diff --git a/src/6model/reprs/MVMCompUnit.h b/src/6model/reprs/MVMCompUnit.h
index e1570d9c42..23e9c8a9b4 100644
--- a/src/6model/reprs/MVMCompUnit.h
+++ b/src/6model/reprs/MVMCompUnit.h
@@ -45,6 +45,10 @@ struct MVMCompUnitBody {
     MVMString **strings;
     MVMuint32   num_strings;
 
+    /* Serialized data, if any. */
+    char     *serialized;
+    MVMint32  serialized_size;
+
     /* Array of the resolved serialization contexts, and how many we
      * have. A null in the list indicates not yet resolved */
     MVMSerializationContext **scs;
diff --git a/src/6model/serialization.c b/src/6model/serialization.c
index 997a72bfd8..22fcd7fad6 100644
--- a/src/6model/serialization.c
+++ b/src/6model/serialization.c
@@ -723,6 +723,17 @@ static MVMString * concatenate_outputs(MVMThreadContext *tc, MVMSerializationWri
         MVM_exception_throw_adhoc(tc,
             "Serialization sanity check failed: offset != output_size");
 
+    /* If we are compiling at present, then just stash the output for later
+     * incorporation into the bytecode file. */
+    if (tc->compiling_scs && MVM_repr_elems(tc, tc->compiling_scs) &&
+            MVM_repr_at_pos_o(tc, tc->compiling_scs, 0) == (MVMObject *)writer->root.sc) {
+        if (tc->serialized)
+            free(tc->serialized);
+        tc->serialized = output;
+        tc->serialized_size = output_size;
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
     /* Base 64 encode. */
     output_b64 = base64_encode(output, output_size);
     free(output);
@@ -1065,7 +1076,9 @@ MVMString * MVM_serialization_serialize(MVMThreadContext *tc, MVMSerializationCo
     /* Start serializing. */
     serialize(tc, writer);
 
-    /* Build a single result MVMString out of the serialized data. */
+    /* Build a single result out of the serialized data; note if we're in the
+     * compiler pipeline this will return null and stash the output to write
+     * to a bytecode file later. */
     result = concatenate_outputs(tc, writer);
 
     /* Clear up afterwards. */
@@ -1135,7 +1148,7 @@ MVM_NO_RETURN
 static void fail_deserialize(MVMThreadContext *tc, MVMSerializationReader *reader,
         const char *messageFormat, ...) {
     va_list args;
-    if (reader->data)
+    if (!(*tc->interp_cu)->body.serialized && reader->data)
         free(reader->data);
     if (reader->contexts)
         free(reader->contexts);
@@ -1410,21 +1423,26 @@ static MVMSTable * read_stable_ref_func(MVMThreadContext *tc, MVMSerializationRe
  * the reader data structure more fully. */
 static void check_and_dissect_input(MVMThreadContext *tc,
         MVMSerializationReader *reader, MVMString *data_str) {
-    /* Grab data from string. */
     size_t  data_len;
-    /* XXX TODO: create an internals-only interface so a string can
-     * be decoded into an existing buffer if it's big enough... then
-     * cache that buffer on threadcontext to avoid one of the
-     * allocations when decoding base64. */
-    char   *data_b64 = (char *)MVM_string_ascii_encode(tc, data_str, NULL);
-    /* XXX TODO: extend base64_decode to take a pointer to a pointer
-     * to a destination buffer, and to decode to it if the buffer is
-     * big enough... then cache this buffer on the threadcontext to
-     * get rid of the other mallocation... */
-    char   *data     = (char *)base64_decode(data_b64, &data_len);
-    char   *prov_pos = data;
-    char   *data_end = data + data_len;
-    free(data_b64);
+    char   *data;
+    char   *prov_pos;
+    char   *data_end;
+    if (data_str) {
+        /* Grab data from string. */
+        char *data_b64 = (char *)MVM_string_ascii_encode(tc, data_str, NULL);
+        data = (char *)base64_decode(data_b64, &data_len);
+        free(data_b64);
+    }
+    else {
+        /* Try to get it from the current compilation unit. */
+        data = (*tc->interp_cu)->body.serialized;
+        if (!data)
+        fail_deserialize(tc, reader,
+            "Failed to find deserialization data in compilation unit");
+        data_len = (*tc->interp_cu)->body.serialized_size;
+    }
+    prov_pos = data;
+    data_end = data + data_len;
 
