Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Other writing projects, one's that actually pay money, and other things got in the way. At least one more part coming. Thanks for reading.

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The Return Home - Part 24

River Tam had just confessed to sending the plans to Serenity’s FTL drive across the Cortex, thereby ensuring the wrath of the Alliance. She was now confronted by Major Grace in Inara’s shuttle and was told she was under arrest for treason. There were three of them, all armed with pistols and River was less than three feet away, well within striking distance. She knew she could disarm them in an instance, but that wasn’t the plan. Her plan, not Mal’s this time. The FTL drive plans were gone, through the Cortex at trillions of bytes per second and were by now arriving at Badger’s cousin’s metal shop on Hera. The memory stick was erased immediately after she sent the message and she had hidden it under Inara’s bed. It didn’t matter anyway since the plans would be out there for all to see soon enough. There was no need to fight, the job was done. Now she had to protect her brother, Kaylee, and her father Jonathan from the blow that was to come. River held out her arms, wrists touching.

“I surrender” she said and she could sense the tension ease in the two soldiers accompanying Major Grace.

“Wait! Wait!” came Kaylee’s voice as she burst into the room, followed a few seconds later by a groggy Simon. Kaylee was dressed only in her purple silk nightdress, Simon in just pajama bottoms. Right behind them were two other guards.

“What’s going on?” Simon asked in a very surprised manner as he took in the scene.

Grace turned to him, anger filling his eyes. “You sister has just sent an unauthorized Cortex message which she seems to be claiming were the plans to this ship’s….special equipment!”

“It was,” said River matter-of-factly, still holding out her arms. “I’m under arrest.”

“No, no, no,” said Kaylee in a mournful tone. “You can’t arrest her!”

“I should