Willow had walked a tightrope between two realities in one way or another most of her life: the effusive but fiery affection of her mother and the cold, logical approval from an absent father working long hours. The sensuality of a Companion's training versus the pragmatic assessment of a client's compatibility and desires. The strong nurturing need to heal versus the medical logic of sometimes needing to cut and burn to allow what's left to thrive. There was no room in life for complete absolutes, balance and compromise were necessary.

Alliance? Independents? The Guild had taken no sides during the war, professing no interest in anything but money, and if the Alliance ended up in power, did that really matter to the truly rich and powerful? Willow was not naive enough to think the Alliance was a benevolent patriarchial government, but until she'd met Wyatt, she couldn't have said she knew any Browncoats. It didn't really matter to her; she had to live in the world she inhabited, not the one she may have wished for.

So, when their new pilot touched them down on Hera with the sweetness of a lover's kiss, Willow had been focused on preparing for the discussion with Virgil Morningstar. She'd surveyed her clothing choices, considering they'd be walking through a boom town full of dust and construction, but under the watchful eye of an Alliance post. In the end, she chose a full length skirt and fitted jacket of deep plum, with jet buttons flashing darkly down the front of the jacket and down the sides of the matching boots. She'd found the perfect hat to set atop her pinned up hair so that the veil could protect her delicate skin from both sun and dust. Deep brown gloves and a matching silk bag to dangle off her arm balanced the purple to make her allegiances murky, but as covered up as she was, she was all lady, and therefore to be accorded every courtesy.

She made her way to the cargo bay to check on the cryo-coffin and meet Wyatt and Asher for their walk to Virgil Morningstar's. She studied the map on the cortex (noting it was several years old and so likely out of date) and was picturing it in her mind when the sight of her two escorts stopped her dead.

She took in Wyatt's outfit, then Asher's extra-ordinary amount of ordinace, and the belligerent defiance on both their faces. oh no, this will not do at all
"Are we going to some costume party I don't know about?" she may have startled them with her cold, sharp tone, but she didn't much care. This was about Havelock, not their wounded pride.

"If I recall, we are here to ask for help in finding safe passage through Serenity Valley in order to bury our friend. We may have clearance to bury him there, but it's on this Morningstar's indulgence that we'll get any maps through the buried ordinance there, and you too look like you are about to spit on the man's meal ticket. That's presuming we can even get that far through town before you pick a fight or two. "

"What's more important here? Thumbing your nose (or waving other digits) at the Alliance or doing Havelock right and respecting his last wish?"

The two day trip to Hera was quiet and for Wolf that was just fine. Sure he had quiet in his cell but that was a forced silence not the same as chilling in his own created silence,, Wait, what,,.. Wolf sat up quickly on his bunk thinking to himself, just what the hell HAD he been thinking? With Jade's announcement over the ship's vox that they were entering Hera's atmosphere the big mechanic shook his head and readied his gear.

A short time later he was moving out to the tarmac to check the Rocinante's outer hull for damage he found they had been parked between a Beowulf class transport and a huge Titan class hauler. Kinda makes a man feel small Wolf thought with a grin then came to a stop on seeing the huge billboard before him.

"COMING SOON: The Serenity Valley Theme Park and Resort. Ride the largest hover-coaster in the Verse - The Flight of the Angels. You too can be a brave Alliance pilot flying through the dangers of wartime Serenity Valley!"
As he stood looking at the large sign he could hear Captain Wyatt inside the Rocinante yelling for Ma

"Taikong suoyou de xingqiu saijin wo de pigu! Ma! You got that old Browncoat regimental flag I can wear as a gorram cape?"

Having never fought in the war it took Wolf a few minutes to get Wyatt's reference to why he wanted a flag as a cape and the meaning of the sign. When it finally all came together his face gained a pained look as he knew how Wyatt and the rest of the crew would be feeling. Sorry that he did not have those same feelings himself he'd back Wyatt's play however it turned out even if for a fight......

The kid didn't flinch as Willow laid it out to Wyatt and him.

"Are we going to some costume party I don't know about?" ,,"If I recall, we are here to ask for help in finding safe passage through Serenity Valley in order to bury our friend. We may have clearance to bury him there, but it's on this Morningstar's indulgence that we'll get any maps through the buried ordinance there, and you too look like you are about to spit on the man's meal ticket. That's presuming we can even get that far through town before you pick a fight or two. ",.."What's more important here? Thumbing your nose (or waving other digits) at the Alliance or doing Havelock right and respecting his last wish?"
Wyatt had taken Ash in when things got too dangerous to stay on the farm. The man had shown him respect and Asher would run into Hell for that man. Although Miss Willow knew all about talking proper like to people to help them get what they needed , but the kid wouldn't change a thing unless Wyatt told him to.

