CHAPTER TWO • Xiaoxiao

"River?" Simon called, following his sibling as she threaded through the mass of bodies filling the marketplace. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know," she answered. "I'll know when we get there." Glancing behind her, she directed, "Keep up with me. Don't fall back. You'll get lost."

Shaking his head in puzzlement—how could River not be lost? she had never been here either! how could she seem so familiar with the area?—he plunged onward after the girl.

Moments later, she stopped abruptly, and Simon nearly crashed into her. "Nïhäo," River said. A boy, around thirteen years old and with a lumpy sack slung over one shoulder, glanced up from the basket of fruit he had been inspecting.

"(Oh! You're—)" he began, and River stepped closer to him.

"(Here,)" she said to the vendor, placing a small stack of coins in the old woman's palm and selecting three mangoes. One she handed to the boy, another to Simon, and the third she took a juicy bite from. Simon wondered if he should ask her at some point where the money had come from, but for the moment savoured his fruit, and resolved to share some with Kaylee when they returned to Serenity.

"I'm River," River siad as she led the boy back the direction they had come. "This is my brother Simon."

"River," repeated the kid. "That's pretty." He took a bite out of his mango and said, "Dài."

"Shénme?" Simon prompted.

"It's my name. Dài."

River smiled. "(Pleased to meet you.) You're looking for a ride, right?"

Dài nodded. "With you, I think." Looking around, he asked, "Where's your ship?"

"A ways over there. Come on, I'll introduce you to everybody." Simon found himself mildly disturbed by the immediate rapport that had developed between this stranger and his sister. It just seemed…odd somehow. How…? He felt his pulse skip—could it be that Dài was psychic, as well—? It certainly seemed that the two teenagers had an affinity not readily visible to the naked eye.

"I can't pay much," Dài admitted. "I've less than a hundred credits right now, and I dunno how far that'll get me once I'm offworld…" He certainly didn't look the well-travelled or well-off type, with his grungy tattered T-shirt and unkempt black hair that was barely kept in check by the strip of cloth tied around his head. He looked rather like a vagrant, Simon thought, except for the carefully-done tattoos on each arm. One, on his left, was an abstract interlacing design, but the other was a Chinese character recognisable as "dài", meaning cloudy, dark, or obscure. Overall, Simon realised, Dài seemed somewhat out-of-place, though he couldn't put his finger on why. River, however, seemed to have no reservations about the boy, and if a telepathic/clairvoyant child-prodigy trusted him, Simon supposed he would too. Even still—

"Dài," Simon said, "I'm a doctor. I'm just wondering when your last checkup—"

Dài shook his head. "No, I—I don't know," he said. "But I'm okay. Thank you."

"Um, all right…but if you need me while you're travelling with us, come see me anytime."

They had reached the ship. Simon had to rub his eyes and stare at the bay doors for a while before he realised that, yes, there really was a very-slightly-ethereal-looking Wash leaning against the inside of the hull, chatting with Kaylee as comfortably as they would have when Wash was still alive. "This is just an odd day," Simon commented under his breath.

Dài stopped dead just before reaching the ramp. He looked up into Serenity's cargo bay, apprehension very clear on his face, and River turned and went back to his side. "It's okay," she reassured him. "That's Wash. He used to be our pilot. Now he's part of the ship."

"(Seven Fortunes,)" Dài breathed. "I've always wanted to see a Firefly-class ship, and yours has a ghost, too?" A relieved smile spread across his face, and he allowed River to take him by the hand and lead him up the loading ramp. Kaylee rose from her position seated against a shipping crate and smiled in welcome.

"Well, now, who do we have here?" she asked in a friendly manner.

"I…I'm Dài," he said shyly (for which Simon didn't blame him—Kaylee was a fine-looking young woman…).

"He'll be riding with us for a while," River explained.

"Oh? Shiny. Where're you headed?" the cute mechanic asked, extending a hand. "I'm Kaylee, by the way. Ship's mechanic."

Dài humbly shook her hand, spots of pink briefly appearing in his cheeks. "I…I don't really know where I'm going," he admitted. "I…guess I don't care, as long as it's away from here."

"Well," and Kaylee beamed, "you've come to the right ship, then. Serenity'll take you anywhere in the 'Verse, and you'll enjoy the trip, I promise."

«Isn't she cute?» Wash remarked with a chuckle. His voice, Simon noted, had a faint echoing quality, as if coming from far away.

