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Originally posted by DonCoat:

The Serenity RPG book has a clever explanation for this. For those who haven't read the book, I'll describe it here (of course, it's not 100% canon but I think it's a slick solution).

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Originally posted by DonCoat:

Firefly class ships have two cargo bays. The main bay we're all familiar with. But the secondary cargo bay is much smaller and is located behind the first one, under the "back hall".

In some Fireflys, the #2 bay is empty and can be used for cargo. But a number of modular options were produced for that space: tankage for a tanker version, extra bunk space for a personnel carrier, bulk storage for grains or ore, and so on. One such option was an infirmary module that converts a Firefly into a Medship. In Fireflys fitted out like this, the shuttles would be used as medevac ambulances and the passenger dorm would house the medical team.

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Originally posted by DonCoat:

Why Mal would have stocked it and made it fully operational is another question, of course, but given his often dangerous line of work he probably saw the value of having plenty of first aid supplies on hand. Maybe some enterprising company (Blue Sun?) offers a "stocking kit" for those modular infirmaries: all the basic supplies you need for one low low price. (We know Mal stocked the infirmary because he says so in the episode Serenity.)

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Originally posted by DonCoat:

Whatever the reason, it's a good thing Mal spent that cashy money, since without those supplies Kaylee might not have made it through the pilot episode.

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