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Firefly: Deleted Scenes
Ficlet 1: Balls and Bayonets
By Gamera Obscura

"What were you in the war? That big war you failed to win? You were a Sergeant, yeah? Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds... 'Balls and Bayonets' brigade. Big, tough veteran. Now you got yourself a ship and you're a Captain. Only I think you're still a Sergeant, see? Still a soldier. A man of honor in a den of thieves. Well this is my gorram den, and I don't like the way you look down on me. I'm above you! Better than! Businessman, see? Roots in the community. You're just a scavenger."
-Badger - Firefly Episode 1: "Serenity"

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(Author's Foreword: This is a series of one-shots, all taking place in the Firefly and Serenity 'Verse. While they are technically considered one-shots, there is an underlying plot that continues from ficlet to ficlet. Some ficlets feature situations touched on or references in various episodes, some include actual deleted scenes from the series and movie, and some are what I call "mini-episodes", which are full, short stories not touched upon in the series or film at all, and portray adventures of the Serenity crew as they try to eke out a living in a hostile galaxy. Additionally, some or even many of the chapters will recreate actual scenes from the series in the hopes of showing a broader perspective both in the scenes to precede and follow it, as well as a unique perspective within the scene itself. I plan to publish approximately 60 ficlets in this series, which features no OCs as major characters, and thus, no self-insertion or Mary Sues. I will do my best to capture the spirit and "soul" of the series, as well as to stay as true to the characters, settings, and technology as I can. Don't expect any time travel stories, aliens, or crossovers with other fandoms as a result. I have had a tremendous amount of fulfillment and enjoyment writing this series thusfar, and hope that you enjoy reading it at least as much as I have had writing it. One new chapter will be published every day until it is completed, so I will be writing 1-2 chapters every day, in the hopes of having a 5-7 day buffer of chapters I have written but not yet published, to give me some freedom in case I run into writer's block or need a break. Also, note that the last 5 ficlets published are placeholders, not actual chapters. Each will include a title, a quote, and a one-line synopsis of what the ficlet will be about. It will also contain the intended publication date, so you know when to expect that particular story to arrive. I hope this isn't problematic for anyone, but I did want to tease everyone with a look ahead at what is to come. That's all. Please enjoy, and when you're caught up, please check back every day for your daily dose of Firefly: Deleted Scenes.)

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Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds inspected his new Platoon, Platoon 14, 4th Company of the 57th Overlanders Brigade. Newly promoted to Sergeant in the second year of the Unification War, he paced under the watchful eye of the freshly minted Lieutenant Burke, a well-educated and young man. Barely an adult, Burke had told Reynolds that while he gained his footing, the Sergeant would effectively command the men; Burke had no combat experience, while Reynolds had been fighting with distinction and valor for over a year now.

"I know that many of you – nearly half – are fresh out of Basic, and ain't got no combat experience. The best advice I can give you is to pair up with a veteran; follow their instructions and your survivability will go up dramatically. You've been trained, but nothing can truly prepare you for the horrors of war, and this enemy – The gorram Alliance – is particularly horrific. Already we have seen that they are not shy using weapons of mass destruction: plasma barrages, mass drivers, cobalt fusion bombs, chemical and biological weapons. This is the closest mankind has come to Total Warfare since God forced us out of Eden, back on Earth-That-Was."

He turned in his pacing, and Burke noted that he wore a gold cross around his neck, on top of his uniform. In the Sergeant's file, it had been noted that this was by writ: special dispensation had been given by Colonel Samuels of the 82nd, that he be allowed to wear it this way, even in combat, although Burke guessed that he probably tucked it into his clothing in those sorts of situations, to prevent the glint of metal from attracting the attention of the enemy.

"The first rule of our platoon is that no one salutes in the field. The Alliance snipers like nothing better than killing Sergeants and officers. As such, you will not draw attention to us by saluting in the field under any circumstances." He glanced around the room for his orderly. "Corporal Alleyne, front and center."

A young woman with dark skin and dark, wavy hair loosely above her shoulders stepped forward and stood before Reynolds. "Corporal Alleyne, reporting as ordered, sir!" She saluted, and Reynolds saluted back.

"What's your full name, Corporal?" he asked.

"Corporal Zoe Oona Alleyne, sir!" the Corporal answered instantly.

