"You've got ten seconds to tell me what you're doing on my ship, and what that thing is," a no-nonsense voice said, the cold metal of a muzzle of a gun pressing against the side of his head above his ear.
"Yes, it's good to meet you too," The Doctor said, raising his hands, smiling.
"And you'd be?" A woman with long curly dark hair asked, the blaster she held at her hip trained on his chest.
"I'm the Doctor. And that is my ship. But the guns, you really don't need so many guns," he replied, shaking his head.
"My Veronica thinks different," A gruff voiced man retorted from where he stood to the left, brandishing an enormous machine-gun. The woman quirked an eyebrow, mouthing, "Janyne," at the man, who made a face back, muttering, "What?"
"That's all fine, but you still ain't answered the question," the Captain said calmly, lowering his gun to chest level, still training it on the Doctor.
"Yes, well, it was rather an accident," the Doctor responded.
"You working for anybody, Doctor? Say, Alliance?"
"No, no. I'm just a traveler."
"Well it's a long way from anywheres touristy out here." Jayne quipped.
"Yes, as I was saying, I didn't mean to intrude. Things just got a bit wobbly, and I made a bit of an emergency landing in the middle of sp—"
"Space. Time and Relative dimension in Space," a waif-like girl said as she wandered around the corner, from the next compartment, her gaze fixed on the intruder.
"Oh, why, you're, you're brilliant!" The Doctor replied, a grin spreading across his face.
"That so?" the Captain asked.
"You're the Doctor, a lonely god. You came here this time. Time. Lord of Time," the girl continued, smiling mysteriously to herself.
"River!" A male voice called up the hallway, its owner's footsteps echoing against the metal grate.
"Get her out of here," the Captain commanded as the young man rounded the corner as he chased his sister.
"No!" River retorted. "No, I need to see him, Simon."
Simon's face fell. "Look, he's the intruder Wash detected. We need to go back to our rooms—"
"Not our rooms! I need to talk to him. He's a Lord of Time." She smiled widely as she spoke.
"River, do what your brother says," the Captain interrupted.
"No, he's important. The Doctor."
"If you won't try to kill me in so doing, I'd like to examine her," The Doctor spoke up.
"I don't think—" Simon began.
"Okay, Time Lord," River replied, stepping toward him.
"River—" Simon said.
"It's alright," the Captain assured him. "He's not doing a damned thing till he tells us who he is."
"If I must repeat myself, I am the Doctor, and she is correct, I am a Time Lord. My ship seems to have broken through the transdimensional membrane, a weak spot between universes, if you like, and landed here. Wherever here is." He slowly reached into his pocket, opening a wallet with the psychic paper.
"This is the Serenity," The Captain replied, nodding, holstering his gun. "I'm Captain Malcom Reynolds. Sorry 'bout the show there. But we had to know who we were dealing with." Mal nodded to the other two, who lowered their weapons.