     /* Ensure we got the data. */
     if (data == NULL)
@@ -1968,7 +1986,11 @@ void MVM_serialization_deserialize(MVMThreadContext *tc, MVMSerializationContext
         deserialize_object(tc, reader, i, MVM_sc_get_object(tc, sc, i));
 
     /* Clear up afterwards. */
-    if (reader->data)
+    if ((*tc->interp_cu)->body.serialized) {
+        (*tc->interp_cu)->body.serialized = NULL;
+        (*tc->interp_cu)->body.serialized_size = 0;
+    }
+    else if (reader->data)
         free(reader->data);
     if (reader->contexts)
         free(reader->contexts);
diff --git a/src/core/bytecode.c b/src/core/bytecode.c
index 29730e49d7..52bad1c8e1 100644
--- a/src/core/bytecode.c
+++ b/src/core/bytecode.c
@@ -205,8 +205,17 @@ static ReaderState * dissect_bytecode(MVMThreadContext *tc, MVMCompUnit *cu) {
     rs->string_seg       = cu_body->data_start + offset;
     rs->expected_strings = read_int32(cu_body->data_start, STRING_HEADER_OFFSET + 4);
 
-    /* TODO: SC data segment supposedly goes here.
-     *       For now, just reserve 8 bytes. */
+    /* Get SC data, if any. */
+    offset = read_int32(cu_body->data_start, SCDATA_HEADER_OFFSET);
+    size = read_int32(cu_body->data_start, SCDATA_HEADER_OFFSET + 4);
+    if (offset > cu_body->data_size || offset + size > cu_body->data_size) {
+        cleanup_all(tc, rs);
+        MVM_exception_throw_adhoc(tc, "Serialized data segment overflows end of stream");
+    }
+    if (offset) {
+        cu_body->serialized = cu_body->data_start + offset;
+        cu_body->serialized_size = size;
+    }
 
     /* Locate bytecode segment. */
     offset = read_int32(cu_body->data_start, BYTECODE_HEADER_OFFSET);
diff --git a/src/core/threadcontext.h b/src/core/threadcontext.h
index bcde6d0665..58fd80b9bf 100644
--- a/src/core/threadcontext.h
+++ b/src/core/threadcontext.h
@@ -161,6 +161,11 @@ struct MVMThreadContext {
      * index 0. */
     MVMObject     *compiling_scs;
 
+    /* Memory buffer pointing to the last thing we serialized, intended to go
+     * into the next compilation unit we write. */
+    char         *serialized;
+    MVMint32      serialized_size;
+
     /* Dispatcher set for next invocation to take. */
     MVMObject     *cur_dispatcher;
 
diff --git a/src/mast/compiler.c b/src/mast/compiler.c
index e002cce75a..81ed4fbeae 100644
--- a/src/mast/compiler.c
+++ b/src/mast/compiler.c
@@ -1149,6 +1149,8 @@ char * form_bytecode_output(VM, WriterState *ws, unsigned int *bytecode_size) {
     size += ws->callsite_pos;
     size += ws->bytecode_pos;
     size += ws->annotation_pos;
+    if (vm->serialized)
+        size += vm->serialized_size;
 
     /* Allocate space for the bytecode output. */
     output = (char *)malloc(size);
@@ -1193,7 +1195,16 @@ char * form_bytecode_output(VM, WriterState *ws, unsigned int *bytecode_size) {
         string_heap = NULL;
     }
 
-    /* TODO: SC data. Write nothing for now. */
+    /* SC data. Write it if we have it. */
+    if (vm->serialized) {
+        write_int32(output, SCDATA_HEADER_OFFSET, pos);
+        write_int32(output, SCDATA_HEADER_OFFSET + 4, vm->serialized_size);
+        memcpy(output + pos, vm->serialized, vm->serialized_size);
+        pos += vm->serialized_size;
+        free(vm->serialized);
+        vm->serialized = NULL;
+        vm->serialized_size = 0;
+    }
 
     /* Add bytecode section and its header entries (offset, length). */
     write_int32(output, BYTECODE_HEADER_OFFSET, pos);