Kaylee couldn't believe how much she had paid for a used stabilizer. As soon as she made reference to the captain, the man Mal believed would give her a good deal raised the price by twenty-five percent. The seller who was named Babcock launched into a barrage of Chinese obscenities. Kaylee could only translate a few of the words but she could still tell he did not like Mal or his mother. Kaylee did not have a chance to meet her, though she figured she was a lot like the captain. It was about a half an hour walk back to the ship but Kaylee didn't mind at all. It had been so long since she had seen actual trees. She had also forgotten how good flowers smelled. She took all these things for granted when she was back home. As much as she loves Serenity it was getting to be more cramped then she would like. In the engine room there was heat and always something to fix. Out here there was open air and an endless sky above her. With her anger now washed away she made it back to Serenity. She thought the whole crew would be back from the job ready to go; instead the cargo bay was empty. Simon was who she was hoping to see. The two of them had been a battle right from the start. She had done everything she could think of so much as throw herself at him to get his attention. She didn't blame him though he had to look after River. She was getting worse and Kaylee knew it. After what had happened on Niska's space station Kaylee couldn't look at the girl the same way again. On the outside River looked sweet and innocent but on the inside there was something playing all the time in her head. Kaylee always saw it in her eyes: like she could be with you but at the same time be someplace else entirely. The young mechanic walked through the cargo bay first spotting the Mule. She knelt down beside it surveying the damage but it was to far gone. The back axle was twisted beyond repair. She touched the machine softly as if saying she was sorry. A noise suddenly startled her; it was coming from the kitchen. She stood and walked towards the sound. Before she could make it even halfway someone grabbed her from behind covering her mouth.
"Kaylee, it's Simon. Don't say anything there are intruders onboard." Simon whispered.
"Who are they?"
"I don't know they arrived just before you did."
"Where's the Shepard?" Kaylee asked.
"Hiding I think."
"Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!" River whispered with her index finger in front of her mouth.
Simon pulled Kaylee and his sister behind a few boxes as two men entered. Kaylee was frozen in fear all she could do was listen to the conversation they were having.
"So what if I told Mr. Niska I don't want to work for him anymore, what then?" One of the men asked.
"He kill you." Nosk said.
"Well what if I just leave without telling him?"
"He find you then kill you."
"What if….."
"If you don't be quiet then I kill you!" Nosk said.
"Right. So who are we looking for again?"
"According to the Crew Manifest, a Shepard and the mechanic." Nosk said.
"Might as well fire'em ain't nothing gonna save this gorram piece of garbage."
"Why that little…" Kaylee shut her mouth almost immediately.
"Did you hear something?" Nosk asked.
"It's probably just the ship settling."
"Yes probably, let's continue checking the ship."
They listened to footsteps walking away and sprang to their feet. Suddenly River began screaming loudly.
"They fell from the sky, lost in the foliage."
"River, No." Simon said as he covered her mouth.
"We have to get out of here." Kaylee advised.
"Nobody is going anywhere." Nosk said as he pointed a gun at their backs.
"Menske, I have them." Nosk said into his walkie talkie.
"Menske?" There was no response.
"Where is the Shepard?" Nosk asked as he pointed his gun to River's head.
"We don't know where he is!"
"You lie." Niska's henchmen said as cocked his gun, ready to fire.
"Their watching, waiting. They'll come at you from the side."
Suddenly Shepard Book grabbed the man from behind knocking the gun out of his hand. Book squeezed the man's neck as tight as he could until Nosk fell unconscious.
"He came from behind." River said staring at the fallen man.
"We should be going." Book said walking towards outside.
"They were Niska's men." Simon stated.
"How'd they find us here?"
"Doesn't matter. He already has Mal and the others. A man like him moves quickly."
"They fell from the sky. Their not alone!"
"Neither are we." Book said as a dozen of Niska's guards surrounded them.