Being the newest member of a team was tough. You didn't know the people as well as they knew each other and it was even more intimidating when the group was as close as this crew was. But then again, Jade wasn't one to let nerves get to her so she did her best to find ways of getting to know both the ship and its crew a lot better. Her old textbooks had not been exaggerating when they had described all the nooks and cranny that a firefly had for smuggling, so whenever Jade wasn't on the bridge, she would go exploring, humming one of her many tunes and asking if people needed help whenever she noticed someone at work. After all, the quickest way to find your place in a team is to find what they need from you.

With Wolf and Asher, there was a lot to do on the ship. There were a lot of bright and shiny new parts that unfortunately came with safety controls and power delimiters that the dock workers had to put in by law. But even Jade knew that those only worked against you if you needed to tweak the engines in the deep black of space.

Furthermore, Jade found the presence of some alliance software in the navcom which would have made it easy for anyone to remotely access flight data. After she had warned them of the ‘improvements,' Wolf and Asher had to rewire the pulse beacon so it could be shut off and turn down the range that it broadcasted. It wasn't going to make the three best friends, but hey, it was the beginning of a relationship.

Day 1, Entering Hera's Atmo, 5:30 PM PT
The day they arrived on Hera, Jade was rather surprised to see some traffic and a lot of chatter on the cortex, enough of it that Jade was actually given a spot in a queue for landing. It struck her as rather odd as she had always gotten the impression that ever since the war ended; Hera was among the planets that didn't get much attention. But this was her first time here, so she might have been mistaken,Jade thumped the comm tec and explaining

"Alright-y folks, we have now reached Hera. It's a little busier than I expected but we should be landing soon enough."

Probably five or so minutes she figured.

Turns out, Jade was wrong about that too as she had to spend some time explaining what their purpose was for landing. Seems that bringing a dead man did not fit into the tiny boxes of "entertainment" or "building supplies", once again startling the pilot as she could understand building supplies but entertainment? Was there something on Hera that she didn't know about? Thankfully the clearance codes from the stick that Sanders gave you, was enough for everything to fall into order.

Jade knew that Serenity Views was once an internment camp for the soldiers that came out of the valley but this was bigger than what she had pictured, bigger and full of shinier buildings. Jade landed gently between a Beowulf class transport and a huge Titan class hauler, before once again saying into the speaker: "We are now on solid ground"

"Well done," Captain Sung acknowledged giving the back of the pilot's chair a quick pat as was his way before making his way to the hall beyond. Jade smiled at the compliment and eagerly unbelted herself, like a child on their birthday, only her gift was a whole new place to explore and not some toy. Her small gun was already in her shoulder holster and covered by her favorite jacket. As the ships doors opened, Jade slipped a pair of sunglasses on to protect her eyes from any bright lights. Directly across from Rocinante was a giant billboard with a picture of two kids, a blond girl with pigtails and a brown haired boy. They are in a cart of a hover-coaster and all smiles. The boy wears a shirt that read I "heart" alliance. The billboard reads:

"COMING SOON: The Serenity Valley Theme Park and Resort. Ride the largest hover-coaster in the Verse - The Flight of the Angels. You too can be a brave Alliance pilot flying through the dangers of wartime Serenity Valley!"
",oh my."

"Taikong suoyou de xingqiu saijin wo de pigu!" Captain exclaims. Spinning on his heel, Wyatt calls down the hall loud enough so that his voice carries throughout the ship, "Ma! You got that old Browncoat regimental flag I can wear as a gorram cape?"

Jade would have laughed but she knew that he was being serious. She also was still staring at the sign is disbelief. Who would base a theme park on a war? And specifically on the planet where the losing side LIVES?

"Are we going to some costume party I don't know about?" Willow asked in a cold, sharp tone, catching Jade's attention.

"If I recall, we are here to ask for help in finding safe passage through Serenity Valley in order to bury our friend. We may have clearance to bury him there, but it's on this Morningstar's indulgence that we'll get any maps through the buried ordinance there, and you too look like you are about to spit on the man's meal ticket. That's presuming we can even get that far through town before you pick a fight or two. What's more important here? Thumbing your nose (or waving other digits) at the Alliance or doing Havelock right and respecting his last wish?"

Suddenly a familiar pain started in Jade's chest, forcing a raspy and unhealthy sounding cough out of her. She grimaced in between coughs, trying to fish her puffer out of her messenger bag and trying not to feel embarrassed as any eyes turned towards her. She brought it to her mouth, breathing in deeply (while still coughing) as she squeezed the trigger. The medicine worked almost immediately, pain fading and the coughs sounding less raspy. Jade grimaced again, before stepping onto the planet, hopping the fresh air might help with her still faint coughs.

(OOC: Jade's puffer last 24 hours, so she won't be having any more coughing fits until it wears off again. It does hurt when she has one though, so she just standing a little bit away from the ship trying to catch her breath)

Foul moods were prone to blossom when Wyatt found himself faced with practically anything having to do with the Alliance, but when it was presented in such an unbelievably crass way his mood went straight to hell. By the time he encounters Willow, Captain Sung is itching for a fight, but not with her. There are three women in the Verse who can back Wyatt Sung off an angry binge. All of them could do it with a look--didn't need words. Eden had a way about her that softened his heart; melted the anger away. Ma had a motherly way about her looks that made Wyatt feel chastised for bad behavior. Willow made Wyatt see reason. So, even before a word escaped her mouth he knew that he was in for a change in mind; no matter how much he didn't want to. There's no arguing logic.

