INT. SERENITY - BRIDGE

River’s hand hovers over a lever for a beat, then drops, abruptly slapping the lever down.

INT. PALADIN - HANGAR

Serenity’s engines suddenly lock into forward thrust position, causing her to burst from the hangar in a stomach-wrenching barrel roll with one final Radion emission. Her thrust blasts into the ceiling of the hanger, melting support trusses as well as the bulkhead above.

EXT. PALADIN - TOPSIDE

Silence. Wide angle view of Paladin’s upper side. Suddenly an eruption of metal and fire bursts from its hull.

Zoom into explosion. View travels vertically down through the explosion, through several wrecked decks to see Serenity blasting from the hangar, cannon fire zinging past her from all angles.

INT. SERENITY - BRIDGE

River sits in the pilot’s chair, a grim look on her face as she jinks the yoke this way and that. Mal hangs onto the console. Through the windshield we can see the upper hemisphere of a lovely planet. Cannon rounds fly past the windshield.

RIVER (almost too quiet to hear): I’m a leaf on the wind...

EXT. SPACE - BENEATH PALADIN

Cannon fire is erupting from a dozen weapons now revealed beneath the Paladin. Serenity dodges this way and that, missing some of the blasts by a hairsbreadth.

INT. PALADIN - BRIDGE

Chaos has ensued. Some techs have bolted from their seats, running for the door. Others work at their consoles, attempting to organize the crew. Madsen stands in the middle of the fray, his pistol trained on Gibson. Powell stands behind him.

The left viewscreen shows Serenity’s escape. The center screen shows the gaping fiery hole in the Paladin’s topside hull. The right screen is a field of static.

TECH: Sir, we’re losing atmo pressure on all decks forward of the command tower. I’m attempting to seal off the damaged zones…

Gibson ignores this.

GIBSON (gritting teeth, to Madsen): I will see to it you hang for this, Caius.

MADSEN (dryly): Literally, o