"So…do you guys do a lot of ferrying?" Dài wondered, stepping into the cargo bay and looking around. Kaylee chided Simon for running off in a strange spaceport and gave him a peck on the cheek.

«Not a lot, but some,» Wash said. «It brings in good money, but it's…not always an option. Most of what we do is courier work, taking things from sellers to buyers and such.»

Dài exchanged a look with River. Neither of them said a word, but Simon had the distinct impression that some form of nonverbal communication had just taken place. Dài nodded, and River shot a look at Simon.

"I need to talk to my brother for a second," she said to Dài, and led Simon by the elbow to one corner of the cargo bay. Behind a stack of crates, she dropped her voice and whispered to him, barely audible, "Yes. Dài is psychic, like me."

"Wha—?"

"Shh! Don't tell anyone. It's very important that this stays a secret, at least for now."

Simon shook his head. "I—I don't believe this. The odds of this happening—"

"No, I know what you're about to say, Simon. He wasn't experimented on by the Alliance. Dài is naturally psychic—he was born with his powers." River paused. "Which, I suppose, makes the odds even lower, doesn't it?"

It took all of the elder Tam's willpower to not peek over the boxes and stare at their new shipmate. "I…River, I…why?"

She shook her head. "Things are being set in motion, Simon, things over which we have no control. But don't worry—" and she flashed him a secretive smile—"all, as they say, will be revealed in time."

"So, are you hungry?" Kaylee asked Dài as she led him off for a tour of the ship. Simon and River followed close behind, while Wash remained in the cargo bay, flitting idly back and forth. About half an hour later, the three other crew members returned from their 'business-meeting'. Jayne looked up into the bay, saw Wash, and froze. Mal didn't notice that only Zoe was behind him until he turned to close the doors.

"Jayne? You comin'?" he asked, just as Kaylee returned with her little throng.

"I—I—" the mercenary began, and scowled.

"Oh, hey, Cap'," Kaylee said cheerfully, approaching him. "There's somebody we want you to meet." She glanced out at Jayne. "Is—is somethin' wrong?"

"If there is, it's news to me," Mal declared, still staring at Jayne.

"May I, ah—may I speak to you for a moment?" Simon asked, putting a hand on Mal's shoulder. The captain gave him a sidelong look, but suffered himself to be led a few steps away.

"Jayne appears to be, ah, a touch superstitious," the doctor explained. "Which I find wholly unsurprising. The idea that there are phenomena in the 'Verse that he can't harm by his conventional means, such as, say, Reavers or ghosts, must deeply unsettle him."

"Huh?" Mal looked behind him, to where Wash's shade was chatting with Zoe. "Wait, you—you mean to say—Jayne's afraid of ghosts?"

Simon shrugged and spread his hands. "If that's the way you want to put it…"

Captain Reynolds just stared at him for a moment. Wash kissed Zoe and winked out, and Jayne visibly relaxed but still did not board Serenity.

"Um…" Dài asked, looking apprehensive.

"Oh, right," Kaylee said, putting a hand around his shoulders. "Mal, this is Dài. He's going to be riding with us for a while."

"Wha-huh?" In the background, Zoe sighed, rolled her eyes, and walked back down the ramp to where Jayne was still standing. "When did I say we were—?"

"I did," River said calmly. She looked up into Mal's eyes, and he suddenly found himself unable to say no. Damn those spooky mental powers! "Oh, fine," he grumbled. "But I get to say who else comes."

Dài moved silently to the bay doors and scanned the crowd. "Her," he said, pointing at a raven-black head. "Not her." His finger moved toward a pouf of wavy red-gold hair that Mal realised, with a shock, belonged to Saffron. Fortunately, she was facing the other way.

"Wait, wait, didn't I just say—?" he began, as Kaylee went to Dài's side, queried him, and headed out past Zoe and Jayne, both of whom were arguing. "Doesn't it mean anything that I'm the captain? 'Cause, you know, I kind of assumed it meant I'm in charge…"

Kaylee emerged from the throng, leading a tall slender young woman with flawless copper skin and a thick black braid that fell nearly to her knees. She was clad in well-worn denim and leather, pouches of tools and personal effects hanging from her waist and slung across her back.

"Cor," she said as she walked up the ramp into Serenity, speaking in an accent almost as thick as Badger's. "Never seen a ship like this before. What's its class?"

"It's a Firefly, 03-K64," Kaylee explained lovingly. "We call her Serenity." Zoe grasped one of Jayne's arms and dragged him up the loading ramp, Jayne with an expression on his face like that of a man being led to his execution.

