There was chaos on the crowded, bustling dock, and the small, scruffy blond figure was able to throw himself between a large pile of hay and a stack of crates, hiding momentarily as he gasped for breath. He was too weak to run much further, and he knew his pursuers were closing in.

He heard a chillingly familiar voice not far away, asking everyone in the area if they’d seen a small runaway. “Been stealin’ everything in sight, keep your eyes on,” he was warning. Seamus Zelazny Harper shrunk further into the shadows and cursed internally. Nice move, branding him as a thief. Now anyone that saw him would be happy to lynch him on the spot.

He looked around him desperately, scanning the motley collection of ships docked nearby. He’d already considered the possibility of sneaking aboard one of them and leaving this planet behind, but he’d heard a few too many chilling stories about what freighter captains had a tendency to do to stowaways. He’d be lucky to get thrown out the airlock if he were discovered.

“Baxter! Check behind that stack of hay!” Harper heard the voice order, and he dragged his aching body back to its feet and ran for dear life. Dodging horses, chickens, children, and pedestrians, he ran for any cover he could find. Managing to slip out of view of his pursuers, he dove under the loading ramp of a Firefly-class ship.

*

Wash parked the mule with its trailer loaded with supplies at the base of the ramp and sighed in frustration. Mal had specifically told Jane to have the cargo hold clear for unloading by the time Wash returned with supplies, and instead empty crates were strewn about like an untrained man-ape had torn through the area. Which, Wash knew, was exactly what had happened.

He got off the mule and started dragging crates out of the way, stacking empties methodically to the side. He stopped and raised an eyebrow as Jayne marched down the stairs, looking considerably more aggravated than normal. Before Wash could get in a word, Jayne grabbed one of Wash’s crates, ya