This wing of the Kane Estate was very quiet. It always was. It had to be.

The entire wing had been soundproofed when the family moved to Sihnon. That way, when Duncan started screaming in the middle of the night, only his caretaker – who was practically deaf – would hear. Jake and Celeste wouldn't hear, and more importantly, the neighbors wouldn't hear.

Veronica found the silence rather creepy as she walked down the corridor toward his room. She could barely even hear herself breathing, so effective was the soundproofing technology in use in this part of the mansion.

She thought back over her history with Duncan. They had known each other since they were little kids. Pretty much childhood sweethearts, most of the people who knew them had been all but certain that they were going to grow up and get married.

Thinking back on that almost made Veronica go cross-eyed. Her and Duncan? Right. Sure, maybe it was for the best that that was never going to happen. She just wished events hadn't gone the way they had.

On Veronica's thirteenth birthday, Duncan had kissed her for the first time. She practically died of shock and delight. She couldn't help but hope that that would lead to something much, much bigger.

Two weeks later, Duncan had been loaded onto a shuttle bound for Osiris. Veronica had been hurt and confused, in the way that only a pre-teen could be. Jake and Celeste Kane had tried to explain the opportunity that Duncan had been given at this academy, but Veronica had still not been happy.

Four years later, Duncan returned from the academy. He had been diagnosed with epilepsy, and told that he would no longer be able to continue in the program. His parents were disappointed, of course, but what nobody had expected was the total change in Duncan.

Most of the time, he was emotionless, a blank slate. His memory had been untouched – he remembered exactly how he had felt about Veronica at one time. However, he didn't seem to have even those emotions any longer. When he did have periods of emotionalism, it was usually despair or rage – never happiness, joy, excitement.

His condition had deteriorated over the years. Between the epilepsy and the fact that a brain scan seemed to show that his amygdale had been stripped, he turned into a shell of the person who had once been known as Duncan Kane.

The final straw, though, came just days after his twentieth birthday. He wandered out of the house one day, back toward the swimming pool, and found his sister lying dead on the deck, her skull caved in. When his parents found them, Duncan was holding Lilly's body and rocking back and forth, saying just one word, over and over: "Lilly".

Since that day, he hadn't spoken. The night after the murder, he began to scream in the middle of the night, and didn't stop for nearly half an hour. When Keith Mars began investigating Jake Kane for the murder, the decision had been made to pack up and move to Sihnon.

That's when Duncan had been placed in the soundproofed wing of their new house. Jake and Celeste rarely went down there, having hired a mostly deaf caretaker to watch over Duncan.

Now, though, Veronica was on her way down the eerily quiet hallway to see Duncan. The caretaker, an older woman, was with her. When the door was opened, the caretaker said, "Duncan, you have a visitor!"

Duncan turned to Veronica. His face was a mask of fear for a moment, but then recognition sparked in his eyes. She turned to the caretaker, and signed to her that she'd be fine. The caretaker nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

"Hello, Duncan," she said quietly. Duncan stood up from his chair, and crossed the room to Veronica. He just stood in front of her for a moment, looking at her, and then, he very stiffly reached out and hugged her.

"Oh, Duncan," she whispered, returning the hug. "What did they do to you?"

He backed away, and shrugged. He returned to his chair and sat down.

Veronica crossed to the chair facing his, and sat down as well. "What have you been up to lately, Duncan?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow, and then reached down to the floor, picking up a large, scrapbook-looking book. He handed it to Veronica.

She opened it – and was confronted with a detail-perfect drawing of Lilly on the very first page. "Duncan… did you…" She looked up at him. "Did you draw this?"

He nodded, and then indicated that she should keep going. She turned the page, and discovered that on each page, there was a drawing of all of their friends from their teen years, all the people who had lived in Londinium Federal District 09 – Logan Echolls, Megan Manning, Cindy Mackenzie, Madison Sinclair, Richard and Cassady Casablancas.

