I do not have any rights to firefly or serenity. The way I see it, no one does... cept Joss.

I implore you to criticize my writing style, story pacin', and especially my adherence to canon...

this don't mean I'm gonna listen to anything you ******* have to say. but I like hearin it.

This first bit is just some character backgrounds...pleasantries, if you will.

Firefly Fan Fiction

D.B. Marx

"Avandra"

A heavily modified Cl-54 Mugoschevny Super Cargo Lifter

The ship was bought used by Thomas Wu, after the Unification war was over. With some extra cash and time, Thomas was able to replace the original wings with Firefly '03 VTOL thrusters, and the Main engine was also pulled from the same Firefly. So, technically, Thomas bought two ships.

The Passenger deck was slightly altered to create more common area, resulting in smaller passenger dorms. The Engine bay, normally only accessible via a narrow 3rd floor walkway, was opened up so it could be reached at the back end of the passenger deck. This left the overhead walkway empty and seemingly useless. Thomas has since turned the top floor into a greenhouse of sorts.

Multiple solar panels were added to the hull, and the variable cargo bay system was replaced with a permanent Cargo Hold. This fact, along with Captain Thomas' personal feelings on the matter, meant Avandra would not receive the larger, better paying, Alliance Shipping Contracts. So now she operates as a small time transport almost exclusively for the outer colonies.

Captain Thomas Wu

Born "Ian Holt". His parents were middle-class trade barons, stationed on Ariel. Eventually Ian was drafted by the Alliance into the Unification war. It didn't take long for him to decide to go AWOL. He joined the Independents, and gave them useful intelligence on Alliance tactics, strategies, and numbers. As part of the deal, Ian received monetary compensation and Independent surgeons transplanted his eyes, so he wouldn't be hunted down by the Alliance. He then became Thomas Wu. Though the information Thomas gave wasn't enough to win the war, it did save many lives.

With the war over he was able to purchase a ship and now makes a living as a small time trader, transporter, and sometimes smuggler.

First Mate Jessie Lang

Jessie worked with "Thomas" and his parents before the war, as a deck hand- one of dozens. When the War broke out he fled to the border planets, dodging the Alliance draft. Jessie eeked out his existence as a mercenary during the war, protecting small Border Planet settlements for coin. When the war ended he found himself on Whitefall, working for a woman named Patience. The work was sometimes dirty, but she paid her fighters decent. One day, Jessie found himself having to choose between Patience and a Tradesman named Thomas. With the truth on his side, Jessie turned on Patience and fled Whitefall with his new old friend – Thomas.

Engineer Xiao Green

An orphan raised on Shadow. During her teenage years she began to stow away on ships. During this time she got to see the many different cultures of the Verse and gained a lot of technical expertise concerning ships and their engines. Eventually Xiao found work at the docks outside the Maidenhead on Beaumonde. Xiao was quite happy with her life there until one of the dock supervisors tried to rape her. In self-defense she became a "murderer". Unwilling to face public inquiry she did what came naturally to her – she stowed away on the first ship she could find.

Xiao was able to stay hidden for two weeks aboard that ship because it only had a two-man crew. When everything would get quiet she would sneak out and grab some food. Occasionally, out of habit, she would make small repairs to the engine. The lack of difficulties with the ship aroused suspicion from the Captain. When Xiao was finally discovered she thought she would be shot. However, her knowledge and capabilities found her hired on as a permanent Engineer for "Avandra".

Episode 001- THE BOUNTY

The wind blew tumbleweed across the plains of Deadwood as five figures stood, hands centimeters from their guns. The group was divided into two obvious camps. On one side stood Thomas Wu and Jessie Lang. On the other side stood Malcolm Reynolds, Jayne Cobb and Zoe Washburn.

Mal spoke first, breaking the eerie silence.

"Now, I'm not sure who you folks are, or why there's so much tension in the air, but maybe we could have some introductions before we start bein' stupid?"

Thomas- an older man with a full beard and a bald head- replied,

"I'm Captain Thomas Wu, and this is my first mate, Jessie."

Thomas gestured with his head to the young blonde man next to him.

"And we know who you are, Captain Reynolds," Thomas continued.

"We're not here for you or Zoe. It's Jayne we need."

Mal, looked over toward Jane, who gave him an incredulous look of confusion.

