Chapter One

Those little adjustments of his - by the flick of a switch and the easing of a stick - kept the band of gold curving across the horizon for as long as possible, until the ship bucked forward and a sudden blaze of light chased away the dark midnight blue to reveal the azure sea, the dusted yellow-green of land and the white wisps of cloud below. Wash gave a little sigh and skimmed Serenity into the atmosphere, whereupon the frame of the ship began to vibrate, rattling the cheap plastic dinosaurs upon his console into a little waltz.

    Kaylee put her hands upon the back of his chair. “You always make such a purdy planet-fall,” she said.

    “Well that’s a lie,” countered Wash. “But thanks sweet thing.”

    “Look at her down there, she looks so fragile. Like bone china.”

    “Bone china, huh? That’s a relief. It means I don’t have to worry about the – ah – torsion and kickback that’s threatening to send this thing into a spin and bring us all to a crunchy demise. Bone china. We’ll just punch a hole through there and come out the other side in a jet of hot, molten tea. ”

    “Never been a landing when you haven’t – oh, look at that mountain. She’s so beautiful.” And Kaylee sighed as their gradual descent slipped them over a great mountain that peaked through the thickening cloud layer. It drifted serenely past and out of sight - a snow capped island in a milky white sea.

    A finger tapped her on the shoulder. She turned. Mal. He pointed a laconic hand out the window and gently span her back round with the other.“She may look beautiful but she’s reaver dressed in - I mean as - Shindig Belle. Her people are damaged goods. Too dumb to produce anything but retarded children, too insane to make a tourist industry out of this shiny bauble. They run around in the mud. And when they can’t run anymore they crawl about in it. And when they can’t crawl it’s because the sun’s dried the mud all up, and then their slack, ever-breathing mouths drool on the dirt to make more.”

    "Your exaggerating, ri