Mal and his crew had been stuck on Mobul, one of the main planets, for almost a month. They did not have enough fuel to go looking for jobs elsewhere and it was more likely for them to get a job in this wealthier part of the skies.
Except for Inara, who liked the jobs she was getting, the manners of the locals and the places she could visits and shop, no one on Serenity seemed to enjoy the atmosphere let alone the people around this particular planet. It seemed as if no one there even knew that other planets were not as well off as this one. Most of all, there was no awareness of the dangers in the sky, or at least it appeared that way.
"Must be nice to live in such a bubble" Mal grunted as him, Jayne and Kaylee walked about the area where they heard it was more likely they could find a job. " It is..." dreamed the girl, forgetting for a moment that she was wearing stained coveralls.
The three found a bar of sorts and decided to hang out for a while and see if they would hear word of any work.
Two well dressed men were sitting at the corner table and watched this odd bunch walk in and settle down to some pretty hard drinks. It was pretty clear to the two that this particular lot must not live in their mists and that they were looking for underground work, something off the Alliance's radar.
Mal was soon approached by the younger of the two guys, while the other observed at a distance. Even though Jayne was a bit larger than the captain and had more of a bad ass look, it seemed pretty obvious that Mal was in charge. Maybe it was his walking in ahead of the other two, maybe the serious look on his face or just the way he held himself; whatever it was,the younger well dressed man walked right up to him and asked permission to pull up a chair next to him. Mal nodded but his head moved just enough to the side to indicate for the young man to pull up a little further away than he had initially intended to.
It did not take long for the two to get to the point: James, the young man, was inquiring about what jobs the captain was willing and able to do and Mal was trying to get the real deal on what this job really was. That's when James invited Mal, and just Mal, to move over to the older gentleman's table.
" We usually get the scoop on jobs together..." said Jayne, sounding confident. "We do? " thought Mal, but he left it as just a thought, not keen on undermining his crew in front of strangers. "It's ok Jayne" he said instead, "we'll talk about it a little later".
"That means he will let you know what he decided, all by himself, about what he's getting us into" Kaylee whispered in Jayne's ear, just to make sure he knew which end was up.
Mal quickly learned that even this older gentleman was not the guy looking to contract him, but just another step before he got to the customer. All he knew now was that someone needed to be transported to another Alliance planet, Makura; the tricky part being that it was the most removed of the Alliance planets, meaning that they would have to fly though dangerous skies, Reavers and all. "Why not go the official route, fancy ships and all?" asked Mal. This is when he was informed that he could meet the customer later that night at a private residence.
The Captain and his partial crew returned to the ship for a while, checking in with the others . Wash and Zoe were nowhere to be found, which only meant one thing. Mal and Jayne exchanged a knowing look and a smirk.
Simon was studying some books he had scored the day before while out with River. His sister was laying on the floor in her bunk staring at the ceiling, wishing she had been allowed to leave the ship with Mal and Kaylee and Jayne.
Jayne and Kaylee explained to the rest of the crew over dinner why Mal was out and they all got a little excited about the prospect of a job AND getting out of Mobul.
Mal met with the customer at a residence that was one of the fanciest he had ever seen. It sounded like this man, whose name he still did not know, needed his daughter to be transported to Makura to attend a prestigious school. Alliance ships were not safe as this man had enemies and some of them had connections with the Alliance. Officially this man was good with the Alliance, but someone could get to his daughter in one of their ships. Hence the need to hire someone that could transport her safely to the planet she would be staying at for the next two years.
"I don't transport children" Mal said, thinking that River was not a child, really, and that he was not transporting her.
"Savi is not a child" the man said almost amused, "she is a young woman of seventeen, and I am willing to make it worth your while".
Mal liked the sound of the compensation and since this would only take maybe three weeks, it did sound like a good job after all. He would also be given papers to show to the Alliance, just in case, but with a warning to make a run for it should things start to look bad and his daughter be in danger.