She took in Wyatt's outfit, then Asher's extra-ordinary amount of ordinace, and the belligerent defiance on both their faces. oh no, this will not do at all

"Are we going to some costume party I don't know about?" she may have startled them with her cold, sharp tone, but she didn't much care. This was about Havelock, not their wounded pride.

"If I recall, we are here to ask for help in finding safe passage through Serenity Valley in order to bury our friend. We may have clearance to bury him there, but it's on this Morningstar's indulgence that we'll get any maps through the buried ordinance there, and you too look like you are about to spit on the man's meal ticket. That's presuming we can even get that far through town before you pick a fight or two. "

"What's more important here? Thumbing your nose (or waving other digits) at the Alliance or doing Havelock right and respecting his last wish?"

"Now, I said nothin' 'bout stirring anything up Willow," Wyatt muttered, though he knew that she wouldn't buy the excuse. "Still... you're right. Best we assess the odds 'fore placing a bet--though it ain't nearly the fun."

Smacking Asher in the chest with the back of his right hand, Wyatt turned and made his way back towards his room saying, "C'mon Kid. Let's get t' lookin' a little more in line with the sorts tha' Miss Willow'd be seen with."

Returning to his bunk, Sung removed near everything Browncoat paraphernalia except what was normal in his wear and his red kerchief. Readjusting his mesh shirt so it rested more comfortably, he stopped and stared at his stone-faced expression for a moment in his dingy mirror.

Hard lines, deep set skyblue eyes, jet black goatee and mustaches all set beneath the low brim of his hat. In his heart, he still felt like he was a young man, but in his head and by outward appearance, he was worn like the leather of a often-used holster.

Taking in a deep breath he gave the picture of elephants by the ladder a quick tap before returning to the cargo bay.

Seeing Willow again, he spreads his hands and raises his eyebrows. "Do I pass inspection?" It isn't a snotty question, delivered as it is with a wry smile. He still feels the tension in him at the thought of having to deal with so much Purple, but he would be damned if he let his crew down.

Day 1, Serenity View's Spaceport, 6:00 PM PT

Outfits decided upon, it was time to disembark into the town of Serenity Views. It was close by so there was no need for the mule and judging by the haulers you saw going into and out of the city, the traffic might be hard to maneuver around.

As the gangway dropped, the summer's warm air filled the cargo bay with the scents of grass and flowers but also a tinge of sawdust and industrial fuel. The evening is still bright here on Hera where the summers are long and dusk won't come until much later.

Across from your ship is the Beowulf Class - a mid-bulk transport that was slightly smaller than the Firefly and known as a flying crate or in the war as a flying coffin. Beowulfs were used in the war as personal carriers and vehicle movers. The square loading dock made them excellent for using transport cases that slip into the hold. Only need two crew to run them, up to four max, but they steer like a pregnant water buffalo and land like a rock dropped from a building.

Outside of the "box" boat is a man sitting in a lawn chair. He is a big man and probably the hairiest man you have ever seen in your life. You know this because he is wearing nothing more than a swim suit that is usually reserved for weight lighters and body builders which he ain't (picture a speedo and there is no way I am putting a picture of a hairy man in a speedo on this website. Use your imagination). He is drinking out of a ceramic jug about twice the size of his head and seems oblivious to his lack of clothing or overt furriness. He smiles as you look at him, waves with his other hand and calls out "Hi neighbours! Want some shine? Made it myself."


As the gentleman waves to you, another man approaches him for the direction of the town. He is a tall blond man with black pants, white shirt and a black vest. His sidearm is slung on his left thigh and he also has a sword belted on his right. "Chewie! I told you to put on some clothes!"


"Ahh Captain!" The hairy man replies, "Why? My body is a temple."

"Only if you worship a bear god. Is Billie up?"

"No boss. Still sleeping it off."

"Sleeping what off?" The captain looks down at the jug, "oh no Chewie. You didn't."

"She was armed Captain." Chewie put his hands in the arm defensively.

"She is always armed. Oh ....bother." The Captain puts his face into his palms.

(assuming that Wyatt, Asher and Willow continue onwards so that you do not want to get involved, Wolf or Jade can so hello if they wish)

The walk to town is pleasant enough. As you enter the town, you see a lot of work and construction being done on three hotels on the outskirts of town. Only one hotel is operation and it has construction being performs on the upper levels to build it up. You are surprised to see all of the staff in this hotel are all dressed in pseudo-alliance uniforms. They are not accurate in anyway, they even appear to be colour coded to rank and position. Shuttles are coming in with tourist and their luggage. Funny to see alliance officers in red coats carrying other people bags,

The sheriff office is a newer building but it is complete boarded up. A sign hangs on the door advising readers that if they have issues with law enforcement they are to seek out the alliance outpost further into town. Asher notices through a knothole of one board that the interior still has future and the jail, as well as a notice board with papers on it.(let me know if you wish to "break" in)

The skyline is occupied by the five stories "UNIFICATION WAR MUSEUM" building which is all glass and pretty silver. Considering what you have seen so far in this town, you have a suspicion that the museum might have a one sided story to tell.

