“I’ve tried everything I can think of, but it’s no use,” Kaylee said, wiping the grease from her hands. “Nothing works. The landlock is too solid.”

“I thought it might be,” Zoe said. She poured a cup of coffee then held out the pot. “Want some?”

“Please.” The mechanic sat down at the large table. “Ain't going too well, is it?”

Zoe brought their mugs and joined her. “Well, Freya and Inara seem to have something up their sleeves, but … no, I don’t think it is.”

“They’re not really gonna find the Cap’n guilty, are they?”

“Unless we can persuade Saffron to renounce all claim on him, they just might.”

“And that cup thing?”

“The chalice,” Freya corrected, coming down the steps into the galley. “There’s nothing on the Cortex,” she added, staring at the portable screen she was carrying.

“What about?” Zoe asked, sipping her coffee.

“A theft from the Museum. The chalice is still listed. And it’s in their live tour.” Freya sat down and put the screen on the table.

“Maybe it’s a copy,” Kaylee suggested.

Freya looked up sharply, glancing at Zoe. “Copy.”

“Yeah, the one on display,” Kaylee went on. “Simon says they have duplicates of most things in museums, in case the originals are damaged, or need cleaning. Or are just too valuable to be out for looking at.”

“You know, everyone’s taking it for sure that this is the real thing,” Zoe said slowly.

“What if it isn’t?” Freya suggested. “What if this is a copy?”

“Would explain why there’s no report of a loss.”

“And why Badger was happy for us to take it. Something like that, so swai , he’d want to keep it around, keep it close. Not give it to Mal to be picked up by just anyone.” Freya smiled.

“So it’s not real?” Kaylee asked, looking from one to the other.

“But how do we prove it?” Zoe asked.

“We don’t have to.” Freya sat forward. “The judge said they were getting in contact with the Museum. Even if Badger dropped the information that it was stolen, the Museum aren’t going to authenticate a fake.”