A few weeks after returning home, River finally had the opportunity to talk to them all about the additional reason she had returned. Mal was making a run to Whittier to deliver his horses to a buyer and River, who had not yet had the courage to ask for her job back, asked if she could accompany them. Before they left she had a private word with Mal about her plan, who agreed to it, but for different reasons. While he accepted River’s need for justification with regard to her torture, his only thought was defence and protection. They had a lot to lose and if Wladek found out Dedham was no longer in jail, because he would in all conscience warn Bane - and that put them all on the radar. Now, at Serenity’s kitchen table, deep in the Black, River spoke additionally to Zoe, Karl and Kaylee.

“I found out about the Academy,” she began, once Zoe had placed the dish full of fried protein in the centre of the table. Mal looked up from his rice, before reaching out to nab a chunk.

“What did you find out?” Zoe said.

“That it’s linked to that slave ship, amongst other things.”

“How?” asked Karl.

“Aside from the additional profits made from prostitution – they used it as a cover to screen potential acquisitions for the Academy. People like me, only taking them under the guise of slavers, or from The Farm.” Karl’s fork stopped half way to his mouth, but it was Zoe who spoke first.

“So the slave ship’s run by Blue Sun an’ crewed by Alliance ex-cons. An’ the Academy is an Alliance facility that now gets their fodder from Blue Sun. They’re in bed with each other then.”

“It’s not that simple. In my job as pilot for Atlantic Skylines we took on a delegation from Blue Sun. The meeting was chaired by a Member of Parliament.”

“Who?” asked Zoe.

“A woman called Thomasina Herald. She has a lot to hide and experience in hiding it.”

“You couldn’t read her?” asked Mal.

“Only the surface stuff. I was afraid she might detect me, and I had nowhere to hide if she did. I did find out one thing though. She was the on