Chapter 2

Serenity landed among the other ships at the Eavesdown Docks on the border world of Persephone. The boat's airlock door opened and Mal, Zoë, Kaylee on the mule (the ATV with the trailer. They had replaced the one they lost while saving Mal from Adelei Niska's skyplex.), and Simon descended the ramp. Zoë still wore her marriage necklace. Kaylee turned to the captain.

"I'm going to go and get a few things we need for repairs." Kaylee said, cheerfully as always. "Maybe I can keep stuff from falling off." She looked towards Simon. "Why don't you come with me?"

"Oh, no," Simon answered while laughing quietly. "I have to watch River."

"I'm sure Jayne has everything under control," Kaylee responded.

Back on the ship, River sat in her copilot's seat turned facing the entrance to the bridge. Jayne stood in the entrance with his gun Vera locked and loaded.

"You don't have to be scared," River stated serenely to Jayne. "I'm fine now."

"Just wanna make sure you don't go ruttin' crazy and try to kill me again," Jayne responded.

"I guess you're right," Simon answered back on the ramp. He got on the back of the mule and Kaylee began to drive away.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Mal yelled to them. "River told me what she saw you doing." Simon continued to face forward on the mule most likely because he was out of earshot….or he didn't actually care. Zoë had been standing next to him the whole time. She addressed him.

"Sir, did you really sent out a want ad for a pilot?" Zoë asked.

"Yep," Mal replied, "Sent a wave on the cortex just this morning."

"Are you really sure we need a new pilot? I could try to fly…"

"I know you're still mourning from our loss Zoë," Mal interrupted her. "But you can't fly this boat that well, not as good as Wash. I can't fly this boat forever. I have captain-y things to do. We need a real pilot, a good pilot."

"No one can fly better than Wash could," Zoë argued.

"He don't have to be better," Mal retorted, "Just a good one."

"So we just wait for them to come."

"Yep, just wait."

And so they waited…and waited….and waited. No one seemed interested in piloting a Firefly. After hours of waiting, Mal was just sitting there on the ramp. Zoë was leaning on the side of the opening. They were just looking at the people walking by; hoping one of them was answering the want ad. They spied a Caucasian man walking around slightly lost. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He wore blue jeans, a blue-checkered shirt with the top button open, and brown steel-toed boots. This man also carried a black duffle bag on his back and a suitcase in his hand. He appeared to be looking around for something. Then he caught sight of Serenity, and he stared at her awhile. Lao-tyen, Mal thought, this is the hwoon dahn that answers our wave. The man walked towards the edge of Serenity's ramp.

"Excuse me," the hwoon dahn began politely, "Are you Captain Malcolm Reynolds?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Mal answered. The man walked up the ramp towards Mal.

"I'm here to apply for the piloting job," the man said as he held out his hand. "My name is Michael Arisen." Mal shook his hand reluctantly.

"Well then, come with me inside and we'll begin the interview," Mal stated as he stood up. "Zoë, you stay and wait here." Zoë nodded in reply. He turned around and walked into the cargo hold followed by Michael. Michael looked around the cargo hold. There was only one shuttle at this moment.

"The walls go out," Michael mused out loud. Mal stopped in the middle of the cargo hold and turned to face Michael. "It makes it seem spacious," he continued. "That's good. I'm mildly claustrophobic."

"Don't let the cargo hold fool you," Mal stated as he crossed his arms. "The rest of the ship is pretty cramped. You might want to consider that before you take the job."

"It probably won't bother me," Michael responded. "I've spent a lot of time onboard ships. Closets and half bathrooms bother me."

"So, Mr. Arisen…" Mal began.

"You can call me Mike," he interrupted.

"You might not want to interrupt me," Mal added mildly irritated. Mike nodded. "So, Mike, what qualifications do you have for flying a boat?"

"I spent seven years in the Space Forces of the Swiss Guard," Mike answered.

"The Swiss Guard," Mal restated.

"Yeah, they defend the planet New Rome, the headquarters of the Catholic Church of New Rome."

"The Neo-Catholic Church," Mal restated. "How religious are you?"

"Very," Mike answered on the dime. "That's why I joined the Swiss Guard."

"I'm not too partial to religious folk," Mal explained. Mike seemed slightly nervous. He was a religious as they got. Mal continued. "What type of ship did you serve on?"

