There had been long moments of ponderous silence in the common area. “I’d have to say, hands down, from 1972 to 1983,” Gabriel muttered under his breath. “Look at the standing records.” Across the foot table from him in the lounging area, Inara and Kaylee turned to stare at the young man in questioning shock. “Pay no attention,” Gabriel directed offhandedly. “Just talkin’ to myself.” “Talk to me, instead,” River interjected from her seat nearby. “I’m cuter.” “I’ll attest to that,” Jayne called from beyond, in the kitchen area where he was foraging for nourishment. Inara leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees. “Gabriel… How are you feeling?” Gabriel arched an eyebrow. “Been better; been worse; need a haircut,” he replied. “Why would you ask such a thing?” “Um,” Inara started, flustered. “Well, I mean, after what happened yesterday…” “Well, you see,” Gabriel explained, “the thing is this. Somethin’ like that happens, it’s kinda embarrassin’ for me, so I just tend to pretend like it never happened. Seems easiest on me.” “Simon’s working on it,” River explained, despite anything that Gabriel had just said. As Simon and Zoe entered the common area, Inara and Kaylee came to their feet. “How is he?” Inara inquired, referring to Mal. “Resting comfortably,” Simon informed. “I gave him a sedative.” “Stubborn bastard kept tryin’ to sit up,” Zoe expanded. “So bein’ the good doctor that you are,” Gabriel ventured, “you pumped him full of drugs.” River smacked him on the chest, and Gabriel insisted, “I was just jokin’!” “Future plans?” Kaylee inquired of her captain. Zoe shrugged. “We got plenty of gas, an’ no definite destination. The list of off-limits planets right now are a damn tad longer than our list of friendly planets.” “Well, we can’t float ‘till we rot,” Jayne butted in. “Then again, hidin’ on Hera wasn’t too fun, neither.” He paused. “Forget me. I’m jus’ naggin’ cuz I ain’t gettin’ paid, is all.” “We still got plenty of money stashed onboard from the gun sale,” Kaylee reminded. “An’ what would ya spend yer money on right now, anyhow?” Jayne shrugged. “A stop at a station with a liquor store don’t sound like that bad an idea. I am gettin’ a mite thirsty with all this floatin’ an’ hidin’.” River suddenly smacked Gabriel again. “*What?!*” Gabriel exclaimed. “I didn’t say *nothin’!*” “But you *thought* it,” River accused. Sighing, Zoe finally decided to relax for a moment in a dinner chair, and as Inara moved away to acquire some water, Simon found the seat next to Kaylee in the lounging area. “The way I see it, where we are right now… nobody who’s after us knows where we are. We ain’t exactly hurtin’ for a job right now, an’ we don’t really have a great hidin’ option land-wise.” “Remember what The Operative said, though,” Simon reminded. “There’s still a great chance that Reavers are gunning for us, and out here, we’re a big, red target.” “Are you worried?” Gabriel inquired. He pointed questioningly at himself, and then at River. He held his hands out in mock-helplessness, and then pointed again to himself and to River. “Ignore the man in the corner,” River suggested. “Impressive, yet ostentatious theatrics notwithstanding, he’s an oaf.” “Yes, but I’m *your* oaf.” Jayne groaned. “*Please*. I’m suddenly gettin’ thirstier.” “If we can put the banter on *hold* for a moment…” Zoe began, but she trailed off as River sat bolt upright. “What is it?” she insisted. Staring around for a moment, River declared, “Contact.” She stood and raced on light feet in the direction of the cockpit, Gabriel instantly trailing her like a devoted puppy… or a protective hound. Standing and moving to follow, Zoe turned to order, “Everyone else stay here for now. We don’t need a crowd in there.” *************************************************************************

