FORTY FIVE MINUTES AGO

“But cap’n, why didn’t you bring them back?” questioned Kaylee.

“Kaylee, there was atleast twenty men marching towards them, probly goin to try an kill em to. But I think our boys will be alright.”

Mal Book and Zoe had just gotten back to the ship and were filling Kaylee, Inara and River in on the situation.

“Mal,” this from Inara, “ you just said twenty men, well armed men that are healthy. Simon Wash and the others could be injured. I mean, yes Wash and Simon can shoot alright, but Jayne and Steve are the only two real fighters. What makes you think any of them will come out alive?”

“becouse,” everyone looked at River, who had been remaining silent until now, “He’s a bird.”

While everyone was saying that it made no sense, Mal decided it was time to let the crew in on what he, and aperently River, knew.

“That ain’t no ordinary man.” Mal started, but was then interrupted by Zoe.

“Sir, Jayne is not exactly normal, but that doesn’t…”

“I wasn’t talking about Jayne,” Mal continued, the smallest hint of a growl in his voice.

“During the war there was the Browncoats, the General Infantry, and we did a lot of fighting for independence, but we weren’t the only ones. There was a branch of the military that was made up of the best, they were called the Raptors, on account of the Purple Bellies being mice compared to these birds of prey. Anyways, the Raptors was split into different groups. One group was the Eagles. They were the fighting machines, There was no man on either side of that war that was stronger or more fierce. Another group were the Falcons, who relied on speed and stealth. Good fighters, but even better pilots. Now you put a small platoon of Eagles and a small platoon of Falcons on one side of the battle field, and a whole army of Purple Bellies on the other, and you can bet that at the end of the day the Raptors will have eliminated every last Alliance soldier on that hell. They’ll have done it without breaking a sweet or feeling even the smallest