A Lack of Serenity

INTRO: CABIN FEVER

Skulking on the Outer Rim, Serenity's drive is vibrating, out of balance- she can't make speed.

In The Black for 43 days without landfall, there is a certain lack of amity aboard Serenity; nobody is getting on with anybody.

MUSIC MONTAGE; INTERCUT VIGNETTES WITH TRAVELLING EXTERIORS OF SERENITY, AS:

MAL stares into his cup, where vibration ripples make odd patterns; it skitters off the table. Fuming off to badger KAYLEE, he is angrily waved off by her plasma welder.

INARA, redecorating her shuttle, seen screeching at MAL for barging in. INARA slams the hatch and pulls a very cute lacy hanging over the port.

ZOE, stonefaced, sits alone in Wash's seat on the Flight Deck.

Now that she's got him, KAYLEE's not so sure she wants SIMON. (Besides, recycling is down and everybody smells like turnips.) She removes SIMON's hand and pats it absently.

JAYNE's turn cooking. MAL, watching JAYNE sloppily chop up their chow with his Bowie Knife, fondly remembers putting JAYNE out the AIRLOCK. (Open the door, Mal)

JAYNE isn't satisfied with his knife's edge. He spits on it; quickly hones it, then... pulling a curly hair from his armpit (or somewhere), splits it and grins. SIMON is moving OOF in the background.

SIMON meanwhile envisions major surgery on JAYNE, without anesthetic. Use your imagination on what kind of surgery.

ZOE sobs her heart out, alone on the Flight Deck.

RIVER stares into space, her expression madder by the second...

ACT ONE

SERENITY ENTERS THE UNEXPLORED KRUX SYSTEM; APPROACHES THE OMINOUS ORANGE & YELLOW RINGED GAS GIANT KRUX IX.

MAL is staring intently at gaps in the Saturnish rings. Several moons orbit right thru them; cats cradle.

ZOE is coldly watching MAL; she's ambivalently battling blame issues over WASH's death.

MAL: Anything hit you odd about those rings?

Offscreen, a shrill Chinese argument between INARA and KAYLEE intrudes. MAL & ZOE talk over it. The