dressed only in a towel. He needed to get out--and fast.

"I laid out the suit I bought for you outside the dresser."

"Bou--bought? Wha--?" stuttered Kyo while he twisted his body around to look at the tall dresser. A brand new, navy blue suit hung from the top of the dresser. It was the sort of cut he liked, and knowing River he was quite sure that it'd fit just right. All of this, however, was too much information for his brain to process at the moment. The sharp, stabbing pain at the base of his neck that radiated to his eyes attested to that. "River, we have to--WHOA!"

Kyo made a hasty retreat from the bathroom after turning to find that River had dropped her towel. He desperately tried to banish those images from his mind by beating his forehead against the bedpost.

"You--you--" Kyo sputtered, still not able to catch his breath--or even collect his thoughts--after the surprise of a lifetime. "River, we can't do this. It's not right. I'm not right for you."

"I'm a genius, you think so yourself," River rebutted from the bathroom. "You should trust my judgement."

Kyo frowned and tilted his head towards the bathroom slightly. "You're awfully lucid today."

"It takes concentration to peer through the clouds, and my eyes aren't used to the sun," admitted River hesitantly. Kyo turned to see her standing in a lovely--not slinky--powder blue gown that seemed to sparkle with starlight. Her hair was straightened and shimmered under the bathroom lights like the glint of a sword. She looked like a different person; like the girl she should've been. Her face, however, was pure River complete with the perturbed expression of one carrying far too much knowledge and knowing only the edges. "The grass is soft and warm beneath my toes, though, and I feel like dancing. All I'm missing is my tree."

"River," groaned Kyo, twisting around so that his back was propped up by the bedpost. "You're--look, you may be a genius but there's a whole lot that you don't know; like love, for instance."

"Many hearts," she told him, sliding gracefully along the room until she was standing right infront of him. "Open ears and open eyes to them all. I know what they know. Hearts carved in trees." She traced her finger along his chest, slowly drawing a heart. "You're afraid."

"Well who wouldn't be when they find they've got some psycho stalker?" snapped Kyo as he grasped her hand in his.

"Jayne," said River, not the least bit perturbed by his nervous posturings.

"Then go bed him!"

"Jayne's afraid of me," River giggled in a way that absolutely sent chills down his spine.

"But you just--"

"Jayne's afraid of me, but you're only afraid of yourself," River told him, slipping into a grave face.

"You should be afraid of me," he said softly.

"You should be afraid of me," she repeated, tucking her head into his chest. She fit perfectly under his chin and her body molded perfectly against his own. Yes, he was afraid of a great many things. He knew she'd pick up that thought, but it was something he needed to admit to himself. He could explore that thread of thought further, but not without her experiencing more of his past. And he was afraid of her--of her finding out; hating him; afraid of her taking away his fear, but then leaving him all alone again.

"Get dressed," she ordered him quietly, and he knew there was no arguing. She wouldn't give up until this thing had run its course.

"All right," he sighed.

*****

"I must thank you, Captain Reynolds," said Cassandra over dinner. Mal was surprised at how many of his crew seemed to already have distracted themselves on Ambrosia. Only four sat around the table that could seat a maximum of fifteen; Cassandra, Inara, Mal and Zoe. Both he and Zoe were dressed in their regular liveries, but Inara and Cassandra looked resplendent in their glistening gowns. "I'd hate to imagine what Toombs might've done to Lira if he'd managed to take her."

"Just doin' what seemed decent," said Mal simply. "But this Toombs fella don't seem like the kinda folk you'd tolerate to be livin' on a fine world like Ambrosia."

"We don't," said Cassandra tightly. "He's from Tarterra, one of the two other worlds we share orbit with. The Toombs family is the most prominent on Tarterra. They're savages, really."

"Do you have problems with them often?" Inara asked in concern.

"Enough," admitted Cassandra wearily, setting down her chopsticks gracefully. "Tarterra ended up being a volcanic world after terraforming. It's dangerously unstable, and there are only a few colonies on its surface. Despite that, it's a very important world because of mag-mines."

"Mag-mines?" frowned Inara.

"Magma mines," Zoe informed the Companion with a curious expression on her face. "Magma's harvested from active shafts and used in manufacturing plants."

"Exactly," said Cassandra. "Ambrosia relies heavily on Tarterra for mechanical parts and assistance."

"Which is why you have to suffer this Toombs fella," concluded Mal.

Cassandra nodded towards Mal in conceit of his point, though it looked like it pained her to do so. "Savages, the lot of them. They think that only men can survive Tarterra's harsh environments. That leaves 'us women folk' to be slaves in their homes. No rights, no protection, no education. I make it a point not to have any of my girls service people from Tarterra, but that doesn't stop them from trying again and again."

"Have you gone to the Guild?" inquired Inara seriously, laying a hand on Cassandra's trembling own.

"I've no proof to go to the Guild with," sighed Cassandra. "Toombs is many things, but he does know when to keep a low profile...or at least he did. The fact that he'd go after one of my girls so openly makes me wary of things."

A silence spread over the table, which Cassandra became acutely aware of. Mal cast a glance over to Zoe, who had a tight expression drawn across her face as she returned his silent inquiry. Volumes passed between them, ending in the conclusion that it wasn't their problem for the moment. A line was drawn, and if that line were crossed they'd jump into action. Until then, this was still a vacation.

"My apologies," laughed Cassandra, and Mal watched as the Companion drew herself up to mask any irritation and pain behind a facade of beauty. "There's no need to bring such serious matters to the dinner table. Tell me, Captain, will you be staying for the race?"

"Race?"

"There's an annual race we have between Ambrosia, Tarterra, and Atalanta. Prize money is sixty-thousand platnium for finishing first. Interplanetary ships only. Racing shuttles don't have the fuel capacity to encircle three planets in a race like this, which is why it doesn't garner the attention of the Alliance."

"'Course not, Core folk prefer their racin' on planetary tracks in simple ovals," grinned Mal. "When's this race of yours?"

"Few weeks time," smiled Cassandra genially. "It's a marvelous festival, and I'll be glad when we won't have Toombs and his kind lingering around more than usual."

"Take it they might be likin' that prize money?" suggest Mal, an idea forming in his mind before he even knew of its existence.

"They'd need a lot more than sixty-thousand platnium to run me out of Ambrosia," said Cassandra, reading Mal's thoughts perfectly. "More than they could even conceive of."

*****

Adrian Toombs was a man to be respected on Tarterra. The Toombs family were damn near the kings of Tarterra, with most manufacturing going through their plants. Even the Alliance, if they found themselves in danger out near Ambrosia, needed to pull into Tarterra for repairs and the like. Cassandra--a whore--had no business running things the way she did. But his father would fix her; her and all the other whores who didn't know their place in the 'verse.

Until then, seeing as how his own fun had been robbed by that freak Hex and some nancy-boy tourist, Adrian decided to take his fun somewhere else.

The girls of the Sandy House were his, just as the structure itself belonged to him. It was his secret from Cassandra, financed from his Pa's own pockets. One of the many plans they'd set in motion to get that bitch on her knees where she belonged, licking at his ash coated boots. Oh the things he'd dreamed of doing to Cassandra... And the many girls he'd used by proxy...

"Yer comin' with me, whore," Adrian snarled, snatching up the newest addition from the lap of some ape man. He never broke stride, or even bothered to look back. In Sandy House, he was every bit the king that he was back home.

"Hey, fella," growled the ape man he'd just robbed her from. Oddly enough, it came closer than he'd imagined it would. Adrian felt something like a heavy weight clasp onto his shoulder that halted him in his tracks. In a smooth motion, he found himself spun around and a large, meaty paw woven into the collar of his shirt. "Now I paid good money for lil' Violet there, so you'd best wait your turn."

Adrian stared down into the square jaw of a very solid man. Toombs knew hired goon when he saw one, and this mountain of muscle had it written all over his dumb, but angry, face. Still, the man was no bigger than any Toombs already owned and they were sneaking up on the drunk oaf.

"You might've paid good money fer Violet, but I own her. She's mine, y'hear? So iff'n I want a piece o' her tail, at any givin' partic'lar, that's my perrogative."

"Not when I paid for her it's not," the beast growled. Adrian saw the man's other paw curl up into a fist. Seeing the fruitlessness of conversations, he simply nodded towards his associates. Billy approached the man from the behind and jammed his own formidable fist in the man's spine. That was enough to free Adrian, and that was all he cared for. With nary a look back, Adrian stalked off to the back room with Violet in tow.

"Now, lil' Violet, time fer ya ta earn yer keep here," Adrian told her in a voice colder than the black. "Cassandra ain't better'n ya. She's just a whore like you are. Oh 'n' I'll put her in her place, but not 'til after I win that race. Won't have the coin 'til then"

"Just lemme go, please," Violet whimpered all doe-eyed like the day he stole her right out of her bed. "I just wanna go home."

