Serenity, Lady's Revenge, Calamity Jane, and the Toscany broke atmo, all 4 going to full burn. Walrus was only seconds behind. As the 5 ships exited the extreme detection range of Osiris' Orbital Control platforms, the main power and computer systems on the platforms reset, operating at normal capacity.

"What the hell?" the computer tech said, sitting back from the system that had just gone online. "Everything seems to be fine now..." he moved forward again, tapping out a command. "Everything reads clear; nothing detected." He noticed that the internal clock on the system was set for 35 minutes ago; what the ta ma de could that mean?

Mal and River ran for the bridge; River because Wash needed her to set their course while he was flying, and Mal because River was heading that way.

Jayne carried Marcus to the infirmary, and Petaline's ladies helped the three of Li's soldiers that had accompanied them. Petaline helped Badger walk towards the infirmary; although his legs weren't hurt, he certainly wasn't avoiding the attention.

Almost everybody who had gone into that place had come out with bruises from armor hits and grazes from the near-misses; Jayne practically looked like a tiger with the slashes on his outfit.

Jamie looked up at the catwalk, and saw Inara walking down out of the upper airlock with Jenny close behind, both wearing their armor and carrying scoped long-rifles. Inara was a trained master at maintaining her composure and self-possession, but Jamie was a trained master at penetrating such masks. He could see that she was tearing herself apart inside; her role at defending the ship hadn't sat well with her. Though she had done it, and done it well, he had noticed as they ran back to the ships, she probably wouldn't sleep well for weeks. He held out a hand, and she came down to him. She maintained her composure until he held her in his arms, then began to break down. He gently picked her up and walked off towards the dorms.

After putting Marcus on the table in the infirmary, Jayne went back out to the catwalk, in search of Jenny. He found her as she stood on the catwalk, looking down at the kids that had been rescued; she looked hard and cold right now, and he could see that she had fallen into a self-protective state; most gun-hands had one. It was a defensive measure to keep them from getting overwhelmed in battle. He was glad of it; she was turning out to be quite a useful gun-hand, indeed. She looked at him with cold eyes, right up to the point that he reached out and pulled her into a hug. He felt her begin to tremble, and led her off to his bunk so she could work through the shakes privately.

After seeing to his Captainy duties on the bridge, Mal came down to the infirmary to see how things were going. Zoe had come up to help Wash, so Mal made River come with him to get the tiny slash wounds she had picked up from her battle with Lang taken care of.

Simon was still busy with one of the nurses he had trained; she was the one with the steadiest hands and the least aversion to guts. Marcus had taken a massive gut wound, piercing his GI tract and damaging his stomach lining; he had nearly bled out already, but thankfully one of Badger's men had a matching blood type and had given him a transfusion. Mal could see that Simon was busy, and didn't want to disturb him. He got supplies from one of the nurses and took River to his bunk, tending her wounds himself. She changed into different clothes, and accompanied him to the storage closet off the galley; they'd handcuffed Lisa Lang there until they could figure out what to do with her.

River got a tiny shudder when she entered that room and saw the girl cuffed to the floor; that had been her 18 months ago.

Mal put an arm around her, soothing her; Weren't the same woman then.

She nodded, then went forward and knelt next to the girl. She didn't expect her to awake any time soon, but she wanted to check and see if the girl was okay.

She had been untouched throughout the fight, except for one bruise on her cheek that River had given her; a surprise headbutt. River began reaching into her mind, feeling her way through the minefields of Academy training. She could still sense the dark and cold aspects of the girl's mind, but they were far less prevalent; it was as though that aspect only dominated when she had been activated. River put a bottle of water and a protein bar close at hand, then left, going back out to the cargo bay. Mal went on into the common room, to check on everybody there. He smirked when he saw Badger sitting stiffly on the couch, head tilted back slightly and snoring, with Petaline pressed along his good side, snoring slightly louder.

The children that had been rescued from the Academy looked exhausted; all of them were laid out on the ground, on soft mats, dead asleep. One boy remained awake though; he looked about 16, and seemed to almost take on a protector role. He watched her with dark eyes.

