OPENING

Location: Vire

A woman with average height and cropped brown hair stalked through the halls of the modest but sizable manor house. Those in the hall moved out the way of herself and her two companions, a man and woman who were heavily armed. While she was normally fairly congenial, the woman didn't say a word to anyone. She held up her hand for her companions to wait outside when she got to her office.

It was a large space, decorated with artifacts from other moons and a glass case that held a special piece from the Earth-That-Was. The desk was facing the door, a heavy looking thing with several screens scattered on top of it. She slid into the leather chair behind it, letting the sun warm her back. With a fist, she punched a button and a man came up on one of the screens. "Tell me you know where she is."

"The last time anyone saw her, she was with your brother."

A growl started in her throat. "That doesn't inspire confidence, sergeant. Whoever these folks are, they're disrupting my peace and you know how I like my peace."

"We're doing our best."

"Well, you're best ain't-" She stopped when one of her companions, the man, opened the door. "What is it, Roy?"

"There's a man here to see you. Says you're expectin' him." Roy kept the door open only a crack. "Says his name is Malcolm Reynolds."

"Oh, right. Send him in." She waved Roy to let them in. Three people slipped by her large guard, one of them nearly the size of Roy but nowhere near as intelligent looking. The other was an amazon of a woman with dark skin and a grim expression. Reynolds was easy to spot; he was wearing a brown coat.

After looking her visitors up and down, she turned her attention back to the sergeant on the screen. "You keep looking and when you find her, tell her this cage is better than the other." Then she hit the button and the man's face disappeared.

"Problems?" Reynolds arched an eyebrow.

"No, please sit, Captain. We have business to discuss." She waved to the two modest seats she kept in the room. The big man chose to stand.

"That we do, Ms. Stone."

"Adraidne, please. Now about those goods you're carrying. I trust they're in perfect shape. I don't pay for damaged goods." Adraidne told the captain, her tone even and business-like.

Reynolds smiled at her. "They are just as shiny as the day we got them. Not countin' the dust they collected sitting in my ship for so long."

Whatever he was trying to hint at, Adraidne wasn't going to take the bait. It would just draw out the exchange longer and she had quite the matter to get back to. "Now the agreed upon price-" She didn't get to finish. Her door was thrown open and a squad of men stormed the room, guns pointed at every one of them. Reynolds two people had their guns up, ready to fire at the intruders. Adraidne raised her hands in surrender. "What is this?"

"Adraidne Stone, you are hearby to surrender to the Alliance and come in for questioning."

The three smugglers looked at her but she was already opening her drawer and sliding her chair back toward the window. The others took her cue, moving back with her. "Oh, boys," she scolded, "like hell I am." Then she pulled her gun, shot and smashed through the window.

It was a six foot drop to the ground, but nothing none of them couldn't handle. They hit the ground and rolled, getting to their feet with the ease of people who knew how to run from the law. Adraidne pushed herself into a sprint. "Reynolds, where's your ship?"

"My ship? Gorram hell, what do you want that for?" He turned and shot back at the Alliance swat team.

The woman had a com to her lips with her free hand. "Wash?"

"Wash is in the wind." Came the eerie voice back.

"River, get Serenity ready to fly."

"We're trusting our lives to that gorram girl?" The big man shot one of the swat men in the chest.

"Jayne, not now!" Reynolds scolded the big man.

Adraidne let them squabble. All she cared about was the ship coming into her view and getting onto it. Then she was going to find Hector's spirit and strangle him and then she was going to find that companion and chew her head off. But first things first, she had to put some distance between her and the Alliance; and she had to get her moon back.

She didn't stop when her feet hit the metal ramp. She didn't stop until she was halfway through the cargo hold and had two pairs of new eyes on her. A hiss and a whirl behind her told her that the ramp was closing. Finally she stopped to take her breathe. She came face to face with the end of a gun.

"I think we might need to have a bit of a chat, don't you think?" Reynolds was far from a happy captain.