"So I've heard. I'll try not to get too trigger-happy, then," Mal replied, taking her warning very seriously. Some might accuse Mal of being a reckless man, but he also knew when to be serious.

He took Jo's surprised reaction in stride, keeping in mind that there were others from different years and different worlds. "Suppose it is, at that. Like I said, doesn't seem that life's changed any, but I guess I can't really say for sure." Earth-that-was had been uninhabitable for a long time before he came around, so he couldn't make any comparisons.