“Gorramit, Mal, why not?” Jayne’s eyes appealed to the rest of the crew, standing around the big dining table.

Serenity’s captain crossed his arms, looking implacable. “First, because I say so. And second, because it ‘ppears our mechanic here is allergic, and I’m sure you wouldn’t want her to be sneezing just as something important falls off my boat.” He nodded at Kaylee, who sat red-eyed and apologetic, wiping periodically at her nose. “And third - did you have to teach it all that cussing?”

They could hear it in its cage under the blanket, muttering obscenely to itself.

“Yeah, but it just seems to have a natural talent for it,” Jayne protested. “Picked it up real easy.”

“Well, we’re putting it down.”

“Cap -” Kaylee began, looking worried now as well as puffy.

Mal held up a hand. “No, I ain’t gonna flush it out the airlock. Told you I wouldn’t. No matter how much that first appealed.” He turned to his pilot. “Wash, there any place in easy reach that we can land?”

The blond man nodded. “There’s a small moon about four hours from here, pretty much on our heading. Mind you, seeing as we’re flying under the radar and we‘re away from normal civilisation, it’s deserted, but -”

“Shiny. Lay in a course.” Mal strode out, calling over his shoulder, “And get it off the dining table. People eat there.”

Wash got to his feet and followed, Zoe at his heels.

Jayne sighed and picked up the cage. “S’okay, Hamlet,” he murmured. “I’ll miss ya.”

“Hamlet?” Simon said quietly to Book.

“I don’t think we want to enquire,” the Shepherd responded.

River bent forward, her body at an unnatural angle as she peered under the blanket. “Little soul,” she whispered. “Big world.”

A stream of obscenities wafted out, and Simon quickly gathered his sister up to take her back to the infirmary for the latest round of tests. She kept looking back.

---

The moon was everything Wash had promised, looking like one of his Hawaiian shirts. Tropical forests bloomed with all manner of br