"Hear you need a pilot." Malcolm Reynolds cast a critical eye over the young woman in front of him. She was in her mid-twenties; her short, spiky red hair topped a wiry tanned frame. She was tall, and wore simple clothes, a cream blouse tucked into steel grey canvas pants. Two leather belts with brass buckles were slung at her waist, pouches clinking as she moved. A gun was holstered at either thigh and leather boots brushed her calves.

"I'm Vee Dobson." There was a tan coat slung over one arm, but she held out her other hand, smiling warmly. Mal did not take her hand.

"How do I know I can trust you?" he said. Vee just shrugged.

"It's not like I've been living above the law, or anything," she said with a snort. Growing serious, she pulled Mal close. "Look, you go talk to Derrik and he'll vouch for me. I've been his runner for 3 years, and you know as well as I do that folks like that aren't…legal all the time."

"If you've been with him for so long, why's he letting you go?"

"I'm sick of this mudball, and he's got an adequate replacement. He knows I've been looking for more interesting work. And you're the Mal Reynolds. What's more interesting than that?" I'll tell you what. I'll be at the Maypole this evening. Bring your crew. Drinks on me."

"Tell me you're not seriously considering this, Mal."

"Zoë, I have to. No matter what way you look at it, Serenity's without a pilot." Zoë and Mal stood facing each other across opposite ends of the table. Zoë had been fighting with him long after he had convinced the others.

"Mal, me and River got us here. Surely we don't need to bring someone else into the equation. It could be dangerous. The bounty alone would make any one think twice about not turning us in. River and me can do just fine!"

"You and River got us here because no one was shooting at us. As soon as the shooting starts, I want an experienced pilot at the helm. No matter how much I like River, I can't trust her to keep her head in a tight spot." Mal could see that Zoë was unmoved. "Think about it. If Wash had to leave, he would have told me the exact same thing. In a profession like ours, we can't afford to fly blind. You know that. You're just upset because you feel like I'm trying to replace Wash. You know I'm not. I couldn't. Zoë, I want you to give her a chance and try to play nice. Can you do that for me?"

"Lets get this gakking shit over with."

The Maypole was just as Vee described it. It was small, but classy, warmly lit by candles and gas-lamps. The room seemed bigger than it was, mirrors and warm wood paneling giving it a homey feeling that always failed to set Mal at ease. He saw Vee sitting at a small oval table and gave a small smile, steering the crew over to the table she as at.

"Vee, this is Jayne, River, Simon, Kaylee and-" he paused. "Zoë."

"I'm Vee. Nice to meet you all!" She paused for a moment as her eyes slid over River and Zoë, but then she smiled and gestured to the table. Jayne, Simon, River and Kaylee sat, but Zoë pulled Mal aside.

"That girl can't be twenty if she's a day! You really think it's a good idea to bring a child on board?" She hissed, glaring over her shoulder. "This is a horrible idea!"

"My sources say she's 26, Zoë," Mal said firmly. "Stop fighting me, Zoë." She sat down in a huff, pointedly ignoring the easy banter being exchanged by the others. Vee was shamelessly flirting with Janye, much to the amusement of the others and she was regaling them tales of close calls and high adventure. Suddenly, both Vee and River went stiff.

"Reavers," Vee breathed, hands going to her guns. Screams began to filter into the restaurant, but the others were stock-still.

"You feel them too?" Simon asked, shock and disbelief lacing his voice.

"River's not the only one with cuts in her brain," Vee Said cryptically, the mood grim. "Let's get out of here before this becomes a bloodbath." She led them out of a side door to her waiting hover-bike, heavy armored sidecars like rockets hanging off the sides.

"River Simon, Kaylee, right side," she said, gesturing. "Jayne, Zoë, left side. Mal, you're with me. Buckle up! It's gonna be a wild ride." Scarcely giving them a moment to settle, Vee opened the throttle, as the bike swerved into a hard turn.

"What dock?" she called as they sped through an open courtyard.

"VD 16," Mal called. As they careened into the docking bay, the Reavers came into view. It was already bloody, people running and screaming in every direction. Mal cursed as he saw where the Reavers had set down, squarely between them and Serenity. Vee just gave a wry chucke.

"Let's get ready for a game of Reaver tag. Hold on!" Lifting the nose of the bike higher into the air, she flipped a switch, revealing two semi-automatic machine guns embedded in the nose. Powering down one engine, Vee sent the bike into a dizzying spin, spraying the Reavers in a deadly wash of bullets. Using a perfectly timed, power-down, she was able to come out of the spin in complete control and they weren't going my slower than when they had started. They reached Serenity with surprising ease after that, and once that had gotten safely off the ground, the Reavers were unable to follow.

"So, did I get the job?" Vee asked breathlessly once they were safely in the air and flying out of the boarder town.

"I'd say so," Mal said with a relieved chuckle. "I would sure say so."