"Well, I don't know you!" shouted Jayne

"But if you're looking to get yerself shot, well…"

"BIZUI!" Mal interrupted.

"Now," Mal continued, "I'm sure Jayne might well have given you reason to come all the way out here and risk some bloodshed. Hell, I've got my own wants to beat him senseless…But he's part of my crew, and we will shoot you down if it comes to that, but I'd rather we settle this with words."

The quiet was unsettling as Thomas thought over his options.

After a few moments that seemed like hours, Thomas finally spoke.

"Jayne Cobb, we're here to collect you and bring you to Higgins' moon."

With all the necessary talking apparently finished, every person there pulled iron.

(INTRO MUSIC)

48 HOURS AGO….

Thomas sat alone in the 3rd level of his ship. Once a useless walkway, he had long ago converted it into a greenhouse. Now he sat, trimming his Bonsai as he wished he could make tomatoes grow faster.

Times were getting harder. News of the Alliance involvement in the Reaver Scandal had everyone panicking. The Alliance stock markets, particularly Blue Sun stocks, were creating mountains and valleys on the graphs that stockholders watched so intently. The wealthy had become panicky and their purses were shutting left and right.

Thomas was still able to sell his fruits and vegetables, but that never raked in the kind of coin you need to keep a ship in the air.

Normally, Thomas would supplement his income by taking on passengers. But these days no one wanted to leave their own planet. Everyone was suspicious of the atmosphere on a planet they hadn't grown up on.

This, to Thomas, was a fangzong fengkuang de jie. How could people be so crazy? But, in reality, Thomas did understand. If the Alliance had purposely mucked up one planet, who's to say they hadn't done so with another?

"Hell, maybe Bowdens was intentional…" Thomas said out loud, to no one in particular.

He would do this at times. Talk to his plants. His mother had told him once that it aids growth- not just for the plant but for the farmer also.

A sudden grinding of gears interrupted Thomas' thoughts. The elevator was on its way up and with it would be one of the other two members of his crew.

"Don't be Jessie. Let it be Xioa with complaints about engine parts, just don't let it be…"

The elevator reached the top and with it was a young man of decent build with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Captain!?" Jessie shouted

"I know Jessie." Replied the captain

"We've been sittin on this rock for two weeks now…" Jessie stated.

"I know Jessie." Replied the captain

"There's no work here…" Jessie continued.

"I know Jessie." Replied the captain

"So when do we plan on leavin?" asked Jessie.

Thomas stood up and stretched his back, as Jessie walked up to him.

"Can't fly without fuel. Can't fuel without coin." Thomas said, matter-of-factly.

"So what? We're just gonna sit here and watch tomatoes grow?" Jessie asked, the disdain in his voice growing.

"Until the whole Reaver scandal blows over," Thomas replied, "yes."

"Cap'n that's just ben dan." Jessie said.

This upset Thomas.

"No, Jessie," Thomas started as he stepped right into Jessies' face, "stupid is you comin' up here to ask me the same gorram questions you've been askin me for the past week. If you want to get off this rock so bad then, please, present me with some kind of plan instead of a series of ben dan complaints."

For a moment the two men stared at each other. Thomas was pretty sure Jessie wouldn't try anything, but they had been stuck here, on Triumph, for two weeks. The lack of trade was upsetting to everyone, and Jessie – being a young man- was getting very antsy.

Finally, Jessie grunted in anger and stomped back to the elevator and out of Thomas' sight.

"That boy never did have any patience…" Thomas said as he sat back down to trim his Bonsai.

Sitting in the cockpit of the CL-54 known as "Avandra", Jessie logged into the Cortex and began looking for work. The ship wasn't entirely out of fuel. If he could find decent work, they could make a push to get where that work is. It would mean moving slow, but once there they could do the job- whatever it might be- then refuel.

Almost all of the job listings on the Cortex were for Alliance shipping. That was something Thomas didn't do and Jessie could agree with him on that. Neither of them had any love for the Alliance. But these days, even Jessie- a draft dodger- had to think about giving up ground where work was concerned.

After nearly an hour of filtering, Jessie was ready to give up and watch the tomatoes grow with the Captain. But something caught his eye. It was a listing for "personnel pickup and transport". It was posted by a border moon Baron by the name of Higgins'.

The Job was a cover. It was a bounty. Mercenary work. Jessie had spent a couple years on the moon Whitefall under the employ of a woman named Patience. She'd posted a few bounties herself while Jessie worked for her, so he recognized the job for what it really was.

