Chapter 10

Inara almost crashed into her mother, "Mommy, who was I named after?"

Kaylee just smiled at her small, innocent daughter and said, "I think we should wait for daddy to answer that question."

"Ok," she sighed, shrugged to Juliette, and they both ran off playing.

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Velia softly jumped when the big, metallic, and ornate door suddenly opened. A brawny and formal man appeared and eyed her up and down.

"Wǎnshàng hǎo, sir, I am here to… apply for the job." She told him.

"What job is that, exactly?" he asked.

"For the cleaner's, sir."

"Come in." he gestured, as she entered through the door, he glanced at her suggestively. "Where do you come from?"

"From a small planet called Delrio,"

"Delrio? Isn't that the planet that is ruled by a queen, the planet that broke from Alliance rule?"

"Yes, sir"

"What are you doing here, then?"

"I wanted to travel the 'verse, but lost everything."

"So now you want to work as a cleaner?"

"Yes, sir"

Higgins crept locked all of the doors, so that she couldn't go away. He came closer and stopped just a few inches from her, "You have the most peculiar eyes. Tell me, how is your family coping with you away from home?"

"My family is dead, sir."

"Hmm…" he placed his hand on her shoulder, and felt her shudder at the touch.

"Sir, you'd do well to take you hand off of my shoulder."

"And if I don't?" he challenged.

"Well, I'd have no choice," she grabbed his hand and in one swift movement stood behind him holding his bent arm, "but to do this." She snapped the bone and cartilage, getting his arm to bend in a most unnatural manner.

"Let me go!" He howled in pain and struggled to break free from the crazy woman who snapped his arm.

"I've warned you," she said but she still didn't let him go.

"Who are you?"

"I am Queen Velia of Delrio, and I hereby revoke your authority and take possession of Canton and this moon as acting Queen." she told him.

"What about Alliance?"

"They shall remove their posts on and around this moon and all of the citizens will stay here."

"You…you…you can't do that!" he stuttered, his eyes were tearing up as he feared she was actually going to destroy his possession of the moon. He was lost in fear, pain and grief as Velia tightened her grip on his arm.

"I just did," she grabbed a small knife hidden in her dress with her free hand, reached around and stabbed him in the throat. She watched him struggle for air and felt him start to drown in his own blood. When at last he stopped, she let him go and watched his body slump down onto the floor. She bent and cut off a small section of flesh from his arm and ate it.

Velia walked out of the house and was stopped by a group of armed militia with enormous blaster guns. "Did you kill Boss Higgins?" one asked her.

"Yes, I did," she responded.

"Are you aware that is a federal crime?"

"Not when the killing was justified, his powers were revoked, and the populace accepts the change of command."

"That is not how it works."

"Are YOU aware of the pact that the Alliance and the planet Delrio share?"

"That only applies when the queen or another official find evidence of incompetence and decides that their government can benefit the populace better."

"So what EXACTLY are Alliance soldiers still doing on my moon?"

"Who are you?"

"I am the queen, now get out."

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Mal, Simon, and Wash were anxiously counting the seconds that passed. They kept moving around to distract themselves but only seemed to make the air seem thicker and harder to breathe. It seemed that Jayne was the only one who wasn't worried about the girls. After what seemed like hours, the group arrived, and they were each excited about their first job without the men. The only one that wasn't in the group was Velia, and their happiness and excitement was replaced with worry.

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Velia was being shown around by a few of the natives, including Thomas. She hated the closeness with which they gave her, but she had more control. They got to the center of the town, when something caught her eyes. When she tried to see what it was, the group tried to stop her.

"What over there?" she asked them.

"It's the statue of the Hero of Canton." said Thomas as he dragged her towards it.

When Velia looked at the standing statue of Jayne, she was flabbergasted, and the crowd waited anxiously for the Queen to decide next. When she still won't talk, a very timid Thomas said, "Well?"

"Well, what?" she asked.

"What are you going to do with it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you going to destroy it?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Boss Higgins wanted to destroy it."

"Well, I'm not Boss Higgins," she said, "I think it's cute how you look up to him. I think it should stay where it is, 'sides it ties up the town real shiny-like."

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The crew of Serenity was scouring the town looking for Velia, they couldn't find her anywhere. River was trying to convince the crew that she was not in danger, but with the crew's anxiety levels rising to a critical point, she decided she needed to show them. River ran from the search group into one of the buildings out of town with Simon and the rest not far behind. She found Velia and almost dragged her out and when the group saw Velia still alive, River ran to Simon and stayed in his embrace with a cocky smile on her face. She pulled him down and they shared a long and deep kiss.

The crew had a lot of catching up to do.

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"What do you mean you own the moon?" asked Jayne.

"The moon… is now a territory… under my control." She spoke softly, hoping all the while, the meaning would reach the mercenary's brain.

"Does that mean I'm not their hero anymore?"

"You are still their hero, I am just their Queen."

"Really?" he asked eagerly.

"Yes," she told him, happy that something entered his brain.

XXXXXX

Mal and Kaylee were watching their daughter playing on the cargo hold with River and Velia. Mal had a protective arm around his wife's shoulders, her strength, bravery, kindness and love still amazes him every day. He bent down his head and softly kissed her. The love he felt for her was overwhelming and amazing to him; he felt like the stars faded behind her bright joy and love. When he found Jubal dead, he was so worried about Kaylee; he remembered the trauma Jubal inflicted on her and the day were she would flinch at his voice and his closeness. He hated Jubal for darkening his light, his joy, and his hope. He was pulled out of his thoughts when Kaylee broke the kiss.

"Inara asked me who she named after today." She informed her husband.

"What'd you tell her?" he asked, pulling her closer to him with his arm.

"I told her that you would tell her?"

"Why should I be the one to tell her?"

"I was negotiating a price on some supplies, 'sides I didn't know what to tell her and gave you the responsibility." she teased him.

"Kaywinnet Lee Reynolds, you are so lucky that I am crazy about you," teased Mal as he inched closer to kiss her again, "Or I might just have to punish you for giving me something you could've done." He kissed her then and when they parted he looked in her dark brown eyes, now though, they shimmered with sparks of love and the dark brown became a lighter shade.

Inara saw them and started to run towards her parents, hoping all the while that they would answer a question that has been bugging her all day.