Silence fell throughout Serenity, the ship seemingly sleeping along with its inhabitants. In the engine room Kaylee gently rocked from side to side, her hand hanging outside of her hammock, gently grazing the wall as she swung. Her breathing fell into rhythm with that of Serenity’s engine; the soft pulse of the ship’s heart the only reason why Kaylee would ever stray from her bunk and sleep elsewhere, its gentle beat more powerful than any soother Simon could prescribe.

Beyond the engine room nothing else stirred, the pilot’s seat sat empty as Wash slumbered peacefully next to his wife, whilst Jayne stretched comfortably across his bunk with Vera wrapped lovingly in his arms. Mal sat asleep with his head in his hand, the dim light of his lamp providing a gentle warm which had sent him off to sleep not but a few minutes ago. Papers lay strewn across bunk; he’d spent the better part of his evening not engaging in the usual friendly banter in the living area but attempting to rustle up a job from the scraps that were available. Badger had tried to railroad him into accepting another shipment of plastic novelties but a man’s pride could only take so much, he had gotten enough stick from Inara after the last time. There was an offer of transporting some stolen settler supplies to some of the border planets but Reaver activity had Mal worried, he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. He had fallen asleep contemplating whether he ought to tell the crew he’d considered selling his left kidney on the black market in an attempt to raise enough funds to keep Serenity flying.

He hadn’t told anyone else of his concerns, although Inara had made a couple of inquiries as to which planet they’d be passing next and his excuses had begun to wear thin. She’d seemed less insistent in recent days however, as if she had sensed the change in his disposition and had not want to antagonise him further. She too was sleeping soundly aboard her shuttle, her client screen still activated with hopeful faces of men frozen on it. Over the past week she had felt less impetus to arrange any appointments, she had spent most of her time sitting with Kaylee, a quiet understanding between the two that she was not yet ready to speak of the horrors she had experienced that night with the bounty hunter. Inara feared that her baobei would never be the same again. She had spoken about it briefly and vaguely to Simon, seemingly neither of them wished to truly consider what Early might have done to her if he had been left to his own devices. Simon had fallen asleep opposite River contemplating the very same thing, his gaze had remained fixed on his mei-mei until the drugs had kicked in and her lids had shut and her head rested peacefully upon her pillow. The chair opposite her bunk had seemed unusually inviting tonight; despite Book’s protestations he had remained there rather than retreating to his own room.

The Shepherd was the last to have retired, tonight he felt stretched and wane, as if he were the only force keeping the crew from falling apart. He had noticed that conversation over the table was lacklustre this evening and that everyone had gone their separate ways promptly after finishing their meagre meals. There were no jobs around, he knew it, the crew knew it, despite Mal’s best attempts to disguise his concerns. He turned onto his side and his Bible slipped off chest onto the floor. The clunk it made was heard only by the figure which now moved outside of his bedroom door.

River shifted uncomfortably in her bed, her eyes shooting open for the most brief of moments, her mouth contorted in scream before her tensed body relaxed, her eyes shut, and she fell into a dreamless sleep. The shadow moved past her room and continued step through the ship, passing by Inara’s shuttle, down into the cargo bay and into the ship’s core. Kaylee stirred in her bunk as the door to the engine room was quietly slid open, but as a tool noisily fell to the floor she violently shot up straight and clumsily fell out of her hammock, knocking her head on the wall as she did so.

“Hwoon dahn!” She exclaimed before scrambling to her feet and grabbing a nearby spanner which she began to wave wildly at the intruder. “You ain’t gonna get me again you…” She took a deep breath and lowered her weapon as she recognised the figure. “Darcie! Go se! You scared me!” Darcie smiled slightly. “I’m sorry, I was just lookin’ to see who was up is all. I’ll go back to my bunk.” Kaylee smiled as Darcie slid the door back shut, then glanced down at the weapon in her hand. What on earth was she doing, what was there to worry about? They are out deep in the black, who’d get on board ship out here?

Darcie lingered outside the engine room until she was sure that Kaylee had fallen back asleep. She moved into the cockpit and stared out of the window at the stars. Serenity now slumbered with an intruder lodged in her belly.