"Ya are home, suga'," chuckled Adrian while he pulled free the Freedom Seven pistol he took from a Lawman during a run on Jian Ying. "Now do what a good girl's s'ppos'ta do, 'n' service yer king."

*****

"Jayne! What in the good gorram happened to you?" called out Mal the next day at noon. Kyo and Zoe looked up from their late breakfast at the Tiki Bar to examine the merc who'd stumbled through all bleeding and bruised.

"Looks like you're not the only ones who had a late night drinking," Hex commented as he put down a cup of coffee for Jayne and an extra chair.

"Weren't drinkin'...whoever you are," growled Jayne moments before his bulk crashed into the woven chair; the alarming creak that arose nearly made Mal jump back. Up close, Jayne looked even worse for wear, but the blood on his knuckles and the bruising around his face told Mal exactly what the man'd been through. "Down at Sandy's, I got me in a tussle over this girl. Ugly suckers, not lookers like myself. Where's the Doc, anyhow? Think I busted myself a coupla ribs."

"Doc's gone sightseein' with Kaylee," Mal informed him, grinning at Jayne's obvious discomfort.

"Aw hell, leave it to the Doc to patch things up with Kaylee when I need him to patch me up," coughed Jayne irritably. "I bet he planned this!"

"Jealous, Jayne?" snorted Zoe, while Kyo covered his face behind his napkin. Jayne gave an ugly sneer at Zoe before exhaling a painful breath.

Hex came back with a gray box that he placed on the table. He flicked the latches to reveal a very comprehensive medkit. "I'm not a doctor, but I got a fair bit of experience treating brawls. Toombs's men start enough of them as is."

"Toombs?" asked Jayne, hissing in pain as Hex rubbed disinfectant on the cut over Jayne's eye.

"Bad man," said Mal shortly. "Came passin' through here with five men as big as you."

"So that's who they were," Jayne grumbled, somewhat pleased to put a name to the face he'd undoubtably pummeled.

"You beat up Toombs?" asked Hex, pausing in his ministrations to examine the mercenary.

"Tall guy like a reed?" Hex nodded. "Nah. Took my girl'n done sicced his goons after me, cowardly hundan."

"Ah, yes, sounds like Toombs," sighed Hex.

"You ran into the elder, didn't you?" Mal asked Kyo. He remembered some garbled tale that Kyo had spun last night over drinks--about the date he had with River, and how they accidentally ran into Simon and Kaylee for a world of awkwardness. Kyo scratched the back of his head, gray eyes searching through an alcohol fogged memory.

"Short, fat guy with a snow-white beard?" said Kyo to Hex. "Got himself a host of sparklies on his fingers and third chin?"

Hex tried not to laugh outright at Kyo's description of the man. "That'd be Elder Toombs, all right. Fancies himself King of Tarterra, and he'd like to be king of Tarterra, Ambrosia and Atalanta. Man's got no sense for brains. There's no ruler here, save the Magistrate, and even he's impotent in the grand scheme. The three worlds rely on each other equally. Tarterra gives the technical help; Atalanta provides clean water for Tarterra; Ambrosia provides all other supplies."

"Take it that comes from Cassandra?" Zoe inquired.

"Her Guild connections do ensure a certain set of punctuality from the Alliance," nodded Hex before he frowned at Jayne's muttered complaints. "That there's Toombs's biggest mistake. Figures if he's got the money, he can bribe the Alliance to bring in the supplies as regularly as Cassandra gets them, thereby supplanting the need for her. Only money's a fickle thing, but the respect Cassandra brings isn't."

"That would be awful lot of money," commented Zoe, looking over the Mal who'd gone quiet. "I know Cassandra said sixty-thousand isn't enough, but it does seem like these Toombs fellows have themselves a plan, sir."

"Maybe," shrugged Mal, tapping the edge of his plate with a finger. "Maybe might just be a coincidence to boot. Don't know enough, Zoe."

"That's the problem," sighed Hex heavily, rubbing transparent bandages over Jayne's callused knuckles with an applicator. "We don't know enough about Toombs. Man's rich--rich enough to practically own Tarterra--but Tarterra itself isn't a lucrative world. Not for the money he spends."

"No," agreed Zoe quickly, making Mal and Kyo raise their brows in interest. "Mag-miners do well, but they don't ever strike rich; not out from the Core at least. Man's gotta have another way to be makin' his income."

"Ugh, when I was jawin' with that san-se-zi-luo-lan, he said somethin' 'bout ownin' Violet--the girl," recounted Jayne, favoring the right side of his body. "That's why he seemed to think it was all right for him to take her 'way from me."

"Own?" repeated Mal, sitting up sharply. He looked straight at Hex for answers from the man.

"I heard stories. Girls being snatched up in their beds by slavers, and being sold off world, but... Toombs? How would they transport them off world? Why set up shop in their own backyard?"

"Whoring's a lucrative business," Mal said tightly, swallowing down the bile that burned at the back of his throat. "Wouldn't have to worry 'bout bein' recognized, if they take 'em young and...keep 'em a spell. Let 'em mature a bit before they let 'em...work."

"Mag-mining colonies bring all sorts of traffic," Zoe added. "Anytime a ship stops by for repairs, they could slip a couple of slaves on board. If this Elder Toombs owns most of the world, then there'd be little trouble with detection."

"That'd certainly bring in enough coin--temporarily, at least," said Kyo darkly over his cup of coffee.

"'Course, the question then becomes just what in the hell're they waitin' for?" asked Mal.

"The race," hissed Hex as he slammed the box shut. "Adrian--that's Younger Toombs that you two are acquainted with--has been running the race for as long as he could fly. He's never lost. That's sixty-thousand credits a year, for going on nearly a decade."

"Cassandra said there's a festival 'round time for the race," Zoe reminded Mal pointedly. "Seems like a good time to abduct a Companion and her girls."

"That'd bring in more coin for supplies," sighed Kyo with a shake of his head.

"Toombs wouldn't sell Cassandra," Hex told them. "Adrian's been trying to get her for years; he'd keep her as his own."

A heavy silence fell over the five of them. None of them shared any love for slavers, and if Cassandra found herself removed that wouldn't be a pleasant stay for any of them. There was no profit in stopping something like this, and Mal knew it. He'd been dragged into a crusade on Miranda against his will, and that'd cost them dearly. War was long gone, as were charity cases. This wasn't a job and they didn't have to take it. Didn't have to, but...

"C'mon, Jayne. Let's get you back over to the house," said Mal, rising from the table. "Maybe the nurses can patch up your ribs." Kyo threw Jayne's arm around his neck and helped the big man to his feet; all curses from the both of them.

"Yeah, nothin' gets them girls like the injured act, huh?" leered Jayne before wincing in pain.

"We could leave, sir," Zoe advised him quietly as Kyo and Jayne stumbled up the path. "Cut our vacation short. This needn't be our problem."

"Yup, we might just do that," agreed Mal, seeing a crease of concern building between her eyes that almost made him smile. "But then what sorta guests would we be to abandon our gracious hosts?"

*****

That evening, Mal called a meeting at the Tiki Bar to discuss the situation. Kaylee and Simon had definetely appeared to have settled whatever itch they'd had, but the good doctor still cast a wary eye on Kyo. Kyo didn't exhibit the same sort of closeness with River that Kaylee and Simon had, but there was an obvious connection there. It unnerved Mal, slightly. The two of them communicated volumes with just a glance, but unlike his connection with Zoe, there wasn't even the slightest of facial gestues. Zoe remained quiet and comtemplative, while Inara kept up her strong outward appearance, but behind the facade Mal could see open concern. Jayne was much subdued, thanks to the injures he received the previous night.

"So that's the situation people," Mal told them as he passed the datapad with the details of the race around the table. "This is still your vacation, so I won't be orderin' you to help. Way I see it, our best shot is to keep Toombs from winnin' the race. That'll buy time for Cassandra to call in her Alliance contacts and start up an investigation. Meanwhile, we'll be puttin' a safe distance between us and Ambrosia."

"Can't the Guild do somethin', 'Nara?" asked Kaylee.

"Not for slaving," said Inara apologetically, and with a bit of shame. "Not unless the slaves in question are a part of Cassandra's house, or unless Toombs slights Cassandra in some way, as Atherton did with me."

"I say we should just charge into Sandy's and teach 'em all a lesson," growled Jayne; not only nursing the injuries, apparently, but also a major grudge. "Guild should cover any Alliance trouble we might have, right?"

Mal, Kyo, Zoe and River all gave each other a look at that question. What if the wrong sort of Alliance trouble came knocking? Just like the ones that came to Wu Yo, looking for the Eden-Two representative, and bombed Prospector's Hill to rubble. Mal very much doubted Cassandra would let her or her own die for River.

"Can't risk it," said Mal shortly before Inara could give her reply. "We need to steer cleer of Alliance as much as possible."

