CHAPTER 7

Wash could not have been happier to see Siwa through the front window, the glow from the twin cities – Shali and Aghurmi – framing the landing port. With Zoë sleeping soundly on top of him, he considered just entering a low orbit and circling the planet until morning. The cockpit being slightly more insulated from the barking in the cargo hold, the two had slept together in the pilot’s chair many nights over the past week.

“Zo-bug,” he whispered softly, shifting to disengage the autopilot and alter their approach. Gracefully, she slid off of him, stretched her body, and found her boots. She kissed his cheek as she took the blanket off his lap, folded it, and put it away. The planet was coming up quickly, but that just made landing more fun. He was surprised when Zoë headed out of the cockpit before they were down.

“Where are you going, babe?”

“Cargo bay. So help me God, I am getting those damn beagles OFF my ship tonight!”

“I may just hover over the landing pad,” Wash joked.

“Then I will open the damn door and throw them to the damn ground! But they are not staying on this damn ship one damn second longer than they damn well need.”

Furiously, she opened the storage locker and pulled out the blanket again.

“I’ll parachute the damn animals out if I have to. Xi niu, qing wa cao de liu mang…”

Wash laughed nervously, unaccustomed to seeing Zoë so testy, or to hearing her swear so many times in one sentence. He radioed Mal, to tell him they were landing and warn him that the dogs may be prematurely jettisoned. Mal was not amused.

*~*

When Mal met Zoë in the cargo bay, Jayne and Book were already there, helping move the caged animals to the door. In a few brief waves to their contact on Siwa, Mal had requested a direct meeting with Jantis following their delivery of the dogs. Apparently, Jantis was so excited to receive the cargo, he was coming to the space port that very night to pick one out.

“Let’s hose them down once more and make sure they’re fed,” Mal ordered, feeling the br