In the black ocean of space, the Alliance cruiser Vigilant shimmered like a gigantic kitana blade.

From his pilot's seat of his personal shuttle, King gasped in awe. "Truly a thing of beauty...." His hands graced his nav console and steered his shuttle towards the nose-cone of the giant vessel, all the while taking in the details of his new starship. She was dotted with up-thrusters, deflection concaves and the latest, biggest ion drive. Guns were mounted along each hull, based on swivel-points. She was a beautiful beast.

More than enough to catch and crush Serenity.

He moved through her corridors, nodding and saluting at old colleagues and new subordinates. The Alliance had spared no expense: holoscreens, direct-retinal-projections, mood-sensors: the ship really went out of its way...

To provide information swiftly and efficiently, whilst maintaining officers' comfort at maximum levels.

That's exactly what the on-board computer had said in its sly voice, and it was no hyperbole. This ship wasn't just brawny, it was brainy too.

The bridge doors parted and King stepped out onto the main deck. What a bridge: huge, crammed with computers of all shapes and sizes, mid-lit to ease on the eyes. A dozen officers turned and greeted him with a round of salutes. He gave them all a quick nod, then turned to his XO.

"Burgess."

The man was fat. Unhealthily so, but refused to accept bioregulators. His eyes seemed double his fifty years. "Welcome, Captain King. All departments report in ready. Course plotted for Cobalt."

"Cancel that course, Commander." This made Burgess' eyes widen ever so slightly, not out of shock but rather as an inaudible Huh? King continued, "New course: Shadow. Full speed. Keep the cloak down."

The XO repeated the commands and the juniors punched them in. Overhead, the voice of the Vigilant echoed out. "Course set for Shadow. Trajectory: near-perfect. Minor detour through-"

King said, "Information acknowledged, accepted, and I'm very bloody grateful. Audio off."

Vigilant obligingly shut up.

Burgess frowned and leaned in close enough that no one else could hear. "Jonas, aren't we going to break this little baby in first, before we go star-trotting?"

King shook his head. "No time for that. We're on a special mission. Gather the other four in my briefing room in fifteen minutes. We have some flies to swat."

Burgess nodded and smiled. "Just like old times?"

"Better than. We have a shipful of targets and the flagship to squash them with. Burgess, this shall be fun."

The two friends shared predatory grins, eyes gleaming, while the Vigilant gave a tiny shudder and raced towards her prey.

* * *

Simon pulled the blankets over himself and in the silence of his bedroom he whispered, "Thank you."

A girl replied, "You're welcome."

He jumped. "Kaylee. You're awake?!"

Kaylee giggled softly beside him. "I am now." She curled up tighter against him. "What're you thanking me for, anyways?"

"Actually." Simon now laughed, though he was a bit nervous. "I was thanking God."

Kaylee pulled herself back a little and smiled up at him. "For what?"

Still embarrassed, Simon couldn't meet her eyes when he confessed, "You."

"Awwww!" Kaylee gave him a big hug and kiss. "That's so cheezy!" Even in the shadows, she could see his face had turned red. "That's what I love about you." There it was. She'd let the wrench out of the box. The doctor was no longer anxious: he had a frozen smile, almost a grimace. "Sorry..." she began, "I..."

Simon jumped. "River. You're awake?!"

Kaylee rolled over, protecting her modesty, and there in the doorway stood River, still sleepy from the earlier dosage. Her arms had all healed, and she looked a lot better than when the couple had checked in on her earlier. "River, how are you feeling?"

Normal everyday folk would make a quick polite conversation and leave. River wasn't everyday. "Better. The cuts are all gone. My brother made them all better. Is he healing you now?" River asked this as she proceeded to her own bed in the twin room.

"Ah the joys of sharing a bedroom with my wonderfully bright and slightly insane sister," said Simon cheerfully, just before River picked up a lose towel and flung it in his face.

Kaylee quickly threw a robe around herself and stood up."See you crazy two later." She gave them both a wave. "Gotta make sure the engines're still spinning."

Simon reached out to say something to her but she was gone.

Now River was sitting on her bed looking straight across at him. "I am insane, aren't I?" She looked simultaneously miserable and wry, her lower lip pouting.

"No! I was just kidding, River."

"But...I hurt myself..." She looked down at her bare arms where there had been tiny gashes weeping blood.

Simon threw a robe on and climbed out of bed and gave his little sister a big hug, held her tight and tried not to worry about what lurked in her helpless, innocent mind. "You'll be OK. I promise."

