Disclaimer: Joss is GOD. We are but his minions.

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Chapter 3

“Can’t see why you’s askin’ me questions,” Jayne grumbled and squinted into the light that was shinning into his eyes almost painfully. “I wasn’t even there.”

His interrogators ignored his protests. “How long have you been on that ship?” one of them asked, but Jayne couldn’t see him, with the light in his eyes, the man was hidden in the darkness of the small room. All he knew was that he was to the left of the light.

“Few years now,” Jayne told him, putting up a hand to block the light. “Why?”

“And the Companion?” the one to the right asked. “How long have you known her?”

Jayne sighed. “Maybe a year, I don’t know. Don’t really keep track of time in the black. Never found much use for it.”

“What is your job onboard?” the left guy said.

Jayne smirked impishly. “Public relations.”

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“And you left Sihnon a little over a year ago?” Inara hated the light as much as Jayne had complained about when they let him go.

“Yes, that’s correct,” she replied.

“Why?” the left guy asked. “You’re a highly respectable Companion. Why did you leave? Why did you board Reynolds’ ship?”

“I wanted to expand my client base,” Inara gave her old speech. The one she used every time someone questioned her about her decision to leave Sihnon. “Captain Reynolds finds that it’s easier to get clearance for docking having a registered Companion on board.”

“So it’s a business arrangement?” the right guy asked.

“Yes.”

“Describe the man that shot Lt. Britx,” the left guy told her. “Everything you remember.”

That was easy, Inara thought. She wouldn’t be able to get that man out of her head for years. “He was average height. He had long blonde hair. Blue eyes. A beard.”

“Is that all?” the right guy asked.

“He had a big leather coat. A big gun. He shot my gun right from my hand. Is this a religious terrorist? Because he spoke the bible before he killed Lt. Britx