Disclaimer – Everything either does belong to Joss or it should. I’m just borrowing his shiny ‘verse for a while.

The 21st Lancers belong to the British Army so I’m borrowing them too. I hope they don’t mind.

* * *

‘There are plenty of amusing stories about how we managed to build up so much right under the nose of the Alliance, I always liked the one about when we got three-thousand brand-new Browncoat Infantry Uniforms made on Londinium and shipped to Wilkes Moon just before the fighting broke out by telling a costume manufacturer they were making a big war movie out there. When you get down to it though there isn’t anything to match the moment when the powers-that-be from Blue Sun Venture Capital decided that the new up and coming Foreman Industries was worth investing in. I’ve heard that Jack sent them a wave thanking them for helping to fund our rearmament program just before Admiral van der Heijden issued the Declaration of Independence … you can’t touch that story.’

Major Steven Hicks – Interview with Le Figaro – Toulouse - 2523AD

* * *

Fort Obsidian – Beyond the Outer Rim – 2521AD

Lying prone on the cold ground Jayne took a final breath and held it making sure he was perfectly still before he squeezed the trigger. The rifle bucked in his hands and a jet-propelled slug blasted off into the distance. The atmosphere was thin and mainly just CO2 but you didn’t need a full EVA suit just electrically heated clothes and an oxygen mask. The facemask fit pretty well but you could still smell the sulphur in the air which was a trademark of the still fairly active volcanism on the moon.

The mercenary checked through his telescopic sights. ‘Beat that’ he said smugly his voice slightly muffled by the mask and sounding distinctly off-tone because of the thin atmosphere.

The Marine checked through her binoculars and winced. ‘Do you sleep with that thing? Is it a fulfilling relationship?’ she asked.

‘Vera and me been going steady for years’ Jayne replied st