Jesse James commanded the heaviest defensive fighter formation on Serenity for months. He, Dawn DeMarco, and their twenty-four Avenger-class starfighters represented Serenity’s most powerful strike force until the Alliance could rebuild her fixed defenses. Yes, the Alliance did send battleships, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, and fighters to hold the orbitals, but Jesse and Dawn were the Cowboys that helped saved Serenity in the first place. So they were forced to accept the well-deserved praise and thankfulness of an entire planet. I understand the boys and girls were throwing themselves at their feet. Figuratively speaking of course. Or maybe not. It was several months of time away from the front that gave Jesse’s soul time to recover. And once Serenity’s defenses were rebuilt, the Fox came out to play again with all the capability we knew he had.