Serenity climbed away from Miranda as she'd climbed away from a thousand other ports of call. The mood on the bridge was somber. Mal and Wash didn't speak as the blue faded to black. They left behind a monster, only Mal couldn't help but remember her telling Ying-Tai to give him the release codes. A penance she'd called it.

He'd killed other men. He'd almost killed Saffron once, in the heat of combat. He'd even executed Crow by kicking him into Serenity's engine nacelle. And he hadn't felt like this any of those times. Was it 'cause she was an old woman? He asked himself. Still, she had blood on her hands. Oceans of it.

Later that day they were having a silent supper. Ying-Tai was the first to finish.

"Captain, I need to speak with you about that recording cylinder." She said, putting down her napkin.

"What about it?" Mal asked, revealing nothing.

"I want it."

"Why?"

"So I can destroy it, of course." She said.

"No." Mal said, picking up his glass.

"No cylinder, no release codes." She said it flatly, ignoring the hostile glances she received from the rest of the crew.

"Don't care." Mal said quietly. She gaped at him.

"Excuse me? There's something like 98,000 credits still in that account, Captain!"

"So?" He looked her in the eyes. "That cylinder's worth more than all the platinum in the whole gorram 'verse. We both know it. Thirty million dead, Ying-Tai. That mean nothin' to you?"

"What do you plan to do with it, Captain? Sell it to the newsfeeds? One little story, swallowed up in the billions of stories coming out every day? It will go nowhere."

"Maybe not." He said somberly. "Still gotta try."

"Why? Because you think it'll make a difference?"

"You're afraid it might." He said shrewdly. "Otherwise you wouldn't care."

"I'm an operative, Captain. A professional. I don't leave things to chance."

"Me neither. Here's how things are going to be. We'll be on Lilac in two days. Way I figure, the instant you're out of our sight you'll hightail it to the nearest authorities like a rabbit runnin' from a fox. Only natural, seein' how you're government and all. Got no beef with that, and had my fill o' death for a while. Won't try to stop you."

"So we're gonna give ourselves a head start. We'll put you down on Lilac a couple of days from the nearest town; give you a week's rations and some water. Then we're gonna head out for parts unknown. I reckon by the time you make it to civilization we'll be done doin' what we're gonna do. That sound fair to you?"

"I'm surprised you're being so generous, Captain." Ying-Tai commented. "What makes you think I won't kill everyone in this room right now and then destroy the cylinder?"

"Because I'll kill you if you try it." River said unexpectedly. "I'm not as big a failure as they led you to believe, jie-jie. And I'll know you're going to attack before you do."

"Not to mention there are three people in this room won't hesitate to shoot your oh-so-attractive pigu." Mal said sourly. "Can you sit there and tell me Miranda meant nothin'?"

"The Guiding Light made a mistake on Miranda, Captain." Ying-Tai admitted. "Some other faction has made us pay the price for it. With Madame Li dead the Guiding Light is extinguished. But that doesn't mean I'll risk a civil war just to salve your conscience. Another civil war would kill how many, Captain Reynolds? Millions? You want another Shadow, another Miranda?"

"I was born on Shadow, little girl. Lost my mother in the war. On Shadow." Mal said evenly. "Alliance thinks they can make people better. Think they know more than God. Well they don't. You talk about another civil war. There'd be dead, right enough. Course that ain't the most likely outcome, I'm thinkin'."

"Most likely thing to happen is maybe the Parliament fallin'. Out with the old guard. 'Course they'd get replaced with the new, likely same as the old, just different names and faces. But at least folks woulda been warned. Maybe keep a closer eye on the new bunch."

"And that's why I'm keepin' the cylinder."

"A forlorn hope, Captain."

"Only kind I ever get, Ying-Tai. You gonna be stupid?"

She surveyed the people in the room with a cold, calculating eye. "How do you know I'll keep my parole?"

"I don't. But she will." He nodded at River. "You do not wanna be in her bad graces, trust me. She's killed afore. And she ain't entirely sane. Saw her tear a man's throat out with her bare hand once. You may be a right curly wolf in a fight--but I'd still bet on River."

"All right, Captain. You'll get your head start. We'll see whether that cylinder is dynamite or just a damp squib." She stood up. "If you'll excuse me I want to get some sleep."

Later that night Ying-Tai was awakened by someone standing by her bed. She opened her eyes without moving.

"Hello, Ying-Tai." Madame Li said.

I'm dreaming. She thought in a panic.

"You're dead." Years of training kept her voice steady.

"Yes. I died twelve years ago, child." Madame Li said gently. "The Guiding Light is no more and I'm just a memory now. You need to think about what you're going to do with your life. I think you should start over somewhere, stop being an Operative."

"Operatives can't retire, Madame. I told you that a long time ago. Did you forget?"

"No." The old woman smiled. "But great wealth gives one power. With enough power all things are possible."

Ying-Tai shook her head.