A sign on the street points to a "Whistler's Bar and Grill" down a lane. The sign displays a alliance flag and independence flag crosses together with the words "we serve both sides" at the bottom.

As you continue through the town, everything appears to be new shiny building and structures. No signs of the internment camp or the town that grew up out of the remaining soldiers. Where did they all go?

You pass a sign pointing out "McHale's Junkyard - used parts and scrappage" down a street and someone has scrawled across the bottom "Phoenix Heights" with a red paint.

You reach the home of Virgil Moringstar. It is a L shaped ranchhouse style building with a second floor only on the smaller part. Outside the ranchhouse, you see a group of men working on something on the ground. As your approach, Asher and Wyatt realize that five men are watching four other defuse landmines. As they are standing awfully close, you figure these must be training devices.

"Jordan! Slow down!" A big man in camouflage pants and a tight white t-shirt calls out.

"I'm gonna beat your record sir!" the young man calls out but as he does the device in front of him makes a loud click and sprays green paint into his face.

"There are no records in landmine defusing Jordan. Now what just happened?"

"The wires were ..."

"No! What just happened?"

"I died."

"You died Jordan. That means you ain't going home. I have to go to your house and tell your mom you ain't coming home. I don't want to do that Jordan. She is a sweet woman and I love her dearly."

"Sorry sir."

"Shut up Jordan, you're dead," He turns to the others, "No one does speed records! You are paid by the hour not the landmine. Jordan, go wash up! Everyone else reset and start again."


The big man sees you coming over and walks over to greet you. He smiles and offers his hand, "Hello. I'm Connors. Can I help you?"


OOC: for Jade and Wolf, there are the men from the Beowulf you can talk to, as well there is the tower where you can arrange refueling and system flush. You don't really need to as you have only flown 24 hours but it is an excuse to talk to people who work and live here. Flight tower is run by a lady named Vivian and usually flight tower people are chatty. Let me know what you want t do and I can give you more

Jaw set and prepared to take the events on Hera steadfast and headon, Wyatt Sung is somewhat surprised to take a deep breath of memories that stirred his innards and stalled his forward motion. Scent-stimulated paralysis is not what he is expecting when the cargo bay doors open. Squinting into the summer light he forces one wooden leg forward and then the next until he is in full motion, Willow and Asher at his side.

The Triple S Ranch bore the same sorts of smells for the most part--of course, the sawdust and fuel wasn't a part of it, but the grasses and the sweet seasonal air was. That weighed his legs down like his boots was filled with the casings of all those rounds that had ended so many lives on this ball of mud. The hairy man in a skimpy swimsuit sitting in the lawnchair outside of the impossibly square Beowulf Class just inside their line of passage somehow hurried that walking through mud feeling right away, and the conversation between the unfortunate who had to be the captain of such a vessel and the walking ball of fur is stowed in the file Captain Sung had for things not of immediate interest.

People are about their business in droves, and they seem none too concerned about the mockery their entire town is making of the Unification War and the sacrifices made. That bothers Sung. It churns up his gall and causes him to scowl in an unfriendly enough manner that no one so much as met his gaze on their jaunt through the streets of Serenity Views. Willow was another matter. They couldn't help but look at her, pretty and all gussied up as she is. Still, no trouble found them. A lady such as her accompanied by two roughnecks didn't garner much in the way of unwanted attention.

Wyatt admits to himself that he isn't surprised the Sheriff has been shut down. "Alliance won't have no local law when they're about," he mutters as he waves Asher away from the knothole. "We best be on t' Morningstar's place. The less we have t' spend time in this circus, the better."

During the War, Wyatt had made three blockade runs to deliver medical supplies to areas no one else would fly. One such trip resulted in him carting four and a half soldiers back to base for emergency medical treatment after their platoon had found a series of landmines. The odd thing was that three of the four and a half died before Wyatt had set down. The fourth died on the operating table while the fellow that had lost his legs and an arm lived. The sight of these young, cavalier hotheads playing with mines (even practice mines) set Wyatt's skin crawling.

"Jordan! Slow down!" A big man in camouflage pants and a tight white t-shirt calls out.

"I'm gonna beat your record sir!" the young man calls out but as he does the device in front of him makes a loud click and sprays green paint into his face.

"There are no records in landmine defusing Jordan. Now what just happened?"

"The wires were ..."

"No! What just happened?"

"I died."

"You died Jordan. That means you ain't going home. I have to go to your house and tell your mom you ain't coming home. I don't want to do that Jordan. She is a sweet woman and I love her dearly."

"Sorry sir."

"Shut up Jordan, you're dead," He turns to the others, "No one does speed records! You are paid by the hour not the landmine. Jordan, go wash up! Everyone else reset and start again."

