Malcom Reynolds awoke face down in the gravel. Half paralyzed with pain and grief, he slowly rose to his feet, coughing.

'That taste' he thought. 'That taste... iron... blood. I'm bleeding on the inside. I wonder how much longer it is until they come for us. God help us.'

He staggered to the edge of the barren cliff, where he beheld again the home, the hell, that his mind would never leave. The lost Serenity valley. The stench of rotting flesh filled his nostrils as he looked over the ruined vista. He staggered towards the cave that what was left of his men had holed up in, passing the dead bodies of friends, of comrades, of brothers...

A groan caught his ear, he turned about to find an alliance soldier spread eagle on the ground, barely conscious, his broken femur protruding from his leg. Mal approached the soldier, and fell to his knees next to the soldier.

"God!? When the hell was he ever with us," he screamed hoarsely. "Too busy helping you bastards slit our throats!"

'He left us,' he thought. 'No, he was never there to begin with...'

"It's war..." murmered the soldier. "People kill, people die..."

"NI TA MA DE!! TIANXIA SOUYOUDE RUN DOU GAI SI!!"

Mal ripped the golden cross from his neck, and drove the longer portion into the soldier's jugular. He let the blood flow onto his hands for a moment before twisting the cross and removing it. He rose to his feet, the adrenaline bolstering him, the cold rush of vengeance awakening him fully. He headed back to the cave, he needed to check on his men. He was clutching his cross so hard it dug into his hands, blood was seeping between his fingers. With a grunt of frustration, he cast the cross to the side, and headed into the cave without looking back.

The battered sargeant surveyed his remaining men, barely alive themselves. The rush of killing the soldier gave way to a sick feeling in his stomach. It didn't matter. Nothing would bring his fallen allies back, half the people in this cave wouldn't survive.

He turned around to find Kaylee staring at him with that hurt look in her eyes, like someone had just punched her in the face, but didn't know why.

"Cap'n," she wimpered, "Cap'n, there's blood on your hands... why?"

Zoe walked up behind Kaylee and put a hand on her shoulder, gazing at Mal without saying a word, her face stoic. It didn't matter if she didn't express it, Mal could see it. She was worried...

"He doesn't forget, He can't forget..." Mal turned and saw River standing with each foot on one rock, elevating her somewhat above the others, she just stared towards the upper portion of the entrance to the cave. "It doesn't let him go... he closes his eyes and it brings him back to this day... he can't forget... it won't let him."

Mal matched her gaze and saw Wash hanging from the roof, skewered by a spire jutting out from the wall of the cave.

"Mal, she's my wife..."

He could hear a disembodied voice "I don't care what you believe, just believe, believe whatever you..."

He tried to run out of the cave, but was confronted by Tracey.

"Guess I fucked up pretty bad, huh sarge?"

He ran in the other direction, and was stopped by Inara, grasping his shoulders delicately but firmly. Her golden silk dress was smattered with blood.

"Mal! Please, Mal," she pleaded. "You have to leave this place!"

Captain Malcom Reynolds was awakened by a crashing sound from somewhere in his room.

"Huzzbuhwuha?" he mumbled as he started awake. "Wuzzgoinon? I-Inara?"

The companion was leaning over a piece of broken pottery, a chinese coin that had the symbols for wealth, power, and health embossed on it. He normally kept it by his comm system...

"Sorry," she stuttered. "I was just,uh... I needed to--"

"S'alright, don't need to replace it or anythin'..."

"No, sorry, I will, I just came in to use your... I meant, I wanted to ask you..."

"Comm system broken?"

"Yes! Well, no, my shuttle."

"Your shuttle is broken?"

"No, I locked myself out and needed--" (She in actuality had come to check on him, because he was swearing loudly in his sleep, and his door was ajar.)

"Inara, your shuttle door has been broken for a week. It doesn't close..."

"Right."

The just stood in akward silence, not knowing what to say. Mal wished for anything to happen to break the silence.

"Captain," chirped Rivers voice from the comm. "I need your help with the entry sequence."

"You should probably--"

Simultaneously, the captain said "I should probably go help." He rubbed his nose akwardly as he made to the ladder. "Try not to break any more of my stuff. Didn't they teach you how to step gracefully in the acadamy? Or did you trade it in for that cool red floaty thing by your bed?"

Inara made sure not to look at Mal as he ascended up the ladder.

Mal stopped for a moment before he entered the bridge, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and composed himself.

'The same dream, over and over.'

He stepped into the bridge.

"So little albatross," he piped a little too brightly. "What's your worry?"