"Tomorrow morning I will wake in this bed. You will still be dead, and I will still be an operative of the Parliament." Ying-Tai said softly.

"Is that what you want, xiao Cheng?"

"What I want is immaterial, Madame." Ying-Tai answered. "It changes nothing."

Madame Li studied her and then spoke.

"In the railing of my bunk, at the foot, is a small device. It contains the codes needed to access several secret accounts I prepared against a day like this. Take it. Use those funds and start a new life for yourself. Remember, the right railing, up against the mattress."

"And take this, so you will believe." Madame Li removed the cheap necklace she'd been wearing when they left her and draped it over Ying-Tai's head.

"My death was peaceful, Ying-Tai. There was no pain. It was better than I deserved. So do this for me. I ask this not as your employer, but as your friend. Take this chance and vanish. Live, marry, and have children. There has been enough death for both of us."

"Now, sleep, baobei Ying-Tai." Madame Li stepped backward, into the shadow, and faded away. Ying-Tai felt herself falling into sleep, in spite of her best efforts.

"Zai jian, Li Kai-Ying." She murmured, fighting the sleep. A tear leaked from one eye.

She woke with a start, remembering her dream. The clock said it was morning; she'd slept nearly nine hours. She stretched and got up, thinking about her employer. She turned on the light and blinked, staring into the small mirror mounted on the wall.

Her scream brought Book running with Zoe and Simon not far behind.

"Gui! Jing tian dwohn di! Gui Li Kai-ying de!" She was babbling. She grabbed Book by the arms. Her face was slack from shock.

"It's all right, Ying-Tai, calm down please calm down. Fang xin." Book said, guiding her to her bunk and urging her to sit.

Ying-Tai visibly collected herself. "Madame Li was here last night." She said finally.

"Child, she's back on Miranda." Book said, his face creased in pain.

"I know. She's dead. She said she'd been dead for twelve years."

"It was just a dream." Simon said, coming forward. "A nightmare."

"No, it might have been a dream but it wasn't a nightmare." Her smile was half sad, half happy.

"But this is a nightmare." She pulled off the necklace around her neck and thrust it at Simon. He took it by reflex.

"Wo de ma."Zoe breathed, backing up half a step before she could control herself.

"What?" Simon asked.

"It's Madame Li's necklace." Ying-Tai said. "The one she was wearing when we left her."

"That's impossible." Simon said. "It can't be."

"It is." Zoe said. "I recognize it. Won't ever mistake it after finding it on that skeleton."

"Madame Li put it around my neck last night." Ying-Tai said. "In my dream."

"What did she say?" Simon asked. "In your dream I mean."

Ying-Tai hesitated.

"Private things. She came to say good-bye." The Chinese woman finally said.

"Come to the dining room. This changes things." Zoe said. "We ain't clear of this ghost story yet."

"Let me get dressed. I'll be there in a moment." Ying-Tai demurred.

"Be quick." Zoe said tightly as the three crewmembers left. Ying-Tai closed the door and swiftly moved to Madame Li's bunk, feeling along the rail, under the mattress. Her fingers found a cool smooth box. She pulled it out to reveal a standard code token, used to access bank accounts and other secure materials.

Dressing quickly she slipped the token in an inner pocket. Then she went to join the gathering in the dining room. When she arrived most of the crew had already assembled, except for Jayne and Inara.

"You wanna explain this?" Mal said, holding up the necklace.

"Madame Li put it around my neck last night."

"That ain't possible. You know that, right?" Mal demanded.

"You asked me, Captain. I know it's impossible."

Inara came in, yawning. "What's impossible?"

"Seems we had us a visitor in the night." Mal said to her. He held up the necklace. Inara's eyes widened.

"Is that--" She said, then shook her head.

"Yeah, it is." Mal said. "And yeah, it ain't possible. Lessen she bought two o' these?" He asked Ying-Tai hopefully.

The woman shook her head. "No, only the one. And I recognize it, she wore it every day. She said she liked it. It was a good luck piece."

"Darn." Mal said, laying the necklace on the table. "What'd I tell you, Zoe? Sucks you in and never lets go. Wash, how far are we from Lilac?"

"About seven hours. We got enough fuel I could probably cut that in half." Wash offered, eyeing the cheap necklace with the same expression he'd give a poisonous snake.

"Temptin'. But we may need that fuel. She say anything give you the impression she'd be comin' back?" Mal asked the woman.

"No. She's not coming back." Ying-Tai said with certainty. "She came to say good-bye. The necklace was to remember her by."

"You're lying." River said dreamily, looking at the necklace. "She gave it to you so you'd believe her."

"Some things you should leave alone, mei-mei." Ying-Tai said firmly. "It was private. Please honor me and keep it that way."

"Ok." River said. She lost interest, turning on the couch so she could stare out the windows high above. Mal glanced at her quizzically, and then shrugged.

"This change your plans any?" He asked Ying-Tai. She nodded.

