Malcolm Reynolds Part 18: Serenity: Better Days #3 (May, 2008)

Looks like Mal’s better days are ahead of him…

I have this issue in the Serenity Better Days Trade Paperback.

Mal is taken prisoner by Ephraim Sanda from Alliance Special Ops who believes Mal is a dust devil – a group of browncoats who continued to fight the Alliance after the war ended. After taking a beating just this side of Niska, he sees a transmission of Zoe saying they’ve got the wrong man. She offers herself in exchange for the captain and calls Sanda out for the trade.

Mal is brought with Sanda and his troops to the location, and just as they start the exchange Sanda’s ship explodes. An incoming ship is to blame, and after laying down some strafing fire it shoots several missiles into the middle of the battlefield. Instead of exploding, the missiles open up to reveal robots that continue to attack everyone. Mal witnesses Book decapitate one of them and is saved from another by Sanda, who realizes that survival is more important than dust devils.

Sanda gives cover fire while Mal runs to a hook and winch. He throws the hook into the air and catches the vessel, which is pulled to the ground and destroyed. In return for saving Sanda’s life, he lets Mal and Zoe go.

They return to the ship to find it’s been looted…all their hard earned stolen money is gone.

Later on, Mal talks with Inara about Simon. She dodges the issue by telling him she knows that it was Mal who told the thieves where the money was hidden. She also knows that while the others were talking about what they’d do with their money, he’s already doing it. By losing the money, Mal’s plan to keep everyone together works.

Notes of Interest:

1) Mal never learns that the man who attacked them here was the same man they stole the big mean machine from in issue #1.

2) Mal doesn’t deny Inara’s accusations.

WTF? Moment: Who the heck did Mal tell about the money? Sanda? That would look too much like bargaining for his life, and I don’t see Mal doing that. Ever. The thieves from the restaurant in issue #2? Some random thieves he met on his way to Inara’s shuttle? Gotta call B.S. on that one.

WTF? Moment #2: While it’s never said outright, I’m sure Mal knows of Zoe’s dust devil days. I also think they stopped around the time he bought Serenity.