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When Temperance, an old flame of Jayne Cobb's, sends a help-come-quick message Mal and the crew of Serenity, despite Mal's reservations, answer the call. On the backwater dry-as-dust world of Thetis, a cutthroat bandit, Vandal. and his army of thugs are about to move in on Coogan's bluff to steal access to their water and make them pay a premium for every last drop they buy back. The townsfolk daren't fight back because the bones of the last town that tried that are still bleaching in the sun. When the Serenity crew arrives they discover two things instantly. One: they are outnumbered and outgunned, two, Temperance has a teenage daughter called Jane, born not long after she and Jayne split up. The crew all jump to the same conclusion. Nicely read by James Anderson Foster. In the absence of more TV episodes, this tie-in novel works well, and captures the characters beautifully.