"Yes, Captain. Here's the release codes for your fee." She handed him a different coder than the one she'd found under Madame Li's bunk. "Good luck with that recording cylinder. And I want the necklace back."

"Take the thing. Gives me the creepy-crawlies anyway." Mal said. Ying-Tai put the necklace back on.

"I think I've decided on a nice, long vacation." She said.

"She lyin', River?" Mal asked.

"Not the way you mean." River answered cryptically

"Never a straight answer with this girl." Mal complained. He looked at Ying-Tai and sighed, letting all the air escape in a rush.

"All right. We let you off on Lilac, food, water, and directions to the closest town. Even give you a gun. I got nothin' against you; you ain't hurt me or mine. You're a pretty girl and all, so don't take it the wrong way when I say I hope our paths never cross again."

"No offense taken, Captain. You'll never see me again, and that's best for both of us." Ying-Tai nodded. "Let me know when we reach Lilac." She left for her quarters.

"Anybody wanna bet we ain't out o' the woods yet?" Mal said.

"No bet, sir. You were right about ghost stories." Zoe said, shivering.

"Where's Jayne?" Mal said. "Ain't like him to miss a chance to see Ying-Tai."

"You don't think the ghost got him, do you?" Wash asked, brightening. Zoe gave him a look that just made him grin wider.

"Ghosts ain't that accomodatin'. He's probably still snorin' in his bunk." Mal snorted.

"Ain't ghosts supposed to be vengeful-like?" Kaylee asked, still unsure if she believed in Madame Li's ghost or not.

"Well, Madame Li's got no kick comin'." Mal said. "She done got a whole 'verse of repentin' to do first. We'll be dust long afore she settles that debt."

"What do you think really happened?" Book asked. "Where did Ying-Tai get that necklace? I was the first one on the scene. She was terrified--and I don't think she was acting."

"Dunno preacher. Seems like ghosts would be more in your line than mine." Mal said, but he looked thoughtful. "Maybe Madame Li gave it to her, to remember her by?"

"No." Inara said. "Ying-Tai left before me, and Madame Li was still wearing it. I remember because she had the old one still in her hand and I wondered how the same necklace could be in two places at once."

"Well, however it is, we go to Lilac, and after we drop off Ying-Tai and refuel, we finish this."

"How, sir?" Zoe asked. "We ain't in a position to challenge the Alliance. She's right. Put it on a news-feed and it'll get swallowed up in the noise."

"You let me worry 'bout that." Mal said. "Wash just get us to Lilac afore more ghosts show up."

Remarkably, Serenity made it to Lilac, dropped off Ying-Tai, refueled, and escaped the moon without incident.

"Where to now, boss?" Wash asked.

"Mr. Universe." Mal said. "As I recall his moon's circling Beaumonde, yes?"

"Yep. Should I call ahead?"

"No, I want our visit kept quiet. Fireworks'll start not too long after. Wanna be well away first."

"You're gonna use Mr. Universe to transmit the recording." Wash said, comprehension spreading over his face. "You are an evil genius, Mal. Absolutely gao gan."

"I figure those transmitters of his can swamp the whole 'verse. After that, ain't none of the Parliament gonna be able to crawl under a rock." Mal said.

So Serenity paid a little visit to Mr. Universe, who watched the recording and in a fit of techno-geek rage plotted his own vengeance. It would, he said, take a day or so to ready his forces. By which time Serenity was headed on to Pelorum where Mal and Inara had a long-delayed date for dinner. By the time Serenity reached the resort world in three weeks, it would all be over--for good or ill.

Mr. Universe worked late into the night, coding and testing and retesting. After a marathon coding session it was complete.

His masterpiece. A delivery system fit for the precious payload Mal had brought him from Miranda. He pressed the send key and took Lenore to bed.

As the love-bot and her owner played age-old games his delivery virus was spreading across the system. And everywhere it touched it left a part of itself. A part which grew and multiplied and sent out its own messages.

The messages sat in mail boxes throughout the Chara system, hidden away. They sat in the communications systems of every planet. They sat in the personal computers of every citizen. Within 12 hours the virus had done its job.

And at the stroke of noon in Sihnon's capital city the payload was delivered.

"These are just a few of the images..."

Millions and millions of video players, mail in-boxes, radios, deep space transmitters, all transmitting the same pictures, the same words, across the Core worlds and the outer planets. To the teeming billions that made up the Chara system.

On Miranda a solitary figure stood by a yellowed skeleton, curly black hair catching the breeze. He was listening to all the radio signals racing through space, and seeing the shock and horror building on the faces of the populace.

"Well, Kai-ying my xingan, this mess is finally exposed. Maybe now things will be different. If only you had listened to me all this could have been avoided." He sighed. "Humans. So utterly predictable. Why do I even bother?"

Kneeling, he touched the skull with tender hands. "Good-bye. Rest in peace, qing ren." Standing, he vanished. Around Chara dozens of worlds listened as the grisly message reached its horrific completion.

And, deep in space, Serenity kept flying.