"You were like us once."

"Still am. I just hide it better." she said, grinning slightly.

"My name is Johnathan."

"I'm River."

"River? River Tam?"

"Probably for not much longer, but yes."

"The older kids, when they weren't lost in their darkness, sometimes talked about you. Said you had broken out, that your brother had come for you."

"And so he did." she whispered, sitting next to him. "What happened to those others?"

"They died." he said sadly. "Died doing missions for the bad men, died from the bad things they did..."

"One of them didn't die. A blonde girl, about my age. She's up in the galley closet right now."

"...Lisa? I think her name was Lisa. They always called her by a number."

"0158."

"That was it." he said sadly, again. "What are we gonna do now?" he whispered.

"We'll try to take you home, if we can. Lots of uncertainties still floating around. The Academy is gone though. They'll never take you back, not as long as we have breath."

He smiled then, and leaned his head on her shoulder. "I know. We knew somebody would come for us one day."

"That's what family does...I've got to go fly the ship now."

"You fly?" he said, face brightening.

"I surely do. I'll see if our other pilot can come down and see you. You'll like him."

"Okay." he said, sitting back against the crate and watching over the other children, like a big brother.

"I'll spell you, Wash."

Damn, she sounds more like Mal every day.

"Do not." River grinned.

"Okay. How're things with everybody?"

"Looks like Inara and Jamie disappeared as soon as we got on board, and Jenny and Jayne are missing in action too." River grinned. "There's 13 kids down in the cargo bay who are sleeping, but if they wake up, they could use a friendly face."

"Think they'll like shadow puppets?" Wash asked, grinning.

"They'd probably also like the boys on the console too."

"Ooh, didn't think of that." he said, as he gathered up an armful of plastic dinos. River managed to hold her mirth in until he had left the bridge, then belly-laughed.

They were 1 hour out from the Skyplex where they could broadcast their message, when they had their first sign of trouble. River checked the sensor systems when the alarm went off; she blanched at the sight.

"Ta ma de."

"Captain, need you on the bridge pretty gorram quick!"

"That girl is getting more and more comfortable up there every day." Mal said to one of the soldiers, a twinkle in his eye. He had been keeping them company, checking their wounds.

"Get the hell up here Mal!"

He straightened up; River wouldn't call him Mal in a situation like this without some reason.

He vaulted up the stairs to the galley, then sprinted up to the bridge, nearly tripping on the bridge stairs.

As he got into the bridge, he saw what was looming up ahead of them. Zoe was right behind him, and Wash behind her.

An Alliance cruiser loomed up in front of them.

"Firefly Serenity and accompanying ships, heave to and prepare to dock."

"Qing Wa Cao De Liu Mang!"

"Mal? What do we do?" Wash asked.

River looked up at Mal, knowing exactly was in his head. "No, Mal. This is all of ours, not just yours. You won't do that to me."

Wash looked between them. "What are you talking about?"

Zoe knew the look on Mal's face though; it was the same look he had the day they had lost Serenity Valley.

"Time to face the music, darlin'." Mal whispered, then leaned over and kissed her.

"Not alone, ai ren." she said determinedly.

Everybody gathered in the cargo bay, except the nurses and Simon, as well as the injured folk. Nobody was armed, although 2 pairs of them were conspicuously shabbily dressed.

Everybody faced the cargo bay door, hands in sight. As it opened, 2 Alliance troops looked in, weapons up; seeing no ambush in sight, they stepped aside to each side of the door. Into the cargo bay walked a familiar face.

"Hello again, Captain Reynolds."

"I'll be a sonuvabitch...Commander-no, Captain Harken."

Harken stepped forward, extending a hand. Warily, Mal took it, shaking it once.

"It's nice to see you again, Captain."

"What brings you out Osiris-way, Captain Harken?"

"If I'm not mistaken, you did."

Mal's face darkened. "What's your game, Captain?"

