Yevgeny Rostov looked out of the window on the topmost floor of the Parliament building, and smiled. As far as the eye could see, and further, there was peace. And as far as the mind could see, there was ... if not peace, then at least not war. There would always be petty fights, planet against planet, colony against oppression, but at least now the Alliance was what it had always truly intended to be – a benevolent entity helping but not hindering mankind in all its terrible, wonderful incarnations.

The door opened behind him and his sister Lula swept in. “You’re a romantic, Yves,” she accused, using the pet name he had never managed to disaquire.

He smiled. “Always have been, Lu. Can’t see it changing now.” She tutted as she came to stand next to him, and the empath in his mind sniggered slightly. She was emanating concern, the emotion spilling across her barriers like water overflowing a dam. “She’ll be fine,” he said gently.

“I know. But this is her first, and she’s being pig-headed, and if she thinks I'm not going to be there she can gorram well think again, and –”

Despite all her airs, his sister was just as human as the rest, and Yves took her hand, gripping it tightly. “Cora is one of the strongest women I know, and you know she’s going to change her mind as soon as it starts.”

Lula managed a weak smile. “I hope so.” Taking a deep cleansing breath, she managed to get herself under better control. “You know, I had hoped she might be able to hold on until today. It would be appropriate if she could give birth on Unification Day.”

“U-Day.” Yves couldn’t help chuckling. “I hate to think what Malcolm Reynolds would have said about that.”

“Well, it was his fault,” Lula said, bridling somewhat. “He’s the one started all this.”

“What, freedom?” The chuckle turned to a laugh, even more so when his sister pulled her hand away in disgust. “Lu, darling, I think it’s been around a bit longer than that.”

“You know what I mean.”

He did, of course. No-one in his f