Jayne walks into the infirmary while Mal and Wash are talking with Kaylee about repairs Serenity will need. The run from the Reavers pushed them too hard, even Jayne could tell that, but they're lucky, it ain't too much this time around. Jayne figures that won't always be the case. Getting them fugitives seems to have eaten all their luck. Mal is bitching about hull stress, and Wash is whining about fuel, and Kaylee's acting all wistful about a compression coil; but Jayne knows what they really need. He's been thinking about it.
"What this ship needs is guns."
They turn to look at him, all except Kaylee, who was lying on the bed facing the door when he walked in. She'd given a little wave and smile.
"We got plenty of guns on the ship, Jayne."
Jayne knows Mal ain't that dumb. Why's he always making Jayne spell things out? "Ship guns. Can't rely on outrunning everything. 'Specially Reavers. We need something on the outside, something good. I got ideas."
Wash looks kind of interested, and Kaylee maybe too. But Mal is frowning.
"You know the rules. Ship guns make us outlaws."
"I hate to raise the obvious," Wash says, "But aren't we already? We are crooks, right? At least sometimes."
Mal is still frowning, dismissing the whole idea, Jayne can tell. "You all know the rules. Only gunships are Alliance gunships. With 'em, no matter why, we're -"
"Bandits of the sky? No, wait. We're pirates. Dastardly space pirates!" Wash is laughing as he speaks, and Kaylee starts up too, little hiccup giggles that sound like maybe she's still hurting pretty bad. It's kind of nice to see her laughing again, but this ain't funny business, and Jayne resents them not listening properly.
"I could have an eye-patch, and swashbuckle all day long. Zoe could be my lady! Wait. Maybe she'd be the swashbuckling one. What exactly does it mean to buckle my swash anyway?" Wash waggles his eyebrows, and says, "Sounds fun, anyway."
The infirmary is full of noise all sudden-like. Kaylee's gasping giggles, Wash's cries of 'Yaaar'. Others are going come wandering over soon, asking about the commotion. Jayne blocks out Wash and little Kaylee's jokes, and focuses back in on Mal. And Mal's silence, which is somehow louder than the other two.
"It'd do us all good, Mal."
"It's too risky. It'll bring a world of trouble, if the wrong folk get word or if they pass by too close. And anything we rig up is like to be unstable anyway. I don't want explosions and hull compressions when something gets wired wrong, or some power supply overloads. 'Specially if it happens when we're running from something."
"Kaylee wouldn't -"
Mal lowers his voice and moves closer to Jayne. "In case you missed it, Jayne, Kaylee ain't much good right now, and she don't need more work."
"She'll get better -"
"No, Jayne." Mal says it loud enough that Kaylee and Wash quiet right down. They're looking at him again, and Jayne can feel it. He'll have to back down to Mal again, in front of them all. Gorram it. He never gets taken seriously. Only time he has lately is when the lawman tried to talk him into betraying Mal. He tries one last time, "We need 'em, Mal. It's getting' wilder out here. We don't got no -"
"It'll shut too many doors in our faces."
"It'll open others."
"Not ones we want. No."
Jayne grits his teeth and stares at Mal hard, but he knows it's over. Again. He maybe should have listened to the lawman. He turns and walks out of the infirmary. The doctor is coming down the hall, looking rich and nervous, but mostly annoying. Jayne gives the man his best mean grin, and shoves him hard against the wall as he walks past.
Gorram it. Jayne should be the one running this ship.
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