The sky, lit only by the warm glow of the night cycle, failed to ease the growing tension between the two dinosaurs below. They circled each other warily.

A single palm tree in the distance was the only witness to what happened next.

“So, you’ve returned.” The T-rex growled at the Brontosaurus.

“Yes, I’ve come to take back This Land.” The Brontosaurus replied.

“HA! You? You are no match for my awesome might and sharp pointy teeth.”

“Maybe not alone, but I brought a friend and he has a really big gun.”

The T-rex turns slowly. Behind him an orange Stegosaurus sits atop a green army tank. Before the T-Rex can say a word, the air is filled with the shrill sound of alarms and the ground beneath their feet lights up as words scroll across it.

“Yeh-soo, ta ma duh..." The sandy haired pilot curses and brushes the plastic dinosaurs off his monitor with his arm. Grabbing the yoke, he fires the reverse thrusters angling his ship to avoid collision.

“C’mon baby… duck like a good girl…” The pilot grunted through clenched teeth. Even though space offered no resistance, countering forward momentum in a short distance was a tricky maneuver.

The proximity alarms finally silence as the small ship narrowly avoids the collision. It is then that the pilot hears the com.

“WASH! What’s going on up there?”

“Mal, you might wanna see this…” Wash says as he flicks on the external spot lights.

***

The spot lights play across the surface of the other ship. Wash lets out a low whistle, “She’s a monster…”

Wash and Mal peer out the window taking in the scene. They are slowly joined by the rest of the crew, rubbing sleep out of their eyes.

“It ain’t Reavers is it?” Jayne, the big mercenary asks quietly.

“Nope. Ain’t no bodies strapped to the outside.” Mal says never taking his eyes off the ship. “Sides, as patched up as she may look, she is still patched up. What I can’t figure out is why she hasn’t hailed us.”

“Probably doesn’t know we’re here. We’re too close.” The second mate prompts f