The big man sees you coming over and walks over to greet you. He smiles and offers his hand, "Hello. I'm Connors. Can I help you?"

Wyatt takes his hand and responds to the smile with a dip of his head, "Howdy. Name's Wyatt Sung, Captain of Rocinante. This here is Willow, our ship doc, an' the kid is Asher. Public relations. We was told t' visit Mr. Morningstar on touchin' down t' get the lay o' the land ‘fore we set out t' make good our delivery. He isn't, by chance, available fer a bit?"

Willow knew when she'd made her point, and so waited with graceful patience while Wyatt and Ash re-adjusted their attire, if not their demeanours. When they returned with a wry "Do I pass inspection? ", she smiled sweetly and offered a gloved hand to be tucked into the crook of Wyatt's arm. Another nod of encouragement at Ash and they set out.

As the cargo door opened, Wyatt stiffened, but at what, Willow couldn't be certain. She squeezed his arm gently but respected his silence. Perhaps it was the sight of the furred behemoth before them, but Willow had to wonder if all that hair would tickle, and she crinkled her eyes at the exchange between him and the man who was most likely the ship's captain (the same effortless authority Wyatt carried with him). She nodded politely as they passed, but wouldn't stop unless greeted. They had things to do and she couldn't know how long she could expect Wyatt's restraint.

As they walked through the town, Willow took in the new construction with interest, but she had to admit that is was a shiny facade over an unhealed wound. Everything was bustling and seemingly prosperous, yet Willow had to wonder what had happened to the internment camps and those soldiers unable to pay their way home. Where had they been hidden away? In all this shiny positivity, there seemed to be no place to tell the story of the losing side.

"History is written by the victors," she muttered to herself, fighting a sense of sadness and futility. It was one thing to move on past a painful memory; it was another to deny that there had been any pain. The sight of the museum almost provoked a flinch, but she covered it for Wyatt's sake.

Instead, she settled a pleasant if slightly vapid mask over her features behind the veil so she could better look around without reacting. She tried to tell herself that it was simply good to walk on ground again and stretch legs while breathing deeply of fresh air. She noted the sheriff's office, and made special note of the junkyard - Wolf might want to have a look in his endless search for spare parts. The scrawled "Phoenix Heights" caught her eye and she filed it away for checking out later...maybe those less thrilled with all the changes had re-settled where tourists were less apt to wander.

As the small group approached a sprawling ranch house, Willow noted a group of men clustered around devices on the ground. When she realized what they were doing, she had a small moment of panic before she realized the devices couldn't be live ordinance. When their instructor noticed the small party and introduced himself, Willow gave him one of her blinding smiles, but otherwise let Wyatt do the talking.

Day 1, Serenity View's Spaceport, 6:03 PM PT
As Wolf finished his post Black inspection of the ship he had noticed the big Beowulf Class mid-bulk transport parked beside them. As Wyatt, Willow and Ash headed to town Wolf relaxed knowing Ma and the new crew, Jade, were still on board. So far the girl had done good having found the presence of alliance software in the navcom. The software, designed to make it easy for anyone to remotely access the ship's flight data while in port, Wolf also feared to track them in the black. Though he had, had to rewire the pulse beacon so it could be shut off, then turned down the range that it broadcasted the extra work was well worth it..

Having nothing else to do and having spotted maybe the hairiest man in the verse sitting in a chair below the Beowulf, as the Captain and the rest walked by. Fenris made his way over. As he drew near the seated man took note of him, offering the same to the mechanic as he had to Wolf's other three crewmates.

"Hi neighbour! Want some shine? Made it myself." The hairy man offered.

Wolf could see that he was drinking out of a ceramic jug about twice the size of his head and seemed oblivious to his lack of clothing wearing only a swimsuit?.

"Thank you I think I will"

However before Wolf could take the jug a second man appeared. The Rocinante mechanic could tell that this was most likely the Beowulf's captain. The tall blond man, Wolf could see was wearing black pants, a white shirt under a black vest. A sidearm slung very professionally on his left thigh gave notice to Wolf that this gent was very possibly quite familiar in its use. A sword belted on his right completed his ward robe.

"Chewie! I told you to put on some clothes!"

"Ahh Captain!" Wolf stayed quiet as the hairy man replied, "Why? My body is a temple."

"Only if you worship a bear god. Is Billie up?"

"No boss. Still sleeping it off."

"Sleeping what off?" The captain looks down at the jug, "oh no Chewie. You didn't."

"She was armed Captain." Chewie put his hands in the arm defensively.

"She is always armed. Oh ....bother." As the Captain went to put his face into his palms, he noticed Fenris for the first time. Saying nothing waiting for the Rocinante crew member to clearly begin the conversation.

"Hi I'm Fenris Apollo, mechanic on the Firefly, thought I'd come over and intro myself." Holding his hand out to shake he waited for the Beowulf Captain's hand and reaction.

