"Oh dear." said Margot.
Peering over her shoulder at a hangar floor seemingly busier then ever Simon silently concurred.
Their little party, huddled in the cover of a corridor opening, were not the most convincing of Browncoats. Oh the work helmets and long coats covered a multitude of sins but Margot and River's flapped near their ankles rather than above the knee and there was a real possibility of one of the women walking out of their oversized boots despite the stuffing.
"People see what they expect to see." said Shepard, looking cool and calm.
"I know. But I'd feel better if I wasn't the only one armed and willing to shoot!" Margot snapped. "How I wish Django were here!"
"Me too." Book shot back. "Only man I ever met capable of keeping you quiet!"
That made her grin.
"Pretend." said River, to Simon. "Remember how we used to play Alliance against Independents? We did things just like this all the time."
Simon smiled, almost unwillingly. "It isn't quite the same, River."
She tugged his hand impatiently. "Yes it is. Exactly the same! Pretend!"
"She's right." said Shepard. "If you want to fool others, fool yourself first."
"Stanislavsky." said Margot. Which made no sense at all.
"Shall we get on with it?" Inara suggested. "I don't know about the rest of you but the waiting isn't settling my nerves!"
"Right." Shepard agreed. "Tech squad forward, quick march. Look like you know where you're going."
"We do." said River.
...
Wash hung nervously around the big cargo hatch waiting for Zoe and the others to get back, hopefully with Inara, River and the rest. Instead he saw an oddly assorted troop of Browncoats, tall and short, approaching weighted down with tool boxes and the like.
"Great, just what we need more soldier boys!" he said to himself, advancing to the bottom of the ramp to meet them.
The leader saluted smartly. "Technical squad reporting for duty, sir!"
Wash pulled his jaw back up where it belonged by an act of sheer will. It was Shepard Book; and behind him were Simon, River, Inara and Margot!
"Uh, good. Great! Come right in - I mean permission to board!"
"That's my line." Shepard said quietly as they trooped up the ramp. "You say; 'Permission granted."
"Whatever. How'd you get away?" Wash demanded as they formed a huddle in the cargo bay.
"By a judicious use of violence." said Margot.
"And injudicious." said Shepard. "Where's Mal?"
"Off rescuing you, along with Zoe and Jayne. And we've got a bevy of Browncoats making Kaylee crazy in the engine room."
"Maybe we should take care of them?" Margot inquired of Book.
He shook his head. "No. We do nothing until Mal gets back. I suggest the lot of us hide in passenger country 'til then."
"Whatever you say, Shepard." Wash agreed with some fervor.
...
This time it was Wash who met them on the ramp but it was Mal who did the talking. "They got out on their own somehow, but getting them to the boat ain't going to be easy surrounded as we are. Get Kaylee, we're going to have to troll the passages round here looking for them -"
"They're here." Wash interrupted.
" - once't we find them - " Mal broke off with a stare. "Here?"
"In passenger country."
Mal walked into Margot's bunk to find his strays all assembled: Shepard Book and Inara waiting patient, Simon twitching, and River and Margot poring over a old fashioned bound book giggling like mad-things.
"How about this one -" River wheezed riffling the pages "('Dead stone became life pregnant earth and blossomed like the pawlonia flower')"
"Oh the man surely did have a way with metaphors." Margot burbled. "I think ('Like manure, rich scented with the potential for life') is my absolute favorite."
"'Scuse me." Mal said across a renewed burst of giggles. All looked to him, River and Margot making an effort to sober themselves. "Glad to see you all back and safe but we've still got to get ourselves out of here."
"We were hoping you'd have some ideas on that point." said Book.
"Well as it happens I do... but we've got ourselves some Browncoats to get rid of first -"
"Captain! Captain Reynolds." It was Kaylee's voice calling from the cargo bay.
"'Scuse me again." Mal went.
His mechanic was standing, looking pink and annoyed, with the tech crew looking not one wit happier behind her. "They're finished." she said flatly.
Dao opened his mouth, maybe to object, but Mal didn't give him the chance. "Good. Fine. Thank you, sergeant, dismissed." The man shut his mouth, saluted and departed with his minions Mal heaved a sigh of relief. "(Luck is finally looking kind upon us)" he said, waved his crew in closer. "Gather round people, here's what I want you to do -"
...
The downshift to night-watch was well underway when the old Firefly turned heads in the emptying hanger by suddenly lurching into the air and moving rapidly towards the big doors just beginning to close for the sleep cycle. But before anybody could reach for a transmitter big, sizzling blue bolts of laser fire issued from her open cargo hatch blasting holes in the neatly lined up guns-boats and sending personnel running for cover. Lights flashed red and klaxons added to the panic.
Mal, Zoe, Jayne and Margot crouched behind the cannons, propped up on old cargo boxes, and continued to powder the hanger blowing up gun-boats and blasting holes in walls.
Up front Wash, face intent, turned Serenity sideways to squeeze her through the closing hangar doors. Inara sat in the co-pilot's seat, phone in hand, as the bridge passed through the retaining field she said: "Mal, entering vacuum now!"