“*-rity. Surrender all arms and prepare to be boarded at once*.” The voice that barked over the Comm sent an icy shiver arcing down Zoe’s spine, pooling to rot in the pit of her stomach. “*I repeat: this is Agent Nanaka of the Federal Police ship, Integrity. Lay down all arms, have your Ident-Cards ready, and prepare for boarding immediately*.” “They’ll know it’s us the instant they board,” Zoe assured. “Just let me take ‘em out,” Gabriel suggested. “We can’t outrun ‘em.” “Vessel like that don’t carry more than three or four, generally,” Zoe agreed. “There are three,” River informed them as she reached with her mind. She suddenly got a vaguely worried expression that was turned upon Gabriel. “There’s going to be trouble with this one.” Gabriel frowned. “Really?” “What sort of trouble?” Zoe pressed. “Not the sort that you’d expect,” River answered cryptically. She leaned forward. “This is Captain Boobs Nanaka of the cargo transport, Alliance Fury. Crew of five. We have been experiencing pressurization difficulties for the past couple of days, but if there’s a nearby position where we can both land, I’d be more than happy to allow you access to all areas of my boat.” There was a pause. “*Um… Alliance Fury captain, you said your name was what, exactly?*” “Nanaka,” River repeated. “Boobs Nanaka.” Gabriel left the cockpit for a moment because he was having difficulties smothering his laughter. Zoe shot River a ‘What the hell are you doing?’ look. “*Transport Alliance Fury, proceed immediately to Ita and drop your entry ramp. Landing coordinates are being transmitted*.” There was a pause. “*Have all personnel waiting outside the ship with their Ident-Cards presented for inspection, and if you’re extremely lucky, you’ll walk away from this with nothing more than a fine for failure to maintain ID transmitter integrity*.” “Will do, Integrity,” River conceded, switching off the Comm. She began moving her hands across the controls, preparing to alter course. “I never told you to do such a thing!” Zoe fumed as Gabriel re-entered the cockpit. “You didn’t have to,” River replied. “I’m a psychic.” “She’s a psychic,” Gabriel explained, thumbing the pilot seat. “Bi zuie, Gabriel,” Zoe instructed. She sighed. “All right, River. Nice and easy going toward Ita. I’ll go talk to the rest of the crew.” *************************************************************************

“Five individuals standing out front, Agent,” Rustin replied. “We’re landing directly in front of the ship.” “Agent Nanaka sighed as he snuffed out the remains of his cigarette,” Park informed the man. “He leaned back in his chair, wondering why his subordinates had to explain every single detail of their actions to him as a narration.” “Sorry,” Rustin muttered, continuing with his work. Park stood from his chair, moving to the descent ramp before the ship had even landed. “All of this fei hua,” Park spoke aloud, placing yet another cigarette between his lips, “just for a gorram pension. All right, you two,” he called over his shoulder. “This could be a classic bluescreen 101 with ‘Boobs Nanaka’, which still sounds like a sick joke, or it could be an ambush by The Reynolds Gang. I want eyes and ears open, noses whiffing, and guns searching. I’d rather you two not get me killed today.” “I wouldn’t worry about it,” Brendt grumbled as he flanked Park. “I’m no rookie.” Park tried not to make note of the comment as he opened the hatch and cautiously descended the ramp toward the waiting crew. *I expected this to be on the day side,* he thought, musing at the night landscape. *Maybe Brendt is more rookie than he claims…* As he crossed the distance between vessels, Park saw that the five members of the Firefly crew had faces shadowed from his view, and he didn’t like that one single bit. “Agent Nanaka,” the woman at the front of the group greeted, stepping forward. Just as Park noted that the voice of the woman didn’t match the voice of the so-called, ‘Boobs Nanaka’, the face of infamous Zoe Alleyne Washburne came from the shadows and into his sight. Park found his face in the dirt with a boot against the back of his head just a fraction of a second after his weapon was violently slapped from his grip. “I smell a bit more sober for this meeting,” a vaguely familiar voice spoke from above. *I’m really starting to hate this job,* Park thought to himself. *************************************************************************

