EXT. FIELD – DAY

OVER – SHADOW

Serenity lands in an empty field.

INT.SHUTTLE II – DAY

Zoe sits at the controls getting it ready as Simon, Mal and Jayne move the laser crates inside.

MAL

Ok, that’s it. Simon you have the boat.

JAYNE

What? He’s in charge? You never left me in charge before.

ZOE

And never will.

MAL

Jayne, you’re always on the job so how could you be in charge of the boat?

JAYNE

Yeah, but…

SIMON

Don’t worry Jayne. We won’t leave you behind. Captain, any orders while you’re gone?

MAL

Keep an eye for any feds. Have River keep watch on our sensors. She knows what to do.

SIMON

About my parents and Kaylee’s father…

MAL

Still thinking on that. We ain’t forgot them. Got a job to do first. Maybe get some insight on what River was talking about. Don’t fret Doc. No harm will come to them long as he thinks he needs them.

INT. INARA’S SHUTTLE – DAY

Kaylee and Inara have tea.

INARA

He’ll be fine.

KAYLEE

I’m just worried. Daddy might do something stupid to rile them feds up. Simon and him is all I got in the verse. I gotta trade my man to set my daddy free? It ain’t right.

INARA

They need your father and the Tams. Mal has a plan. He’ll find out if what River said is true, get people on Shadow on our side. Get people mad at the Alliance.

KAYLEE

When people get mad they get hurt. Or killed. No one believed us about Miranda.

INARA

They will if we can prove the Alliance is trying to do the same again. It’s Mal’s home planet after all. He must have some friends here. Well, maybe family.

KAYLEE

Not too many, way I hear it. His daddy died when he was wee and his momma just before you joined us.

INARA

Oh. I didn’t know.

KAYLEE

Capt’n is tightlipped about his past. But you ain’t are you? Tightlipped I mean. So tell me what happened?

INARA

What do you mean?

KAYLEE

Between you and the Capt’n.

INARA

(blushing)

Nothing happened.

KAYLEE

Your Companion skills are slipping. Come on. We all saw you on the bridge.

INARA