Chapter rating: PG 13 (yes I’ll get to the dirty stuff)

Disclaimer: Though I did create GXM, Joss Whedon did the whole Firefly thing. Not me.

Author’s note: Can anybody figure out where the name of the town and the planet come from?

Mal’s job had come up over the cortex about an hour ago. It was a security job on a planet called Sol 3. “Seems there’s a town in need of assistance concerning a band of horse thieves,” the captain announced. “Sol 3?” Jayne asked. “Are you sure?” “Yeah, why? It’s just some little out of the way planet.” Mal said. “It’s my homeworld is all. Haven’t been there in years. Don’t suppose we could stop off and I could see my ma and my sister?” Mal was surprised. Jayne almost never mentioned his family or the world he was from. Given how desolate Sol 3 was, Mal didn’t blame him.

***** River docilely piloted the Firefly through atmo. Mal sat opposite her, staring at the dinosaurs that had out lived his former pilot. Zoe was almost gone as well. Jayne tapped Mal on the shoulder. “What did you say the name of the town was?” “Araki. In the western hemisphere.” “You sure?” Jayne asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“I grew up in the west and I ain’t never heard of no town called Araki.” A jolt rocked Serenity. River was panicking.

“Trees are being felled, harvested. They burn and bleed! The women crumble like leaves!” Mal and Jayne grabbed the flailing girl. “I won’t land this ship down there!” River looked Jayne right in the eye. “There’s blood in their hair. The little one is all gone.”

“What? What did you say?!” Jayne frantically shook River. “Mal, we have to land, now!” “Jayne this could be an Alliance trap just like Haven! We can’t land or they’ll kill us all!”

“At least let me wave ‘em! Let me see if they’re alive!”

***** Lily Cobb was laying with her throat cut. She’d still been breathing when Serenity waved the house. She gasped like a fish on dry land at the sight of her son’s face. Behind her, Jayne could see an Alliance man on the floor, a knitting needle stuck in his eye. At least she’d gone down swinging like he’d known she would. There was no sign of Maddy.

He wanted to go to Kaylee. But he couldn’t because Mal would space him in about five seconds. He wanted to kill somebody, but there was only Simon, who could wait for later. Hell, he wanted his ma. But she was dead, with her throat cut and missin a gorram knitting needle. So he did what he could. “I’ll be in my bunk.”