Disclaimer: It mostly goes without sayin', but just in case, I'm sayin' it. Not my characters, not my 'verse, not my nothin', except for the story.

When Mal couldn't take it any longer he got up from the copilot's chair and headed for the doorway off the bridge, carefully not looking at the rapidly-spinning vista of sky-ground-sky outside.

"Once we get to orbit just--"

"--Hold and wait till you say where," River finished for him, gazing raptly at the dizzying view beyond the crystoplast canopy. Her legs were folded up under her, and a faded blanket was pulled around her shoulders, the combination nearly making the smallish girl vanish in the depths of the oversized chair. "We're going to Boros, you know," she added a moment later, just as he reached the hatch. "Call me when you decide." He glanced back and saw her already turning to enter the nav calculations, flight controls locked to maintain their spiraling ascent. The screen by her left elbow glowed with the 'Blue Sun Computing--AstroCalc 2489 ver 6.41' logo, and a prompt blinked impatiently, waiting for someone to pay attention and log on.

River ignored it, her fingers dancing over the keyboard with machine-like speed.

Mal almost told her to stop, that he'd appreciate her waiting until he told her their course before starting to calculate it. He didn't say anything, though. Arguing the point was a waste of time; he'd learned that much some while back. So he just glared peevishly at her back for a moment, felt the strobing view outside trying to bring his lunch back up, then retreated to the passage.

Why the girl occasionally felt the need to add a longitudinal, barrel-rolling spin to their ascent, he had not the least idea. At least the ship's internal gravity kept those inside from actually feeling the effects of the maneuver... much. Some minor lurching, sure, a little light-headedness for the few minutes it took to reach orbit... it seemed a small price to pay to keep River happy. Mal, though, found it