Inara stood outside her home, watching the Alliance shuttle coming in to land, the downdraught catching the tiny paper planes and tossing them high into the air. Not that it looked anything like the shuttles she was used to. This could almost have swallowed Serenity, with room to spare.

Sam had wanted her to hide.

“Inara, you have to come inside.” He was standing in the open entrance to the shelter.

“No. They’re expecting to find me here, so I’d better be.”

“I’ll do it. I’ll stay.”

“No. You have to look after the children.” She looked past him to where she could see frightened faces. “They need you.”

“Inara, they need you more.”

“And I won’t be on my own. Mr and Mrs Boden are staying with me.”

Sam shook his head. “Then let me do it, Inara. I can deal with the Alliance. I’m a respected doctor, and -”

“No, Sam. This is my house, and I’m not going to let them frighten me away.”

He gazed at her, seeing the steel within, the way she’d drawn herself up, and he couldn’t help it. “I love you,” he said softly.

It threw her slightly, and she rewarded him with a smile. “I love you too,” she responded, lifting a hand to place it against his olive cheek. “Now, go inside. Keep them safe.”

He didn’t argue, just stepped back and let the door close, its seams disappearing into the wall as a testament to Mr Boden’s skills, and she’d hurried back upstairs.

The shuttle’s engines shut down, and barely a second later the main hatch opened and a dozen soldiers poured out, guns at the ready.

Inara swallowed.

A woman stepped out of the shuttle, her Alliance uniform crisp, her hair tightly controlled under the peak cap, her skin the colour of polished walnut. She straightened her jacket and strode forward.

“All of this, just for me?” Inara asked, bringing all her Companion training to the fore. “I had no idea I was so important.”

“Miss Inara Serra?” the woman asked.

“Yes.”

“I am Commander Markham of the IAV Shackleton.” She sounded bored and annoyed, not a good c