Smacking Asher in the chest with the back of his right hand, Wyatt turned and made his way back towards his room saying, "C'mon Kid. Let's get t' lookin' a little more in line with the sorts tha' Miss Willow'd be seen with."
That simple gesture was all Asher needed. The kid had made his statement and he knew that the Capt'n fully understood. So Ash went back to his cabin, he placed the scarf back in its place, took off the rigs and stored the bandoleers in the gun safe. Pulling the single holster out the kid strapped on the Colt, it may be smaller but in Asher's hands it was more than adequate protection.

Making his way back to the cargo bay Asher followed Wyatt and Miss Willow down to cargo ramp.

The three of them stepped out into the yard and headed between the other cargo ships. Passing a boxy boat a friendly yet odd looking half naked hairy man called to them, "Hi neighbours! Want some shine? Made it myself." The kid chuckled to himself and smiled politely. Before any of them could answer another man coming from the other direction called out the furry guy, "Chewie! I told you to put on some clothes!" The banter that followed was even more amusing.
"Ahh Captain!" The hairy man replies, "Why? My body is a temple."

"Only if you worship a bear god. Is Billie up?"

"No boss. Still sleeping it off."

"Sleeping what off?" The captain looks down at the jug, "oh no Chewie. You didn't."

"She was armed Captain." Chewie put his hands in the arm defensively.

"She is always armed. Oh ....bother." The Captain puts his face into his palms.
The kid felt these folks could become friends but he also noted how the Capt'n and Miss Willow sort of hurried their pace. So with that they made their way to town. As they moved on he heard Wolf pick up the conversation.

The bustle of activity in the town would have been interesting if just hadn't been so Alliance colored. Then a building caught Asher's eye. The sign said it was the Sheriff's office but it was all boarded up. He walked around peeking in between the slats and in knot holes. The office had been closed by the Feds not the people. There were still notices tacked to the bulletin board. The kid checked the doors and windows hoping he might get in. He just knew there was something important in those messages and he wanted to get to them. But Wyatt and Miss Willow kept moving on so Ash hot footed it to catch up them.

"There's some important looking papers still up on the board in there. "The Capt'n waved Ash on,"We best be on t' Morningstar's place. The less we have t' spend time in this circus, the better." The kid figured that he'd just try to come back later.

Falling in behind them Asher watched the folks and the buildings. He wasn't sure but he thought he saw Wyatt tense when they pasted the "UNIFICATION WAR MUSEUM" but he relaxed a bit by the "Whistler's Bar and Grill". The sign displays an alliance flag and independence flag crosses together with the words "we serve both sides".

In a bit they came upon a group men working away on platter sized discs. It took Ash moment to realize they were land mines. The kid was about pull Miss Willow away when he realized they was duds the men were using to practice how to disarm those deadly bombs. They listened as a little macho drama played out.

"Jordan! Slow down!" A big man in camouflage pants and a tight white t-shirt calls out.

"I'm gonna beat your record sir!" the young man calls out but as he does the device in front of him makes a loud click and sprays green paint into his face.

"There are no records in landmine defusing Jordan. Now what just happened?"

"The wires were ..."

"No! What just happened?"

"I died."

"You died Jordan. That means you ain't going home. I have to go to your house and tell your mom you ain't coming home. I don't want to do that Jordan. She is a sweet woman and I love her dearly."

"Sorry sir."

"Shut up Jordan, you're dead," He turns to the others, "No one does speed records! You are paid by the hour not the landmine. Jordan, go wash up! Everyone else reset and start again."
The man doing the teach then took note of Capt'n Wyatt. He smiles and offers his hand, "Hello. I'm Connors. Can I help you?"
The Capt'n took his hand and responds to the smile with a dip of his head, "Howdy. Name's Wyatt Sung, Captain of Rocinante. This here is Willow, our ship doc, an' the kid is Asher. Public relations."
Uttering a polite, "Sir" Asher nodded and touch the brim his Stetson.

Wyatt continued, "We was told t' visit Mr. Morningstar on touchin' down t' get the lay o' the land ‘fore we set out t' make good our delivery. He isn't, by chance, available fer a bit?"

Day 1, Serenity View's Spaceport, 6:15 PM PT
"Hi neighbours! Want some shine? Made it myself."

"Thank you I think I will, " Wolf answered but Jade shook her head with a pleasant smile.

"Chewie! I told you to put on some clothes!"

"Ahh Captain!" The hairy man replies, "Why? My body is a temple."

"Only if you worship a bear god. Is Billie up?"

"No boss. Still sleeping it off."

"Sleeping what off?" The captain looks down at the jug, "oh no Chewie. You didn't."

"She was armed Captain." Chewie put his hands in the arm defensively.

"She is always armed. Oh ....bother." The Captain puts his face into his palms.

"Hi I'm Fenris Apollo, mechanic on the Firefly, thought I'd come over and intro myself." Holding his hand out to shake he waited for the Beowulf Captain's hand and reaction.

"And I'm Jade." The pilot said while trying hard to focus on only seeing the Captain.

