This novel is the first mention of both the city of Neapolis and its planet, Bethel, in the 'Verse.

On pages 12-13, Shepherd Book remarks that "Bethel" was the place where Jacob had a vision of a ladder to heaven, according to the Bible, and that it means "House of God". This is all correct; bethel is a Hebrew term for "house of God".

Shepherd Book's quote on page 14 about the stone and the pillar is from Genesis 28:22.

Page 15 reveals the Ava is from Evansville on Bethel. This is the first mention of the city.

Ava has a squishy toy bear called Patches.

On page 17, Ava sees an advertisement for Joozy Frooty Treets on the public vidphone before she makes her call. This is the first mention of this treat in the 'Verse.

Ava calls for help to the number given to her by Mrs. Freeman, P.R. Quigley's Cleaning Services. The novel's author, Una McCormack, is British-Irish, so it's possible this company is a wink to the Quigley's Cleaning Services business in Ballinlough, Co. Roscommon, Republic of Ireland.

Dr. Katarina Neilsen works at St. Freda's Hospital in Neapolis.

Anna Liu inherited several casinos on and near the Platinum Mile in Neapolis.

Joseph Liu had once planned on opening a restaurant on Sihnon. This is one of the major core worlds, with an Eastern influence.

Bethel is known for the mining of verterium, which Wash informs the Serenity crew is used in components for calibrating navigation systems. This is a fictitious mineral. The word used here may have been inspired by the fictitious element verterium in the Star Trek universe, used in verterium cortenide, a material in the construction of starship warp nacelles. This novel's author has also written a number of Star Trek novels.

Serenity is hired to protect a shipment of erbonium. This is another fictitious mineral, useful in the manufacture of lasers and this is the first mention of it in the 'Verse.

Other settlements on Bethel include Nashton, Lauriston, Mount Greyling, and Catsville.

Malefinium is yet another fictitious mineral mined on Bethel.

On page 36, Simon reflects on Jayne's having called the Feds on him and River when they were on Ariel. This occurred in "Ariel".

Ava finds shelter at the Mag Coirc Motel and Bar on Celestial Way in Neapolis, near the Roby Docks.

On page 45, Book compares Bethel to Babylon the Great. Babylon the Great is a symbolic female figure and city of evil in the Bible's Book of Revelation. The quote Book makes about sharing not in her sins refers to Babalon, found in Revelation 18.

On page 46, Mal is disturbed to find that the local sheriff will be keeping an eye on the crew during this job, thinking, Gorram sheriffs! Not too long after this adventure, starting in "New Sheriff in the 'Verse", Mal will himself become a sheriff in the Georgia Space Sector for a time.

On page 48, Mal reflects on the time the crew hauled some stolen crates of energy bars to Patience. This was in "Serenity".

On page 66, Wash remarks about the time both he and Mal got strung up and hurt, Mal got bits of himself cut off, and Mal died (temporarily). This was in "War Stories".

Page 84 reveals that Kaylee is able to tell the presence of many different types of spaceships in a dock by the distinctive odor of fuel and fumes. The Series 3 Firefly-class transporter she smells here is presumably just Serenity itself.

On page 91, Kaylee reflects that Mal had asked her not to find any more passengers after the last couple she'd brought on board. I presume this is a reference to the events of "Serenity", where she found Simon, fleeing Alliance authorities, and Lawrence Dobson, an undercover Alliance agent.

Kaylee almost gets work at the docks fixing an ailing Lambert 1900 engine. This is the first mention of this engine model in the 'Verse.

White Dragon is the name of a well-known musical band in the 'Verse. Kaylee thinks they are lousy.

Page 99 reveals that Simon had been roommates with fellow medical student Will Carlsen during their sophomore year.

On page 99, Katarina pulls a Whitaker 380 hand pistol from her desk drawer. This is the first mention of this weapon in the 'Verse.

On page 103, Book remarks to Zoe that he hopes Roberts doesn't have any torture facilities similar to that of Adelai Niska. This is a reference to the torture of Mal and Wash by Niska in "War Stories".

On pages 108-109, Katarina tells Simon and Inara that she's working at St. Freda's Hospital under an assumed name because she is undercover investigating the theft of drugs and other supplies to be sold for profit on the Rim worlds and Inara shakes her head, remarking, "Isn't it remarkable, Simon, what some people will do for money?" This is a light jab at Simon for his scheme to heist drugs and supplies from St. Lucy's Hospital on Ariel in "Ariel".

On page 112, Inara sends a wave message to her Guild friend Guanyin. Guanyin also appears in "No Power in the 'Verse" Part 1.

Jayne dresses in a blue velvet tuxedo and bow tie he got from a tailor on Prophet. Apparently, he's kept it hidden since then until the chance to use it while gambling at a casino here on Bethel.

Ava tells Mal and Kaylee that her hometown of Evansville is in Croker Valley on Bethel.

River, Jayne, and Wash gamble at a casino called The Golden Balloon.

On page 150, the cryo cases Book discovers the schematics for on Roberts' computer remind him of the case Simon had used to carry River aboard Serenity. This occurred when the Tams first boarded, in "Serenity" and "Government Goods".

River uses the alias "Joy" at the casino.

Book's voice is said to ring out like the trumpet on Judgment Day as he delivers a bit of sermon on page 168. Judgment Day is a reference to the foretold judgment of God upon the people of the Earth believed in by the Abrahamic religions. The quote Book uses is from Deuteronomy 32:35 in the Bible.

On page 170, Wash is delighted to find the limousine Joseph Liu has provided them is filled with snacks such as packets of NutsSaltiNuts.

On page 178, as the crew celebrates, River hands Simon a mug of champagne and asks, "Is it champagne if it doesn't come from Earth-That-Was?" This is a play on the oft-asked question of wine drinkers, "If it's not from the region of Champagne, France, is it really Champagne?" In the real world, the use of the word "Champagne" is protected by European law for sparkling wines made in the Champagne region. Otherwise, it's just "sparkling wine".

On page 183, Book remarks "The Good Lord himself kicked over a few tables at the Temple at the sight of the money-lenders." This is the narrative of the Cleansing of the Temple in the New Testament of the Bible.

Page 206 reveals that the red flyer Zoe and Book stole in their escape from Roberts' villa was a Huxton 44. This is the first appearance of such a vehicle in the 'Verse.

On page 210, Book again quotes about the stone and the pillar from Genesis 28:22 in the Bible.

On page 223, Book tells the child-trafficker Uncle Nate, "There's a special hell for men like you." Book warned Mal about a special hell if he were to take advantage of a certain underage girl (Saffron) in "Our Mrs. Reynolds".

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