Zoe’s past was like a closed book to the crew of Serenity. No-one knew much about it, not even the Captain, but he probably knew more than most. He at least knew she was born in space, on a freighter between worlds, her parents working for the man in charge.

“It’s a girl?” Boxer asked, looking down into the makeshift crib.

“Her name’s Zoe.”

“Got a strong pair of lungs on her.” He flinched a little as the wailing began again.

“She’s hungry,” Tom Alleyne said. “Meg’s just getting ready to feed her.”

“Well, keep her out of the workings. Don’t want to be chasing after a kid through the cargo.”

“It’ll be a while before you need to worry about that,” Alleyne said, smiling. “Only just born.”

“Yeah, well.” Boxer looked down again. “Pretty little thing.”

Growing up on a freighter wasn’t so bad. As a child Zoe hardly ever set foot on a planet or moon, spending all her time in the black. Until the day of the accident.

She was barely sixteen, tall and gangly, just beginning to fill out a little. Her hair, long and lustrous, was considered her best feature, which was why she kept it tightly out of the way, pinned down and controlled. Her mother, dark-skinned and beautiful, despaired.

“Zoe, why can’t you be more feminine?” she asked for the thousandth time.

The girl shrugged. “It ain’t me, Ma.” She pushed an errant lock back into place. “I’m not the kinda girl who can be pretty.”

“That ain’t true,” Meg Alleyne retorted. “You’re going to be stunning, my girl, and put me to shame.”

Zoe laughed. “Never happen. No-one’s prettier than you.”

“Well, you just bear in mind that some men don’t want pretty. And they might try to take advantage of you, just because they think they can.”

“If they tried they’d be dead.”

Meg shook her head. “If I didn’t know Tom was your father, I’d be able to guess. You sound just like him.”

Zoe hugged her mother. “You’ve brought me up well, Ma. You and Dad. Just be glad.”

“Oh, I am. I am. Just worry about you, is all.”

“No n