"Cassandra was kind enough to take us in," said Kaylee. "We should help her." Simon nodded his consent moments after. River just stared off into the luminous, purple sky, so Mal assumed she'd go along with the plan.

"Got scores to settle myself," said Jayne with a snarl.

"So, Kyo, think you can do this?" Mal asked Kyo with a confident grin.

"No!" said Kyo emphatically after nearly choking on his drink and Mal nearly had to do a double-take. That most certainly wasn't the answer he expected. "Absolutely not! You're outta your ruttin' mind if you think I'm gonna do this!"

"But she needs our help," protested Kaylee from her spot next to Simon.

"It's not a matter of want, it's a matter of practicality!" Kyo countered, sliding a datapad over the table towards Mal. "See that ship, there? That's Toombs's."

Mal looked down at the image shown on the pad. It was a slick number with a five-point drive, a long nose and reverse-set wings. Lots of flash to be sure, but definetely not Mal's sort of boat.

"Excelsior-class," Kyo informed him. "They're new. I saw one in action the last time I was out in the Core. They're made for speed, Mal. If this Toombs has even half a brain, he'll fly circles 'round Serenity."

"Well consider yourself fortunate that Toombs only has a third of a brain," said Hex lightly, refilling drinks for everyone. Mal smiled in thanks, glad that the crew had taken a liking to Hex. The man had a sort of ease about him, but then again, the man was a bartender; it was his job to put people at ease while they spilled their stories. "I heard Toombs swapped two of the drives for rocket launchers. Installed two cannons up top as well."

"Huh," said Kyo thoughtfully, but in a good way that made Mal hopeful.

"Ain't that illegal or somethin'?" asked Jayne.

"Not in this race," replied Hex with a shake of his head. "Anything goes, short of sabotage or bringing in a fleet. Weapons, collisions, it's all fair game."

"Doesn't this sound like fun," sighed Simon as he gave Kaylee's shoulder a squeeze.

"Kyo," prompted Mal, ignoring the commentaries.

"Excelsior-class wasn't made to handle weapons," Kyo told him straight up. "They were also meant to run on a five-point drive. If Toombs switched out the engines for firepower, he's added bulk without having the engine strength to compensate--"

"That'll cut down speed if not structural integrity!" finished Kaylee, her eyes bright like stars as she worked her brain through double-time. "If we detach the shuttles, the Mule, and strip the interior of anythin' not bolted down... We might be light enough to make it a race."

"Kaylee. Kyo. Do your thing," said Mal with a smile.

"I'll help too," River chimed in and Mal watched as Simon's scowl deepend.

"River, I'm sure Kaylee and Kyo--"

"Three to a ship," said River, cutting Simon's protest.

"She's right," weighed in Hex with a slight smirk. "All registered ships for the race are required to have a crew of three; no more, no less."

"All right, then. Sounds good to me," smirked Mal while toasting to the race crew of Serenity. "Kyo'll be pilot, River can navigate, and Kaylee'll handle the engines."

"I'm sure Cassandra will loan us her garage for any modifications you might need to make," Inara added on with a hopeful smile.

"Hey," said Jayne quickly, catching everyone's attention. "They take bets on this race?"

*****

"Boy, you'll never guess what I just heard," said Elder Toombs the moment he burst through the largest suite in the Sandy House. Adrian paused in his flogging and let the tips of his cat-o-nine tails whip drop to the ground. For a long moment only the sound of sobbing women filled the dark, candle-lit room. Adrian's jaw clenched tightly as he struggled to steady his breathing.

"I don't very much care, Pa!" seethed Adrian. "I was just gettin' ta the good part!"

"Ya better care, boy. Them whores got themselves a boat in this here race!"

The anger melted under the gravity of his father's words.

"Ya don't they know, d'ya?" said Adrian worriedly.

"'Course not!" scoffed Elder Toombs. He walked up to bed and stared down at the three bound women, frozen in a position of prayer while muted sobs passed through their gagged mouths. Elder Toombs pulled a match from his vest pocket and struck it on the bare buttocks of the nearest whore before lighting up a cigarette. "Womenfolk don't think. Ain't nothin' they're worth, 'cept cookin', cleanin', 'n' breedin'. It's them guests o' hers that worries me some. Met two of 'em last light; real sharp fellas, with some comely lasses to their hips."

"Yeah, met two of 'em myself," growled Adrian at the memory. "No lasses to their hips, Pa. Just a damn quick gun on one, and a lotta muscle on the other."

"Dangerous folk, I reckon."

"Ain't gonna lose that race, Pa," Adrian promised his father while brandishing the leather thongs of the whip around. "I've been waitin' too long ta get me a piece o' Cassandra."

"Don't I know it, son, but it won't hurt none ta have ourselves a back-up plan, y'hear?" said Elder Toombs with a grin that had frozen the blood of many Alliance captains.

*****

The day of the race rolled around faster than Mal would've liked. There was a growing pile of his ship's bits in Cassandra's garage; most of which he'd been lead to believe by Kaylee at one point or another that they were valuable in keeping Serenity running. With the race merely hours away, it still didn't seem like Kyo, Kaylee or River had Serenity set up properly. Despite that, Cassandra had convinced him to go riding with her and Inara.

"I really don't have the words to convey my appreciation, Captain Reynolds," said Cassandra as they took another turn around the estate.

"Oh, I think words are enough, Cassandra," said Malcolm hurriedly, taking a glance out of the corner of his eye towards Inara. The Companion calm made it hard for him to read her reactions, but he was sure an eye-roll wasn't a good thing.

"I meant, Captain Reynolds, that I can adequately compensate you for your troubles financially," laughed Cassandra, not at all offended by Mal's assumption.

"Won't be necessary, Cassandra. Iff'n we win, the prize money'll be more than adequate," said Mal with an easy grin as he guided his stallion along with just his hips.

"And as long as we prevent Toombs from winning, we'll have paid you back for your hospitality, Cassie," said Inara genially.

Cassandra's bright eyes dulled at the mention of Toombs's name, and Mal saw Inara reach out instinctively to comfort her friend. "Slavers. I never thought... I should've with all my Companion training, and now I can't help but think of all those poor girls at the Sandy House."

"Wouldn't worry none, Cassandra," Mal tried to console her with a smile. "You'll put them Toombs boys away once this is all said and done. And I know you've got plenty of rooms to take them girls in 'til you can find their homes."

"It'd certainly be doing them a favor," agreed Cassandra, giving a very wan smile in return. "Maybe when this is all said and done, I'll set up a school on Tarterra."

"That'd be a very noble thing," Inara commented truthfully.

"I'd best head on to the dock," Mal told them, somewhat reluctantly. "Gotta see if my boat'll still fly with what them three've been doing."

"Please, Captain, I don't mean to keep you," said Cassandra, who was doing her best to wipe away her sadness. "I just needed to take a ride and get my bearings."

"I understand completely. Back home on... Well, I know what it's like to need a good hard ride to clear the mind. Not that--I mean, I didn't..." Mal's mouth continued to jaw like a fish in front of Cassandra's giggles and Inara's embarassed head shake. "I'll just be at the garage then."

"We'll meet you at the Tiki Bar to watch with Jonah," said Cassandra between giggles.

The Companions watched the Captain ride off, though unfortunately there was no sunset to complete the scene. Still, in spite of that omission, Inara couldn't help but find Mal completely heroic; a fact she wouldn't yet admit to him.

"He is incredible, isn't he?" Cassandra asked Inara knowingly.

"He's insufferable! Stubborn! A--a scoundrel!" retorted Inara with a hollow laugh.

"I think the scoundrel aspect adds a bit of...spice, don't you?" grinned Cassandra. Inara lowered her head slightly, hoping to hide any tells that might flash over her face; but that action, in and of itself, was a tell of its own. "You're not fooling anyone, Inara. Have you forgotten Minerva lessons? 'No matter how much one may master our ways, love still shines through.'"

"Love?" whispered Inara.

"Yes, Inara, love." Inara glared at Cassandra out of the corner of her eye, irked by the triumph that shone there. "You know, that emotion you used to say was beneath us? That you swore would never grab hold of you?" Cassandra's gaze softened and she added, "It's good for you. I've never seen you so truly happy. You were always so consumed with your duties and your lessons, I used to worry..."

"I know," admitted Inara softly. "I remember the 'intervention' all of you attempted for me to experience a little fun."

"Wasn't that a failure!" exclaimed Cassandra giddily. "Oh, the look you gave us! I thought you were going to kill us all if Nandi hadn't intervened."

"Yes... Nandi..." Inara swallowed hard against the influx of painful memories; the Heart of Gold; the smell of ozone and scorched flesh that had permeated the air; the look of crushing disappointment on Mal's face; Nandi's mothering advice and shoulder to cry on those exhausting nights at the House.

"I miss her," said Cassandra sadly. "Why'd she have to leave us?"

