Trouble for Nothing, Tricks for Free 1.0

Title is a play off the old Dire Straits song, Money for Nothing, Chicks for Free. I want my MTV…..

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Follow me she said, all tattered and torn,

And I’ll tell you the truth, about what’s going on,

Things aren’t always as they will us to believe,

There are forces about, that choose to deceive ….

From “Whispers of the Albatross” R. Tam’s ledger : 2517

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Malcolm Reynolds lay in his bunk thinking about the events that had taken place over the past several weeks. First, it had started when the crew of Serenity had been on their way to Persephone to hook up with Badger for a job after dropping off Simon and River on Haven with Shepherd Book.

Then second, enroot to Persephone, the Firefly transport had received a cortex message from the Power Authority,…..and this was one that could not be ignored, to set an appointment for hull inspection, which was passed due at this time. The order was from the SOUP, or System of United Planets, and it requested, in somewhat of a nice manner, yet mandatory all the same, that every verse traveling vehicle report to the nearest inspection docking station for an annual hull examination.

Funny that the message reported the examination as being “annual” when the last time Serenity had received a wave like this had been over two years ago. This meant one of two things, either the Alliance was looking for something, or there actually had been too many hull breaches out in the dark recesses of space. Could be that the “ Governing Powers” were getting tired of wasting resources on rescue missions, locating and assisting the recovery of vehicles that were “NOT” considered space worthy.

Sometimes pioneers, explorers, surveyors and just plain folk conducting casual business in the black, after purchasing a craft that was classified as “space worthy”, found that they were not. Many times, patrol craft were call out for an emergency where folk were left st