Chiang Goff backed out of the room, barely able to breathe. The door closed silently, until he was staring at the thick glass window in the featureless door.

“My God …” he whispered.

“So you’ve found our little secret.”

Goff span on his heel, coming face to face with Quintana, his tame security chief Ramsey hovering in the background. “You …” For a moment words wouldn’t come, held back by the shock.

“And you seem a little perturbed by it.”

“A little …” Goff swallowed. “Those things …” He pointed towards the door, his hand trembling slightly. “You were dismissed from the project for proposing just such abominations!”

“My dear Chiang, why don’t we go to my office? We can talk in comfort, and it honestly looks as if you need a stiff drink.” He reached out, taking hold of the other man’s arm. “I can explain it to you.”

Goff stared. “You think I’m going to condone this? And what about the rest of us? When were you planning on telling us?”

“I wasn’t,” Quintana confessed. “They would have the same reaction as you, for the most part. I was merely going to take this to its natural conclusion, and let my success speak for me.” He pulled gently. “A drink, Chiang. And all the explanations you need.”

“And what about the source? How did you –“

“Soon.” Emil Quintana smiled, his grey curls bobbing slightly as he urged Goff along the corridor, Ramsey falling in behind. “A glass of whisky and this will all seem so much better.”

---

Simon almost ran over to the other ship, Mal following a little slower, favouring his arm and wondering if he should have taken the doc up on the offer of a sling. At least, he’d offered before Mal had told him about the Tams being on board Alex’s boat … now not even a bomb going off would have stopped him heading over there.

“What’s going on?” Freya asked, joining him, Dillon stopping to stand and stare from where he was supervising the collection of bodies. Jayne dumped the corpse he was carrying onto the wagon and followed them.

“I thi