Inara's heart broke slightly, as Cassandra would never appreciate the gravity of those words. She opened her mouth to say something, but a tingle at the back of her neck stopped her. Traveling with Serenity had practically mandated the development of a sixth-sense directed towards trouble. Inara swung her head around, and that movement allowed something to whiz through empty air.

"Toombs's men!" hissed Cassandra in alarm. Seven hulking men had dashed through the forest, armed with glistening, narrow-barreled pistols. Inara wasted little time in spurring her horse on towards the direction of Mal and the bar.

"Don't bother aimin' fer her, ya idjits!" growled one of the men. "Bring down the horse!"

Inara never heard the shots, but she could hear the wild neigh of Cassandra's horse moments before she heard the thud of it hitting the ground. She turned around just in time to see another flash emit from the barrel of the thug's pistol. Something struck Cassandra as she struggled to extract herself from the horse, and Inara realized then that they were tranquilizers. With no weapon but a horse, there was nothing she could do. Hating herself for having to do it, she left Cassandra with the men and hoped she could reach Mal in time as more darts whizzed past her head.

*****

"Trouble," said River from the co-pilot's seat of Serenity.

"What trouble?" frowned Kyo, midway through the pre-flight check. Considering the work they put in the past few weeks to get her race worthy, not to mention the work they'd needed to put her back together, and the evil eyes the Doc had been shooting (plus the habit he'd taken to carrying his pistol at all times) trouble was a word Kyo did not want to hear at that particular moment.

"Trouble," emphasized River, looking squarely at Kyo.

Suddenly Mal's voice echoed through the intercom on the ship. "We got a situation, people. Seems that Toombs's has stepped up his plans and kidnapped Cassandra. All personnel down to the cargo bay."

"Oh, that trouble," sighed Kyo, sinking back into his chair with a sigh. He was about to unfasten himself from the chair when River's hand shot up to hit the intercom button.

"They won't harm her, not with sonny flying in the race," River informed the crew, giving herself a slight drawl. "It's him that wants her. She's safe until the end, whether or not they win. Race needs to be run."

Kyo reached up for the intercom above his own station. "Mal? She's right. We gotta race that needs us there. Take all the munitions you need, but get out quick." Kyo's finger lifted from the switch, but then pressed it again as a new thought struck. "Oh...and use the Mule, it's what I customized her for."

River shot him a smile as the heavy thud of Jayne's boots clanged on the hall. Kyo turned in his chair just in time to see the big man slip down his ladder. He heard some muffled curses and the squeaking of boots on smooth metal, and Kyo imagined Jayne have all sorts of difficulties choosing what weapon to bring.

"Vera would be nice," River called out into the hall. "And the Scorpion. You've been wanting to test that out."

"Gorram it, girl! Get outta my head!" shouted Jayne up chute.

"Don't forget grenades!" giggled River as she finished up the pre-flight check that Kyo had left incomplete.

Kyo watched at Jayne emerged with exactly the things that River had suggested, much to his amusement. He gave a sneer towards the back of River's head, arms laden with clips, guns and grenades, before he made a mad dash towards the stairs that led to the cargo bay. Kyo spun back around and powered up the engines once River completed the pre-flight check.

"All clear!" Kyo heard Mal say over the com, presumably the portable one. "Good luck!"

"You too," called out Kyo before he shut off the switch. "What d'you say, lai? Think we have a prayer?"

"No power in the 'verse can stop us," River told him confidently.

"Let's hope so," said Kyo as he engaged the V.T.O.L. capabilities of Firefly with the first throttle lever to bring them into the air. "Only one lap; we have to make it count."

*****

"Jayne, how drunk were you that night?" asked Mal seriously as he loaded his favorite pistol through the side slot.

"Not drunk enough to forget the layout, if that's what you're askin'," said the mercenary as he cocked Vera. "It's a dive on the inside. Two stories and about ten rooms. Lots of cover on the ground floor, but you're a sittin' duck up top."

"'Nara? Want you hangin' back at the house with the Doc," Mal ordered, looking up from his standard-issue Independent assault rifle salvaged from Kyo's Wolfhound. "I promise we'll bring Cassandra back."

Inara set her jaw firmly before giving a stiff nod. She didn't look pleased with the order, but Inara wasn't a soldier. Companions were trained in self-defense, not assassination.

"Mule's prepped," Zoe called out. Her sawn-off rifle was holstered and ready against her thigh while her pistol was strapped at her left hip. When she got close, Mal presented her with the other Independent rifle. She checked that and slipped two extra clips into a pouch on her belt before slipping it over her shoulder.

"I believe I can help," said Hex, approaching them with his shotgun slung on his shoulder.

"No offense, Hex, but--"

"That there's a Starlight hoverloader," said Hex, his right eye fixed on the bright, yellow Mule hovering idle on the lane. "I can drive them with my eye closed, and Miss Marron's a friend. You'll be needing to make a quick getaway, and I'll be there to make sure of it."

Mal looked over at Zoe, whose expression was completely closed off from him, and then at Jayne, who just shrugged in disinterest, before levelling Hex with an appraising eye. Mal made it a point to inquire about what Hex did on those ships he used to work for as he nodded his assent.

"All right, people, let's saddle up!"

"Now this vacation's beginnin' to be fun!" exclaimed Jayne with truly exuberant grin.

*****

In all his years of flying, Kyo had never raced a ship before. Oh, he'd pulled his fair share of fancy maneuvers to outfox Alliance during the war, but that wasn't racing; and that was with the Wolfhound and all her weapons. It helped that all he had to do was play defense and keep Toombs from winning, but as Toombs had the fastest boat out of the ten, Kyo knew he might as well play to win.

He tore his eyes from the flashing red beacon out in space to look at the nav com. River had already plotted a preliminary course, but things could shift in a race. As much as she might read every pilot's intentions, those calculations would shift when everything was set in motion. The course wasn't easy either; one lap, but that lap encompassed Ambrosia's pristine mountains, Tarterra's most volatile volanic range, and the gigantic glaciers of Atalanta. Beyond that there were stray asteroids out in the black, and places where the lane markers were deliberately made narrow.

Kyo's eyes drifted out of the viewscreen on River's side and spied the hulking shape of a Tortoise-class bulk freighter. At least there was one ship they were guaranteed to beat--provided that didn't have hidden armaments somewhere along its hull. He definetely missed his Wolfhound.

"No guns," said River softly, her face absolutely serene as she stared off at the beacon.

"They'd be helpful," he grumbled under his breath, hands clenching and unclenching the control yoke that was warm with worry.

Any comment from River was cut off by the beacon's color switching to yellow. Kyo's left hand snaked out to rest on the throttle; teeth clenched and body wound tighter than the tiniest spring. When the beacon flashed green, Kyo's reflexes kicked into high gear. He thumbed the V.T.O.L. off and yanked back hard on the main thrust. The kick of the engines flung Kyo back against his seat, but his solid grip on the flight stick kept Serenity steady.

"A little warnin' might've been nice!" came Kaylee over the open com.

"Sorry," Kyo managed to ground out through gritted teeth.

Serenity, mostly on account of Kyo's skill, jumped from the gate first. Toombs's Firestorm wouldn't be far behind with the speed that thing was capable of, but the jump was what Kyo needed. He could play defense by cutting off the other ships--so long as they didn't open fire. Unfortunately, at least five of the nine other ships could beat Serenity in the dead sprint. That meant that shortly before they hit the canyon leg of the race, Serenity had fallen back into fourth place.

Kyo wasn't worried much, as many of the ships would have to sacrifice speed for maneuverability within the confines of the canyon. Serenity didn't have to sacrifice much speed, but the Firestorm was such a tiny ship that it didn't have to sacrifice a thing. Of course, Firestorm didn't have a genius navigator and a genius mechanic.

Serenity wove through the canyons thanks to River's plotting. So long as Kyo kept on the line displayed in the navcom, the estimates had them breaking through at second place. Of course, not just anyone could fly River's calculations without heading straight into the side of a mountain. Close calls happened all around, with Serenity's hull scrapping against overhangs and cliffs, but he trusted her...at least...

"River..." said Kyo warningly as a narrow choke point loomed on the horizon. Their path as plotted by River would take them straight through the narrowest section of the two, sheer rock faces. "This isn't possible, River. I'm going up."

"No!" said River sharply. "Calculations are firm; accuracy is a must. Shave half a minute off of our time and put us ahead of Firestorm."

"Accuracy?" sputtered Kyo, narrowly missing a natural rock bridge by taking a steep dive to the lower right of the canyon. "River, I don't think God himself could thread that needle! You're talkin' 'bout havin' it down to the milimeter!"

"It's possible."

"Possible's not always the best option, lai!" stated Kyo as he banked Serenity upwards from the river bed of the canyon. The Firestorm was barely ahead of them, and Kyo knew from their position that they were going to take the pass were it was a little wider. If Kyo pulled around to follow, Serenity would definetely be left in the dust. Through the narrow pass was the exit from the canyon, and then an atmo burn into open space. Firestorm could pull ahead so far, there wouldn't be a prayer of catching up.

