Firefly

~ [ Woman Singing In Foreign Language ]

Nandi! Nandi!

Get inside.

Go.

- We ain't open for business. - Shut up, whore.

And you, we don't trade with at all, Rance Burgess.

You're no longer welcome in this establishment. You've been told that.

I've been told a great many things. I'm here for what's mine.

Ain't nothin' here belongs to you.

You don't get gone, we'll be well within our rights to drop you.

The only rights you got are the ones I give you.

- Find the girl! - She ain't here.

Girl left this moon more than a month ago. It was you chased her off.

Petaline!

It's a good thing you haven't left with my baby.

- This baby ain't yours. - So you keep saying.

- - If this D.N.A. is a match...

with mine, know...

I will be back for my baby.

- - And if I have to...

I'll cut it outta ya.

Oh, don't worry.

Shh. All right, now. It'll all work out.

He'll do it too. He'll do what he says.

- No, he won't. We won't allow it. - How we gonna stop him, Nandi?

- We'll get help, that's how. - Help?

There's not a soul on this moon go up against Rance Burgess.

She's right. Ain't nobody strong enough.

And even if there was, who'd help us?

- Hi. -

- Sorry. Didn't mean to startle. - You didn't.

I was just, uh-- Bwahh.-- that's more like a--

It's a warrior-like-- Strikes fear into the hearts of--

You know, not altogether wise, sneakin' up on a fella when he's handling his weapon.

I'm sure I've heard that said. But perhaps the dining area...

- isn't the place for this sort of thing. - What do you mean?

- It's the only place with a table big enough. - Of course.

In that case...

every well-bred petty crook knows that the small concealable weapons...

- always go to the far left of the place setting. -

Got a distress call coming in. Some folks asking for help.

Really? Folks asking for help from us petty crooks.

- Well-- - Maybe I should take that right away.

Well, it's for her.

- Huh? - The call's for Inara.

- I'll take it in my shuttle. - All right. I'll send it back there to you.

This "distress" wouldn't happen to be taking place in someone's pants, would it?

- - Bwahh.

~ Take my love, take my land ~

~ Take me where I cannot stand ~

~ I don't care, I'm still free ~

~ You can't take the sky from me ~

~ Take me out to the black ~

~ Tell them I ain't coming back ~

~ Burn the land and boil the sea ~

~ You can't take the sky from me ~

~ There's no place I can be ~

~ Since I've found serenity ~

~ But you can't take the sky from me ~

And I got word you were in the area.

I'm imposing, but I got no one else to ask.

It sounds like something this crew can handle.

I can't guarantee they'll handle it particularly well, but--

If they've got guns and brains at all--

They've got guns.

Payment won't be a problem. We just ain't equipped for this.

Nandi, it's gonna be all right.

The house will tell you not to come.

I know they ordered you to shun me when I left.

The house can--

I would have waved you long ago. It's just--

It doesn't matter.

Who'd have thought we'd both end up all the way out here?

- Who'd have thought? - Let me know what your people say?

- Of course. - I'll wait to hear from you.

- - And you.

I suppose you heard most of that.

Only because I was eavesdropping.

- Your friend sounds like she's in a peck of trouble. - She is.

And there's no authority on that moon she can go to. They're totally alone.

Some men might take advantage of that.

One man.

And she's looking for someone to come along and explain things to him?

That's essentially it, yes.

A whole house full of Companions.

How are they fixed for payment?

They're not Companions. They're whores.

Thought you didn't much care for that word.

It applies. They're not registered with the guild. They're--

- Independent? - Yes.

If you agree to do this, you'll be compensated.

I'll see to it. I've put a little aside.

You can keep your money. I won't be needing no payment.

Mal, thank you.

I'll contact Nandi at once. But you will be paid.

I feel it's important that we keep ours strictly a business arrangement.

- I'll speak with the crew. - Good.

Those who have a mind are welcome to join.

Those who'd just as soon stay on the ship can do that too.

Hmm, don't much see the benefit in gettin' involved...

in strangers' troubles without a up-front price negotiated.

These people need assistance. The benefit wouldn't necessarily be for you.

- That's what I'm saying. - No one's gonna force you to go, Jayne.

As has been stated, this job is strictly speculative.

Good. Don't know these folks. Don't much care to.

- They're whores. - I'm in.

Wash, plot a course.

- That's the whorehouse? - Yes.

How come it looks like a frozen dinner pack?

Solar sheeting. Cheap power.