Harken smiled an devilish little grin. "A mutual friend gave me orders to come out to this position and render assistance to a little fleet of rag tag ships, crewed by old Browncoats. It's no small surprise to find you in the thick of things, Captain.

"Nor yourself, Miss Tam." He stepped forward, giving her a polite greeting.

"Not Miss Tam for much longer, Captain." River said, grinning.

"It's very nice to meet you at last. At least this time, you won't have to get into an EVA suit to hide from me." he grinned.

He finally seemed to see the others; most he recognized, including the somewhat underdressed Jamie. (He'd only had a chance to pull on sleep pants before leaving his quarters; at his side, Inara was wearing only a silk robe, with her hair tousled and messy.)

"Mr. Monroe. Nice to meet you again."

"And you, Captain."

Mal looked at the men with amusement in his eyes. "Not very surprised to find you two know each other, truth be told."

"Just after you saved me from the Reaver, Captain. Mr. Monroe came on board our vessel...well, looking for you."

"Yea, we already hashed that out. Air through the engine."

Harken looked around the cargo bay, and saw the 13 kids laying on sleep mats; they were awake now, and staring at him wide-eyed, despite Wash's attempts to reassure them.

"Wuo de ma. They're the ones you rescued? They're only children."

River stepped up silently. "I was only a child when I was taken."

"Rung Tse Song Di Ching Dai Wuo Tzo. Minister Atwood told me that you had tumbled to something monstrous."

"It gets worse. We've got a fully-trained Academy assassin handcuffed in our galley storage. She hasn't woken up yet; I expect when she does, we'll need her to be restrained before she kills somebody."

Harken just looked ill. Finally, he seemed to snap himself out of it. "If you're willing, Captain, I'd like to get all of your friends' ships brought into our bay; we can protect you better there. We can also provide medical care if necessary."

"I'd appreciate it, Captain."

Harken turned to his guards. "You gentlemen can go back aboard the Magellan. Have the main bay cleared; we'll need room for 5 ships. Once aboard, you will extend the crews of these ships every courtesy. Dohn ma?"

"Aye aye, Captain." the higher ranking soldier said, before they walked back over to Magellan.

"Well, Captain. Care to give me the tour? As I recall, our last meeting was somewhat rudely interrupted by a Reaver."

Mal snorted. "Come on, I'll show ya around."

Wash went back up to the bridge and piloted Serenity into Magellan's bay, where she came to rest alongside the 4 other ships of their group. The main hatches were opened, and although Alliance guards and crewmembers were present, they were mostly curious gawkers, rather than guardians.

The Osiris police force responded to an anonymous cortex message regarding the events at the Academy, the day of the attack.

The bodies of the Blue Sun guards were strewn about everywhere; what was most incredible was the trail of papers that had been left behind, showing the way to the underground labs where horrific human experimentation had taken place.

As soon as possible, once Jamie had sorted out most of the Academy files, they were transmitted to Marcus' news contacts all over the 'verse.

The news waves and cortex lit up within hours of the story being released. The Miranda 'Wave had shaken the foundations of the Alliance, and it had only been seen once or a handful of times by the people of the 'Verse.

The constant bombardment of the news media and cortex news outlets worked to their advantage, in this instance; once news of horrific experimentation on children went out, Blue Sun stock dropped almost 75% in the first two weeks.

6 hours after they had left Osiris, River suddenly got up from the bridge console and turned over the conn to Wash; she raced for the galley and opened the storage closet door. Lisa Lang had woken up.

The blonde girl lifted her head from the floor and saw River; her eyes widened, and she shrieked "River!" She tried to get up, and found she couldn't move because of the handcuffs; River came to her and hugged her, sitting close while they chattered. Mal walked in a few minutes later, and stood in the doorway, grinning slightly; seen from this perspective, the pair looked like two schoolgirls rather than trained assassins.

When the conversation came around to the Academy, Lisa turned sad; River immediately regretted asking the question.

"I'm sorry, bao bei. That was unkind of me."