And her. There she was, on the last page. Veronica Mars. It was very clear that Duncan had taken a great deal of time with this book. She looked up at him, and he had a big smile on his face, as if he was waiting for her approval.

She couldn't stop a tear from rolling down her cheek as she looked into his eyes. "It's beautiful, Duncan," she said quietly. She couldn't remember the last time she – or anybody – had seen a smile on his face.

He reached out, and gently wiped the tear from her cheek. She took his hand in her own, and kissed the back of his hand. "I wish I knew what they had done to you on Osiris," she whispered.

Duncan sighed, and then shrugged again, shaking his head. Veronica nodded. "I know," she said. "You don't remember yourself. We'll probably never know."

Then she sat up a little straighter. "Duncan, Logan came and saw you a couple of weeks ago. Can you tell me what he said?"

Duncan's eyes had gone wide at the word Logan. He looked straight at her, and then opened his mouth. "Logan."

Veronica's jaw dropped. "Duncan, did you just talk?" She was shocked. "Did you just say Logan's name?"

Duncan nodded. "Logan!" he said insistently.

"Yes, Logan!" Veronica said excitedly. "Did he say where he was going?"

Duncan narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment. "Logan. Peace."

Veronica cocked her head. "Peace?"

Duncan sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Peace… um, Vessel of Peace."

She folded her arms. "Logan is on a vessel of peace. Is that a hospital ship?"

Duncan shook his head insistently. "Logan, Vessel of Peace in the Valley!"

For some reason that triggered something in Veronica's mind, but she wasn't sure what. "Logan's on a vessel of peace in the valley. Is that on Londinium, or on Sihnon?"

He threw his hands up toward the sky. "The black!"

"Logan's on a spaceship!"

Duncan nodded excitedly. "Logan, Vessel of Peace in the Valley, the Black!"

Veronica moved her hand to her ear and activated her commlink. "Wallace, it's Veronica. I need you to run a database search on any spaceships that might be named Vessel of Peace, or Valley of Peace, or Peace Valley."

"No problem, V," she heard. "I'll get right on that."

She looked back at Duncan. "Thank you, Duncan," she said. "I'm gonna get Lilly's killer, okay?"

Duncan nodded. "Love Lilly."

Veronica began to tear up again. "I did too, Duncan. That's why I have to do this."

Seeing her tears, Duncan stood up. Veronica stood up with him, and Duncan hugged her – but he wasn't stiff this time. His embrace made her feel safe and protected, even though he was an invalid and she was a Parliamentary Operative.

He continued to hold her until she stopped crying. Finally, Veronica pulled back and wiped her nose. "Duncan, do you want to see your mom?"

His eyes brightened. "Mom?"

"Yes, Duncan. Let's go see your mom."

Taking him by the hand, she guided Duncan out of the room and down the hallway. His caretaker saw them coming and jumped up to block their path. "No," Veronica insisted, shaking her head. He's okay. He's just going to go see his mother, she signed.

The woman sighed and made a worried face, but shrugged, as if to say, I wash my hands of this.

Veronica opened the door, and guided Duncan through the living room, toward Celeste Kane's office. She knocked on the door, and then opened it. "Celeste?"

The Kane matriarch turned from her cortex terminal. Her eyes widened when she saw Duncan. "Duncan?!"

"He wanted to see you," Veronica said softly.

"How could you know –"

Celeste was cut off by her son. "Mom!"

"DUNCAN!" she screamed happily, running around the desk to Duncan. She practically tackled him, she hugged him so hard. Duncan laughed and hugged her back. "Mom!"

Veronica began to back away, leaving Celeste and Duncan to themselves. As she was about to turn around, though, Celeste looked up at her and made eye contact. For the first time in nearly a year, her look held something other than hatred for Veronica.

"Thank you, Veronica," she said softly.

Veronica nodded, and turned, heading for the door.

