Mal pulled the large crate into the room, grunting at it’s weight, 200kg of sand, their new job detailed that they needed to take one ton of ‘silver sand’ to a small mining colony near the edges of alliance space, high paying, high risk.

“Jayne!” he bellowed, pulling on the crate one last time.

“Wha?” the surly mercenary replied, mouth full of apple.

“Get your gorram ass down here and help me shift this stuff” Mal snapped

Jayne grunted an acknowledgement and slowly made his way down the stairs, cutting the apple in his hand into slices, and cramming them into his already overfull mouth.

“Today would be nice Jayne” Mal growled, straitening up, trying to intimidate the large man.

“Hwin dahn” Jayne muttered as he dropped the apple core onto the cargo bay floor, he slipped the combat knife into his hip holster for it, and jumped the last three stairs.

Mal began pulling on the crate again, until Jayne picked it up and carried it to the hidden compartment by the stairs, dropping it with a grunt.

Mal was about to snap at him when he heard a rapid knocking at the entrance to the cargo bay. He strode to the door quickly, the urgency of the knocking concerning him slightly.

“Captain, captain, you have open this door immediately”

Mal paused at the sound of the voice, it was Simon, was he out of his mind, the door was open. Suddenly the door burst open and Simon staggered into the room, one eye swelling, and his nose bleeding heavily, he was also clutching his side.

“Captain, they took her” Simon gasped, falling to his knees

Mal rushed over and helped him to his feet,

“I tried captain, I really did, but there were four of them, I tried, captain we have to help her” Simon rambled, leaning heavily on Mal as he said the final word.

“Slow down Doc, who’s been taken?”

“Kaylee” he said, staggering slightly into Mal.

“RIVER! Get the mule prepped, we’re headin’ into town” Mal yelled out

“Over here captain” River said politely in the drivers seat of the Mule, engine beginning to warm up.

“Jayne, grab Vera and as