"You're going to do it," River told him smugly, and he clenched his jaw because she was right--as always.

"Oh, but that's not all..." smirked Kyo as a new possibility entered his brain. He heard River gasp, but he couldn't dwell too much on the math of it all. This was flying; instinct and luck--mostly luck.

"That isn't what I meant! It's not part of the plan! I have to re-calculate..." stammered River, reading his intentions perfectly.

"No time, lai. Kaylee! Strap yourself down to somethin' right now!" shouted Kyo into the com.

"Wh-wha-what's goin' on?" came Kaylee's frightened voice.

"Kaylee, less you wanna go all whirly back there, I suggest you strap yourself down," repeated Kyo. "River, give me a thirty-percent burn on the vertical thrust on the port side."

"Thirty-percent?" balked River, her brow knitted in confusion as she worked over the console. "No. More like fifteen? Twenty-five?"

"River! Thrity-percent! Vertical thrust on the port side!" Kyo ordered sternly. River groaned and whimpered in fear when she saw Kyo had already committed them to his flight plan. The two walls were looming dangerously before them, enveloping all of the screens so that their whole world became those two rock faces.

"Thirty-percent; port side," repeated River meekly before she flicked the switch.

Serenity's horizontal axis spun until the ship was perpendicular to the ground not a second before entering the gap. Kyo held his breath as the ship continued to gently rotate through the passage in a slow barrel roll. The walls were so close, all one needed to do was reach their hand out through the top hatch to brush rock. Proximity klaxons blazed on the dash, and Kyo tried desperately not to look at the readouts that told how close the engines were drifting to the walls.

They barely scraped through the vertical passage before Serenity found herself belly up. Kyo couldn't release his breath, despite his lungs practically fighting their way up his throat, as there was still another part of his master plan. Right on cue, Firestorm dropped from the wider part of the passage way, slamming its belly right onto Serenity's with a painful jolt. The momentum of the barrel roll, however, coupled with Serenity's larger bulk, allowed them to brush Firestorm aside.

*****

"Ai-ya! Sheng cao! Feng-dian tamade!" shouted Adrian Toombs as panels sparked wildly all around him under the impact of his Firestorm with Serenity. With his two gunners crashing against his body in the cramped, three-man cockpit, he tried desperately to correct their trajectory before they found themselves a decoration on Ambrosia's mountains. Adrian gnashed his teeth furiously as he watched Serenity soar cleanly out the canyon, pass through the check-point, and continue on towards atmo.

"I've just 'bout had it with 'em! Wally? Blow 'em sumbitches out o' the sky!" Adrian barked over his shoulder. Wally giggled manically from his terminal. Two heavy caliber cannons popped up through the top of the ship with extendable barrels, while a targeting display materialized over his vid screen. Wally licked his cracked lips as he tried to dial the orange targeting reticle onto Serenity's backside.

"Got 'em locked, Boss!" exclaimed Wally, his thumb hovering over the trigger.

"Well f--"

Toombs's order was cut off as the massive, Tortoise-class freighter barreled right into the narrow passage; trying to power through the gap. The explosive impact sent boulders the size of Firestorm raining through the air. Toombs jerked on the stick to avoid the first showers, which also threw Wally's targeting askew. Firestorm again scraped violently against the rock face of the canyon, as a human-sized boulder struck its port engine.

"Outta range, Boss," cursed Wally with a strong slap on the console.

"Don't matter none," growled Toombs; his narrow face contorting into a reluctant, but decidedly evil grin. "We'll catch up with 'em in the Lava Fields. Don't know one know 'em better'n me."

*****

Once they were the in the clear, Kyo let out the breath that'd been turning his face purple and sagged against his restraints. "Kaylee, you all right back there?" he asked after aiming them on River's course. "Kaylee?" Kyo repeated with more concern after a moment.

"F-fine!" said a very shaky Kaylee. "Just remind me the next time we set down to install a proper chair back here."

Kyo tried to laugh, but only managed a weak snort. "Give me a run down on the engines, if you can."

"Ugh. Fuel compressor coil's hangin' on by a thread. Port hydraulics look to be stickin' and the main power relays are half-fried. Serenity weren't made to do this sort of fancy flyin'."

"Do what you gotta," said Kyo wearily. "Main thing would be the fuel compressor. Don't wanna be usin' up more fuel than we need to on a race like this."

"On it," was Kaylee's much more cheerful reply.

Kyo looked over at River who seemed to just stare off through the black with her legs drawn close to her chest. He gave another sigh over his rapidly beating heart, and made to reach out towards her when she spoke suddenly. "Love," she said softly.

"What?" asked Kyo, keeping his hand hovering over the edge of his panel.

"Instinct, luck, and love is what flying's all about," she said, looking right at Kyo with a ghost of a smile. Her hand curled around his and gave it a squeeze. "'Love keeps a boat afloat when she oughta sink.'"

"Mal told you that, huh?" chuckled Kyo before giving her hand a squeeze in return.

*****

Mal kicked down the front door of the Sandy House. Hex's driving skills, Kyo's modifications to the Mule, and an empty street on account of the race made for a quick ride from the garage. He half-expected things to be business as usual, or at least a whole host of armed uglies awaiting him. What he did not expect was the whole of the house empty of a living soul.

"Huh," he exclaimed to himself as he shuffled in.

"Sir?" whispered Zoe, who entered right behind him.

"Must've gone out the back," said Jayne out of the corner of his mouth.

The roar of an engine cut out their musings, followed by Hex's hurried warning of "Get back out here!" All of them made a mad dash back through the door just in time to see another hovercar crash out the rear of the House. Mal's sharp eye caught Elder Toombs driving the heap with two others hanging out the back. They were armed, as evident from the bullets that impacted on the side of the house. Cassandra, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"Did you see her?" Mal asked Zoe, who shook her head in the negative.

"I see her," said Jayne, who had his new Scorpion machine gun pressed up against his eye. "Thermal imager counts four, I can see only three. That means they've got her on the floor of that thing."

Mal watched Jayne pull three grenade shells off his bandolier and slide them into the rectangular slot beneath the large secondary barrel. Jayne cocked the cannon like a shotgun and reaimed it at the hovercar gliding off in the distance.

"Jayne," said Mal warningly as he and Zoe climbed into the Mule.

"I got this, Mal," grunted Jayne moments before he squeezed off the secondary trigger. There was a whine of air rushing into the chamber before the smell of lit gunfire wafted through the air. The grenade burst from the barrel like a mortar shell and arced through the air. Mal tracked it visually while Jayne leapt onto the Mule. Hex punched the throttle and sent the Mule screaming after Elder Toombs's hovercar.

Mal shoved Jayne into his seat, after the inertia drove the merc's heavy frame into his gut, so that he could see the engines of the hovercar blow up in a bright orange flame. With its rear engines blown, the rear of the hovercar dragged lamely on the ground. Soon, it'd be too much stress on the forward engines and the whole thing would break down.

"Mighty fine shootin', Jayne," grinned Mal before clasping the merc on his back. "Knew I paid you for somethin'."

Zoe, seated on the front seat, propped her feet up against the front edge to brace herself. She brought her automatic rifle up high against her shoulder and took aim with the front sight. Two shots rang out, and two bodies fell out of the hovercar. Hex broke out into laughter as Zoe slowly turned her head towards a dumbfounded Jayne and a bemused Mal. With an arched brow, she blew at the smoke coming from her barrel.

*****

Tarterra was hell, if Kyo had to summarize it in a word. No sunlight through ash filled sky and a constantly shifting terrain of volcanic continents. Flying was equally hell. The thick sky made flight by sight impossible and the geothermic heat threw most of their readings off. On top of that, Kyo was forced to keep moving to prevent the magma from melting Serenity's hull.

"Might wanna avoid some of them geysers," suggested Kaylee from the engine room as Serenity rocked violently under the turbulence.

"I'm doin' my damndest," said Kyo as lightly as he could manage. "What d'ya got for me, lai?"

"Fuzzy," River shook her head, her eyes focused out through the vog. She showed that she didn't need her eyes to work through calculations on Serenity's computer, however, as her lithe fingers nimbly danced over the various keyboards. Sharp, jagged peaks broke through a cloud of ash and Kyo cursed while he banked Serenity sharply over them.

"Doesn't the Cortex have a topographic map of his hell hole?" snapped Kyo as he twisted Serenity away from a jet of lava.

"Seismic instability makes a constant topography impossible to navigate," River informed him. "We're nearing the end, however."

Kyo risked a glance to his left and saw River was right. The checkpoint was only a few kliks ahead by River's flight plan. A sudden explosion of magma directly infront of Serenity forced Kyo to yank back hard on the control stick. Both he and River cried out in alarm as they were thrown back into their chairs, and even Kaylee let out a surprised squeak of surprise. Splashes of the magma brushed against the cargo door of Serenity and began to fuse the hull together.