Back in the hold Mal shouted, "Cease fire!" and Shepard Book hit the lock control. The doors slid shut as the ramp slowly began to close.
In the engine room Kaylee waited tensely, hand hovering over a big red switch. Inara's voice came over the transmitter; "We're clear. fire her up, Kaylee." and the mechanic's hand came down hard.
Serenity's back-side lit up - just like her insect namesake - the engine wash scorching the just closed hangar doors, melting plate and reducing circuitry to useless sludge. Then she shot away into the cloud, looping around the nearest rocks, before cutting engines to float gentle as a leaf into a comfy hollow on a big asteroid and nestling there.
For a long moment the crew just sat in the sudden dark, listening to their hearts pound. Then, slowly, people started moving. Simon came out of the passenger lounge, trailed by River hugging Wu's 'Triumph of the Terraformers' to her chest. "We made it?"
Mal nodded, beginning to relax. "We did."
"Still don't understand why we're not making a run for it." Jayne grumbled, lovingly shutting down his cannon.
"Because they'll be looking for us far away not close in." said River and smiled admiringly at Mal. "You're clever."
Jayne snorted. Zoe pursed her lips and gave her captain a mischievous look. "He's got his moments."
Mal grinned back at her. "And you right on hand to keep my head from swelling." turned serious. "We lie doggo here until they move on."
"What if they don't?" Simon worried.
"They will." the captain answered flatly. "Like your little sister said, they'll be expecting us to run fast and far as we can. When they don't find us right off the Commodore will move base along our last trace and search on. Meanwhile we sit quiet, catch up on our sleep, and wait patient-like."
...
Mal took his own advice, turning in and dropping right off to dreamland the minute head hit pillow. It was nigh on eight hours before he woke, dressed and made his way through the emergency half-light to the dining area. Jayne was sitting at the table with Margot and River, a big book open between them, and Zoe doing something or other in the kitchen.
"Just because your woman's eye is wandering doesn't mean the rest of her is going anywhere." Jayne was saying stubbornly. "Most like she won't unless you get all stupid."
"The root of it was Othello didn't feel worthy of Desdemona." said River, looking interested and normal.
"I get that." Jayne answered her. "But given she'd just defied her daddy and all to go with him the man ought to have known she wouldn't just turn around and do him dirty with some pretty boy. When a woman's fought that hard for a man it takes her some time to admit a mistake - if'n it is one."
"Absolutely right." Margot agreed with some amusement. "You understand us women well, Jayne."
He shrugged a little, trying not to look pleased. "Known enough of you. " then he turned as serious as Mal'd ever seen him. "I get Othello feels all unworthy, I get he trusts that bastard Iago, what I don't get is why he doesn't just ask his woman if her feet are getting itchy and straighten the whole thing out."
"Wouldn't have been a play if he'd done that." River pointed out.
"My guess is he was too afraid of the answer." said Margot.
Jayne shook his head. "Well it's not like I ain't seen real live men do all kinds of stupid over some skirt."
"Me too." said Margot. "Some things don't change."
Mal slid over to join Zoe. "Am I losing my mind or am I hearing Jayne talking classic literature?"
"I'm hearing it too, and I don't mind saying it's messing with my head." she muttered back, pouring him a mug of coffee. "Believe it or not it seems our merc is a bit of a Shakespeare enthusiast."
"Just seems to me men in those days were a mite quick to think the worst of their womenfolk." Jayne was saying. "Look at that Claudio in 'Much Ado About Nothing'".
"Oh he is so stupid!" said River, getting real animated. "And Hero's not one bit better. I like Benedict."
A broad grin spread over Jayne's face. "And what about that Beatrice? I like a woman with a mouth on her: 'Is it possible Disdain should die while she hath such meet food to feed it as Signior Benedick? Courtesy itself must convert to disdain, if you come in her presence.'"
River grinned back. "'Then is courtesy a turncoat. But it is certain I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted; and I would I could find it in my heart that I had not a hard heart; for truly, I love none.'"
Jayne came right back with: 'A dear happiness to women: they would else have been troubled with a pernicious suitor -"
Mal and Zoe looked at each other with big, incredulous eyes. Jayne quoting Shakespeare - from memory!?
"- I thank God and my cold blood, I am of your humor for that -"
Mal muttered, "I'm getting outta here." and made a break for the door.
"Don't leave me, sir!" Zoe grabbed the coffee-pot and followed as Jayne concluded:
"'- I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me.'"
...
All was blessedly quiet and normal in the bridge, 'cept for it being darksome and the frowny look on Wash's face. He pointed up and out at darting spots of brightness. "Must have gotten those doors of theirs open, they're buzzing round out there like angry wasps."
Mal took a drink of his coffee, calmly eyeing the distant gun-boats as they wove about. "I estimate they'll keep it up for another twenty-four or so before moving along."
"If they find us -" Wash began.
"Won't." Zoe settled herself in his lap. "Not in the shadow of this nice rock humming with high-grade ores you found for us, Honey-pie."
Mal nodded. "We're going to be fine Wash, (we got our luck back with us)."
Notes: ( ) indicated a Chinese phrase.
Jayne is reciting Beatrice's lines and River Benedick's.