Mal agreed in principle to the terms of the job and this is when two teenage girls walked in the room. One was clearly the man's daughter, by looks and demeanor. The other looked more like a servant of sorts. She was probably a couple of years younger, her skin pale and her hair flaming red; she also had blue markings on her forehead, like a tattoo. Mal knew this a meant she was of a lower caste on this planet . The girls seemed friendly and acted like sisters almost.
Roger, the father, introduced his daughter Savi and her companion Suna. They both walked up to Mal, Savi in front, confident and smiling and Suna almost hiding just a bit behind her, clearly the shy one of the two.
Roger informed the girl about the arrangements and that this would all have to happen the next day. Savi made a sad face and turned to look at her friend. "Can Suna come with, just for the trip and then come back here?" "No" Roger said" Suna is not allowed to leave this planet and besides, that would cost me extra to have the captain have to come back again"
"But Father! I am not ready to say goodbye to Suna yet and it would be much, much more fun to have her along, right Suna?" From the looks of the little redhead she did not really like being put in that position. "This is going to be interesting" thought Mal.
What happened next would take a chapter from a psychiatric text to explain, but Mal saw it all unfold and did not utter a word: a very smart 17 year old bat her eyes just enough, pout just enough and move about the room in a very calculated flirtatious manner. She spoke fast and did not make the mistake of sounding too whiny. She was good, really good. Her father tried to explain that her friend would be in danger of being taken by the Alliance with the possibility of not returning home to her family. Savi explained how this could be Suna's only chance to ever see the skies and travel. It did not take much more than that and Roger agreed. He checked with Mal, finally.
"Sounds a bit selfish to endanger the girl" was the best he could do at the moment, still fascinated at how this girl had worked her dad. "But I really want to go, please?" Suna came to her friend's rescue and Mal knew Roger had made up his mind.
"So be it" the Captain said and shook his head just a little. Savi noticed and moved closer to Mal and he knew immediately that she was going to try and work on him now, so he looked her in the eyes for a few seconds and said " not with me..." and turned around to face Roger.
The two made arrangements for the girls to be delivered to Serenity in the morning, as well as 2/3 of the payment. The last 1/3 to follow upon Suna's return.
Mal came back to a sleeping crew and started mapping out the itinerary, but without Wash it seemed impossible to make much sense of the maps he was looking at.
At breakfast Mal informed the crew of the job he had secured for them. Kaylee and River asked about the girls , their ages first.
"17, huh?" Jayne said "that older one pretty?"
"Don't even think about it Jayne, and as for your question, I don't know , did not look at her well enough"
Mal thought about that a moment. It was true, he had not really looked at her much. He supposed she must have been ok enough, dark hair seemed like, not tall, not short. Normal girl he guessed. He had never been one much attracted to young girls, not that young, anyway. He better keep an eye on Jayne though.
The girls showed up with a lot of bags. Zoe, Kaylee and Wash waited for the payment and headed out to get supplies.
Inara and River showed the girls their bunk, while Mal talked some more with Roger. The guy seemed nice enough but Mal had lost just a bit of respect for the man after seeing how his daughter had worked him over.
Mal thought about the logistics of the trip and how he would rather keep the girls among themselves to avoid any trouble.
He wanted to talk to Inara about his concern mostly over Jayne and Savi, but he also needed to show confidence about the cargo that both Zoe and Wash had expressed some worry over.
Serenity took off a few hours later. After half a day and now in some fairly safe skies, the crew met up for dinner. Simon had put together a pretty decent meal and the crew seemed happy to have something fresh for a change. Introductions were finally over and Mal noticed how Inara was observing Savi while she met everyone at the table. Inara, now there was a woman that Mal could not help but notice; beauty, brains and a way about her that exhumed confidence and strength. Mal was so focused on Inara that he missed what she didn't: Savi had a completely different way about her when she spoke to the guys on the ship. You could say it was subtle, but not to Inara. She had Jayne so mesmerized, he barely ate. Wash knew better than to give her too much attention. Simon had something on his mind, but he seemed to enjoy her company quite a bit. Suna did not say much throughout dinner but she was friendly with the new people she was meeting. River was down right studying Savi and Simon had to nudge her twice as she made some odd looking faces trying to imitate Savi.