"Oh, no problem, the entry is going fine."

"But.."

"You wanted to go somewhere else, so I brought you here."

"So you didn't need my help then?"

River made a face that clearly said 'What are you, an idiot?'

"Hookay then," said Mal, a little embarressed. "How long until we hit Persephone's atmo?"

River stared out the window for a second. "About 3 minutes."

"Here's an idea," came a gruff voice from behind them. "How 'bout never? I don't wanna set down on that rock. Too dangerous. It was hard enough when it was just the doc and River, but now we're all fugitives. Badger will sell us out in less time than... than when you... uh... well, it won't take him long! I ain't going."

Mal didn't even look back at Jayne. "Shut up, you're coming with."

"Captain," Zoe was coming up the ladder from the front of the bridge "Should I wave Badger, let him know we're coming?"

"No," said Mal. "We're going to want to get the drop on him, Jayne's right. He's like to call the feds if we let him know we coming beforehand."

Mal stared at Zoe for a second. Trying to see some sign of change in her, how was he supposed to act around her now? It had been 3 weeks and little enough had changed about her, but he couldn't see it...

"I still say it's too dangerous! Too many things could go wrong, we don't need work that bad--"

"Bi zui! You're coming, dong ma? Unless you'd like to stay and play with River. I think she's taking up knife throwing or some such." Mal smirked.

River smiled sweetly at Jayne, and he quickly followed behind Mal after he left. For a moment, the ship shook violently, harder than it should on re-entry. Mal shook his head and stormed to the engine room to find the doctor and Kaylee in an akward position.

"Dammit, Kaylee," said Mal. "Stop screwing around and get to work, make sure we don't explode or something before we hit the ground alright?"

Without a word, Kaylee bustled around the engine room tweaking bits and pieces throughout the room, probably messing with more things than she needed to so the she could avoid looking at the captain. Simon just stood in the doorway akwardly, his mouth moving like he was a 2 year old trying to form words. Jayne just crossed his arms and grinned stupidly at the doctor, but his eyes spoke something of jealousy.

"Sorry, doctor," said Mal. "You'll have to get your play a little later, Kaylee has work to do. Oh, yeah, Kaylee, get to fixing Inara's door, she needs to be able to lock herself out."

***

"What the bloody hell is this? Are you trying to pull one over on me?" demanded Badger. "You owe me more money than this..."

"S-sorry," stammered the unfortunate peon. "I-I'll have t-t-t-the money for you tommorow, I'll just..."

"Ah, get out of here," Badger pointed at the door. "Wasting my time, I'll be nice for now, but you owe me with interest."

The scruffy little man scampered out of the office, if it could be called that, and ran into Jayne, who was just entering in from behind Mal. Jayne simply shoved him out of the way and continued into the office.

"Well, well, well," mused Badger. "If it isn't the hero of the day, the purveyor of truth, the great captain Malcom Reynolds. What could you possibly want with a low life like me? No, wait, what is it a businessman such as myself want with a fugitive like you?"

"We're here for business, as usual." stated Mal plainly, as though he only knew Badger as a casual acquaintance.

"Oh, but there's a problem," said Badger. "It's hardly business as usual these days, is it? You've caused a lot of trouble. Upheavals and political infighting and what have you. All very uncivilized. I could retire with the money they'd give me for turning you in."

"You even try to make a call, little man," threatened Jayne as he put a cigar in his mouth. "And we're gonna rough you and your boys up some. OW!"

Jayne took out a match and struck it against his beard stubble, which only left a burn mark on his skin, and did not light the match.

"What the hell are you doing Jayne?" asked Mal, looking at him incredulously.

"Lighting a match on my face," said Jayne obviously. "It's intimidating!"

"Da xiang baozhashi de la duzi, I can't believe this," sighed Mal. "Those aren't strike-anywhere matches you moronic houzi de pigu. You know what, just go back and gaurd the ship before you embarass yourself anymore."

Jayne skulked out of the office. Mal turned around and smiled at Badger.

"Now, about business..."

Suddenly there was a loud crash in the room, Mal wheeled around with gun in his hand. He found himself staring at a group of men wearing unfamiliar, but intimidating black and streamlined armored uniforms, all with rifles pointed at him.

"Captain Malcom Reynolds, put away your weapon and come with us!" shouted the man who appeared to be the leader.

Mal holstered his gun and turned slightly to face Badger.

"You motherless son of a bitch..." he spat.

"I-I-I didn't... uh... who...?" stammered Badger.

"Come with us *Sargeant* Malcom Reynolds," commanded the leader again. "We have a very important job for you..."