are we crashing again?
good to go, sir. just loading her up. are those grenades?
we're robbing the place. we're not occupying it. all that plays in the background as we lead mal into the:
like a downy feather, sir. nobody flies like my mister. the camera picks up simon's feet as they enter foreground on the catwalk, and track with them to find:
we should hit town right during sunday worship. won't be any crowds.
something about stealing from the alliance just warms a body like whiskey in winter.
you know what the definition of a hero is? it's someone who gets other people killed. you can look it up later. he drops his weapon, slides it across the floor. mal moves to the trade agent. hauls him up, tosses him toward the vault. zoe and jayne follow.
at last. we can retire and give up this life of crime. mal reaches in, pulls a lever and the floor opens, a six foot hole appearing, stairs leading to a corridor, all gleaming metal and blue light. zoe smiles. jayne peers down as mal addresses the trade agent.
wash, baby can you hear me?
reavers.
we're not gonna reach you in time.
talkin' ain't doin'. she throws the wheel and the mule comes hard about, fishtailing slightly as it faces the oncoming skiff.
wasn't for river, we'd probably be left there. she felt 'em coming.
no, i think things'll glide a deal smoother for us without river and simon on board.  but how long do you think they'll last?
like that man back in town? they stop by mal is room.
i know. that was a piece a' mercy. but before that, him begging us to bring him along.  vo,
you know that for certain
coulda tossed the payload.
sir, i don't disagree on any particular point, it's just.  in the time of war, we woulda never left a man stranded.
captain didn't make 'em fugitives.
sir, are you sure you don't --
do we know if anyone was killed?
honey.
so somebody else has been fed this. that doesn't like me too well.
so, trap?
we goin' in? moo mal it ain't but a few hours out.
what? and risk my ship?
did he mention a deal of any kind?
you wanna leave this room.
she's sealed off the bridge. i do not like her there.
that's a bad notion --
i got it, baby.
this is us, see? and here's miranda. all along here, this dead space in between, that's reaver territory.
maybe a hundred ships. and more every year. you go through that you're signing up to be a banquet.
get on the cortex. wave the sanchez brothers, li shen -- anyone whose ever sheltered us after a heist. tell them to get out. get out now.
we got time for gravedigging?
sir. do you really mean to turn our home into an abomination so we can make a suicidal attempt at passing through reaver space?
every reading i'm getting says normal. oceans, land masses.  no tectonic instability or radiation.
02 levels check, pressure.  if there's anything wrong the scanner isn't reading it. mal pulls off his helmet. breathes, looking around him.
we flew over at least a dozen cities just as big. why didn't we hear about this?
ho. she moves rapidly, gun out, to:
jayne --
it's a fair bet the alliance knows about mr universe. they're gonna see this coming.
this is gonna be very tight --
back up reads at 20%.  - can you get us down?
will that work?
sir. this is a good hold point_
no. they have to come through here; they'll bottleneck and we can thin 'em out. we get pushed ,oo back there's the blast doors.
we need to draw them til it's done. this is the place. we'll buy you the time.
do the job, sir.
you really think any of us are gonna get through this? he looks back at their army: a companion, a doctor, a mechanic and a more-than-usually out of it river. a beat, and he looks back at zoe with forlorn hope:
jayne and i take the first wave. nobody shoots less they get past our fire. simon moves to kaylee, who is shaky as hell. the bangs on the door continue.
just gimme a bandage. simon pulls a spraycan from his bag, sprays the wound with a foam that hardens instantly into an elastic covering.
everybody fall back! fall back! everyone stumbles or is dragged into the inner corridor. inara hits the controls and the doors start to close, from each side and above and below. then, when the hole is maybe four by four, they stop.
they're gonna get in --
no one's coming back from that.  she tries to stand, fails.
when they come, try to plug the hole with 'em.  kaylee cries out and simon moves to her.
he got through. i know he got through.
sir?
sir, we have a green light. inspection's pos and we're clear for upthrust.
she's tore up plenty. but she'll fly true.
always is. she takes off and mal heads up the stairs.