The Return Home – Part 6

Wash was the first awake early the next morning and after giving his slumbering wife a quick peck on the cheek he climbed out of their bunk and made his way to the kitchen. Ten minutes later, with a strong cup of coffee in his hand, he sat in his pilot’s seat and began to plot Serenity’s landing on Persephone. Mal had left no specific instructions other than to land near the Eavesdown docks but not near any Alliance cruisers or bases. Serenity was in a deep space orbit around Persephone, the sting of having barely escaped the Alliance once again fresh in everyone’s mind. Kaylee had apologized to everyone about trying to run off the ship and drawing gunfire. They all understood how she felt about her father and had forgiven her but it had been careless and they were lucky no one had gotten hurt.

The hasty departure from Taos had been due to their attempt to sell the loot from Earth. That was their only source of income now and their dreams of being rich when they had loaded it up in Melbourne had come crashing down around them as the converting of gems, jewels, gold, and silver into Alliance currency was not going to be as easy as they thought. They were now being called jewel thieves and a warrant was out for their arrest and this time Wash’s name was included. Mal and Jayne had heard a cop on Taos give his and Zoe’s names as wanted thieves and that didn’t set well with Wash at all.

He never saw himself as a thief, despite all this criminal stuff he was part of. All he ever wanted to do was fly and find himself a nice woman to take care of him. Well, the flying part came true and he had to admit that flying Serenity had provided him with more excitement and adventure than any luxury liner ever would. Who else in the galaxy could say they had landed on Earth and its moon? No one, not even Wash of course, could say that, unless he wanted to end up in a bug house or an Alliance mind control facility where they’d dig deep into his brain for his secrets.

As for the nice woman, we