A prequel to my “Kings Of Serenity” series (which I’m putting on a break for a while). This is set during the Unification War and begins on, Mal’s home world, Shadow.

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“So you really joined up?” Mal asked.

“Yep,” Julian answered. They were standing on the porch of the ranch house on the Reynolds’ property.

“Guess that would explain the trench coat,” Mal commented on the brown trench coat that Julian wore. “I don’t believe that you seriously joined up to fight.”

“Why, haven’t you heard all my rants on the evils of the Union of Allied Planets?” Julian asked.

“I heard them, but I’ve always thought you were all talk,” Mal stated.

“Good to know,” Julian paused. “You should join.”

Mal scoffed. “Me? I don’t know how to fight.”

“That’s what Basic’s for,” Julian stated. “Look, you’re a natural leader, you’re smart and-”

“I couldn’t care less about the whole thing,” Mal interrupted. “Whether we’re independent or a part of a great big Union, as long as I got my ranch I’m happy.”

“They took Persephone three days ago,” Julian stated.

“And?”

“That’s less than a week from here.”

“Still doesn’t matter,” Mal said calmly. “If we need it, God will protect us.”

Julian scoffed. “I think you’ll need more than an invisible, cloud man to help you,” he stated.

“Don’t mock my beliefs,” Mal said. “We’ve been friends since we were 5 and I don’t want to remember you as an arsehole and a smartarse.”

“But I am an arsehole and a smartarse.”

Mal laughed. “So when are you shipping out?” he asked.

“Day after tomorrow I got be at the shipyard in the city,” Julian asked. “I’ll be in Basic on Yuan in about a week.”

Mal nodded. “Well then, I guess this is goodbye.”

“For now,” Julian added.

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Two weeks later…

Mal rode the twenty miles to the city in the early morning to catch the shuttle to Shadow’s moon, Newt. He had been sad to see his old friend leave the planet, but it was his cho