“You’re all bound by law and required to stand down!” The man in the doorway, shotgun held in both hands, smiled faintly.

“You stay out of this,” one of the Golden Dragon crew snarled.

Another shell was ratcheted noisily into the chamber. “That ain’t gonna happen.” He nodded and four men brandishing rifles ran through from the back, taking up positions around the room, covering everyone with their weapons.

Mal stood straight, very slowly so as not to invite a bullet. “It’s just a brawl,” he said, eyeing the badge on the man’s vest. “A misunderstanding at most.”

Gideon, however, apparently looked at things differently. “A brawl?” he complained loudly, clutching his belly. “Do you see what they did?”

“Are you pressing charges?” the sheriff asked.

“Try and stop me! Coming in here, breaking up my place, threatening the girls and attacking me … just look at the damage!” He pointed to a table reduced to matchwood, the result of someone who might have been Jayne dropping one of the opposition onto it from a great height.

“And can you point out the people mostly responsible?”

“All of ‘em!”

The sheriff tried a reasonable tone of voice. “Gideon, I doubt they all started it right at the same moment.”

The bar owner was having none of it. “I want them all locked up!”

“Now, see here, we were just –” Mal stopped as the shotgun swung his way, holding up his hands in a submissive manner.

“He’s the man making the formal complaint, so I don’t see any alternative. We have to take this some place more official.” The sheriff glanced at his men. “Anyone on the floor, got blood on them or busted knuckles, we take them in, dong mah ? And make sure we don’t lose any stragglers on the way.”

His deputies moved forward, ready to escort their prisoners.

“Wait a minute,” Gideon called, his face going an unnatural shade of puce. “Why ain’t you handcuffing everyone?”

“Mainly because I don’t have enough, and since you aren’t capable of pointing out the ringleaders, I think we’ll