Mal had visited some depressing places in his time. But the small village they'd landed at definitely made it into the top ten.

The entire place seemed to bend under the weight of the ever-present chill dampness in the air. Skinny children stared at the crew with big eyes, while the adults took in the party and muttered to themselves in doorways.

"Sir,' Zoe ventured, "I'm not liking the tone here."

"Neither am I, Zoe."

The sound of Jayne swearing as he stepped in yet another mud puddle broke in. "What hwoodan named this go-se mudball Sweetwater?"

Simon pulled his coat around him tighter. "Clearly somebody who never visited here."

They found the small med center on the other side of the town, a center of organized chaos. Several stretchers were laid out, with patients in various levels of distress laid out on them. Some had sheets pulled all the way over, clearly beyond help. Mal stopped one of the attendants helping to move a covered stretcher.

"We're looking for the doc here. Said to ask for Jes."

In response, he was vaguely waved in the direction of the main building. "OR. Through the green door."

The first word that greeted them when they walked in was sharp and not in the mood for argument. "Mask!"

Mal and the others looked confused. A pair of cat-green eyes stared at them from above a surgical mask. "Mask or leave. Don't care which."

The owner of the eyes paused for a moment. "Except for you, doctor. Scrub and glove. Everyone else, out!"

"Are you the doc?" Mal ventured. "Cos' we've come to collect..."

"Captain, do you know how to do a bowel resection?"

"No..."

"He does." A nod in Simon's direction. "Or at least his patient better hope to Buddha he does. You don't. He stays. You go. Dong ma?"

Recognizing a tone that would brook no argument, the rest of the crew trooped outside to wait. They stood outside for what seemed like hours, staring at the grey and dull landscape.

“All this just to pick up Moonbrain and drop off tea?” Jayne finally groused. Hell, migh