What happened in the editing cut between the stand down order and the funeral? Josh and Mutant Enemy et al own the sand box, they just let us play here. Back despite the lack of popular demand its for my pleasure Enjoy (or not)

Interludes III

Harken was not a happy captain. Gorram hun dan Reavers shot the Dortmunder full of holes with their damnable lances. Wasn't bad enough he emptied his entire magazine of missiles into them, Sent no telling how many straight back to whatever diyu they came from. Then one of them rams his ship like a kamikazi from earth-that-was, death wish, he supposed.

Gorram bosun probably be expecting a medal for just doing his job and landing his ship in (almost) one piece, pigu chief engineer too. While they were at it, may as well get that hundan operative to order a barrel full of medals. Every man-jack in the fleet is gonna want a medal for just surviving.

And that Firefly crew, have them cut off, outnumbered with superior fire power, those 2 high priority fugitives too, and orders my men to stand down, just let 'em go.

*****

The day after the BDB, the remains of Serenity's crew was in one of the Alliance cruiser's med-bay rooms laughing with the recovering captain and doctor. One of the attendants even cleaned up River's cuts and gave her an injection of antibiotic after checking for broken bones. Her exploit was well known by the Alliance survivors who suffered serious losses to the reavers (although they managed to miss the Miranda broadcast being somewhat distracted).

The CMO told them that Wash and Mr. Universe would be cremated or embalmed, whichever they preferred and stored until burial arrangements could be made, also, once one of their ships was made space worthy they would be flown to whatever final resting place they wished. She also told them that Parlaiment had declared them BDHs for their part in luring the reavers into their clever ambush, naturally they would see to the repair or replacement of their ship. Now how strange was that?

Soon they were shooed out so the patients could rest, and headed off to find breakfast. it was River who suggested that Mr. Universe might have something besides protein powder, and he wasn't going to need it any more. Kaylee was disappointed to find no fresh strawberries, but there were frozen ones and meat [of dubious origin], flour canned milk, everything they needed for pancakes, there was even a *waffle iron* whatever that was.

The end of their breakfast was interrupted by an old Purplebelly. He apologised for interrupting them, bowed to River saying "its good to see you more lucid than when we last met." River gave him, all of them, her best I have no clue what you're talking about look. "You do remember the blanket around your shoulders and the Oatey Bar ..." River bowed deeply to him "that I do remember,and I thank you for your kindness." "Yeah," Jayne injected, "you got to forgive Moon Brain here, she ain't always right upstairs."

"Because you do not see the things she sees does not mean they aren't real. But I am getting off track. My duty is to inform you that your crewmates will be released after lunch today." With that news everyone but Kaylee and River headed for Serenity while they stayed behind to do the dishes, and plot their mischief for the next few days. River was starting to feel like a real girl again despite the images that kept invading her mind. When they were done, they headed toward the cruiser, but stopped at one of the crashed frigates that usually did planetary patrol duty and customs inspections. there was a guard at the hatch who allowed them to look around as long as they didn't take any Alliance property. He even arrainged a "safety escort." Yes, River had mischief to do and she needed Kaylee to help.

Setting a genius and the best gorram natural mechanic in the 'verse loose among all that shiny Alliance technology was probably as wise as bringing members of Parlaiment into contact with the strongest natural reader in the 'verse, and would probably yield equally exciting results. They were full of questions, and Kaylee being so naturally happy and flirty, that poor corporal never had a chance. he explained everything he could and showed them the engine room, even the missile batteries, rail guns and mass drivers. Serenity was, after all, an unarmed transport, what harm could that do? besides he had no orders to restrict their movements, and there was no classified systems on the almost obsolete ship. The Captain and Simon, were in pain but otherwise in good spirits and happy to be back home. Of course Simon had to play doctor and insist he and especially Mal remain in the sick bay until their abdominal wounds healed some. After they settled in, Zoe grabbed Jayne and they headed off to raid a certain pantry for supplies. River mentioned a staircase behind the pantry that she might want to investigate without Jayne, then headed off to the cargo bay while Kaylee headed to the engine room to check any damage that EMP might have caused to Serenity's engine.

That night they ate a real meal with [dubious] meat, canned vegetables and real wine, not the inter-engine hootch Kaylee and Jayne concocted on occassion. There was cake and champaigne for dessert, and much to everyone's disgust, River hauled out Lenore's control unit which announced their next paying job. River promptly dropped 9 perfect 2 carat diamonds on the table. She passed two to the captain, one for him, she explained, and one for Serenity's expenses, 2 to Zoe, one each for her and Wash, and one each for the rest of them. So, of course Jayne started whining that it wasn't fair that the dead guy gets paid for the job. And, naturally, Zoe hauled out her Mare's Leg and the Captain told Jayne he should see about that flapping jaw of his. After that settled, River looked at Jayne and said "so do the math. lets what's 10% of 9? Thats a zero ... and a decimal and a ... 9. Consider it a bonus."

"This is real nice," Mal started., "but it ain't like real cashy money we can buy fuel and food with. And it ain't like I got a ship that's, I dunno ... in one piece!" "Yes sir, thats all true. Ain't nobody arguing any of that. But we are Big Damn Heroes again, and while the Alliance ain't about to give us cashy money, they don't exactly have a working ship either and they did offer to fix Serenity. And while they got a lot of broken ships, they ain't exactly got crew to fly them all away. I'm sure there will be plenty of fuel in the ones they leave behind to keep Serenity running, even if we can't talk the Alliance out of refueling us for our heroic part in ridding this sector of the 'verse of reavers." Zoe's back may be hurt but her mind is still working.

"And, if I got paid for the job, I'm part of the crew ... for this job anyway," Inara piped up, "Any guild house or many honest banks will be willing to exchange a few diamonds for any combination of gold, platinum and cashy money. And the bank would take a flat fee, not 20%. And its not like our client is in any real hurry for us to complete the job."

"Or," River suggested, "we call Sasquatch, tell him we need a ride as a favor. Suggest when the ship is fixed we return the favor." "What ... leave my ship behind?" Mal got that look, yeah the one when Zoe was being silently insubordinate.

"No, sir, I don't think that's what she's suggesting. We got a job and 'crew business' to attend to. I got a husband to bury and I don't want him buried here."

"And Mr Universe, too," Kaylee chirped up, "he helped, he is kinda like family even if he wasn't crew."

"And Serenity isn't going anywhere until it gets repaired ..." Zoe finished. " We can be there and back probably before Thet even pull Serenity out of that tunnel."

"Okay, then" Mal surrendered. " 'Nara do what you can do about converting our pay into something untraceable we can use hopefully with some cashy money. Don't want anyone being a mark on Persephone or some other world flashing platinum or gold around" he pointedly gave Jayne that "Yes, I specifically mean you" look.

And, of course, Jayne got all indignant. "Why's this about me? Shouldn't you be lookin' at the Doc or Moon Brain? I ain't dumb enough to go flashin' money around Eavesdowne Docks like some fool fresh from Osiris."

"When's the last time you had 1000 squares of platinum in yer hands all at once?" Jayne and Kaylee both got that cutpurse-in-the gunsights look on their faces, with Zoe not looking much better.

"Now what, exactly, is this job for which we are being so generously paid up front?"