Unfinished Business

Chapter Twenty

The next two days saw Dr. Simon Tam, fugitive from justice and former trauma surgeon, become Inspector Simon Marshal, Agent of Parliament. A suitable uniform was found and fitted. The many electronic appliances a true Inspector would be expected to carry were procured – scientific instruments, record keepers, medical encyclopedias, and a priority cortex relay. And Simon had two full fourteen-hour days cramming for the part, learning background information and minutia that might trip him up.

The rest of the crew was almost as busy. Kaylee was so enthusiastic about a real overhaul, however brief, that she spent nearly every waking moment in the bowels of Serenity. She didn’t even miss Simon much, she was so distracted.

When he wasn’t otherwise in briefings and planning sessions, Mal spent his time talking with his fellow captains and discovering a few old friends from the War who had disappeared into the Gopher Hole afterwards. His unease about the trappings of the Independents mellowed in some ways, deepened in others. Seeing old comrades he had thought dead, and discovering them no more radical or crazy than he remembered helped mellow him. A large part of the deepening was due to Zoë.

Zoë had found her own role. At her insistence – and against Mal’s moderate objections – she had volunteered to lead one of the assault and evacuation teams.

“Why?” he had asked, when she had told him – with only a trace of guilt in her eyes.

“Because they need experienced people for the assault teams, Sir. Remember Turk from the 223rd Recon? He’s here. He remembered me from the Gideon Offensive, and recommended me, and they asked real nice.”

“Woulda been nice to have asked me,” Mal said, rubbing his chin.

“Consider this me askin’, Sir,” she said, almost serenely. “I’d be obliged if you went ahead and said ‘yes’. Not like you truly need me on the boat.”

“This ain’t like you, Zoe,” he said, shaking his head. “Can’t say I ain’t concerned.”

“It