Aegis was just a memory, and Persephone their destination, when Kaylee sought out Mal. He was sitting in the dining area, a cup of coffee in front of him, contemplating the last few days, but mainly the impact it had had on Ethan. The little boy had never seen death before, and from what the others had said, he knew it was his mother had killed Sadie. Had watched it happen. And now …

“Got one for me?” Kaylee asked, smiling at him from the doorway.

He looked up and pushed his chair back. “Plenty in the pot. I’ll -”

She held up a greasy hand. “No, you sit. I can get it.” She walked behind the counter and took a mug from the cupboard.

Mal pulled the chair back under the table, the legs squealing a little. “My boat okay?”

“Everything’s running fine, Cap.” Her grin widened. “Better’n fine, in fact. I’m just tweakin’.”

“Good to know.”

“I’m pretty sure Serenity’s just glad it’s all over.” She sat down opposite him, blowing on her coffee. “Think that Jasper’s gonna be sensible?”

Mal smiled, remembering climbing up the path from the gorge towards the two ships, Freya at his side, River and Jayne just behind. His legs seemed to weigh a tonne, but the sight of Zoe, Hank and Simon holding guns on Prater’s remaining crew made him feel a whole lot better.

“Well, now, seems to me we’ve been in this situation before,” Mal said, standing and looking down at the men sitting cross-legged on the dirt, their hands on top of their heads. “Except I’m not all that convinced I should be giving you a third chance.”

Jasper looked up. “But I helped,” he insisted. “I called Warren here, told him to open up so your people could get in.”

“You had a gun to your head,” Zoe pointed out. “Anyone’d help in that situation.”

“So what’s to stop me just killing you like the others, and leaving your mouldering corpses here?” Mal went on.

“They’re dead?” Jasper asked.

“Seems to be the case. You wanna give me a good reason why you shouldn’t join ‘em?”

“’Cause I’m pretty?”

“See, the thing