Disclaimers: Everything belongs to Joss, except for one character of my creation ----------------------------- **Mousing over the Chinese should reveal the English translations on most browsers. If not, translations follow the story. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mutiny was at hand; or so it seemed as Mal tried to take control and make the others see the import of his decision. So far, it was not going well. Wash, Zoë and Jayne stood facing him, arms folded confrontationally. Simon, River and Kaylee were nowhere to be found, and Inara had not yet returned to the ship either. “I’m sorry about this, but a person’s well-being takes precedence over down time, don’t you think?” Mal was desperately striving to make the others see his point of view. “Why you gotta be the one to save her?” Jayne demanded. “Because...I made a promise,” Mal said, somewhat awkwardly. “Yeah, you promised your crew some time off!” Wash snapped “I told her if she got into any trouble she couldn’t get out of to ‘wave us,” Mal said. “Well...why’d ya have to go and do that?” Jayne growled. “She was a payin’ passenger, remember? It was her decision to go to that gorramn moon, wasn’t us decided for her. She knew what she was gettin’ into. I told her day one she was gonna get herself killed. Buhn dahn nurse anyway...” Mal rubbed his eyes, feeling outnumbered. He looked to Zoë, his right hand for so long. She glanced at Wash and dropped her eyes. “Zoë?” Mal prompted, hoping at least for her support. I took her a moment to answer. “Sir, I don’t think we should get involved,” she finally said. Wash looked smug, and Mal felt even more frustrated. “Why—“ he began. “Just ‘cause you bagged her a couple times don’t make her your responsibility!” Jayne cut in. Mal spun toward him angrily. “She’s my responsibility if I conjure she is—it don’t matter what the reason. And I’ll thank you to keep a civil tongue!” “Sir, we don’t even know for sure it was her tried to ‘wave us,” Zoë said quietly. “Yes. We do,” Mal insisted. “Who else would it’a been?” “You said yourself it was prob’ly Inara’s girls,” said Wash. “What was Inara’s girls?” They all looked up as Inara came down the stairs into the bay. In the heat of the discussion no one had heard her arrive. “Mal here wants to take us on a tour of Zargon so he can rescue a damsel in distress,” Jayne grumbled. Inara frowned and looked to Mal for explanation. “The nurse we took there a few months back,” Zoë said. “I’ve seen the reports of the riots. Is that why you called me back to the ship?” “Yeah, I didn’t want you to get left,” Mal said. “I apologize if we interrupted—” “Mal here thinks a promise he made to a payin’ passenger—a stupid one at that—is more important than a promise to his crew,” Jayne interjected again. “Just ‘cause he—“ Zoë grabbed Jayne’s ear and pulled hard. Jayne cried out and shook himself loose. Zoë glared at him. “Ain’t anybody on my side here?” Mal implored. There was a commotion at the entrance, and the door burst open. Kaylee and Simon entered, wrestling River through the airlock. She was struggling and kicking against them, fighting to free herself. “HELP THEM! DADDY HELP THEM!” she was crying. “It’s too hot...burning...everything’s burning...chaos...you’ve got to help them, Daddy, they’re dying!” Kaylee and Simon wrestled her through the bay and down to the passenger dorm. She continued to scream and flail all the way. “I’d say that’s a vote in your favor, sir,” Zoë said. “Ai ya! Hwai leh!” Mal sat down on some shipping crates, holding his head and looking very unhappy. River continued to scream in the background. “Simon!” he barked down the stairs. “Tell that crazy sister of yours to shut up and I AIN’T HER DADDY!” He shook his head and muttered to himself, “That’s disturbin’ in so many ways...” It got quiet and Simon and Kaylee came back into the bay. “What’s goin’ on?” Kaylee asked, her eyes wide. “We’re goin’ to Zargon!” Wash grinned hugely and falsely at her. “Won’t that be fun?” “Oh. Good.” Kaylee said, nodding her approval. Wash’s grin faded, and Mal looked up at her hopefully. “You agree with me?” Kaylee nodded again, and Mal looked relieved. “Oh great!” Jayne snorted. “She sides with the crazy girl and the captain who ain’t thinkin’ with the right head!” At that, Inara looked puzzled, and Kaylee shot Jayne a withering look. Mal stood up. “Look,” he said to all of them, “last I checked, I was still captain of this boat, and this boat’s goin’ to Zargon. Anybody who don’t wanna go can walk through that door right now and take leave time ‘til they die. Dong ma? ” Suddenly they were all talking and arguing again, voices rising. “BAI TUO, UHN JIN YEE DIEN!” It was Shepherd Book, who had appeared silently in their midst. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him. “You all need to get your priorities straight,” he said once he had their attention. “There’s a young woman out there who needs our help. She may be in mortal danger. Isn’t the captain right to want to go to her aid?” Jayne opened his mouth, and Book held up his hand for silence. “I would certainly hope if it were me in trouble the rest of you wouldn’t be wasting time arguing about whether I was worth saving.” Jayne shook his head and snorted. “Can’t save everybody. Gotta look after your own sometimes, let the rest take care of themselves.” “I know she’s not part of this crew,” Book went on. “But she was with us for a time, and she became a friend.” He glanced at Mal as he said it. “Would it kill any of you to give her a helping hand?” “Might, place like that,” Jayne grumbled. Mal looked gratefully at Book. “Thank you, Preacher,” he breathed. Book directed his attention to Mal then. “Having said that, you do have some promises to fulfill here, Captain.” Mal regarded him silently. “You did promise your crew some leave time,” Book said. “They work hard for you, and face no shortage of difficulty every day. You need to live up to your word as soon as the young lady is safe.” Mal nodded. “You also made a promise to Inara,” Book continued. “She has a job waiting for her and she needs to get to the training house. You need to see that it happens as soon as possible.” Mal considered Book’s words, and locked eyes with Inara as he answered. “Well then, I have a full plate, don’t I?” he said slowly. He looked around the circle of faces. “I’ll do right by all of you,” he told them. “But this is somethin’ I gotta do, and I need your help. Are you with me?” No one spoke for a time. Zoë was the first to break the silence. “Yes sir,” she said quietly. The rest began to nod and shrug in resignation. Only Jayne stood silent, arms folded, shaking his head, not looking at anyone. Mal sighed deeply. “Okay then,” he said. “Let’s get this done.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHINESE: Buhn dahn = idiot Ai ya! Hwai leh! = Shit on my head! Dong ma? = Understand? BAI TUO, UHN JIN YEE DIEN! = WE WILL ENJOY YOUR SILENCE NOW! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go to Chapter 6.

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