All the usual disclaimers. No harm, no foul, no money. It's just because I want to play, too.

******

“We ready to fly? Nobody’s left any hankies hanging on the line? We got all we came with?” Mal’s voice came over the com from the bridge. “All right, then, we’re gone.”

As soon as they left atmo Mal went to look for Kaylee. He found her and River playing Crazy Eights in the mess.

“Kaylee, we need to think about that whistler of Atherton Wing’s. You thought it might on a timer – can you stop from payin’ off until we want it to?”

“Sure, that’s easy. It’d be harder to rework it so it went off automatic, the way it’s supposed to, but I c’n disconnect it now and just reconnect it when we want it,” Kaylee said.

“Here it is. You keep it from going off, and when we’re ready to call those bastards you make it whistle,” Mal said. “And here’s the other thing we need to do. You got any ideas about some kinda substitute nav beacon? Seein’ as how we left Serenity’s out with all that Alliance junk?”

“I been thinkin’ ‘bout that, Cap’n. I think I c’n rig one a the shuttles’ nav beacon to say that this is the Firefly transport Serenity. Won’t be perfect, but it’ll show we’re willin’ to identify ourselves, maybe that’ll be enough if we run across some Alliance bully out here.”

“If it says this is Serenity, why isn’t it perfect?” Mal asked.

“Cause it won’t sound right. It’ll be the shuttle’s frequency but sayin’ something else.”

“Could I have some captain dummy talk here?”

“It will be like you singing soprano,” River said.

“What?”

“Right words, wrong sound.”

“Fine. Just make it sing a tune that’ll show we ain’t got nothin’ to hide.” Mal walked off, shaking his head.

The crew quickly settled into the routine of transit: Mal and River taking care of the horses – River having developed an infatuation for all things equine – “might be the first normal thing that girl’s ever done,” Mal allowed; everybody playing cards and squabbling about whose turn it was to do dishes; Zoe working hard to