LOST CONVERSATIONS VII

1. WHERE MAL FIRES BESTER IN “Out of Gas”

INT. SERENITY, ENGINE ROOM

Bester looks at Mal with a look of disbelief as he fixes his clothes.

BESTER

Whaddya mean you really don’t?

Mal starts to walk away as Bester follows.

INT. AFT HALL

BESTER

Mal! Are you firing me?

MAL

(not stopping)

Appears to be so.

BESTER

What? (beat) Wait!

INT. DINING AREA - DAY

Zoe and Wash are sitting, drinking coffee, grinning and laughing about something, holding hands.

They see Mal and Bester coming, release hands quickly, put on straight faces.

WASH

Was there a young lady who just got off the boat?

ZOE

Seemed mighty happy, sir.

MAL

She’s our new mechanic.

ZOE

(puzzled)

Sir? New mechanic?

BESTER

(pleading)

Give me a chance here, Mal. She’s just a girl, she don’t know nothin’ about a Firefly.

MAL

More than you.

ZOE

What’s going on?

MAL

Tell you what's going on. If you two hadn’t noticed, we got our engine running again.

(looking at Bester, cold)

After a week of sitting.

WASH

So, we can go?

MAL

Not yet. Waiting for our new mechanic to come back.

ZOE

Sir, I hate to point this out but, we really don’t need two mechanics.

MAL

Exactly. Bester’s gettin’ off.

WASH

He is?

BESTER

Mal, you can’t leave me on this rock. Ain’t nothin here.

MAL

Nothing except a prairie harpy that seems to know her way round a Firefly better than you.

ZOE

(getting it, to Wash)

She fixed the engine.

MAL

Seems that young lady knows more about engines here than our former mechanic so she’s got his job and Bester here is outta luck.

BESTER

(determined)

I got wages coming to me.

MAL

(angry)

You got nothin’ coming to you. That job on Paquin be more than likely gone by time we get there. You mighta just cost us a good payday plus a small piece of my reputation.

BESTER

Mal...that ain’t right.

MAL

You took this job I said as long you keep her in the air, she’s yours. Instead of doing your job you’re off chasing girls and bedding them when you shoulda be thinking more about your crewmates an