* * *

"Swear an oath that all that I revealed today in this conference room will remain here and go no further." Jonas King tapped a finger on the safety toggle of his handgun. "Under pain of death by me."

His four closest officers nodded.

Burgess stood up. "I'll ready the landing team." He left the room.

Of the three, the toughest, stockiest one stood up and gave King a fierce smirk. "Bet I get my claws into 'em before you do."

King was tempted to mock his arrogance but simply shook his head and said, "Excellent Gruber, I hope you do."

The wiry technician in the trio, young and cowardly, scratched his bald spot. "I can trace their transmissions. Even encoded ones. Might lead us right up to their dinner table."

"Excellent," King said again. "Go do that, Bell."

Gruber the brute and Bell the nervous technology imp walked out. Now there was just King and a woman that could bore holes in armour plating.

"Well?" said King, tapping his gun.

"I don't like it." She stood up, adjusting her tunic so it fit her body perfectly, and strolled over to him, eyes burning. "An Operative?"

"Operative training, Aryana,"explained the captain, tugging on his collar. "A mite different. Besides," and he pulled his gun out, "even Operatives can't stop a bullet."

Aryana stepped up close enough that he could smell her skin. "No. But an operative can rip a hand off at the wrist. I can show you..."

King smiled slowly, then sighed in relief when she turned and left. Only then could he admit, "That woman terrifies me."

* * *

"You're quite a woman, Inara."

The beautiful young woman stopped in her tracks. "Mal, I'm barely off my shuttle and you're gracing me with a compliment already." She smiled girlishly.

"We're barely gone two days and you grace three clients. Quite a woman." Mal smiled.

"I detect a tone of jealousy, Captain. Or possessiveness. I'm not one of your petty thieves."

"True," admitted Mal, watching her descend from the shuttle bay walkway and down into the main cargo holdher dress shining brightly as her eyes. "But your work's just as dirty, right?" He smiled even more.

Inara stopped. "You're not normally like this. What's wrong?"

Mal paused. "River...she's worrying me. Gone and hurt herself."

Inara went over to him. "She's never done that before."

"No." They looked right into each other's eyes. "Sorry."

She shook her head. "You've said worse. Besides, it's good to be home. I missed Serenity."

"Wasn't the same without you. Serenity, I mean. You bring a certain glamour."

Inara laughed out loud. "You've never said that before!"

Mal shrugged, studied his own boots. "Been feeling funny. Shadow and all..."

"You're not looking forward to it?"

Another shrug. "Some things I miss down there. Other things, needed leaving behind. Soon as Serenity gets patched, we get going. I...wouldn't recommend getting clients there..."

Inara replied, "Thanks for the warning-"

"You probably got little to no sleeping done anyhow, am I right?" He strode off to the cockpit, smiling but feeling pretty guilty. He sat down and punched in the co-ordinates to Shadow. To the right, Opal, home to Inara's three clients, shrunk away. Sliding forward the accelerator, he felt the gentle kick as Serenity dashed forward through space.

Serenity had become his home. Didn't please Mal much revisiting old haunts. But it was the one planet with the right plating to get her properly fixed up at a decent price. He just hoped he'd live long enough to regret it.

* * *

"You're dead!" a woman cried, bursting out of her log cabin and shoving her shotgun inches from Mal's face. Her eyes were wild with fear.

He stepped back and gently pushed the barrell down. Behind him, Serenity gently rested at a landing spot a hundred feet away, her engines roaring in the summer breeze.

She looked at the ship, then back at him. "Maybe you're not..."

Six figures ran up behind him. Jayne cried out, "Mal, she's got a gun!" he was brandishing his own hefty machine gun and leveling it at the armed woman.

Mal turned to Jayne and shouted, "At ease Jayne, no shootin gonna happen here anytime soon."

The six approached cautiously, River the most anxious, Simon watching her and Kaylee stuck with Zoe, who was smiling warmly.

Inara stepped up and looked to the captain puzzled. "Mal...?"

The gun still hovered but when the woman laid eyes upon her she gasped and lowered it by her hip. "Wow, Mal, you marry this woman?"

Both Mal and Inara spat, "NO!"

The woman raised her free hand. "All right, all right, no need for fussin, just saying, she's a beautiful young lady and I was hopin for a grandchild..."

The credit dropped.

Inara said, "She's your...?"

"Mom," replied Mal, and he stood beside his mother, and the two of them shared identical, inane grins.