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

* * *

Hanson Township – Lynx – 2520AD

‘You do have any idea how much effort it took to persuade the locals not to string the lot of them from the nearest convenient tree?’ Steven said rolling his eyes ‘Eventually I talked them into taking them to the Capital for a proper trial but only because I pointed out they might be able to claim a reward for their capture and said they could keep all the money’

‘You’re letting the hicks have the reward?’ Jayne exclaimed ‘We caught ‘em’

Steve straightened and put his hands behind his back. Everybody inwardly groaned. That meant it was lecture time.

‘The best judge of a civilisation is how it treats its prisoners’ Steven declared ‘The chances are they’ll get a unfair trial and a fair hanging anyway but if we don’t at least try to act like civilised human beings then we’re not much better than they are’

Mal knew that wasn’t an argument that would not impress Jayne. He turned to the mercenary and pointed out ‘Jayne we get to keep the ships. Think about what they’re worth’

‘They don’t work. He blew a hole in them’ Jayne said pointing to Steven.

‘Kaylee tell Jayne what you told the rest of us’ Mal ordered.

The mechanic looked around to see if any of the locals were in earshot ‘I can fix the second ship. I can replace the hull plate and internal damage with parts from the other one. When we go we’re taking it with us. Wash has flown one of these Trance Class Transports before and a few of us can fly Serenity’

Jayne looked surprised ‘I thought we were just going to strip them for parts like we told the Mayor. That’s why the locals ain’t complained we only gave them back their own stuff because they said we’d earned our pick of the loot’

‘If they knew we were going to take something as valuable as a working ship they m