"Bloody hell, a Firefly! And she's Serenity, eh? Shiny name. This the crew?" The girl glanced at each of them, and Mal stepped forward.

"I'm the captain, Malcolm Reynolds," he announced, extending his hand.

"Name's Sterling. It's a pleasure," she said, shaking the proferred appendage. "What's the goin' rate for a fare on a ship like this?"

"Oh, we're pretty flexible," Mal said, making quick mental calculations based on her appearance. How rich was she likely to be? "Um, I'd say…fifty credits? How's that? I'm willin' to haggle."

Sterling grinned. "Fifty sounds great! Lemme just find someplace to drop my stuff…"

"Oh, I can show you to your quarters," Kaylee volunteered. "Both of you." She gave Dài a smile, and he blinked self-consciously, obviously not used to so much attention from pretty girls. "C'mon." As she led them out of the cargo bay, Mal crept over to the controls—keeping an eye on the back of Saffron's head, which did seem to be searching for someone among the masses—and slammed the button to close the doors. Zoe followed the others, River pulled Simon off in another direction, and Mal and Jayne were left standing by themselves in the bay.

"Gorrammit, Mal," Jayne growled. "Lettin' more people on the ship, when we've already got a—got a—"

Mal stared at him coolly. "So Wash is a ghost," he said. "So what?"

"Keerist, Mal, don't you get it—?" the mercenary hissed. "Don't just be so—so—actin' like everythin's okay!" He dropped his voice even more, glanced around furtively, and said, "Zoe tells me she's sure it's Wash, but I…I ain't real inclined to tolerate dead people, not since…Miranda."

"Tolerate? Why, Jayne, you're not being racist, are you?" Mal asked, putting on an air of affront. Jayne gave him a dirty look.

"It's only racist if it's people," he grunted. "Racism don't apply to undead. They ain't human…like Reavers."

Mal grabbed Jayne by the lapels of his jacket and glared up into his eyes. "Listen," he said in a steely tone, "Don't you ever compare anyone on my boat, livin' or dead, to the Reavers." He let go, and Jayne stepped back, looking angrier than usual. "Now, if you don't mind, I got to get to the bridge. We don't want to be late to pick up Inara." Jayne looked as if he were considering delivering a hard right-hook to the captain's jaw, but decided against it. Instead, he straightened his coat and stormed off.

"So you were a sergeant in the War?" Sterling asked, her gaze directed at the man sitting across the table from her.

"Huh? Oh, that. Yeah," Mal responded, helping himself to a third portion of curry. "Great food, by the way. Did I mention that?"

"Only about five times so far," Kaylee said with a giggle. "But it really is."

"Heh, thanks," Sterling said. "I never thought of myself as a great cook, but I manage."

"It helps that we were able to buy real food," Simon pointed out. "You get so sick of the packaged stuff, nutritious though it may be."

"I still don't understand why it all has to be flavourless, freeze-dried paste," Dài said. "Why can't you just buy normal stuff and keep it refrigerated?"

"I think it's some old space custom," Zoe explained. "Transport ships are a lot more efficient now than they used to be, but it wasn't too long ago that they were built with just enough engine to move and run life support. If you can carry preserved food instead of perishables, that means you need less power than you would if you had a fridge. I think some of the newer ships bein' made have luxuries like real kitchens and showers, but most of 'em are still very bare-minimum."

"I bet those big honkin' Alliance cruisers have stuff like that," Sterling grumbled. "Prob'ly got whirlpool tubs an' tennis courts, too."

"I take it you're not a big fan of the Alliance," Simon remarked.

"Well, seein' as how my dad and brother both got killed in the War, I'd say that's a fair assumption." She snorted. "I mean, crikey, we weren't ever united back when we lived on Earth-That-Was. Why'd the ponces in Parliament think we'd be any different out here?"

"My thoughts exactly," Mal agreed, finding himself more and more drawn to the young woman. He didn't notice the glare Inara shot at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"So who's flying the ship now?" Sterling wondered, glancing around the table. "Isn't River the pilot?"

River smiled. "It's on auto-pilot."

"Bloody Hell! A Firefly with auto-pilot?"

"It's, ah, an upgrade," Simon said quickly. "By the way, what was it you said you did?"

"Oh, surveying and digging and stuff. Whatever the other blokes at field camp need me t' do," she responded airily. "But what I'd really like to do is paleontology. A friend o' mine on Calyx says they've found some rocks in a quarry that look like they might have fossils in 'em."

