A New ‘Verse-VIII-Plotting

Dash scratched at a cut above her eye, while the others stared at Mal.

“You got sent to a Bounty Slam, just to bust me out? Tell me it’s a joke.”

“It ain’t a joke, Dash. And it ain’t just you, Kaylee’s little brother here is kinda high on my list o’ priorities. And with the plan I’m workin’ on, its gonna be easier to get a bunch of us out.”

“I’m for that,” said Fian quietly, “I’m looking at life imprisonment. I killed two Alliance soldiers in a riot on Osiris. Hell, I’ll be lucky if they don’t string me up.”

Jeremiah laughed, “I still can’t believe my little sister’d be sailin with a man like you, Reynolds. She just don’t seem the type.”

Mal clapped him on the back, “Believe it, kid. I’m havin’ trouble swallowin’ Kaylee’s brother in a Slam. What did ya do?”

There was a ripple of laughter through the group, Jeremiah’s exploits obviously well known. The boy smiled impudently, running a hand through his brown hair.

“Stole me an Alliance escort fighter right from under the noses of two-score Feds. Flew it half-way around the world before they caught up with me.”

The laughter grew and Dash shoved the younger Frye, “Liar! When you first told that story it was a half-dozen Feds.”

“Whatever! It was forty! I stake my honesty on it.”

“Yeah ‘cos that’s worth a lot.”

“Aww c’mon, cut me a break here, Samul!”

“Boy, you ain’t seen forty feds in one place.”

“Let the kid tell his stories, it isn’t hurting anyone.”

“Hey what do you know Joby? When have you seen any action?”

“What are you getting on-”

“SHADDUP!!!!”

Blake’s roaring baritone split through the group and the argument that had been about to break out was forestalled, everyone falling into various forms of silence.

Jeremiah was the first to recover, grinning that impudent grin that was quickly becoming familiar, “Oh Master Taylor! You could charm the birds from the trees wid that voice o’ yores,” he fluttered his eyelashes at the impassive Blake.

“Stow the Gao Se kid. You wanna see how Mal plans on gettin’ out of here or n