“So, what’s this plan you’ve come up with, albatross?” Mal poured two mugs of coffee and took them back to the table, placing one down in front of his wife and sipping the other, his gaze staying on River. “And am I going to like it?”

The rest of the crew were in their places, the children in the rest area under the observation dome, the last of the sun having just dropped below the horizon. Fiddler was at their feet, while Maoli had spread herself out on the cushion behind Ethan’s head.

The psychic lifted her eyes from her hands, her dark eyes unreadable. “I don’t know.”

“You started not peeking now?”

“Then, no. You’re not going to like it.”

“Good. Can’t be lying to your captain.” He nodded. “Better get on with me not liking it, then.”

“Jayne and I went for a walk.”

“Figured that much.” He took another sip. “So?”

“I wanted to take a look at the Election offices,” she admitted. “To see if we could break in.”

Everyone stilled, and Mal leaned forward. “You mean into the offices themselves.”

“Yes.”

“And do what, exactly?”

“If we can get inside, I can reprogramme the computers.”

Mal glanced at Freya, who nodded very slightly. “Reprogramme.”

“Yes. Tell them we’re not who we think we are, but who we say we are.”

“Riv, there’s guards all around the place.” Jayne might have looked like he’d been lounging, but he’d been taking everything in, like the expert tracker he was.

“I know.”

“And that’d make it more’n likely someone’d notice us sneaking in.”

“Yes.”

“So how’re you planning on it?”

“I don’t know. Yet.”

Mal put his elbows on the table. “River, could you tell the layout? From where you were?”

“A little. I read some of the minds going in and out, but it was like ants, so intent on what they were doing that it made me itch.” She shifted in her chair as if her skin was irritating.

“ Mei-mei …” Simon said, concerned.

She smiled at him. “It’s all right. It isn’t a particularly bad day. It’s just … a lot of new people, all ti