Hope the whores are prettier than the house.

- Nandi, darling. - It's so good to see you, mei-mei.

- You look wonderful. - And you look exactly the same as the day I left.

- How do you do that out here? - Sheer force of will.

- Nandi, this is Malcolm Reynolds. - I appreciate your coming.

Well, any friend of Inara's is a strictly businesslike relationship of mine.

This is my first mate, Zoe. I'll introduce you to the rest later.

- They're good folk. - Can I start getting sexed already?

- Well, that one's kind of horrific. - Can we talk business?

In here. The rest of you, there's food and some liquor at the sideboard.

Make yourselves at home.

Look. They got boy whores. Isn't that thoughtful?

I wonder if they service girl folk at all?

- Let's not ask. - Isn't there a pregnant woman I'm to examine?

You'd really lie with someone being paid for it?

Well, it's not like anyone else is linin' up to...

- you know, examine me. - Whoo.

My John Thomas is about to pop off and fly around the room, there's so much tasty in here.

Would be you'd get your most poetical about your pecker.

- You'd be the doctor? - Yes. This is Petaline.

- Yes, sir. - She's feeling a might weak right now.

All right. Well, let's get you lyin' down.

- Now that's a plan. Ooh! - Shepherd?

No, thank you.

We were hoping we might have a prayer meeting.

We ain't had one in months, except what Emma here reads out on Sundays.

The last shepherd to come by was springtime...

and he only read the one passage.

And he took it out in trade off both of us.

Everyone's got somebody.

Wash, tell me I'm pretty.

Were I unwed, I would take you in a manly fashion.

- 'Cause I'm pretty? - 'Cause you're pretty.

I take it reason doesn't enter into this?

Not with Rance Burgess. The man is a taker.

- You think the kid is his? - I think it's Petaline's.

- But the blood test? - Well, he did favor Petaline pretty exclusively.

But she had others. Fifty-fifty, not that it matters.

The man ain't fit to raise a cactus plant. His barren prairie shrew can't bear him an heir...

so he takes it into his head to pull it outta us.

- That's not gonna happen. - I see that's the case.

And you see the way we live here. Go into town, it's the same.

Some places come up rustic 'cause they ain't got more than the basics.

Rance Burgess has money enough to build a city, a real community.

Keeps people living like this so he can play cowboy.

Be the one with the best toys. Turn this moon into a gorram theme park.

Someone stands up to him-- He means to burn me out.

Yeah, sounds like a fun guy. I'd like to meet him.

- This won't be solved with talk. - Well, I'm gonna fight a man, it helps to size him up.

Well, he'll be at the theater tonight. That's a certainty.

And so will I. Inara, think you can stoop to bein' on my arm?

Will you wash it first?

So, I told the boy, you take a clean woman's virtue, you take the woman.

And that's for life. And the boy said his vows right then.

- Took very little persuading on my part. -

Oh, it's nice to know there's some places left...

in the 'verse where old-fashioned values still mean a thing.

- Isn't that right, dear? - Hmm.

- I don't think I know you. - Name's Malcolm. Malcolm Reynolds.

And might I just say, she is quite a beauty.

Well, thank you. Ever had occasion to handle one of these, Mr. Reynolds?

Silk trigger, active return bolt laser.

Well, it's lighter than it looks. Thought it would have more heft to it.

Oh, no, don't let that fool you. Won't find technology like that short of Alliance.

And even their issues don't yet have the auto-target adjust.

I had that crafted special.

Didn't think weapons such as this were generally legal.

For private owner, I mean.

My husband makes a distinction between legality and morality, Mr. Reynolds.

- I've said that myself. - Bending one unjust law is a small thing...

when it comes to protecting one's family.

I think I understand you.

And as you say, she is a beauty.

She sure is. Of course, I was referring to the lady. Ma'am.

Yes.

- Well? - Well what?

You said you wanted to look him in the eye. You've done that.

- So, what's the plan? - The plan is we get back to Serenity...

and we get off this rock just as fast as we can.

And there can be no mistake. Good.

- Rance? - The D.N.A. matches.

The child is mine.

We run. Math just don't add up.

Our weapons stores aren't exactly overpowering at the moment...

and I don't much like what we'd be up against.

Nothing worse than a monster who thinks he's right with God.

Might turn Burgess away once, but he'll keep comin'.

He won't stop till he gets what he thinks is his.

- So we run. - I understand, Captain Reynolds.

You have your people to think of,same as me. And this ain't your fight.