Savi kept looking over at Mal and was getting a little frustrated that he was either looking at Inara or at her without really responding to the stories she was telling the crew. She was not used to being ignored .
Over the last two years it seemed like she was getting a lot of attention by men and maybe because she knew she was not stunning, but a nice looking girl, she liked the attention. She had practiced on her dad since she was little and since her mom had died during childbirth, he let her if not quite encouraged her. Savi was only looking for some attention, her father thought, but he did not know about the trouble that had gotten her in just a few months previously. The short version of that sad story is that in her pursuit of the attention of a man that was visiting her father, she ended up getting more than she had bargained for . In the man's eyes she had invited his moves, his hands to explore her most intimately. She had protested only mildly, feeling guilty for being such a flirt with the guy. She managed to find an excuse for leaving his room and ran to hers to cry herself to sleep. Not even Suna knew about this. Still Savi did not spend much time reflecting on why she kept on seeking grown men's attention. She liked it but to a point.
As they finished dinner, Inara broke a mostly comfortable silence by saying" Savi and Suna, kindly clear the table and then help Walsh with the dishes." Everyone looked up a bit surprised. It was Wash's turn and if anyone it would be Mal to address any changes in the cleaning arrangements. Mal was tired and distracted but he knew eyes were on him and he made the best of it " yup. Actually I need Wash to look over some maps with me, so the two of you's just do the whole thing. Jayne you show them where everything is, ahhhctually no, Simon you do that".
"What? I don't mind captain, I sure don't" protested Jayne.
"Or maybe you to do the whole thing yourself Jayne?" Questioned Mal, no longer distracted.
"Ehm, no Captain, I reckon Simon can show them, just like you said. Go ahead Simon, get a move on it buddy" Jayne replied, trying to gain back a little face and show some pull of his own.
Simon was not one to play that kind of game and got up with the girls.
Mal let Jayne do his little power thing, as he was glad the girls just got up and started clearing the table. "This might go well after all" he smiled to himself.
Simon helped clear the table and then showed the girls where everything was in the kitchen. When he was about to walk out Savi called him back " Simon, it would be so very nice of you to help...I mean keep us company "
Simon would have, but he had interrupted his medical research to make dinner and wanted to get back to it, so he kindly declined.
Savi and Suna, the latter mainly, got to work and soon had most of the dishes done. Savi was trying to be helpful but she was not used to working and seemed to get in the way of the little redhead more than anything.
Suna was filling the sink a third time for the last batch of pots and pans. "Come on Suna let's go see what everyone else is doing" " But Saviii, we should finish first. Oh, but maybe these could use to soak a little"
And so the two friends got to explore the ship a bit.
They spent some time trying to have a conversation with River but that was pretty hard. Suna seemed to get River a little more than Savi did. Savi found Jayne working out in the cargo area. Suna was tired and fell asleep on a crate of supplies while Jayne tried to talk a little and continue to work out in front of Savi. All was going well, Jayne thought, until Mal stormed through the door.
He looked around to find Suna curled up in a ball that looked too small to be real, and Jayne without his shirt on showing off another pull up to Savi, who was wearing the smallest shirt Mal had seen in a while.
"What in the Goram planet is going on here?" The captain short of yelled out.
"Captain, Mr Jayne here was telling me all about the last job where he saved the ship from Reavers...and Suna is tired from all the work...we did...?" Savi tried her best to sound innocent but still sincere.
Jayne just hopped off the bar and reached for his shirt looking a little embarrassed, mainly when Savi told about his heroic adventure.
Suna woke up and tried to figure out what was going on.
"Jayne and the Reavers, well, that's one story...what about not finishing the work I gave you two?" He said looking over at where Suna had been curled up, but by now she was walking as quietly as she could toward Savi.
Mal was not very happy at finding a sink full of pots when he went to fetch something to drink before going to bed. But he was more upset at the scene he walked into just now. He tried to think fast and figured he could only be so mad since he had not made things clear to the girls, nor to Jayne as far as boundaries. He would talk to Jayne in private later.