Warning signs flickered on all screens; telling Kyo and River of the structural damage done to the hull.

"Gorramit!" cursed Kyo as he finally brought them clear. "River, what's our status?"

"Serenity's burned," River reported reproachfully. "She's going to be sensitive on re-entry. You have to be more gentle."

"Just what're you doin' to my baby up here?" demanded Kaylee who was now standing at the flight deck's door. Between the klaxons blaring from Serenity, and the comments from River and Kaylee, it appeared to Kyo that he was seriously outnumbered and very irritated. He was about to round on them and ask rhetorically "Who the pilot was?" when Kaylee's eyes bulged in alarm.

"Watch out!" screamed Kaylee, pointing at the rear vid screen. Kyo's head whipped around to see the Firestorm hovering behind them. Over the structural integrity warnings, Kyo had actually missed hearing the targeting-lock warning.

"Port!" said River quickly and Kyo spun the wheel sharply to River's suggestion. Kaylee yelped before crashing into the third seat, located behind River's. A missile had already been launched from Firestorm's starboard launcher, while suppressive fire from its cannon exploded above.

"Missile can't be heat-seeking with this planet," growled Kyo as he set Serenity for a steep dive; cannon fire roaring just meters away to the starboard side. "Laser-guided?" he asked River who nodded in assent. "Load up a D-Mech and get rid of that thing!"

"Already done," said River.

From the top of Serenity, located between the main drive and the kitchen's star roof, emerged a hidden compartment. Two bulky cannisters floated out before achieving a signal lock on the missile. Unfortunately for them, the decoys weren't out far enough when they collided with the missile, and a slew of shrapnel began to tear at Serenity's hull while the whole of the ship threatened to be flipped head-over-heel.

"Kaylee!" shouted Kyo over the ruckus of exploding panels and bulkheads.

"I'm all right!" grimaced Kaylee, a cut oozing out from her temple and her face nearly blackened from all the smoke. "I'll get down to the engine room, see what's what!"

"River, keep us on course. I'm gonna--"

"I know," nodded River, already assuming control over Serenity.

"Should've seen this comin'," Kyo growled to himself as he stalked towards the engine room.

*****

"Missed the ruttin' scrum," Wally moaned angrily.

"'S'alright, Wally," laughed Toombs as Firestorm blew past Serenity. "They're lame in the sky anyway! This race, and that whore Cassandra's, as good as mine! Ain't no one can catch us now!"

*****

Simon winced as the cameras showed Serenity get pummeled by Firestorm at the checkpoint. He, Inara, and all the other women in the Companion house, were all on edge. Even if Mal were successful, that'd only be a brief reprieve should Serenity lose. He'd been pacing near the back of the room, just below the window overlooking the front of the house for any sign of Mal's return. The man knew Kyo, and no matter what Simon wanted to think of the man who was apparently seducing his sister, he had to be reassured that she and Kaylee were in capable hands.

Unbeknownst to him, Inara had glided over and placed a hand over his shoulder. "They'll be fine, Simon," she told him, picking up on his mood just like his sister might have. "Mal isn't the type to let people down, and I have the impression that Kyo isn't either. Besides, he has River and Kaylee to watch out for him." The last line was meant to melt some of Simon's tensions, but it failed miserably.

"Look at them," said Simon painfully, gesturing towards the screen that showed Serenity doggedly making her way into open space. The race was down to five now, with Firestorm up front and Serenity trailing in a distant second. Toombs had already made his way into atmo of Atalanta, mostly on account of the fact that Tarterra and Atalanta had the closest distance.

"They're still flying," Inara stated firmly, harkening Mal's own famous words.

"They need to win," sighed Simon, wishing for once he could stop being such a logical pragmatist.

"With River and Kaylee? I assure you, they most definetely will win," said Inara, looking Simon square in the eyes with such gravity that he had no choice but to believe her. "I've heard stories from Mal and Zoe about Kyo. He won't let anyone down."

Doubt flooded back into Simon's heart at the mention of Kyo. Fair point about shooting aside, he still didn't trust the man. It went beyond courting his sister and delved into the eerie connection they seemed to have developed. His open acceptance of River's condition likewise put Simon's suspicions on alert. He wanted nothing more than to scan the Cortex and download every terrabyte of data on Kyo Nagiama.

"He's good for her, Simon. I haven't seen River so...normal, before."

"Now's not the time," said Simon tersely, even if Inara was right. As lucid as River had been since exorcizing her demons on Miranda, she'd been moreso since Kyo's arrival. Simon didn't even have to rush into her room to calm any nightmares. The fact that Kyo seemed to be aiding River's recovery was the only thing that kept Simon from outright making a scene with the man.

"Well if you need to talk..." Inara trailed off in her offer.

"I will, thank you," said Simon politely before returning his attention to the screen.

*****

"S-s-stand back, y'hear!" clammored Elder Toombs. The man was so short he had to peak around from Cassandra's elbow just to see Mal, Jayne, Zoe and Hex. From the click Mal heard, he assumed Toombs had a pistol shoved up against Cassandra's back. Companions were a marvel in his estimation. Even after being kidnapped and surviving a crash, Cassandra still looked as pretty as a finely crafted statue with her poise alone. Her golden hair stuck up messily from its ruined style, but the charred dirt around her brow and cheeks seemed to only emphasize her blue eyes.

No fear, Mal noted. None in the slightest.

"Gorram hundan's too short," said Jayne in an undertone. "Can't get a clear shot from 'round Cassandra."

"Ain't got no where to run," said Mal, as if this whole conversation were a forgone conclusion and nothing more than an irritation. "You kill her, and I swear by all the stars in the 'verse that you'll find yourself food for the buzzards a second after."

Toombs and Cassandra continued to walk backwards across the beach on the opposite side of the mountain that could be seen from the Tiki Bar. Mal's rifle was slung over his shoulder, bumping against his back in time with his step. For the moment, his old pistol was his weapon of choice on account of its precision. Zoe was the same and had her handgun, that usually rested in a reversed position on her left hip, drawn. Jayne, however, had Vera. They could walk all the way around Ambrosia if they didn't do something.

"Yer a man, jus' like me," drawled a clearly out of breath Toombs. "We can come ta an accord. Ain't no need fer bloodshed o'er a whore like her."

The cock of Malcolm's pistol was all the reply necessary.

"Aw Jaysis, she ain't worth it!" cried out Toombs.

"See now, that's where we ain't at all similar. A real man knows when to step aside and cut his losses," Mal told Toomb as he deftly removed a grenade from Jayne's bandolier. The merc scowled, but Mal didn't acknowledge him; he kept his eyes square on Cassandra, putting a whole heap of stock in her Companion skills. He did spare one glance to Zoe who gave a blink-and-you-miss nod at the quickly conceived plan.

Mal lobbed the inactive grenade over Cassandra and Toombs's head, as Cassandra shifted her body to block the short man's view. It hit the sand behind Toombs just as he brought his heel down. The short, fat man lost his footing for a moment, which gave Cassandra the window of opportunity to twist away. Before Elder Toombs could recover enough to aim, Zoe fired one shot through his chest.

Elder Toomb fell; body turning into convulsions as blood leaked into his throat. Mal motioned for Jayne to check on Cassandra, but kept his eyes on Zoe. He watched her stalk up until she loomed over Toomb's face, aimed her pistol square in the man's face, and pulled the trigger one last time. What Mal wouldn't have given to see the look of utmost shock and irony on that man's dying face. Instead he settled for asking, "All right, Zoe?"

"Shiny, sir, just riddin' the 'verse of a sorry excuse for a mag-miner," Zoe said stoically as she brushed past Mal. His brows scrunched up in concern before Jayne popped into view with Cassandra leaning on his shoulder.

"Bet'cha glad Kyo modified the Mule to seat five, huh? Would've been a pain to walk back to the bar with all this sand gettin' everywhere," commented Jayne as he too made his way back to the Mule.

Mal was about to head back to the Mule himself when he became aware of Hex standing by his side. He couldn't see the man's right eye from the position they were standing in, but something about the man's posture made him think it was contemplative. Hex reached up with his left hand to pull his shoulder-length, snow-white hair back into a ponytail. A burn scar was visible along the back of Hex's neck, and Mal wondered just what was that man's story.

"Get the feeling Zoe's got some experience with mag-miners?" Hex asked Mal with a wry grin that distorted his scar.

"Thought had crossed my mind," agreed Mal with a curt nod.

"You know, I only know of one other mag-mining colony; the moon Hephaestus," said Hex simply.

"Never heard of it," Mal admitted, turning his full attention upon Hex.

"Didn't think you would," smirked Hex, angling his head so that his patched eye stared right at Mal. "Hephaestus is in the Core. Makes you wonder, don't it?"