The Captain would fight it, but it was work. Paying work. Jessie was sure the Captain would see reason.

Jessie went back up to the Greenhouse, but the captain wasn't there. In fact, he wasn't on the ship at all. He and Xiao had taken their "mule"- a worn ATV used for transporting bits of cargo across undeveloped worlds- and were helping the locals with a bit of plowing.

This was how Thomas and Xiao passed time and kept food on their plates for the last two weeks.

"It sure is a stroke of luck, you folks coming here during planting season." Said a local by the name of Chuck.

"Lucky for you maybe," replied Xiao " but your luck only came about because there's so little work out there for us."

"Don't be rude mei-mei," the captain said as he hopped off the Clydesdale that belonged to Chuck, "We're here to help."

"Sorry Captain," replied Xiao "I didn't mean anything by it Chuck."

Xiao cut the engine to the mule and hopped off. Xiao was a pretty young lady, with green eyes and brown hair. Her Chinese ancestry was apparent in her facial features. She wiped some sweat from her brow and walked over to an old water pump nearby.

After filling a bucket full of water she lifted it over her head and doused herself. This wasn't her best idea.

Some of the young men started staring at her, and Xiao immediately became self-conscious.

She had grown up an orphan and, later in life, was a dockworker. As such, she was a bit of a tomboy. She couldn't help it. It's just how she was.

But parts of her past have begun to make her realize that she was, in fact, female. She knew she needed to keep that in mind, but sometimes she just got too comfortable.

And now she was very un-comfortable.

"If we're done here captain…" She said as she hopped back on the mule, trying her hardest to ignore the young men who were now whispering to one another.

She didn't need to finish her sentence. Captain Thomas knew what the situation was.

"Of course mei-mei." He said as he walked past her and toward the young men who were becoming painfully aware of his presence.

Xiao kicked the engine of the mule back to life and made her way back to Avandra.

"See ya on the ship Cap'n." she shouted as she rode off.

"Chuck?" Thomas called for the man who owned the farm.

"I'm sorry about my boys, Captain. But your Xiao is quite a flower." Chuck apologized "Even so, it does not excuse their actions. They've been raised to know better and will be punished for their impure thoughts."

"I was just gonna ask for my pay…" replied the captain, "but all that sounds pretty satisfying."

"Of course." Chuck said. "I've got a crate of crops for you in the barn."

As Thomas made his way out of the barn with a crate of various foods and a small bag of coin, Xiao came riding back up on the mule with Jessie in tow.

"You here to do more complaining, Jessie?" Thomas shouted over the growl of the Mule.

"No." Jessie replied as Xiao cut the engine.

Jessie hopped off the mule and walked over to the Captain.

"Actually…" Jessie was cut off by Thomas shoving the crate of food into Jessies chest. "Ugh…Hey!?"

"Shut it Jessie," snapped the captain " you should count yourself lucky that you'll get to eat something other than processed protein."

"Right…" sighed Jessie "Look, Cap'n, I think I might have found us some work."

"We'll talk about it tonight." Thomas replied, "Right now, I wanna get back to Avandra and take a shower."

With that, Xiao turned the mule back on, waited for Jessie, the Captain, and the Crate to get settled on the Tow-cart, and then turned to ride out of town.

As they rode off , Jessie and Thomas got to watch Chuck chasing his boys around the farm with a mean looking switch. Jessie was confused but still found it funny. When he asked the Captain what that was all about, Thomas just smiled and said "Hormones."

"No!" Thomas repeated.

The Captain and Jessie were arguing about the validity of the work Jessie'd found while Xiao tried to keep her head down and ignore them. Xiao just tried to focus on getting a decent meal ready.

"Captain be reasonable…" Jessie pleaded.

"No." the Captain repeated himself "We ain't takin that kinda work."

"Right now, we aint takin any kinda work." Griped Jessie

"Jessie, we're not hitmen." Thomas insisted.

"It's not a hit," reiterated Jessie, " it's a bounty. We have the option of takin him in alive."

"Jayne Cobb!?" shouted the Captain, causing Xiao to jump "You think you're gonna take Jayne Cobb, from Malcolm Reynolds crew, ALIVE!?"

"Well," mumbled Jessie.