"You two...I expect you to help out around here. Your fare included the voyage and food and a bunk. No service, no maid. Everyone needs to pitch in. What I say here goes" as he gave Jayne a serious look" and that is that. Jobs I assign you need finishing or there will be consequences, clear?" At this Suna started to slowly walk toward the captain while Jayne muttered " yes captain..". When Suna stopped she was probably three feet away from Mal. She looked so small compared to Mal, both Savi and Jayne thought, yet she straightened herself and looked up into his face and said "Captain, I decided to let the dishes soak so we could take a break. I knew at the time we should just finish the job but I decided to leave anyway. Then I fell asleep and never got back to it..."
Savi thought she should help her friend at this point but nothing Suna said was untrue and she just wanted to see how this all played out. Jayne was too busy looking at Savi to understand what was going on, but he still thought that little thing was a brave one. Suna on the other hand was not feeling brave at all but was trying hard not to show it.
Mal was taken aback. He figured that since he had not explained the rules and expectations he was going to leave it at that. Now this little girl was looking at him with some fear and yet straight in the eyes. In general he liked his crew to have some fear driven respect for him, and he knew any kid on board would mind better that way, but he was not expecting this. Before he could say anything Suna continued " I know I did wrong and I am ready to take my punishment Captain" Mal understood that in her social rank, which all were constantly reminded of by her markings on her forehead , there was little room for disobedience. While he looked at her somewhat impressed and deciding what to do next, Savi interrupted with " oh come on Suna, the Captain doesn't hit people like you are used to". While Mal tried to figure out what that meant exactly, Jayne exclaimed " oh yes he hits, and hard too.." and started punching the air " right captain"?
Mal looked down at Suna who seemed more worried by the second. He reached for a small crate and sat down closer to the red headed girl. She was still looking at Mal and tried to sound brave as she said " like that, Captain?"
Mal looked Suna in the eyes as he moved his arm around her side . After saying " no, not like that" he reached for her bottom and gave her one single smack "like this. If I have to". It did not hurt, but it was not a playful swat either. For a moment Suna thought it was the first of a series and she closed her eyes and tightened her body just a little. Mal saw this and figured this girl would not be much trouble and he also felt for her. Suna opened her eyes and realized Mal was not going to smack her again, but she understood the message, that he would if she gave him reason to. Mal squeezed her shoulder a bit and after she moved back next to Savi he said" Savi, looks like your friend took all the blame here. I will leave it at that for now. You two can finish the kitchen in the morning."
After the girls walked out Mal detailed for Jayne how he was to stay away from the girls, particularly Savi, unless there was a need for him to be round her. Definitively no time alone with her. Jayne huffed and called this bullshit and Mal let him, because he knew Jayne understood how serious Mal was about this by his tone and the look he gave him.
Savi was glad that Suna made out ok; even though the little redhead was technically a servant in her family, she cared for her. She wanted to be as loyal and kind to her friend as Suna was to her; she just did not know how and tonight was just another example.
"Did that hurt?" She asked once they were alone in their bunk. "No, it didn't. But I bet the captain can make it hurt. Did you look at his hands? They are big and calloused!" Savi realized that she never even thought about that and that her younger friend, having seriously considered this had taken notice of his hands at some point during their interaction. "I don't like the captain much, Suna, I bet you don't either huh?"
Suna thought about this and replied " I don't know him enough, I guess, but he seems all right to me. "
Savi laid down and thought about why she said she did not like the captain much. She didn't because he did not seem to like her, or even notice her, for that matter.
"Good night. And thank you for taking the blame. You could have told about my encouraging you to leave the job unfinished" Savi thought the captain probably figured she had something to do with it and that wasn't scoring her any points either...
On his way to his own bunk Mal ran into Inara and filled her in on the night's events. "That Savi, she is used to getting her way with men and she is good at it. Better watch your crew. She's too young for the kind of trouble she could get into. You are the perfect man for the job Mal, she needs someone like you. I bet right now you are very confusing to her". Inara spoke truthfully. She did not dislike the 17 year old, nor did she feel threatened; she was just concerned of what this girl could potentially get into either now or at some point in her life.
" yeah, well,I either keep her locked away from all of us or this becomes a project I did not bargain for.." Mal mumbled as he walked off in the narrow hall, wishing he hasn't brought up the girls with Inara and instead entertained something more interesting with her.