"Fossils? But wouldn't that mean there was somethin' livin' on the moon before we got there?" Kaylee asked, bemused. "I thought there weren't no life on any of the planets in this system when we arrived."

"Microbes, luv," Sterling clarified. "Not macrofossils. Adira's not sure, since obviously you can't see fossilised bacteria with the naked eye, but there are deposits that she thinks looks in'eresting, and I intend to take a look at 'em if I can."

"Where is Calyx, exactly?" Dài queried.

"First moon of Athens, and the largest. Huge mineral deposits—lots of mining. Prob'ly some good work for blokes like you, too, if y'know where t' ask."

"Sounds promising," Zoe said, finishing her meal. "I'll go enter the coordinates." She looked rather happy as she left the kitchen for the bridge, and both River and Dài sensed how deeply disturbed Jayne was at the thought that Zoe would be snogging a ghost in a minute.

Why is he so fearful? Dài wondered mentally.

Jayne doesn't like to think about the fact that there are things he can't kill, River responded telepathically. He doesn't want to admit it, even to himself. He's the protector. He's worried that something will happen that he can't prevent.

But Wash—Wash isn't malevolent. He's not that kind of ghost. At least, he doesn't seem that way to me.

You know that, and I know that. But Jayne isn't like us. He has to be shown whom to trust.

Dài sighed inwardly. I've always been able to read people. I…can't even imagine what it must be like to not be psychic. It must be…so closed-off, so lonely.

Sometimes I wish that were the case, River sent. I wasn't born psychic, like you were. I didn't develop powers until I was…altered. She tried not to let Dài access the memories of the academy—she didn't want to traumatise him, and she sensed that he didn't probe. For the longest time afterward, I was unable to tune out other people's thoughts and feelings. My mind was never quiet. It was awful.

But you must have been born with the talent, Dài told her. There's no other way. It just develops differently in different people.

Do you know many other psions? River asked, her interest surging.

Dài's mind closed off for a moment. Yeah, a…a few, he responded, and River knew to respect his memories as he had respected hers.

"Who's the chick on your shirt?" Jayne grunted, staring at Dài's chest. Dài spooked, looking strangely self-conscious for a split-second.

"You don't recognise her?" Inara asked, passing a dish to Kaylee. "That's Xiâo Dina. She was a martial artist and model, known for her speed and quick wits, famous in some circles but obscure in others. She hasn't released much work recently—I understand she married and settled down somewhere."

"Um," Dài said under his breath, looking down. "Yeah. Something like that…" Only River heard, and sensed a torrent of emotions accompanying the chain of thought.

"Oh, that's it," Simon said triumphantly, poking at his plate. "There's chicken in here! I knew there was something unusual; I just couldn't identify what it was."

"You didn't know?" Kaylee chuckled.

Sterling shrugged. "Yeah, it's not quite traditional curry. I'm not a vegetarian like my mum—I've always been fond of red meat, like Dad. He used to talk about how his ancestors were jackaroos back on Earth-That-Was. I would've loved to live like that."

"What's a jackaroo?" Jayne asked.

"It's like a cowboy, but Australian," she clarified. "Australia was a country on Earth." Dài nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I've seen—lots of…historical films from there," he said. "They had an awful time sorting it out after the Europeans introduced nonnative species."

Sterling looked pleased. "You know your history, kid. Glad to know there's someone else in the 'Verse that keeps the memories of the homeworld alive." She pushed back her plate and stood up. "Do I need to wash this or anythin'?"

"Naw, don't worry about it," Mal said.

"Right, then. I'll be goin' to bed—I've had a long day. See you in the morning!"

Jayne walked down the hall and stopped. What was that noise? He crept closer to the wall of the guest quarters and listened. It sounded like…yeah, that was it. Someone was tuning a guitar.

The door slid open, and Sterling's head poked out, her thick black braid swinging back and forth as she glanced up and down. Jayne remained in the shadows, unnoticed. He heard the door close, and a few tentative chords, then a rich contralto voice rose up in time with the strumming.

"Desperado, why don't you come to your senses/ You've been out ridin' fences for so long now / Oh, you're a hard one / But I know you got your reasons…" Jayne crept closer, peering through a crack between the whitewashed metal sheets that made up the walls. The sight of Sterling sitting calmly on her bed, her long fingers expertly strumming the chords to "Desperado" as her perfect voice carried the melody, was one of the hottest things he had ever witnessed. With some discomfort, he realised he needed to go to his bunk.