I will finish this story even if it kills me.
"Okay you guys there's a lot going on so let's cut the gǒushǐ shall we?" sighed Mal as he entered the crowded dining area.
Both the Leverage team and Mal's crew were sitting on either ends of the long dining table and standing anxiously in corners. Mal took his place at the front of the room with Zoe standing a few feet off to one side and the hitter on the other.
"So," the captain continued, "we didn't find what these guys needed on Hera. Lazaro sold it to a rich guy on Sihnon and, he's in bed with Aden Yang."
Immediately annoyed and angry voices rang out but were quickly silenced by the combined, harsh stares of Mal, Zoe, and Eliot.
"I promised Eliot I'd take him and his friends to Hera and we did but now these guys don't have a way to get home. But we also can't be runnin' round the 'verse getting mixed up in Yang's business. So," he glanced at his second in command then at his old friend, he hadn't informed either of them of his decision. "I aim to take them back to Persephone. They can find some work, do some stabilizing but truth is, we got enough on our plate as it is." He turned to the red-faced hitter. "Now maybe, when we're in a better place, we can do some scheming to get you back home but me and my crew have a need of food and my ship's needn' some parts herself," Kalyee snorted, "and you can't do that without money."
Tension fell over the Leverage crew. Jayne smirked.
"Captain, if I may?" Nate spoke after a few moments.
"What?" Mal straightened, taking a liking to the "captain" bit.
"I think I have a business proposition that will satisfy both of our parties."
All eyes turned to the mastermind. Everyone, including Mal, was curious as to what he could be talking about.
"What exactly are you going on about?"
"From what I gather, these 'jobs' that you and you crew pull aren't entirely legal."
"Damn straight," called Jayne. The captain shot him a look.
"Well, we also operate on the different side of the law, sometimes. We operate in a morally gray area." Nate paused, he could tell he was losing Mal's interest with his speech. He cleared his throat, "We're thieves, con men, grifters, swindlers, whatever you want to call us. Look, the point is the guy that has what we need is also rich, correct? Well, how about we pool our resources? Run a scam on this guy. We get rich, we get home, everyone's happy."
"It's true," interjected Parker, "we're the best."
The hacker chimed in, "We do have the skills to pay the bills."
The captain crossed his arms, "No offense to you, Eliot, but I got no way of known' you are what you say or if you're as good as you say you are." Mal looked confused when Nate gave a nod to his crew.
Parker stood up and walked to the front of the room. She then began to pull objects out of her pockets and lay them on the table. Inara clutched her bare throat when the thief laid her ruby necklace on the table, Jayne scowled when he saw his knife was removed from its sheath, Kaylee checked her empty pockets when a she saw the handful of spare nuts and bolts, and Mal chuckled when he realized his gun was no longer in his holster.
Then Sophie joined the thief and began to demonstrate her skill. She recited all the information she was able to glean from her fellow shipmates over the past few days. The grifter said she knew Simon and River were on the run (probably from someone much worse than the average authorities), Jayne grew up with a number of siblings, and Zoe was offended when Wash questioned her about her relationship with Eliot (after the awkward incident in the cockpit). Then she turned on the captain. "I could also tell you who you and each of your crewmates are attracted to or are you satisfied?"
Everyone except Zoe, Wash, and River shifted uncomfortably in their seats at that statement. "I think you've proved yourself plenty," the captain gave a nervous grin.
"Check this out," Hardison said, calling the attention of the crew. He pulled what looked like a tangle of wires connected to a metallic box the size of an electric outlet out of his pocket. When he connected two particular wires, a catchy song in Chinese played over the intercom.
"Hey, I love this song," Wash announced before he started quietly singing along. His wife sent him a look of annoyance but he continued to sing until the hacker disconnected the wires and placed the device back in his pocket.
"If I had more time, I could do a lot more," Hardison added.
The captain nodded with grudging respect. He was still annoyed the scrawny man probably had the skill set to hijack his ship.
"You already know what I can do, Mal," the hitter said evenly.
There was a pause as the captain's crew absorbed the information. It was slightly unsettling to learn that their guests were hiding such skill sets.
"How 'bout you?" Jayne sneered as he turned to Nate. "Do you have a talent besides making booze disappear?"
Mal glared at the man's comment but the mastermind only stared with deliberate coolness. "My 'talent' is using people. I took these people and their skills and turned them into a weapon. By themselves, they're impressive but together, with me, we take down countries."
Jayne slumped back in his seat with his arms crossed, trying to look as brooding as possible although he found himself intimidated with Nate's demeanor.
Mal shook his head and chuckled, "Y'know, Nate, we just might have some common ground after all."
Translation(s)
Gǒushǐ = shit
