I had to wait at least 5 minutes to comment after reading this, just so you would not get incoherent exclamations of glee. I *loved* it, no matter how long it took you to write. I think it's absolutely brilliant. And realistic, especially with the way the Serenity crew don't just jump in and trust the Enterprise. Which makes total sense because of the Alliance.
And Darmok reference! I loved that episode! (Now you make me want to rewatch STTNG - which is not a bad thing, mind you :)
Thank you for writing this!