Mal frowned contemplatively while Hex swaggared back to the Mule with his shotgun slung over his shoulder.

*****

"River? What's our status?" asked Kyo, leaning against the bulkhead of the engine room. His arms were covered in grease, and the sleeves of his black flightsuit were rolled up to his elbows; even the zipper had been undone slightly all thanks to the oppressive heat of the engine. Things were in a worse shape than he'd like to admit. They had to outstrip a whole mess of Serenity's inner workings, and shut down power to practically every room and level. That didn't even begin to cover what they'd done to the auxiliary power.

"Need more speed, but there's no juice left to squeeze," said River over the com. "We're coming out of Atalanta, but the hare's not sleepy and the tortoise isn't steady."

"Never did like that fable," said Kyo to Kaylee in an undertone.

"She's right, though," grimaced Kaylee from under the starboard manifold primers. "We've pumped everythin' and we're not even close. Maybe River can manage some fancy flyin'?"

"Won't do any good without the speed," groaned Kyo. "River? Where are we on the course?"

"Nearing Ixion, the pendant moon."

"Great," muttered Kyo darkly. "It's a dead heat from here to Ambrosia, and Firestorm's got the kick."

As Kyo tried to contemplate any strategies, an explosion of sparks errupted from the bulkhead under the engine. Kyo hissed as he leapt straight towards the smoking set of wires and machinery, just as Serenity lurched violently. Kaylee extracted herself from her current project to assist in assessing the damage.

"Tian bi-zhu wo-men it's the containment!" shouted Kaylee as she shielded her eyes. Kyo looked up and saw the rotary of the engine begin to slow down and speed up erratically. Not long after, the bulkhead that Kaylee had been working on exploded as well. "It's startin' a chain reaction through the patch-up job we've done! We don't shut the engine down now, Serenity's gonna blow!"

"We shut down, we lose!" shouted Kyo right back as the bulkhead above blew out.

"There ain't nothin' I can do!" Kaylee told Kyo straight up. "I don't--I can't!" Another violent explosion rocked the engine room and sent both Kyo and Kaylee to the ground.

"There's always a way, Kaylee," Kyo told her, his face unnaturally tense. "Always a way."

The shakings became more violent and the engine spun even quicker as things deteriorated. There wasn't time; shutting down Serenity meant handing Cassandra and her Companions in training to a fate worse than death, but keeping it running meant they were soon to become one with space on an atomic level. There really was no choice. Kyo shut his eyes and flung open the door he'd kept guarded from River.

The sensations hit him square in the forehead like a sledgehammer, and rocked his stomach like the engine drive of Serenity itself. Time itself seemed to ground to a halt and the sparks seemed to hover in the air. He saw the engine as Kaylee saw it--every possibility that she thought might fix it, and every way in which it might fail. But there were waves of panic that clouded her judgement and blurred some of the possibilities. Those possibilites, Kyo managed to see through easily thanks to the wealth of knowledge he was gleaming from River.

He could sense River's astonishment, relief, accusation, joy and even a tinge of fear through the now two-way link. There were no words, only images and emotions, but Kyo had to shove those aside to see what River could see. Serenity was close to Firestorm, but fading quickly. Ixion was to the starboard, but neither ship had yet passed it. Even Toombs's mind, as dark and disturbing as it was, became open to Kyo's eye. In a flash, he got the measure of the man and how he'd react to certain situations, along with the status of his ship. River's doubt rocketed through Kyo's consciousness as she became aware of his plan at the same moment he did.

Searing fire spread from the base of Kyo's neck, spreading all the way around to his eyeballs. His back arched as a silent scream issued from his lungs. He'd overtaxed his abilities and now had to shut the door as fast as possible. Kyo fell back onto the grating, curled up into a fetal position, and only dimly aware of a very concerned Kaylee trying to revive him. The fire spread, seizing every limb, and he had no other recourse but to ride out the nausea and loose himself to memories that were not his.

*****

"Kyo? Kyo!" shouted Kaylee fearfully as she watched Kyo convulse on the ground. One moment he'd been shielding her against the exploding engine room, and in the next moment he looked like he'd been struck in the head, or worse, electricuted. "River? River, we need to stop! Kyo's been--"

"Kyo's fine," said River with a forced sort of calm over the intercom. "Kaylee, I need you to give me a full burn."

"A full--River, that's not possible," said Kaylee as another explosion rocked the engine room.

"It is, but you're going to have to trust me," said River. "Reroute power from all stabilizers and life-support. Tap into the auxiliary manifolds and shut down all engine safeguards."

Kaylee's mind ran over the suggestions River had given, and each represented an option Kaylee had thought of doing, but alone none of them seemed possible. Combined... well, Serenity would either hit full burn, or blow into pieces. Worst of all, there was a great chance of frying their engines completely, and running out of fuel was practically a guarantee if they used a full burn.

"River, I really don't think this is a good idea."

"Trust--trust me," said River over the com.

"Just one last push, girl, that's all I'm askin'," said Kaylee before she hurriedly went to work.

*****

"Xie tian! Cassandra, you're safe!" said Inara as Jayne ushered her into the main hall of the Companion House. All the other girls in waiting rushed around their mistress to get her settled. Simon had to push rather forcefully through so that he could give her a cursory examination.

"How's the race?" asked Mal, intercepting Inara before she added to the overwhelming rush of bodies.

"See for yourself," said Inara, unable to keep the frown from her face as they turned to the Cortex.

"Dead heat like that, Serenity can't win," admitted Zoe tightly.

"Your pilot had better be something spectacular," agreed Hex softly.

"They were having engine trouble just a moment ago," Inara whispered into Mal's ear.

"Don't look like the case right now," replied Mal with a nod at the screen.

They watched as Serenity's main drive turned a brilliant shade of gold before it was flung foward in space. It passed Firestorm at an impossibly close distance, starting from below and cutting straight up infront of their nose. The smaller ship got caught in the backwash of Serenity, and before it could correct its course, found itself heading straight for Ixion. Everyone burst out into cheer as Serenity took the lead, and Mal could feel a certain amount of worry leave his chest.

"Firestorm's coming about," said Hex gravely, pointing it out on the screen. "She's taking a bead on Serenity."

"Don't matter none, she'll be out of range in..." Mal trailed off as they all saw Serenity's engines darken.

"Oh, no," winced Zoe, eyes scanning the screen as if she might come up with a solution to help them from her position on Ambrosia.

Firestorm did turn about, but before it could fire off a shot its engines sparked in the black. Hex reached forward to magnify the screen and they all watched as the Firestorm's three engines begin to smoke and smolder before falling just as idle as Serenity's. Despite the fact they were giving no glow from the drive, there was no end to the sparking.

"Of course," smiled Hex in relief. "Excelsior-class was made for a five-point drive; your pilot said so himself."

"They couldn't compensate for the inertia and the added weight of the weapons. Not after all the maneuvering necessary for the race," said Zoe with a relieved smile of her own.

"Hey, ain't those sparks flyin' a little too close to the--" Jayne trailed off as Firestorm exploded right on the screen. "--missile launcher," he finished with a smile.

"Huh. Couldn't have happened to nicer folk," said Mal as Serenity began the final approach into Ambrosia's atmosphere.

"Uh, sir? They are gonna land, aren't they?" asked Zoe worriedly. Everyone returned their attention back towards the screen as a powerless Serenity turned into a blazing meteor.

"They'll land," said Mal, not the least bit convinced by his own words. "They'll tap into back-ups and coax her in nice and-- You better not crash my gorram ship! Y'hear me? My ship does not crash!"

"A shining pillar of confidence," said Inara with a half-smile. Indeed, Serenity's back-up did spurt to life the moment it passed through the atmosphere. Steady bursts from the engines set in V.T.O.L. mode helped the Firefly-class transport glide to the designated finish line. Mal gave an empathic wince as she landed none-too-gently upon the well-lit dock. While everyone else cheered, Inara thought it best to keep Mal from collapsing in relief.

"I'm gonna kill him," he told Inara over the celebration, clutching his heart dramatically. "I'm gonna kill him!"

"He won you sixty-thousand credits," Inara reminded him, her dark eyes twinkling with mirth. Mal's jaw shut and his eyebrows rose in contemplation.

"He did, didn't he?" Inara nodded, barely able to surpress the laughter that wanted to bubble out. "Well I guess I can kill him later."

"Yes, later would be preferrable," agreed Inara mockingly. "Just so long as you can survive River."

*****

"You should've seen it, Simon! River's grand scheme saved us all!" Kaylee told Simon for the thousandth time as they finished loading Serenity up with supplies.