“Easier than we’d thought,” River observed, stepping up beside Zoe. “Gabriel’s been a good study. Still slower than I’d like to see.” “Nag, nag, nag, Woman,” Gabriel replied, peering down his leg at the back of the Fed’s head. “Job’s done,” he defended as Jayne moved to gather up the pinned man’s weapon, as well as the weapons of the two unconscious Feds. Jayne quickly and efficiently patted the three down for additional weapons before taking a step back. “I’d tell you that you all are in very serious trouble,” Nanaka mumbled into the dirt, “but considering who you are, I don’t think it would matter, anyway.” Gabriel frowned, twisting up his face. “What kinda cop attitude is *that?!*” he exclaimed. “Of course it matters. Now, we’ve got more assault and resisting arrest charges than we did before. Any tah mah de would know that one.” “Let’s just say,” Nanaka explained, sounding bored despite his situation, “I’ve been having some serious doubts about my career choice. Can I get up now?” “No!” Gabriel, Zoe, and Jayne all spouted in unison. “We gotta kill ‘em, Zoe,” Jayne urged. “We don’t need their stories addin’ to the manhunt after us. Kill ‘em, an’ then we hide their ship an’ be on our way.” There was a pause, and before Zoe could make a reply, Gabriel brought his foot from the back of Nanaka’s head. “We can’t kill ‘em.” “Sure we can,” Jayne argued. “We got to.” “I’m tending to agree with Jayne,” Zoe voiced. “The more loose ends we leave untied, the more we’re gonna get wrapped up in.” “Excuse me-” Nanaka began before he was drowned out. “These are good men,” Gabriel implored. “They ain’t mercs workin’ fer Foster, they ain’t gangsters... Hell, they ain’t even *us*. They’re just *people* doin’ their job.” “Their *job* is to get us before we kill them,” Zoe countered, a dangerous edge creeping into her voice. “It’s sort of a black and white out here. They failed to do their job, so we do ours.” “They’re good men.” “And how do you know that?” Zoe demanded. “Yer not psychic!” “No,” Gabriel agreed, “I’m not. I’m an empath.” He pointed toward River with his chin. “*She’s* the psychic, an’ she can back me up on this one.” As the argument had begun to escalate, River glided over to her brother and whispered something into his ear. After listening, he nodded, snagged Kaylee, and slipped quietly back into the ship while River moved to the side of the argument. “They are no direct threat to us,” Gabriel insisted, his voice firm and determined. “We can trash their ship an’ leave ‘em here, or... Hell, there’s a million options that don’t include killin’ in cold blood.” “They’ll still get back to us, eventually,” Zoe growled. “Do we care?” Gabriel questioned. “Are we caring about that, now?” Something in what he just said struck a nerve in Zoe that Gabriel didn’t understand, and which he wasn’t aware even existed. Before either individual could press, Jayne edged his way back into the argument. “This ain’t somethin’ should even be an issue right now, an’ if Mal were here, he’d say the same-” “Stay out of it, Jayne,” Zoe growled, more upset than Gabriel had ever seen her. “What happened to you, Gabriel? What happened to jumpin’ without botherin’ to ask how high?” Gabriel set his jaw, squared his shoulders, and planted his feet between the three downed Feds and the crew. “Right now, yer askin’ me to jump on the grave of the Independence.” Without a word, Zoe spun, ascended the cargo ramp, retrieved her rifle from its hiding place to the side, and descended the ramp again. “I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean,” she hissed, her eyes blazing with fire, “but if you think, for one instant, that I’m going to allow you to join this crew, and then, when necessary courses of action conflict with your new-found sense of ethics and morality, then you’ve got no place here.” Gabriel regarded his captain for a long moment. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Zoe,” he replied softly. Zoe’s rifle was suddenly and swiftly lifted and leveled at Gabriel’s face. River started to move, but Jayne shot her a smoldering, ‘Don’t interfere with this’ look, and she resolved to observation for the time being. “Do you remember where we are, Gabriel?” Zoe inquired. “Do you remember what we do, what we are doing? Do you remember the odds against us right now, and the number of people who want us dead?” “I remember,” Gabriel answered. “*Do you remember where we are?!