"I am Justin. Justin Case. Yes you heard me right and what can I say, I have heard all the jokes. Y mother had a devilish sense of humour." The Blond man shakes hands with both of you. "This wild man is Chu Shen, but he prefers to be called Chewie. He is my mechanic and this is my boat - Blue Angel absent from this social gathering is Billie Rudd who is ... indisposed."

Chewie smiles and hands the jug over to Wolf. (Assuming you drink) It is actually a pleasant liquor, with a sweet taste that reminds Apollo of bananas. The mechanic has tasted a lot of bad homemade shine in his time but this was actually quite smooth. The captain takes the jugs back and takes a drink himself.

"well pleasure to me y'all." Said Jade, "but I better head over to the tower and see about some things. I am sure we will see each other lately."

"The pleasure is all ours Jade." The Captain says with a wave.

"If you want some later let me know! I have a double batch." Chewie says.

Chewie takes the jug and sets it down, "So Captain did you find out ...."

"Not now Chewie." Justin said quickly.

"But if we are going ..."

Not Now Chewie." Justin repeated with a edge to his voice.

Chewie apparently got the message and turned back to Wolf, "Firefly eh? Nice machine. Take you anywhere even if half the parts fail on you. Those aren't the factory drive pods are they? You had work done recently?"

Day 1, Moringstar's Ranchhouse, 6:30 PM PT
"Howdy. Name's Wyatt Sung, Captain of Rocinante. This here is Willow, our ship doc, an' the kid is Asher. Public relations. We was told t' visit Mr. Morningstar on touchin' down t' get the lay o' the land ‘fore we set out t' make good our delivery. He isn't, by chance, available fer a bit?"

The gentleman nods back at Asher and gives a polite smile to Willow. "Yes Mr. Morningstar is in his office in the back. I can take you to him if you'd like." He turns back to his men and notices that more than a few are admiring Willow from where they stand. "Hey! What are you doing! I told you to get back to practice. Didn't your mama ever tell you it is impolite to stare!" The men sheepishly return to the landmines and avert their eyes to the task at hand. Connors returns his attention back to you. "Just follow me. Sorry about that Ma'am. They don't mean to be rude."

Connors leads to the bi-level portion of the ranch house and holds the door open for all three of you to enter. There in the hallway you can see a stairwell going up to the second floor and several doorways closed on the mainfloor. There are several wooden pegs on the side wall for hanging jackets and hats and below them are more hooks for hanging ones sidearm. Connor point to these and says, "If you would oblige, I'd ask that you put your side arms up there. Miss Ellie, bless her soul, could never stand weapons in the house and although she is gone, we like to respect her wishes even now. Don't worry, no one will mess with your stuff."

(assuming you will. Connors is not armed btw and there are no guards in the hallway)

Connors leads you upstairs and down the hallway to a doorway. He knocks twice and then opens the door. "Mr. Morningstar. There is a Captain Wyatt Sung here to see you?"

"Okay Jon." Says a deep voice from within, "Bring him on in."

Connors opens the door wide and lets you enter the office. It is a large room, probably the master bedroom of the house converted over. A large dark wood desk is on the far right if the door with a lot of papers and a cortex box on top. There sits an older man in a white suit and a white hat who smiles and stands up as you enter the room.


Standing away from the desk is another man who is dressed in a Shepherd's outfit. He Looks at you with curiousity and interest but his expression is more somber.


"Thank you Jon. Good Evening to you," The Man in White says and offers his hand, "I'm Virgil Morningstar and this here is Shepherd Wiley Carson. How can we help you?"

With that, Connor nods politely and leaves the room.

"Hi I'm Fenris Apollo, mechanic on the Firefly, thought I'd come over and intro myself." Holding his hand out to shake he waited for the Beowulf Captain's hand and reaction.
"And I'm Jade." The pilot said while trying hard to focus on only seeing the Captain.

Fenris could not help but jump at finding Jade behind him as he had not heard her following him to the Beowolf.

"I am Justin. Justin Case. Yes you heard me right and what can I say, I have heard all the jokes. Y mother had a devilish sense of humour." The Blond man shakes hands with both of you. "This wild man is Chu Shen, but he prefers to be called Chewie. He is my mechanic and this is my boat - Blue Angel absent from this social gathering is Billie Rudd who is ... indisposed."

Chewie smiles and hands the jug over to Wolf. Taking the jug easily Wolf took his first drink expecting a bitter rough taste having tried a lot of bad homemade shine in his time . However the moonshine, to his surprise, was actually a pleasant liquor, with a sweet taste of bananas?. Handing the jug to Captain Case Wolf watched him take drink himself.

"Well pleasure to me y'all." Said Jade, "but I better head over to the tower and see about some things. I am sure we will see each other lately."

"Ok Jade see you later on the ship"

"The pleasure is all ours Jade." The Captain says with a wave.

"If you want some later let me know! I have a double batch." Chewie says.

Chewie takes the jug and sets it down, "So Captain did you find out ...."

"Not now Chewie." Justin said quickly.

"But if we are going ..."

"Not Now Chewie." Justin repeated with a edge to his voice.

