Zoë Alleyne Washburne

Zoë Alleyne Washburne was a Browncoat born February 15, 2484, "Vesselside".[1] Zoë served in the Unification War under Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds for two and a half years, and was one of the few to survive the Battle of Serenity Valley. Zoë continued under his command on his spaceship, Serenity, as first mate, and was the wife of pilot Hoban Washburne. A loyal second-in-command and a tough, deadly fighter, Zoë was the only member of Mal's crew to regularly call him "sir", while taking orders as if receiving them from a superior officer.

Biography
Zoe was born Vesselside, February 15th, 2484. Nothing else is known about her upbringing. She fought on the side of Independence in the Unification War, a part of the 57th Overlanders Brigade. At the time of the Battle of Serenity Valley, Zoë had attained the rank of Corporal. Along with Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds, she was the only other survivor of their platoon in that seven week long battle. After the war, she and Mal were left for two weeks in the aftermath of Serenity Valley before being placed into camps for war crimes. Not long after, however, the Alliance decided that they did not want any further conflict with these "Browncoats", finally letting free those in these war camps.

Unlike Mal, she was career military, and was often more calm in dangerous situations. Mal often thought with his heart while Zoë usually thought with her head. Regardless, Zoë followed all orders from Mal, although often with a degree of advice or concern. However, after the war, she joined up with the Dust Devils, a "terrorist" organization which continued to fight against the now Peacekeepers of the Alliance post-war, thus showing a level of emotional contempt on a very extreme level.

After the war and her stint as a Dust Devil, Zoë joined Mal aboard Serenity, although showing obvious skepticism regarding his plan. Zoë married Serenity's pilot Hoban Washburne less than a year after he joined the crew, though initially she claimed that something about him "bothered" her— possibly his disturbing moustache.

Although Zoë and Wash worked a very dangerous sort of lifestyle, they managed to retain a rather happy marriage. Wash at times grew jealous of Zoë's close relationship with Mal, but later managed to get past it. During the events of Serenity Wash was killed. Heartbroken, Zoë and the rest of the crew built a memorial for her husband on Mr. Universe's moon. As revealed in the comics Serenity: Float Out and Serenity: It's Never Easy, Zoe is now pregnant with Wash's daughter. The upcoming comics, Serenity: Leaves on the Wind, will continue with this storyline, with Zoe and her pregnancy at the crux.