Sibling Rivalry
Part 4: Dead man walking
"I'M WHAT?" Mal look ready to burst a blood vessel after Zoë and Book reported what they had leaned.
"Dead; gunfight on Persephone about 5 years back, according to your uncle." Zoë couldn't help be smile slightly, "And Sam ran off and married herself a nice Alliance officer on Zeus."
"Jien tah duh guay!" Sam exclaimed, "If I ever get my hands on him I'm going to…"
"Save it for later Mei-mei." Mal stopped her mid rant, "How many men he got?"
"I counted at lest 12 men; all armed." Book looked worried, "I don't think he'll give up without a fight."
"Then we'll take it over his dead body!" Sam looked ready to take the entire planet on her own.
"I think the two of you should seriously think about just how much this Ranch means to the two of you." Wash looked up from his seat, "And I'm not just talking about money here: is it worth getting killed over?"
"You meh, tah mah duh hwoon dahn!" Sam pulled back her fist to punch the pilot, but Mal grabbed her arm before Zoë could intercede.
"That is enough!" Mal glared sternly at his sister, "Mom didn't bring you up to talk like that!" He swallowed, "And Wash is right: as much as I hate to see someone like Philo win, we have to ask ourselves if it's worth it."
"Maybe Philo was right: maybe my brother is dead." Sam turned on her hills and stormed off.
"Sam, we need to talk." Mal thumped his fist against the hatch to her room, the red 'locked' light remaining lit, "Don't be so yu bun duh Sam."
"Chur ni-duh!" Came back his sister's reply, "Why did you even bother coming back here? You could have just left me back at the station."
"Because you're my little sister and looking out their little sisters is what big brothers do." Mal pulled his override card from his back pocket and used it on the lock, "I'm no happier about this than you are, but we can't go-off half cocked…" He stopped dead when he reached the bottom of the ladder and saw his sister was curled up on the bed crying, "Don't cry mei-mei."
"Drop dead Mal."
"Look: we're going to get the Ranch back, one way or another, we just have to plan it carefully to make sure we do it right."
"That's not what you said…"
"I say a lot of things, most of which is a load of old gos se. I don't like the idea of that hwoon dahn Philo getting away with this, but if I just walk in the front door I'm as dead as Earth-that-was."
"So what's the plan?"
"Is there anyone around here who might know the truth, who might help us?"
"Yeah: Hank McGee."
"Old Hank? He's got to be a hundred years old by now!"
"No, Little Hank, his great-grandson. I was at school with him, remember?"
"Little Hank? Ai ya! It really has been a while since I was home; he was just a kid when I left."
"So was I Mal."
"Think he's up to it? And I don't just mean 'will he help us': is he actually capable of doing anything?"
"He's the one who helped me get away in the first place. We can trust him."
"You sure about that?"
"If you're not going to trust me, how are you ever going to trust my friends?"
"Point."
It was getting dark by the time Mal, Zoë and Sam arrived at the McGee farm. The last few rays of the sun cast long shadows across the front yard that the bright spotlights on the houses veranda obliterated with several hundred watts of halogen-brightness.
"Who's there?" A voice called out, backed up by the sound of a shotgun being primed, "Show yourselves!"
"Getting a little jumpy in your old age Hank?" Sam smiled as she stepped through the gloom and into the light, "It's been a while."
"That it has." The voice replied, then a smiling face eclipsed the lights, "To damn long!"
"Good to see you too!" Sam walked up and embraced the farmer, "Told you I'd be back one day."
"Philo know you're back?"
"Na, not yet, but he will."
"You're going to need more that that old shotgun of your Pa's to go to war with that huh choo-shung huh tza-jiao duh tzang-huo."
"I'm not alone." Sam turned round, "You can make your entrance now."
"Ok." Mal stepped into the light, leaving Zoë behind with her gun trained on Hank, just in case, "Been a while Junior."
"Wuo duh ma" Hank blinked, "Malcolm Reynolds! You know that folk round here think you're dead?"
"Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated." Mal smiled, offering his hand, "And not for the first time."
"That I can believe." Hank shook the offered hand, "Well you all better come in. Your friend out there with the Remington too, unless she like it out here in the cold."
"How did you know I was out there?" Zoë asked, "I know I didn't make a sound."
"Don't take it too personal." Hank smiled as he poured the coffee, "I grew up on this farm, keeping an eye out for coyotes and other critters: you develop good night-vision, or you lose chickens real fast."
"That I can believe!" Mal smiled, "It was a widely held belief that his Pa didn't need a light to read by. Say, what happened to old Zack?"
"Dead." Hank sat back in his chair, "Sheriff says it was drifters, but I know Philo had him killed. No offence, I know he's your blood and all, but that man is the meanest, trickiest rattlesnake ever to crawl on the earth."
"None taken: Ma always said her family cursed the day he was born." Mal shivered, "Who is the Sheriff anyway?"
"Philo Junior; he's also Mayer, Magistrate, Fire Chief and Notoriety." Hank shook his head, "His Pa brought him every position he could, they practically own the town these days: no-one's got the guts or muscle to stand against him."
"Got it all worked out, hasn't he." Sam looked dark and angry, a very dangerous mix, "What's he been up to recently?"
"Been buying up every homestead he can get his hands on." Hank sighed, "He owns half the valley and most of the mines south of here. The guy's got more money than some planets, and Alliance backing for his games."
"What's the Alliance want with him?" Mal asked, intrigued.
"He provides most of the foodstuffs for the garrison in the capital; not to mention his whore-houses keep the troops entertained and liquored-up." Hank shook his head, "If you're going to take him down, you'll have to do it fast and hard, or before he'll have so many hire guns around that you'll think the war had started again."
"So, what's the news?" Wash was waiting for them when they got back to Serenity, "What we doing?"
"We're going to move the ship to the farm for now." Mal hit the controls to close the door, "We all need to get the lay of the land if we're going to do this right."
"Ok, I'm on it." Wash nodded, taking the steps back to the bridge two at a time.
"You and Hank seem real friendly back there." Mal looked at his sister.
"Shared experiences I guess." Sam smiled coyly, "We go way back."
"I'm getting the impression that there is something you're not telling me." Mal shook his head, "And I also think I don't want to know." He walked off."
"So what did happen between you and Hank?" Zoë asked, head cocked to the side.
"Let's just say we learned a lot together," Sam grinned as she walked off, "not all of it at school…"
To Be Continued…