"Standard planetary patrol vessel," Mike answered. "I was its pilot and navigator."

"By standard, do you mean Alliance?" Mal questioned.

"It was used by the Alliance. It was second hand battle cruiser."

"How do you feel about the Alliance?" Mike thought for a while.

"I haven't supported the Alliance since they legalized whoring."

"So you've never supported the Alliance," Mal stated. Mike nodded.
"They tend to give the Church trouble," he continued. "I support strong authority and all but, they over step their boundaries a bit." Mal was quite impressed by this plucky young man. He seemed to have what it takes to be part of the crew of Serenity.

"You do realize that this ship partakes in actions of a legally ambiguous nature," Mal began. "Do you object to that?" Mike looked at Mal with a perplexed look on his face.

"You don't have sex or drugs or slies on this ship?" Mike asked Mal with fear.

"Pretty much no," Mal answered flatly. Mike appeared relieved and continued.

"The Bible says to obey the law of the land when it does not contradict the Church," Mike explained, "But the Alliance legalized prostitution and supported mass murder. That contradicts the Church so they don't deserve obedience. I'm pretty much okay unless you go against the Church. I fought for the Church. I'm not going to be Judas."

"We generally don't bother the Church," Mal stated. "A Shepherd used to part of our crew."

"Oh," Mike responded happily. "What ever happened to him?"

"He kicked," Mal responded. Mike cast him a suspicious eye.

"You didn't kill him, did you?" Mike asked fearfully.

"No, the Alliance did," Mal answered.

"Another good reason why they contradict the Church," Mike added cheerfully. Mal quietly thought for a while, trying to decide whether or not to hire Mike. He was the only applicant after an entire day. He was experienced. He seemed loyal. Mike looked at him. "So do I get the job?" Mal looked at him back.

"As captain of this ship, I demand that you respect my authority as well as any member of my crew." Mike took this as a yes. He quietly placed his duffle bag on the floor and his suitcase next to some crates. "If you have any serious problems with my crew, you have a serious problem with me. I have no compunctions against throwing you out of the airlock and letting you take a swim in the black. Dong-ma?"

"Yes, sir," Mike answered with respect.

"You'll get three square meals, your own room, and the appropriate cut in all of our jobs." Mike nodded in understanding. "Our last pilot was very near and dear to us so expect some resentment."

"What happened to the last pilot?" Mike asked concerned.

"He shuffled off," Mal replied.

"Alliance."

"No, Reavers," Mal stated. Mike's eyes widened in shock. Of all the things he feared, he feared Reavers the most. He didn't fear demonic possession as much as Reavers.

"And you lived to tell about it," Mike said in shock.

"Thanks to the very special girl that will serve as your copilot," Mal added. "She killed them all."

"She killed Reavers," Mike said shocked. He seemed a bit nervous by this bit of information. "She's not going to kill me, is she?"

"Let's hope not," Mal responded.

The engines of a small shuttle roared. The second shuttle landed in the ship and, it slid into its station by the catwalk inside the cargo hold. The shuttle's door opened and Inara stepped out. She walked down the catwalk to see what Mal was doing.

"I see there is a new face," Inara said as she approached Mike and Mal.

"I see you're back, Inara," Mal began. He introduced Mike to her. "This is…." Mike quickly step towards Inara and shook her hand.

"Mike Arisen," Mike introduced himself smoothly as he held Inara's hand. "My, my, I had no idea a woman of culture and beauty such as you would be on a boat like this." Mike kissed her hand. Inara laughed.

"Should I tell him or should you?" Inara asked.

"Tell me what?" Mike asked curiously. He looked at Inara's hand. "I don't see a wedding ring." Mike smiled coyly.

"She's a whore," Mal said.

"Shah muh?" Mike asked confused.

"She's a registered Companion," Mal continued. "She's a whore or harlot if you prefer." The smile disappeared from Mike's face and, he quickly released Inara's hand.

"Oh," Mike said with a hint of disdain. "That's not going to cost me anything, is it?"

"Is this going to be a problem?" Mal questioned Mike. Mike looked at Inara seriously.

"In the Bible…"

"It says not to give offerings for the temple to temple prostitutes," Inara quickly interrupted. Mike was surprised that a whore knew the scriptures.