Serenity had sustained some major damage in the race, and they'd been laid up for another two weeks to complete repairs. Not that anyone was complaining much. Cassandra had copped the bill on anything they wanted to do for the rest of the vacation. Everyone genuinely enjoyed the rest of their vacation; even Mal, who managed to squeeze in a few more hours of horseback riding, and Jayne finally had his shot at genuine Companions in training after recounting his heroic tale of saving Cassandra. The boy'd been walking around with the most gorram goofiest smile Mal'd ever seen.

"She's really somethin', Simon," sighed Kaylee after dropping her crate onto the ground.

"She is a genius," agreed Simon, taking a glance up to the second level where River and Kyo were working on turning the Mule around in its harness. His eyes then returned to Kaylee's grease-stained face and smiled. "But so are you. I saw that engine room, and you had to work miracles to keep them floating."

"Well I'm not--I mean that's just what I do," shrugged Kaylee, blushing somewhat under Simon's scrutiny.

"And you do it very well," whispered Simon, bringing his lips closer to Kaylee's.

"Iff'n you don't mind, I'd like to my ship loaded," Mal interrupted them with a giant grin on his face. "We work then we play, remember?"

"Aw hell, Mal, I wouldn't mind seein' 'em go at it," leered Jayne before he slammed down three crates to lean against. "I've two eyes and I've got two hands."

Mal shot Jayne a rebuking look that told him he'd taken the joke too far, while Kaylee slapped Jayne's arm. Simon just put on his pained expression and seemed to deflate right in front of everyone.

"Could you not--Do you have to-- I'll be in the infirmary, making sure things are in order," sighed Simon exasperatedly. Jayne merely guffawed at the Doctor's reaction before going out to load up more crates.

"They're right, you know," Kyo whispered to River over the sound of grinding gears and heavy boot falls, standing up on the catwalk. "You won the race."

River shook her head and pressed her hands against the railing. Once the Mule pointed back out towards the bay, Kyo clicked the large, green button on the rectangular remote to stop the winch.

"Your genius; your idea," River told him.

"My luck," smirked Kyo as he leaned against the railing so that he could see River's profile. "I might've shown you the general idea, but it took your brains and Kaylee's skills to pull it off. And let's not forget the landin', lai. That was all you."

They stood in an uncomfortable silence--at least, uncomfortable on Kyo's part. She'd seen him naked, mentally, even if it were only for a moment, and he'd been avoiding her again their last two weeks. He'd spent most of his time on Serenity doing the repairs with Kaylee, or on his own, and then spending the rest of the time drinking and talking with Mal, Zoe and Hex.

"You saw me naked," River reminded him with a slight grin that made his stomach turn inside-out.

"But I didn't see much," coughed Kyo. He pushed back from the railing and took a few steps back to collect himself. A sour expression fell over his face as he rubbed the back of his head. "How much--how much did you see?"

"If I like what I saw, can I see more?" she asked hopefully.

"No!" declared Kyo, almost tripping over his feet in an effort to claim more distance. "No, i-it's all ugly and scars and darkness. You don't--you don't wanna see that."

River examined him carefully with her doe eyes. She closed her right eye and just stared at him. "Perceptions are subject to positions," she said and then proceeded to open her right eye and shut the left. "I'm a big girl. I can take it."

"You'll hate me," he told her flatly.

River shook her head sadly and walked by him. "You hate yourself."

"Well hey there, little Albatross," said Mal as River danced lightly down the stairs. "Where're you goin'?"

"Guest room needs to be set up," she told Mal without sparing a second look; she just kept moving towards the stairs that lead to the passenger dorm and infirmary. "Serenity will be full soon."

"Uh huh," said Mal to her retreating form just as Zoe walked in carrying a bag that wasn't hers. "Zoe."

"Sir," Zoe returned in greeting before following the path that River had just taken.

With a full house, Mal made his way towards the controls to lock up the ramp. He was about to press the button, when Kaylee cried out, "Hex! Come to see us off?"

Mal looked up in surprise and indeed saw the albino bartender coming up the ramp of his ship. He wore a rugged leather jacket that'd seen better days, a bluish-gray shirt, and white jeans tucked into brown boots with silver spurs jangling on the heels. He looked a little shy to be standing there so openly, but his eye roamed around the cargo hold with something akin to rememberance.

"Well, after a fashion, little Kaylee," chuckled Hex. "Miss Marron would've come herself, but she had things to attend on Tarterra. She's been setting up schools, you see. Not to mention she's got her hands full trying to track down the relatives of the Sandy girls."

"Well you can tell Cassandra we've been mighty appreciative of her hospitality," said Mal, leaning against the console.

"You can tell her yourself, Captain, 'cause I intend to be leaving with you," said a smirking Hex with his thumbs hooked into his belt.

Jayne, unsurprisingly, reacted first. "Now wait just a damn minute. We're doin' fine as is, we don't need no other mouth to feed! No offense, Hex, you drive real good, but we got two pilots at least. And, even though I might like it, we ain't got no bar on this ship."

"Are you gonna book passage with us, Hex?" asked a confused Kaylee.

"No, little Kay, I mean to be joining the crew," Hex informed them, keeping his eyes square on Mal.

"Join?" Mal repeated. "In what capacity?"

"Cook, sir," said Zoe as she emerged from the doorway. There was a slight smile on her face when she raised her brow pointedly at Mal's inquisitive look. "You do remember cooks, right, sir?"

A slow grin spread over Mal's face at the memory of his very first conversation with Zoe on Serenity. He never did get around to that, he realized. Things had always been too bad or too busy to worry about that.

"You a cook?" Mal asked of Hex.

"Others have said that I'm the best in the 'verse," grinned Hex, already knowing he'd found a place on board.

"Cook?" asked Jayne with something approximating a thoughtful expression. "That mean we won't have to eat any more of Doc's crotchity crap? Or none of Zoe's..." Jayne trailed off at the deadly glare Zoe was sending towards the merc, who wisely altered his train of thought. "That mean we get real food?"

"That is the general idea, yes," laughed Hex, who'd turned his head to spy the mercenary. "Tell you what, to sweeten the deal, I'll even handle the cleaning."

"No cookin' and cleanin' chores? You're hired!" Jayne said quickly.

"Jayne. My ship, remember?" Mal said patiently before looking back to Hex. "You seem to have a good enough life here on a pleasure world, why leave it?"

"First ship I served on was a Firefly, remember? Been a while since I saw one again, or a Captain and crew that I'd be proud to serve with. Figure it'd be a good time to continue roaming. Ambrosia's not my home. It was just a place to kick up my heels for a spell."

Mal nodded, knowing full well with a body like Hex's that couldn't be the whole story. Still, the crew had taken to him on Ambrosia, and he didn't need to help them run off to rescue Cassandra. Not to mention Jayne had a fair point. Serenity could certainly use someone who actually knew how to cook.

"Zoe, take Hex to the passenger dorm that River'd set up," Mal ordered before he pressed the button to shut Serenity's ramp. "Kyo, get us in the black. We got work that needs findin'. Hex, once you're settled, I want you to check the kitchen stores. You're startin' tonight, we'll work out payment tomorrow."

"All aboard, Cap'n?" asked Kaylee with her brightest smile once everyone had gone about their duties.

"All aboard," said Mal with a pleased smile.

------

Author's Notes, Justifications, and...well...Excuses:

Jonah Hex comes from DC comics. A western bounty hunter with a disfigured face. He wasn't an albino. That was just my own little quirk. Well, that and the one-eyed thing.

Yes, a cook. With Kyo as Wash's replacement, I've now given myself a replacement for Book. Mostly because I've written a lot of scenes where I wished I had Book. Namely the scenes with Mal. Inara's kinda taken on more of that role.

There was to be a scene with Mal and Inara discovering simultaneously that Cassandra had given them adjacent rooms. I sort of cut it out of the final draft because I'd already used the gag twice, so to speak, with Simon/Kaylee and River/Kyo. Kinda seemed a little trite to do it a third time, and it wasn't really the right time for them to have that sort of discussion. Likewise, there was supposed to be a scene with Simon/Kaylee and River/Kyo running into each other at a fancy party, but as fun as that scene might've been it really didn't fit. So I just made a passing reference to it while they were plotting to enter the race.

I know that Zoe's supposed to be raised on a ship (and I didn't explicitly write anything to counter that), but once I borrowed the idea of a volcanic mining world from Star Wars Episode III (odd that this would show up in my third episode), it seemed like the perfect environment to mold someone like Zoe. Besides, they could've been shippers for the moon.

Originally, the Reavers were actually supposed to make the save, surprisingly enough. The Reavers the Alliance ships had been called out to confront were to make a sudden appearance, and River was to use a grapple to slingshot Firestorm into the Reavers. More exciting, but then I'm stuck with a bunch of Reavers tearing up Ambrosia, and I couldn't have that.

Also, I didn't want Kyo to pilot Serenity. I tried to go for a poetical, all woman show, but there'd be no plausible explaination for them to not use their pilot. I did my best by taking Kyo out of the equation in the engine room. And Zoe gets the killing shots on Elder Toombs.