Morning came way to soon for both girls and Suna prompted Savi to hurry up and get to finishing their job in time for someone else to be ale to cook breakfast. The two ran out their bunk and down the hall, around the corner, almost right into Mal and Kaylee. Suna came to a sudden stop and then pushed herself against the wall as she passed the Captain and the mechanic, managing not to touch either. She did look up at Mal while squeezing into the wall, wondering if she could fit by him without touching. Mal, a bit amused, tried to push his own frame against the opposite wall to accommodate the lithe girl. Suna made it by Kaylee without effort. Savi knew she could not achieve that so she tried a little conversation " morning Captain, Kaylee, should we toss a coin to see who needs to back up here?"
"You'll have to.." was all Mal,said. He did not sound mean,just matter of factly. Savi had hoped for a little more conversation or even a smile..but she could tell from all eyes looking at her that no one else was in the mood for her game this morning. But didn't the captain smile a bit at Suna?
Mal and Kaylee resumed their conversation and it sounded like engine parts and other boring stuff to Savi, who turned around and walked a few yards to a wider area around the corner. The two adults passed her and Kaylee nodded with a smile.
Once the girls made it to the kitchen Simon was already there and had started on the dishes. "Oh, , we will do that. Sorry we left a mess for you" Suna said a little worried. Savi chimed in with " but maybe the doctor does not mind helping us out a bit, do you doc?"
Simon was almost done and was about to reply with that simple fact, when Suna protested " no Savi! please doctor let us finish up, please?"
Simon was surprised at the girl's urgency and moved to the side to make room for her. Savi was more interested in talking to Simon than helping her friend. She started asking him questions about his home planet and pulled up a tall stool to sit on to be more eye level with the man. Simon was about to answer another question when she saw him look past her at the door. She didn't have enough time to turn around before she felt someone, Mal, gripping her arm and almost lift her off the stool and back down to the ground. She did not like to have to look up at the men, but for a moment thought about using this to her advantage. Before she could think about the particular angle she wanted to work Mal almost yelled out " I let last night pass without asking more questions, now I get the picture a little better! You have no problem having Suna do the work for you and take the blame too. That will not fly here. You do your own part and then take responsibility for where you fail to live up to the expectations!
" Mal...I was going to help her.." Tried Savi.
" it's either Captain or Sir to you and you do not interrupt me, understood?" Mal was waiting for an answer but Savi just stood there with a defiant look on her face. "Savi?" Mal demanded.
" oh, are you done? I did not want to interrupt you " Savi said with a sigh.
Simon watched this interaction with interest and Suna with a horrified look on her face.
" you keep this up and you will face the consequences of being a smartass Savi."
" what are the consequences , Captain ? " Savi asked and Mal knew she was sincere in her question if with an attitude.
Mal sighed. Fine, here it goes, he thought, just as Jayne and Kaylee walked into the kitchen. Having a bigger audience did not deter the captain from spelling this out clearly for Savi, and Suna too.
" The consequence for being disrespectful to me is going to be you getting spanked. How hard and how long depends on how far you push me. The consequence for not doing as I tell you, is going to be you getting spanked. The consequence for any lying, stealing and other nonsense , is going to be you getting spanked..."
"I get it, ok, stop!" Savi yelled out wishing she had never asked the question, focusing more on the raised eye brows and slightly embarrassed faces looking around the room, than on the actual information she was getting.
".. The consequence for yelling at me is going to be you getting spanked" Mal added a little louder" and now that you know, you will not get a pass again. Anything else I need to cover?"
" no Sir" Suna stepped in, hoping to end this now.
Savi was trying to register the information now and suddenly realized all eyes were on her, including a frustrated looking Captain..
" no sir" she managed to let out but not without everyone hearing the the choked tears in her throat.
Savi and Suna finished the last bit of clean up while Simon started on breakfast . Mal walked out of the kitchen first, everyone stepping out of his way rather quickly. Word was out that the Firefly was about to enter some dangerous skies and that always put Mal on edge. This little incident wasn't going to help his mood any.