"Yes, but let me finish," Mike responded irritated. "In the Bible, the Pharisees criticized Jesus for having dinner with tax collectors and prostitutes and he said that he had come for the wicked, not just the righteous for the wicked need him more. I guess I'm here for the wicked too, just as the Shepherd was."

"Sheh sheh for your short sermon," Inara said politely. "I'll be on my way." Inara went back up the catwalk and returned to her shuttle.

"Is that where she conducts her…." Mike paused shortly, searching for the right word, "Business."

"Only temporarily," Mal replied. "She left six months ago. She'll be leaving again soon enough." Mike nodded.

"For a whore," Mike began. "She is a mighty shiny looking woman."

"Yeah," Mal replied. He stood in reverie for a while. Mike noticed the captain's daydreaming and snapped his fingers in front of his face. "Oh, right," Mal said after he came out of his daydream. "Well since you've just met Inara, I guess I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew," Mal spoke. He turned toward the cargo hold's opening. "Zoë," he called, "Come meet our new pilot." Zoë walked over to Mal. "Mike, this is Zoë, the first mate." Mike held out his hand Zoë. She didn't shake it. He let it fall back to his side.

"The last pilot was my husband." Zoë added out of the blue.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for loss, ma'am." Mike spoke sincerely.

"So, you better not think that just because you're the pilot, you can take advantage of me," Zoë spoke icily, "Or else," she tapped the gun in her holster. "I'll fill you full of more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese." This job was making Mike feel apprehensive. If the Reaver-killing copilot didn't kill him, a misunderstanding could force the first mate to shoot him full of holes. Serving in the Swiss Guard didn't make him this nervous. Of course, in the Swiss Guard, God would protect you. He hoped God would protect him in the black.

"I'll certainly remember that," Mike said.

The engine of a mule sounded in the distance. Kaylee and Simon on the mule flew slowly up the ramp into the cargo hold filled with stuff to repair Serenity with.

"Great, now, you can meet Kaylee and Simon," Mal said to Mike. Kaylee saw that there was a new person.

"Oh, and who's this," Kaylee said as she disembarked from the mule.

"This is our new pilot, Mike," Mal introduced. Mike held out his hand and Kaylee shook it. Finally, a good handshake, Mike thought. This was a good sign for him.

"Hi, I'm Kaylee," Kaylee said in her naturally cheerful manner. "I'm Serenity's mechanic."

"You're the mechanic," Mike said in surprise.
"What's wrong with that?" Kaylee asked.

"Nothing, I've just never seen a female mechanic before…. At least not one that looked like you." Kaylee giggled at his remark. Simon became a bit tense. Simon held out his hand to shake Mike's so he would stop holding Kaylee's.

"Hi, I'm Simon Tam," Simon began. "I'm the ship's doctor."

"The doctor, can I call you Bones?"

"What?" Simon asked confused.
"You know, Bones, Dr. McCoy on Star Trek." Everyone gave Mike blank stares. "Star Trek, it was a television show from Earth-That-Was. It took place in the 23rd Century. It depicted a bright and happy future with aliens, teleportation, and faster-than-light transportation."

"Tyen, did they get it wrong," Mal commented. "Well, I'll introduce you to Jayne and River later. Right now, we need to get this boat fixed." He looked at Mike. "Mike, your job begins now. Fire up this bird and get to the nearest drive yards. Kaylee, you get everything ready for repairs. After that, we're heading to Greenleaf. I heard there may be a job available."

"Aye, captain," Kaylee responded.

"Yes, sir," Mike replied. He ran up the catwalk, but then stopped and turned to face Mal. "The Reaver-killing girl is River, right?"

"Yeah, and Jayne might be near her." Mal answered. "He'll probably be armed." Mike looked at him strangely.

"Jayne's a guy?" Mike asked perplexed. Mal nodded. "Isn't Jayne a girl's name?"

"Yeah, but don't mention it to him."

"Yeah, I'll make sure I make their acquaintances on my way to the bridge," Mike spoke. He turned around and continued up the catwalk.

Lao-tyen: Chinese "Oh, g-d"

Hwoon dahn: Chinese "Ba54ard"

Dong-ma: Chinese "Understand?"

Shah muh: Chinese "What?"

Sheh sheh: Chinese "Thank you"

Tyen: Chinese "G-d; Heaven"