MOVIE SPOILERS

Disclaimed in part 1

The night was alive with color and noise and the temperature was high. The air was permeated with the stench of un-bathed bodies and the decay of the refuse lined ally ways. People jostled by on their way to their own mischief and Mal felt the hair rise at the back of his neck.

There was nothing like a smoothly running plan to raise the hair on the back of Mal’s neck. Plans usually had a way of kicking him when he least expected it and for some reason the smoothness with which River’s plan was flowin’ made him all kinds of wary.

Their shuttle had docked a few minutes earlier and Kaylee and Jayne’d headed for the nearest parts dealer in hopes o’ finding a stabilizer that wouldn’t put too big a dint in what coin the ship had left.

Mal was a realist and he knew they couldn’t count on the take from Fanti and Mingo bein’ of use. If all else failed then they had orders to high tail it back to the ship and be ready to fly.

That was an eventuality that Mal really disliked. He wanted his ship in good workin’ order. Leavin’ with her still banged up wasn’t on Mal’s short list of things he wanted to have happen. If things went as smooth with Fanti and Mingo as they’d gone with the port authority coin wouldn’t be a problem.

They were almost to the Maidenhead when Mal felt the characteristic lightness that accompanied his pocket being emptied as a girl of eight brushed past him. She didn’t get far because Mal grabbed her up by the scruff of the neck and gave her a stern look. She just smiled unabashedly and handed his wallet back to him.

Mal shoved it into his pocket and held out his hand. The girl just stared at it and then looked at him questioningly.

“You an me both know the wallet weren’t the only thing you took and if you ain’t lookin’ to get turned over, you’ll be handin’ it over.” Mal told the girl who scrunched up her eyes and stuck out her tongue at him. She wriggled and twisted, but Mal wasn’t letting go. Finally, she dug a small silver object on a ch