"It's okay, River. I just wish...I wish someone had come for me like Simon did for you."

"So do I, sweetie."

In the first three days after the release of the Academy information, a number of military and political figures were treated to the sight of a Federal Marshal's badge, combined with the barrel of a gun, or in some cases, several guns. In total, more than 300 were arrested for corruption, illegal experimentation, and a whole slough of charges, all on the order of Charles Atwood and the new Committee for Investigation into Blue Sun.

Charles Atwood had a two-fold job; he not only had to gather evidence and prosecute those responsible, but he also had to maintain the stability of the government to prevent mass panic or rebellion.

The Minister of Defense had pushed and argued that the information regarding the Academy files should be classified.

"Minister Atwood, this information could lead to a revolt by the Browncoats. I think it's an unacceptable risk."

"Really? An unacceptable risk? You don't seem to be a man that's fond of such risks."

"Never have been."

"Care to explain this video then?"

Atwood pushed a button on the console, and a holo vid popped up; it was a capture of the Defense Minister, along with a number of other Alliance personnel, watching stone-facedly as River Tam had needles inserted in her brain. Dr. Matthias had given his standard speech regarding 'Subject 0173's' viability in defense deployments.

The Defense Minister's face held the same stone-faced expression now. Atwood was suddenly furious at the man's lack of guilt.

"You helped do this to her! You took years away from this woman, and she will never be quite the same as she was. 13 children were rescued alive from that place, how many weren't? Your arrogance and lust for a 'better world' is exactly the same push that led to Miranda and Pax. Hell, she probably picked up that information right out of your own head, isn't that right?"

The Defense Minister remained aloof, staring at Atwood with hard eyes.

"I should let her come in here and take care of you herself. I'm sure she'd love to deal with it personally, somebody who put that sort of knowledge in her head." Atwood gave an evil smile as the minister's face began to crack; he knew how dangerous River Tam could be if threatened.

"You should thank me that you'll only be stuck on a penal moon for the rest of your life, serving out your sentence in the process of building 'better worlds'.

"Get him out of my sight." he said, and 2 Federal Marshals took the man away.

It was at that moment that Atwood decided to ensure that the Academy files were published in detail, removing only that information which was essential to the privacy of the victims. Everything else would be transparent to the public; probably the first time it had been done.

The lack of work or motion for two weeks was grating on the crews of the 4 Independent ships, but they understood the need for it; they could be in danger if they left. Some rogue Alliance units still hadn't been found, and a number of Blue Sun ships were missing as well.

The former Operative had been somewhat surprised that he had been allowed to remain on Serenity during his convalescence; rather, they seemed to be unwilling to let him go quite yet. This was indeed a change from his last encounter with Serenity, when Malcolm Reynolds had threatened to shoot him. The fact that he actually had was inconsequential; while recovering from his gut wound, the Doctor had dutifully kept an eye on him, maintaining his treatment. The others, although he could still sense some hostility, would bring him food, and even come down and chat with him.

One of his most common visitors was his brother Tom; after their lengthy alienation (by his own hand), they seemed to be getting on quite well.

The first time Marcus had gotten up from the bed for more than a bathroom visit, 4 days after leaving Osiris, they had gone out to the main deck of the Magellan, where a somber funeral was held for those who had died in the attempt on the Academy. Two Alliance soldiers had fallen, Private Chen Xiu and Private Bernard Fuller; as well, Kaye Barnum, Chin Shu's security specialist, and Jason Findley, Jim Raven's cook and jack of all trades. 2 of Badger's men had died as well. Full military honors were rendered to all 6, with the crews of Lady's Revenge, Serenity, Calamity Jane, and Walrus somewhat stunned at the presentation of arms.

Following this funeral, where Alliance officers in full dress uniforms had fired salutes for the dead, came a much happier affair that celebrated their lives and accomplishments. The rollicking party lasted well past 2 AM ship's time, and even the Alliance officers and crew had gotten rowdy drunk along with the Independent crews.

The healing seemed to have begun right here.