Disclaimer: Not mine, no pay.

Thanks: To Jacqui, Josh and to Rion, my own personal BDH. You guys are the greatest.

Rating: PG-15 for violence

Remarks: Mal’s job goes all to hell.

Set after “Objects in Space”. Inara has departed from Serenity and things on board ship are getting more difficult. Click on my name to read the backstory. They’re all backstory.

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Leaps of Faith

Chapter Nine

Mal and Zoë have dragged the unsealed crate out in front of the others and flipped up the lid to show the weapons within. Awaiting the approaching men, they are both tense, wary. Both have unsnapped the peace straps on their weapons in the event things get ugly.

Mal can feel the tall, dark woman behind him like an oak tree. She stands, feet well apart, where she has many times, one of the few people in his chaotic life he trusts and can depend on.

“Now Zoë, anybody starts shootin’, we can use that stack of crates for cover. Anything happens to me, get the hell outta here and back to the ship so you can come rescue me, dong ma?”

“Just one thing, Sir?” she asks, her voice low and wry. “Am I supposed to rescue Jayne, too?”

++++

Emerson and his men come to a halt about twenty yards from the crates. All are rough sorts, heavily armed, and dressed in a mixture of cast-off military and civilian clothing. Their mounts snort and stamp; the men are still, wary.

The one-eyed man cocks his head back, stares hard at the two before him, takes in the open crate, the stack of more. He laughs once, a hard sound more like bark.

“So you’re Malcolm Reynolds. You Monte’s brother?”

Mal is still, watchful. “Nope, we’re cousins, fought together back’n the war. His boat’s broke down so he hired me to make his delivery to ya. Got off Santo clean as ya please and we’re just ready to get paid and head hom