*” Zoe repeated, much louder this time. “We are *not* in The Core, a place I’m sure you’ve never even visited outside The Academy. We’re *out here,* in the middle of *no civilization*. The Alliance walks all over the people out here as if they were *slaves* in the fields, pulling along the plow of ‘galactic unity’ through deception, murder, and overzealous law. Morals are rudimentary and a hindrance in this place if anyone wants to survive at all outside the crushing weight of oppression.” Jayne looked to be quite surprised at Zoe’s previously-unknown talent for speeches. Gabriel was unfazed. “Morals are *never* a rudimentary hindrance, Zoe. Morals are what make us human, and separate us from *Reavers*.” “Don’t you *dare* talk to me about Reavers!!” Zoe shouted, her gun not twitching an iota. “I watched, helplessly, as a giant spike was *rammed* through my husband’s chest by those things! I stared into the face of pure evil, and I was soothed by the knowledge that *I am not that*.” “And how *did* you react?” Gabriel inquired calmly. “After Wash died, how did you react? Was it a human reaction, or was it animal?” The fact that Zoe didn’t shoot Gabriel in the face at that exact moment spoke volumes of her self-restraint. “*You hwoon dahn,*” she whispered. “*You son of a bitch...*” “I wasn’t there,” Gabriel continued as if a peacock feather were being pointed at his head instead of a lever-action weapon of death. “I’m implying nothing, because I have no idea. I ask you that question so that you may ask that question of yourself.” Zoe began to tremble. Even her rifle barrel was swimming to and fro, although it maintained its lethality, should the trigger be squeezed. “*Gabriel,*” Zoe begged in a whisper, tears forming in her eyes, “*please move*.” “No, Zoe,” Gabriel stated calmly and softly, taking a small step forward until his face was inches from the barrel. “I will not move.” “Knew I’d hafta leave my comfy table an’ break you two up someday or another,” came a sleepy voice from the ship. *************************************************************************

Zoe didn’t turn at the sound of Mal’s voice. She remained riveted to the imaginary line linking her to Gabriel. “Captain?” Laying on the stretcher that Simon, Kaylee, and Inara had hauled him out on, Mal struggled to sit up as the three gently lowered him to the deck at the top of the ramp. “Looks like you’ve been the captain for awhile, now,” he replied. “We got a situation here, Mal,” Jayne explained. “There’s-” “I know the situation,” Mal assured the man. “I know more than I ever did before.” River looked like she wanted to move to Mal’s side, yet at the same time, she did not wish to vacate the area of the Gabriel-Zoe standoff. She finally decided on flashing him a warm, knowing smile. *Hate to think what *she's* got in mind, should things turn ugly...* “I think we missed more than we expected,” Simon murmured to Kaylee. “The gun wasn’t there before.” Kaylee merely nodded in agreement. “How much of this didja hear?” Jayne inquired. “Not a lot,” Mal admitted. “I got in ear range about the time Zoe started her rousing speech.” “I think we’re at a deadlock here, Sarge,” Gabriel called. He didn’t sound too convinced, and the fact that Zoe was trembling like a leaf lent credit to that theory. Saying nothing, Zoe simply mouthed, ‘Why?’ to Gabriel. “I learned something,” Mal began. “Something very valuable. Vengeance is not an option,” he quoted, something he remembered from when he was unconscious. “If we go there, if we go to that black place where death thrives, we become them we hate so much.” He gritted his teeth. “We become ghosts. “Anger is natural, healthy, and human. So is grief. But when we let it turn us into monsters, then it ain’t healthy for *nobody*.” Mal paused to clear his throat. His chest hurt so badly, he felt as if he could have been shot. *Oh, wait...* “What’re ya sayin’, Mal?” Jayne prompted. Although Mal’s answer was meant for everyone, his gaze was locked onto the back of Zoe’s head. “We ain’t killin’ nobody in cold blood.” Jayne was in complete shock at this new Mal. Zoe had no visible reaction; Mal was fairly certain that he’d helped Gabriel push her into a different place entirely. “We ain’t killin’ these men,” Mal repeated, “an’ if it ain’t too terrible much trouble, Zoe, is it all right if my second mate lives?” Slowly, shakily, Zoe set the rifle on the ground. She then threw herself at Gabriel, wrapping her arms around him. “How can a kid as young as you be so gorram smart?” she wondered tearfully, and Mal felt as if his heart would break. “I ain’t smart, Zoe,” Gabriel assured her. “I jus’ read a lot.” Zoe laughed at the familiar joke. And then, in the dark distance behind Gabriel, two Reaver ships shot down from the heavens and, using their magnetic grapplers, tore Agent Nanaka’s ship to pieces.