THE TWO COMPANIONS PART VI

(In which our hero, Jorge, settles some old affairs, honors some old traditions and pulls off the hat trick with Serenity's lovely ladies in our little ship on the edge of the black.)

As Serenity climbed out of the ionosphere of New Kashmir, River was idly singing Mera Joota Hai Japani from an old Bollywood rasta about leaving while she danced in the pilot’s seat and calculated atmospheric drift, relative velocities and trajectories to their next destination. However the majority of her brain was devoted to analysis of the complex emotions she had observed in the two couples in Inara's shuttle yesterday. That was a puzzle worthy of her attention.

Mal looked on in bemusement and then drifted down into the galley thinking _ “She’s going to outgrow this boat someday and I’m going to need a new pilot.”_

Jorge had just come up from the hold where he had been leading a capoeira session. Even Jayne and Zoe were learning the fundamentals after Jorge explained that it had been invented by a people who were in chains and that it could even be used if you were in handcuffs. Jayne figured that it could be a useful job skill and Zoe just wanted an excuse to kick Jayne's butt.

Taking a seat beside Jorge, Mal inquired “You ever want to be a pilot, Jorge?”

“You mean besides a shuttle? Well when I was a kid, I always figured I’d end up a ship's pilot. My Ma was a pilot and I think my Pa was one too.”

Mal queried “You think your Pa was a pilot?”

“Yeah” Jorge responded “'cause intra-crew procreation sex was always prohibited due to inbreeding fears. The mother’s usually knew but occasional ship meet-ups were often multi-day free-for-alls so that alliances could be maintained between ships without jealousy rearing its ugly head. Kids were never told their dad's name. Pilots and mechanics usually got first crack at using the engine room and that’s where My Ma told me I got started and I know that she had a weakness for other pilots.”

“Huh.” Mal responded.

“Property and rank always