After leaving Jayne at the edge of town, Shepherd Book continued through the heat, following Flaherty’s directions. While Book had been many places in his life, he wasn’t sure if he remembered one as hot as this. “Lord, Jesus,” he thought as he inhaled. “Walk with me,” he thought as he exhaled. He repeated this a few times until the heat became more tolerable. Thankful for Kaylee’s parasol and the shade it provided, Book started wondering how people survived on a place like this, day after day after day. It was a mining moon; there was little vegetation and little rain. It would be a very hard life.

Finally, Book arrived at what was obviously the town’s meeting hall. It was not built at street level, as were all the other buildings he’d seen, but had a short flight of steps up to a porch and the entrance. When Book reached the top step, the doors opened and a young woman with a glass of water came out to meet him.

“Here, Shepherd. It’s a bit warm today,” she said as she gave him the glass and escorted him into the building. She took Kaylee’s parasol and closed it carefully, placing it on a shelf by the door. “Real pretty parasol, Shepherd. Please, sit down and rest a bit. We can wait.” Once Book sat down where she indicated, next to a table holding a pitcher of water, she passed through a door at the back of the room.

Surprised at such courtesy on a back-water moon, Book leaned back in the chair and sipped his water. It was cool, cooler than he’d expected, as was the room he was in. “Ah, Derrial,” he sighed. “Shouldn’t pass judgments on someplace by how it looks. You know that. This place may be isolated, but it’s definitely not without its pleasantries.”

When Book had rested and enjoyed the fresh water and quiet, both of which were in short supply on Serenity and something he’d had a hard time getting used to after the abbey, he got up and began looking around. He’d barely made it across the room to admire a painting on the far wall when the young woman returned. “Are you ready,