Disclaimer – Everything either does belong to Joss or it should. I’m just borrowing his shiny ‘verse for a while.

The 21st Lancers belong to the British Army so I’m borrowing them too. I hope they don’t mind

* * *

Alliance Ground Control Station – Toulouse Spaceport – 2519AD

The controller leaned back in his chair and addressed the station commander ‘Sir we have a communication from that Firefly that lifted to geosynch earlier’

‘What do they want?’

‘They say they’re sending down a shuttle with a kid on board and wanted to advise us given the alert status on traffic. Apparently they were on a joyride with the gravity turned off, somebody didn’t like freefall and they’re insisting on going home. The Firefly pilot says it ain’t pretty up there and they’ve got the mechanic chasing bits round the cargo bay with a vacuum cleaner’ the controller was smirking.

The Station Commander grimaced. Throwing up in freefall was not attractive ‘Why aren’t they all flying down in the ship?’

‘Rest of the family want to stay and get their moneys worth. Pilot says they’re a pain in the ass’

‘Who checked that ship out before it launched?’

‘Corporal Persico Sir’

The station commander switched on his headset and connected to the Corporals receiver. He was still down on the bays checking ships. ‘Persico this is the Ground Control Office are you there?’

‘Persico here’ his voice answered over the headset.

‘You checked out the Firefly that lifted earlier. Who was on it?’

‘Just the crew and a family who wanted to go have some freefall time’

‘They seem alright to you?’

‘Crew was okay, they’re not from here. Family were locals and not too friendly why?’

‘They’re sending a shuttle down and I’m checking it out. One of the kids didn’t like freefall but the rest wanted to stay up there’

‘I ain’t surprised. The father seemed the type to get his moneys worth. Some stuck-up academic from the University’

‘Pilot says they’re a pain the ass too. Nice to know it’s not just us wh