CHAPTER 13

Jayne never felt more comfortable than when clothed with his guns. Lux was tucked safely into his left boot, the bowie knife in his right. Replacing Lux in the holster was his Rutger—a more appropriate evening gun. His primary weapon tonight would be an assault rifle with night-vision scope and laser sight. He had no idea how night-vision worked in the rain, but it was better than nothing. His belt was laden with supplemental ammunition and a few grenades for good measure. The arsenal was semi-concealed beneath a rain jacket, but on this planet there seemed no escape from getting wet. On seeing the get-up, Mal had chuckled, but didn’t object.

As the late-afternoon cloudburst gave way to an early-evening drizzle, Jayne, Mal, and Zoë climbed onto the mule and headed for Caddock’s ship. The tires protested the uneven ground, jostling the three of them. Zoë maintained a steady hand, following Jayne’s directions. The rain and darkness obscured all evidence of a road and they dared not use headlights for fear that Caddock would see them coming.

The Neptune came over the horizon, having no such qualms of being spotted. Running lights pierced the rain with strong beams, creating a reflective halo around the ship. Caddock and Jie-rui stood by the door, the former angrily waving his pistol in the air, the latter speaking calmly. The door was tipped only half open, creating a waterfall effect.

“We’ll leave the mule here,” Mal said. The three of them crept closer and waited.

As their angle into the cargo hold improved, Jayne could see a dull yellow hover mule just beyond the entrance. Jie-rui took up the pilot’s seat and Caddock stood in the seat next to him.

Suddenly, Kaylee got pushed into view by a stodgy little man with a half-buttoned purple uniform. Bandages on her hands dripped with blood and she had a fresh black-eye. A stodgy man strong-armed her into the hover mule. The Neptune’s hatch opened fully and the hover mule raced toward town, its engines leaving a burning trail through the rain.