"Jessie," Thomas sighed, "you are my friend but that is simply naïve. Jayne Cobb and the rest of that crew fought off reavers and alliance ghosts…"

"That's here say." Jessie insisted.

"REAVERS AND GHOSTS," continued the Captain "and you think that he's just gonna let us take him to that mud farm moon?"

"You haven't heard me out…"Jessie pushed.

"You ain't said nothing worth hearin!" Thomas shouted, a firm sense of finality in his voice

"Dinner's ready…" Xiao said in annoyed tone.

Xiao finished setting the table as the two men stared each other down in silence.

"Captain…" Jessie started again, breaking the silence

"Shut up and eat Jessie." The Captain ordered.

And they did. It was a decent meal of protein mush and fresh veggies.

"Jayne Cobb, we're here to collect you and bring you to Higgins' moon."

With all the necessary talking apparently finished, every person there pulled iron.

"WAIT!" both Captains shouted.

Everyone was confused, upset, and armed. This could go very bad very quick.

Jessie spoke up, "But not legitimately."

"What're you babblin about?" Jayne asked.

Jessie holstered his pistol and sat down on the dirt.

"Higgins' got a bounty out on you. He wants you dead on account of his laborers holdin you up as some kinda hero."

"I know that bit…" replied Jayne, hiding his true feelings on the matter.

"And he wants to kill you himself," continued Jessie "All personal like."

"Yeah," Jayne said, becoming aggravated "and I don't plan on that happenin. So you need to get to the part that convinces me not to shoot you and walk away."

"Let's here him out Jayne" said Zoe, as she holstered her Mare's Leg.

"Yer just looking for a laugh, woman." Jayne grunted

"Maybe a bit…" Zoe smiled

Jessie stood back up slowly.

"The idea is to take you to Higgins, get the bounty, and then bust you right back out."

Malcolm chuckled. "Well, that's a hell of a plan, but I notice it's lackin in some details."

Thomas and Mal finally put their guns away.

"To be honest," Thomas said, "we don't have all the details worked out."

"Well then yer plan's stupid," Jayne scoffed "and I don't wanna be in it at all."

There was a moment of silence as everyone took in the situation.

"How much are we talking about?" Malcolm asked, finally breaking the calm.

"MAL!?" Jayne shot.

"Well, Jayne…" Mal replied.

"Aw c'mon Mal." pleaded Jayne.

"If the money's good enough," Mal continued "and no one really gets pinched, then we could all make out on this."

Mal turned to face Jayne "and you'd even get to make that ben tian shung de yi dui rou look like an idiot for a whopping THIRD time."

Jayne smiled at the prospect, but quickly grew stern again.

"Yeah, well how do you all expect to get me out of that mess once I'm in?"

Mal relaxed as Jayne finally holstered his rather large pistol. "Well, I suppose that's why these fine gentlemen came all the way out here."

"Shi-de." Confirmed Thomas

"Right," continued Mal "So, since we're here, let's have ourselves a little brainstorming session."

Jayne seemed frustrated. Like a child needing to use the bathroom.

"But, I thought we were gonna visit the girls at the whore hou….Heart o' Gold."

Mal and Zoe both rolled their eyes and replied in unison "That can wait, Jayne."

Boss Higgins stepped out onto the front step of his mansion with a wide smile on his face. Not far off was a sight that he'd looked forward to for the last six months.

"Jayne Cobb," bellowed the portly baron "Hand delivered to my doorstep to pay for your crimes. Why, if I was a religious man I'd be thanking the almighty right here and now. But as it is, I suppose I should be thanking you, Captain Wu."

Jayne was not happy. And that made Higgins all the more joyful.

"Here's your man, Higgins, alive and unharmed." Spoke the Captain "Now where's my coin?"

"In a rush, Captain?" queried Higgins.

"A bit," the Captain replied, "Your planet smells."

The smile on Higgins face disappeared. He tossed a bag of platinum coins to Captain Thomas and said "There's your payment. Thank you very much Captain, my men will take it from here. Feel free to stop by the workers camp and get some refreshments. Just, don't tell them how you're paying for it." Higgins smile reappeared "I doubt they'll be as happy about your work as I am."

With the exchange done, Higgins' prods took hold of Jayne and dragged him out of sight behind the mansion.

Thomas and Jessie started walking away when Higgins' called after them.

