Disclaimer: Firefly is Joss' baby. I just want to hold it sometimes.

HAWKS AND DOVES (final part)

* * * * *

Jayne twisted his lip and muttered a curse. “Wo cao!” Unable to decide whether this unpleasant turn of events was Simon's fault for screwing up or Mal's for trusting him in the first place he decided to apportion blame equally.

The smile Simon had been giving Marlon froze on his face, turning into a grimace of shock and fear. “What?..What's the meaning of this?” Despite a valiant effort, his voice had lost its authoritative edge.

Marlon gave him a sardonic grin. “For you the meaning of this is probably a cell much like this one. For me, it'll be promotion and a big fat pay rise.”

“The Inspectorate will never...” Simon tried to threaten him, but Marlon silenced him with a dismissive wave of the hand.

“Stow it, sonny. You ain't with the Inspectorate. Otherwise you wouldn't be telling me Trautmann's seriously ill as though it was a big suprise. The man is terminal.” Marlon paused, savouring the satisfaction of the moment. “It's in all the court papers. Bowden's. Seems he hid out in the mines in the Georgia System for a while. Kind of gratifyin' to know that when browncoat scum go to earth, even the earth can't stomach 'em. So the court decided to commute the death sentence to life. Which ain't gonna be long for him. Although it will be unpleasant, see'n' as how we don't get no pasquilin out here.”

* * * * *

“Ta ma de hun da!” Mal exclaimed. “Zhen daomei. Hear that, Zoe?”

“Hard not to, Sir,” she replied. “What with me sitting right here. Looks like we got complications.”

Mal eyed her warily. “You sayin' this was a xi niao plan?”

She stood up. “Not sayin'. Mostly jus' thinkin', Sir.” Nothing about her tone or face indicated that she was anything other than calm. The way she was hooking grenades onto her belt and loading gun after gun suggested otherwise.

Mal began picking up firearms as well, chambering bullets and testing triggers. “Time for some thrillin' heroics,”