Mal and the new pilot joined Zoë in the cargo bay. She was taking inventory of their cargo. "Zoë why don't you give Wash the grand tour. I got some business in town."
"Sir, me? I have other things to do."
"Wasn't askin' Zo." Mal smiled as he sauntered off of the ship. She took a deep breathe and looked at their new pilot. Mal has lost it, she thought to herself.
"Follow me." She motioned her hands for him to go with him. He had a stupid grin on his face.
They walked through the cargo bay into the common area and passenger bunks.
"Common area, extra bunks over there." They walked over to the infirmary. "Infirmary." She took him upstairs to the engine room. "Bester." She pointed down to the mechanic who was on his back fixing something. He hopped up to meet the new crewmember.
"Bester….Wash the pilot" They shook hands. Wash thought the he didn't look like much of a mechanic.
"Hey anything you need, man just let me know." Bester said as he went back to work. "Don't have too much fun without me Zo." He shouted as left engine room.
Zoë sighed. She pointed out the shuttles. "Shuttle one, Shuttle two."
"You're a woman of many words huh?" Wash asked as he followed her back towards the bridge. "You can take that bunk there." Zoë pointed down to the same bunk she tried to give Bester when he came aboard.
"Shiny." Zoë started to walk away.
"Flat feet."
"Shah muh?"
"Flat feet, that's why I didn't fight in the war, I have I have flat feet." Zoë just looked at him. "Oh don't worry, my lack of arches don't hinder my flying ability. Nope feet are good when it comes to flying." Zoë tried to walk away again. "Serenity. Didn't the Browncoats loose at Serenity?" Zoë cut her eyes at him. "Sore subject? Sorry." He paused a moment and followed her down to the cargo bay. He just stood around like a lost child while Zoë worked.
Mal walked back in. "How many times you going check that Zo?" he walked over to them.
"Til' we make the drop. Got everything straight."
"Yeah, just gotta wave, Lennox and tell him we'll have his cargo to him in a couple of days." Mal saw the pilot looking a bit out of place. "Zoë been nice, showed you around?"
"Yes, we've just been chatting it up like a couple of school girls, haven't we Zo?" Wash smiled as he turned to look at Zoë.
Mal chuckled. "Good, we take off in a day. So if you have anything else off ship to get, now would be the time."
"Yeah, I got a couple of loose ends to tie up here in town." Wash walked towards the door backwards. "Capitan Reynolds, First Mate Zoë, I will see you two in a few." He saluted them and left.
"We've going to get along fine with that one." Mal wrapped his arm around Zoë. "Yep, you, me, Bester, and the new pilot. Just going to get along fine. Real good crew."
"Yes, Sir one big happy family."
"Glad you see it that way." Mal walked towards the stairs and Zoë followed him to the bunks.
"Really, Sir, he was the best you could find."
"I thought we had this discussion already."
"Sir, he seems…"
"Seems what Zo, Seems what? Look, he got the credentials and he willin' to fly with us."
"He bothers me."
"Tzao-goa Zoë! Who in the verse don't bother you?" Mal was irritated. Mal turned to go down his bunk. "Ok, the Lennox job will be a test run. We'll see how he does after the job. If he still bothers you we can renegotiate then. Until then, Ima gonna sleep."
"But, Capitan."
"Sleep! Zoë, Sleep." Mal went down to his bunk and closes the door. Mal and Zoë didn't always see eye to eye. She wasn't afraid to tell him so either, but somehow they always found a middle ground.
The men where used to hearing Mal and Zoë fight. But this time it was different. They were actually afraid that they were going to kill each other. "Sarg, we got orders to move on from command, what do you want us to do?" asked Reese the communication officer his voice was shaky. He stood there in fear, waiting for the Sergeant's response.
"We hold." Mal said not breaking eye contact with Zoë. She still was eyeing Mal down. They stood there a few moments eyeing each other when a whistling sound came through the air. Mal looked up and it was a missile coming there way. "Get down." He pushed Zoë and Reese to the ground. The others followed suit. The Alliance was attacking them. "Reese, get on comm and tell them we're under fire."
"Yes, sir." Another whistling sound came soaring through the sky.
"We hold. You hear me! We hold. Can't loose this ground." Mal ran up the hill to see what they were facing. "First line. Shoot what ever is moving. Second line, back up first line. Zoë, you're with me." They moved over to the other side to get a better look at what they were up against. "What do you think?" Mal asked Zoë.
"There's a lot more of them, than us Sir."
"I like them odds."
"They won't be expecting us to put up much of a fight."
"So, what do you think we should do, Zoë?"
"Haven't used my grenades in a while."
"That's my girl."
Mal's regiment held for two days before another regiment was able to come and lend a hand.
"Look, who came out to play," Zoë said smirking as she shot off her gun. The 24th came in guns a blazing.
"Nice of you to join us, Will." Mal slapped hands with Will St. John. "Wouldn't miss it for the world, Mal." There was about another hour of fighting before the Alliance soldiers pulled out. The dust began to settle.
"Don't think that you can walk away from this Zoë, just because a few hundred men tried to kill us."
"Wouldn't think of it, Sir." Mal and Zoë circled around each other.
"What's going on between them?" Will asked Reese the comm. officer.
"Don't know Sir, they were fighting before the Alliance came, Sir." Will walked over to Mal and Zoë who are in a heated debate.
"Mal… Zoë what in the name of tyen shiao-duh is going on over here? You got your men thinking that ya'll are going to kill each other. And by the looks of things I think Zoë might win."
"Just settling a disagreement. Maybe you can help us Will."
"Anything."
"Will you tell my second in command that if the tall card isn't claimed the dealer has to take the tall card."
"Shah muh?" Will has a puzzled look on his face.
"Tell Malcolm that the person with the lowest hand claims the tall card." They both look at Will to settle their disagreement.
"You two are fighting about Tall Card?"
"Yeah." Mal answered. "So, Sergeant St. John whose right me or Zoë?"
"I'm confused." Will shook his head. "Mal's right."
"Ha, told you." Mal made a funny face at Zoë. She rolled her eyes.
"I get your beans. Hand 'em over."