"One thing I'm curious about," Higgins started, "How'd you get him alive? I thought for sure either he or his crew would shoot you down."

Thomas smiled "We found him napping in a whore house."

"And his crew?" asked Higgins

"Never met 'em." Replied Thomas, as he and Jessie walked away.

The smell of mud and sweat filled the air as Higgins prods tied Jayne Cobb to a statue of…Jayne Cobb.

All the workers came out to see their hero trussed up and beaten. Higgins had taken a few self-indulging shots at Jaynes face.

Jaynes eye was blackened, but Higgins' hand was bandaged. It was apparently the one reason for Jayne to keep smiling.

"I hope I didn't break your lily wrist too much, boss." Jayne laughed, wearily.

"Shut him up!" shouted Higgins.

One of the prods tied a cloth around Jaynes head, effectively gagging him.

Despite the gag, Jayne tried to sing the tune that he'd heard here all those months ago.

Jayne sang, the people cried, and Higgins' became more and more upset.

Higgins turned to his head prod. "That bai-chi, Captain Wu, gave us Jaynes pistol didn't he?"

"Yessir, Boss Higgins," replied the head prod as he handed the pistol to Higgins. "Be careful, Boss, it's loaded."

"Good!" shouted Higgins as he snatched the gun out of the prods hand. "NOW," the fat baron shouted so everyone could hear him "Now I'm going to shoot your precious Jayne Cobb with his own gun."

He smiled as he looked out over the crowd of workers. Some were crying. Some were tense and angry.

"His own gun," continued Higgins "loaded up with bullets that he paid for himself…"

Higgins turned to Jayne who was still singing his own anthem.

"Or did you steal them too?" Higgins snarled.

Higgins looked back over the crowd once more.

"Say goodbye to the Legend of Jayne."

Higgins took a step away from the Jayne, leveled the pistol, aimed it straight at Jaynes head, pulled back the hammer and pulled the trigger.

The flash of light was blinding. The trick bullet did the job. Higgins and his prods- even some of the workers- couldn't see anything but white for a few moments. But Higgins could hear some kind of fighting going on very close to him.

"What the hell is this!? Cobb! Hu dan!" Higgins shouted as he groped around blindly "What is happening!?"

The scuffle Higgins could hear but not see was Mal and Zoe tossing off their disguises. They had gotten here a day before Jayne and Thomas' crew, hid themselves amongst the workers, and were now pushing past Higgins' prods to untie Jayne.

The three of them- Jayne, the Captain and Zoe- were now sprinting off to the woods where they would find a shuttle waiting for them. Behind them they left cheering workers and a very angry Boss Higgins.

Against the star speckled backdrop of space, two ships floated together, connected by a docking tube. In the Cargo hold of the Firefly class transport known as Serenity, a group of ne'er-do-wells laughed heartily over the events that had just transpired. Except Jayne.

"I'm glad you guys are so amused, but nobody ever said anything about me getting roughed up." Jayne griped.

"Oh c'mon Jayne," Malcolm said as he caught his breath, "You stole 60,000 from that man, accidentally gave it to his slave workers, and foiled his later attempt to have you killed. He was probably a mite upset."

"Yeah, well," Jayne grumbled, "I still think I should have a bigger cut, seein as how I took the beatin."

The entire group sighed with content as they ignored Jaynes' complaint.

"Thank you again, Mal," spoke Thomas, "this little caper couldn't have happened without the extra fuel you gave us."

"Well," started Mal, " you earned it. And, I have to say, it has been a pleasure working with you Captain Wu…"

"It's Ian, Sergeant," Thomas said, interrupting Mal, "Ian Holt."

"I thought your name was…" Mal began to protest, when he realized the full meaning of the other Captains sentence.

"Ian…"Mal muttered, "Well, well. Then thank you Ian."

Mal held out his hand for a shake and Thomas took it.

"Thank you for everything." Mal finished.

With their business concluded, Thomas and Jessie headed for the airlock.

On his way out Jessie stopped and called for Jayne.

"Jayne Cobb."

"What?" Jayne said with an annoyed tone as he turned around. His hands reacted to catch an object falling in his direction. It was a small bag with just a little extra coin in it.

"You deserve that." Jessie said as he walked out of Serenity and into Avandra.

Against the quiet backdrop of space the two ships separated and headed off in different directions.

Both of them, looking for the next job.

OUTRO