Chewie apparently got the message and turned back to Wolf, "Firefly eh? Nice machine. Take you anywhere even if half the parts fail on you. Those aren't the factory drive pods are they? You had work done recently?"

"Yeah you could say that" Wolf smiled at Chewie and took another drink when offered. "Few weeks back we were on a transport run when we heard this mayday. Was from one of those high priced Star liners. Seems they had a hull failure and needed off of it quick. Well we found them and got them off all safe and sound but as we were moving away she blew and caused us a lot of damage to the engines so we had to land quick. Ended up on this no name husk of rock and waited there till a passing Alliance ship found us. Well some of the rich passengers were so happy to be alive they paid for new engines and now we are returning the body of one of them that did die, a fine gentleman name of Havelock."

"Thank you Jon. Good Evening to you," The Man in White says and offers his hand, "I'm Virgil Morningstar and this here is Shepherd Wiley Carson. How can we help you?"

With that, Connor nods politely and leaves the room.

Wyatt respectfully removes his hat and holds it in his left hand while shaking Morningstar's offer of greeting with his right."Shepard," he acknowledoes in kind.

"I appreciate you takin' this meetin' Mr. Morningstar. We was instructed t' see you 'fore delivering the Old Warhorse t' his final resting place in Serenity Valley. Told you'd have the know-how t' get us through the dangers tHat be."

Connors leads the way to the bi-level portion of the ranch house and holds the door open to enter. There is a hallway several closed doorways on the main floor and a stairwell going up to the second floor. Asher couldn't help a brief flashback to the sheriff's office in Frisco. There in the hall he'd walked into an ambush with flashbangs and a crazy girl with a gun.

On the side wall were several wooden pegs for hanging jackets and hats; below them are more hooks for hanging ones sidearm. Connor point to them saying, "If you would oblige, I'd ask that you put your side arms up there. Miss Ellie, bless her soul, could never stand weapons in the house and although she is gone, we like to respect her wishes even now. Don't worry, no one will mess with your stuff." The hair on the kid's neck seemed to tingle at the thought of leaving his gun on the hook. But Wyatt obliged so kid unbuckled and hung his iron next to Wyatt's.


Connors lead the way upstairs and down the hallway to a doorway. Knocking twice he opens the door. "Mr. Morningstar. There is a Captain Wyatt Sung here to see you?"
From inside comes,"Okay Jon. Bring him on in."
Connors opened the door wide and Ash followed Wyatt and Willow into the office. It is a large room. Behind a large dark wood desk is on the far right if the door sits an older man in a white suit and a white hat . He smiles and stands up as you enter the room. A man dressed in a Shepherd's outfit stood near by.

Addressing the man that had brought them in the man in the hat said, "Thank you Jon. Good Evening to you." Connor nods politely and left the room. Then the Man in White offers his hand to Wyatt, "I'm Virgil Morningstar and this here is Shepherd Wiley Carson. How can we help you?"
The kid had no real reason to be worried about the men in the room but he was glad he still had his combat knife strapped under his pant leg. Between it and his fists he could still adequately defend Capt'n Wyatt and Miss Willow.

"Hey! What are you doing! I told you to get back to practice. Didn't your mama ever tell you it is impolite to stare!" Connor had noticed the men admiring Willow and admonished them. The men sheepishly return to the landmines and avert their eyes to the task at hand. Connors returns his attention back to you.

"Just follow me. Sorry about that Ma'am. They don't mean to be rude."

"Looking never does any harm, Mr. Connors," Willow responded, her eyes glowing with amusement, "In fact, " she continued, projecting her voice back to the men even as Connor led the Rocinante crew towards the house," this is a valuable lesson, boys. Look as long as you need to, because once you act, you're committed." She gave her bottom just the smallest of twitches as she walked and winked wickedly as Ash.

Inside, the ranch house bore the signs of a woman's touch, but the faint fragrance of leather, tobacco smoke and male sweat told Willow well before Connor spoke that the woman of the house was now absent. Since she had no weapons to surrender, she waited calmly for the men to do so before following Connors up the stairs to the second floor.

The man behind the desk smiled and rose with that same easy authority that marked anyone with power, introducing himself and the somber man with him, Shepherd Carson. Willow raised the veil on her hat, tucking it up over the brim but keeping it free of the butterfly pin securing the hat to her hair. She used the motions to seem distracted but watched the two men closely, trying to gauge body language.

"I appreciate you takin' this meetin' Mr. Morningstar. We was instructed t' see you 'fore delivering the Old Warhorse t' his final resting place in Serenity Valley. Told you'd have the know-how t' get us through the dangers that be, " Wyatt said while shaking Morningstar's hand.

Willow sighed inwardly, but knew she'd have to make the best of Wyatt's indirect opening.

"What my dear captain means, " she interjected smoothly," is that we hope you've received word of our mission. Captain Havelock's family has received Alliance permission to put him to rest in Serenity Valley, among his men. We understand you've mapped some of the Valley and may be able to help us accomplish this safely. Have we understood correctly? "