"And you are career military?" Reynolds eyed her up and down.

"I am, sir!" she said, proudly.

Reynolds smirked. "Ladies and menfolk, from now on you will address my orderly, Corporal Zoe Oona Alleyne, as 'Zoe'. And when we are off duty, I expect to be called 'Mal'. You will find that while I expect the best from you in combat, I believe in a certain familiarity and an informal decorum. Despite that, my word is law, and when I say 'die', I expect you to die without question or hesitation.

"But we're not going to lose this war, ladies and menfolk. We're going to kick those hundans all the way back to the Core where they belong, and teach them once and for all to leave the Borderlands alone. The 57th Overlanders ain't called the 'Balls and Bayonets Brigade' for nothing, and we're going to carry on our Brigade's tradition of making widows and widowers all across the 'Verse. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" the men and women of Platoon 14 belted out in unison.

Mal turned again, then faced the men and stopped. "And remember this, Overlanders… When you can't run, you crawl. And when you can't crawl, you find someone to carry you. We are a band of brothers and sisters, and as such, we leave no man behind."

Mal smirked. "Zoe, dismiss the men."

Zoe turned to the assembled platoon. "Men, fall out! Dismissed! We rally in four hours for deployment to Beylix."

The congregation of soldiers began to mill about, as Burke joined Zoe and Mal in the center of the barracks. As they began to walk out together, leaving the men to pack, Burke said, "That was a stirring speech, Sergeant. But calling Corporal Alleyne 'Zoe'? I don't want a breakdown in the chain of command here."

"Don't worry, sir," said Mal. "I had my men and women call me 'Mal' while I was a Corporal. I found it fostered a culture of family and fraternity amongst the ranks. It worked in the 82nd, and I'm confident it'll work here. Besides, Zoe here is career; forcing the men to address her by her first name tickles me a little."

"Thank you, sir. I've worked long and hard to be talked to like a little sister by my subordinates," Zoe said acidly.

"You'll get over it, Zoe," Burke said. "It's Sergeant Reynolds's law around here, now."

As they walked across the compound to the Command and Control center to verify that their ride to the Sun Bin, standing by in orbit, was refueled and ready for the Company.

"Zoe," Mal said, "you've served with some of these men. What can you tell me about them?"

Zoe thought for a moment. "Privates Adam Trent and Erika Samno are good fighters; Samno isn't officially rated as a sniper, but she'll do in a pinch. She once took out an Alliance Major at five hundred yards with a DM-28 and a scope she scavenged from an Alliance M-54. Oh, and then there's Private Tracy Smith. He's good in a fight, but he's a bit… distracted. He has a tendency to let his guard down when he thinks he's safe or otherwise covered."

"Good to know," Mal said as they stepped into C&C.

"Colonel Obrin," Burke said, stepping up to his commanding officer and saluting. Zoe and Mal saluted as well.

Obrin saluted back, his huge, waxed mustache twitching as he spoke. "Don't worry, Lieutenant, the transports will be ready and standing by when you rally. But we have some bad news: Boros has fallen; the 82nd and the 49th – what's left of them – are pulling out."

"Go-se!" exclaimed Mal.

"Oh, zhe zhen shi ge kuaile de jinzhan," said Burke, angrily.

"Don't tell the troops, Burke," said Obrin. "We have a big enough morale problem as it is. We don't need to compound the issue."

"Yes, sir," said Burke.

Malcolm Reynolds looked over the star map on the far wall of Camp Pennington's C&C. Over a third of the Independent worlds had already fallen, and it seemed that with the Alliance fielding an overwhelming force, it was just a matter of time before Unification was a reality. Mal could always go back to his family's cattle ranch back on Shadow, but until then, there were thirty men and women under his command, and he intended to teach them the meaning of the words 'glory' and 'honor' until the bitter end.

(Author's Note: It has never been described how and when Mal and Zoe met; this is my vision of that meeting, and the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Also, while Tracy survived the war, he was no longer a member of the 57th by the time the Battle of Serenity Valley occurred. It's canon that of Sergeant Malcom Reynolds's platoon, only he and Zoe survived that fateful and final battle.)

(Next Time: Losing My Religion - Following the war, in a military prison, Mal enjoys some time with some old friends and comes to a decision about his life, as does a man named Derrial Book.)