Prologue

Mal and Zoe drew their guns and opened fire. Two men were down and then Mal felt a blinding pain and fell to the ground unconscious.

* **

Mal was walking along a road on his home planet going to visit his mother, the trees were turning shades or red and gold the leaves were falling and the air was crisp and clean. He loved the fall, their was no other season like it. His mom had waved him before he had landed, said that she had a surprise for him and that he should come and visit, after his job he had started walking over. He always liked to visit his mother she made the best cookies, they were so moist.

He walked up the front steps he could hear voices inside, he grinned and shook his head, “ It must be the farm hands, hell they're probably hiding and waiting for me.” he thought. He open the door and fell to the floor with two men on top of him. He struggled and was hit on the head and knocked out.

He woke up in a small wet sell. “ Uuuaghhh my head.” he moaned clutching his head and looking around blearily. He straitened up and and fell back down, he had seen eyes staring at him, a man walked forward his hands tied in front of him looking at Mal. “ Who are you?” the man said in a dry voice. “I'm Mal, were the hell am I?” “ Your in the lion pit, or well actually your under it. Don't you know were you are? Didn't your parents tell you?” the guy was tall and thin, he had scars on his face and his hair was black with gray and white hairs mixed in, but strangely he didn't look older the 25.He put a wet cloth on Mal's head and continued. “When I came hear my ma tolled me, she said that the family needed more money and that they were selling me. Actually most people seem to know that their coming, but not many are actually prepared for the truth.”

Mal, groaned, his head still felt like a porcupine had been set loose in their but his vision had cleared He could see that the man was definitely not older then himself, he had light blue eyes with flex of a da