As the shuttle lifted off from the landing pad at the Kane Mansion, Veronica finally found her voice again. "Any luck, Wallace?"

Wallace shook his head. "Either the ship has changed its name, or it just doesn't exist."

"What did Duncan say, exactly, V?" Weevil asked.

"He said, 'Logan, Vessel of Peace in the Valley, the Black'," she replied.

"That could be something Biblical, you know," Weevil replied. "And you know, my grandma always used to say, when in doubt, go see God."

Veronica looked over her shoulder. "A principle which I'm certain you've applied on a regular basis, Weevil," she responded sarcastically.

"Hey, V, I am what I am," he replied.

"Well, Weevil, I think we should go see a Shepherd. How 'bout you?"

"Let's go see a Shepherd, V."

Twenty minutes later, Neptune One touched down in front of the New Taipei First Church of God in Christ. Veronica shuddered. "I always feel like I'm going to be struck down when I come within a hundred yards of a church," she said.

"That's because you're a SINNER, Veronica Mars!" Wallace shot back, doing his best wavevangelist impression. "Praise Jesus!"

She laughed and shook her head. "Moron."

Weevil popped open the hatch, and the three headed into the church. They followed the signs that said "Office," and found themselves facing a receptionist.

"Is the Shepherd available?" Veronica asked her.

"May I tell him who's inquiring?" the receptionist replied, answering a question with a question.

Veronica sighed. "I'm a Parliamentary Operative, and I'm seeking a little… spiritual guidance."

The receptionist made a face at the word "Operative", but nonetheless hit the intercom button. "Shepherd Capistrano, there's a young lady out here who says she's a Parliamentary Operative and needs to speak with you on a matter of spiritual guidance."

Almost immediately, the office door popped open. A balding man who looked to be in his mid fifties stepped out. "Ted Capistrano!" he introduced himself. "Please, come in!"

Veronica, Weevil, and Wallace followed him back into his office. "And you are…"

"Veronica Mars," she introduced herself. "Parliamentary Operative. These are my associates, Wallace Fennel and Eli Navarro."

"Mr. Fennel, Mr. Navarro," Shepherd Capistrano said, shaking their hands. They sat. "And Ms. Mars, would you happen to be related to –"

"General Keith Mars, former chief of the federal police for Londinium?" Veronica finished. "Yeah, he's my dad."

"So," Shepherd Capistrano began, moving behind his desk. "Would it be safe to assume that you are here on business related to the investigation into the murder of Lilly Kane?"

"It would be," Veronica replied. "So, first things first. Did you do it?"

The Shepherd raised his eyebrows. "Did I – no, I did not kill Lilly Kane. I had never even heard of Miss Kane –"

"I'm joking, Shepherd," Veronica said, an amused tone in her voice. "No, what I really wanted to ask was if a certain phrase meant anything to you, or if it has any Biblical significance."

"Hit me," Shepherd Capistrano said.

"Vessel of Peace, in the Valley."

Capistrano leaned back in his chair, looking thoughtful. "Hmmm," he said. "Valley… I would say there's a safe bet that that refers to the twenty-third Psalm, specifically the passage regarding the Valley of the Shadow of Death. As far as Vessel of Peace goes… I can think only that that would refer to Christ."

Veronica nodded. "I see," she replied. "I wish that that made sense in the context in which it was given to me."

"What was the context?"

She sighed. "That's where Duncan Kane told me I could find Logan Echolls."

Shepherd Capistrano's eyes went wide, and he sat up quickly. "Duncan Kane spoke?!"

Veronica nodded. "He said that Logan was on a Vessel of Peace, in the Valley, and that it was a spaceship."

"Oh," Shepherd Capistrano said. "Well, that makes it much easier."

"What do you mean?"

"He's referring to the spaceship Serenity, Miss Mars. Vessel of Peace, in the Valley? Refers to a ship named after the Battle of Serenity Valley.

"Find Serenity. You'll find Mr. Echolls."