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. Enjoy. And thanks to Soot Sprite for playing Beta. Finally the end for those brave enough to bear with my first attempt.

Interludes VI

Zoe started "I suppose what happened to River could be kindly described as battle stress," She looked the question at Simon. "Well, I just dealt with the trauma. Psychiatrists, other professionals dealt with the resulting psychological effects. But, as a relevant side bar, seems by bratty genius of a sister has been learning to hack into highly restricted data bases, among other things." he pointed to a stack of data cubes in his desk. "This is all the information I need. What they did to her and others, how they did it. several possible ways to mitigate both what they did, and the 'undesirable' effects on her. There are a few drugs I'd need, only available on core planets, however. And that role-playing with Wash's dinosaurs is the best long term therapy for her, despite its effect on Jayne."

" So with the drugs, she'd be safe," Mal asked. "Safe? Assuming I found some treatment that worked to undo the conditioning, a drug protocol that would work when she relapsed? No,I could not guarantee she would ever be 100% safe, Very much improved especially with another year of relative safety. You chide me for being "top 3%" its actually top1%. River is top .03% only because that is as close as mathematics can place her; AND she's a reader, again probably in the top 1% of readers, AND they destroyed the part of her brain that controls her emotions. I don't think any of us have any idea what 'normal' would have been for my sister before they went hacking on her brain.

"But what do you always say, Captain? Deal with the threat that's in front of you worry about the one around the corner when it shows itself? The Alliance, the Operative, are here now, they pose a very real threat to River, and us, now. Whatever potential threat River might pose to the crew is the one around the corner." Simon made a sickly grimace "and I suppose if she became a threat to the crew, Jayne could always shoot her ... in the leg, or somewhere non-fatal?"

*****

River and Kaylee spent their days doing not-girly things, but very River and Kaylee things. River saw a stealthy but vulnerable, untraceable Cortex link that could serve her purpose long after it fulfilled Mr. Universe's. She wanted an armed cortex link with military grade passive sensors, a weapon platform. She scavanged the parts she needed at night and she and Kaylee spent days building components.

She cut a couple of harpoon launchers out of the reaver ship that attacked them and killed Wash. She scrounged harpoons, even found Higgins' Moon Mud, catalyst and molds the Reavers used to make them. She pulled sensors from seriously damaged Alliance ships that even they abandoned. Fortunately, Alliance soldiers have no concept of what it takes to destroy electronic equipment beyond their ability to repair it.

River would have pulled everything together much faster if she had pulled what she needed from the Alliance ships, then she could have gotten Kaylee to help. But getting Kaylee into a Reaver ship was ... not an option. And the risk that someone would discover missing equipment from an Alliance ship was much greater. But when Monte's Kingfisher landed, all was ready. All they needed to do was load the cargo (and coffins) into the ship and depart.

Of course it was not quite that simple, when was it ever? The Alliance commander insisted on control of everything under his limited jurisdiction. But moving cargo under the nose of The Alliance was not so difficult for two crews of smugglers that sometimes worked together. And it would be weeks yet before any work would be done on Serenity.

*****

And despite the attitude of the Alliance commander, Serenity's crew won grudging respect and sub rosa friendships. Simon managed to score medication he needed for River. They weren't watched quite as closely as their commanders would have wanted as they loaded Monte's ship.

Over dinner aboard Monte's ship their plans were hashed out. Bellerephon first, where Inara had "important buiness to transact. Then to the Blue Moon Skyplex where the memorials would be delivered, then to Haven for the actual funerals then back again. " Monte, may be family and willing to forgo payment, but his crew had the right to know that they would eventually be paid. The End