The docks on Three Hills were a patch of busy in a bustling town – the only one –set in the middle of a large patchwork of green that looked like a spot of mold on the large, otherwise dusty moon. The one largish town was divided into unequal thirds: one small, clean and shiny part for the wealthy; one medium cluttered and gritty part for the regular and not-so-well-off; and the docks and adjacent marketplace. Most people though lived out of it, scattered through the green. It was one of the less populated moons, intended to be given over almost completely to agriculture in the long run. The docks, where currently the captain of Serenity was waiting on his buyers, seemed a fairly decent size. They looked a bit like Persphone’s, but without the great variety of folks looking for passage off-world. People who came to Three Hills, stuck on Three Hills by all accounts. He had a feeling that mostly it was not by choice when it came to the farmers. It looked to Malcolm Reynolds like the Alliance’s tanglely octopus arms – now just from where did that image come into mind?—were spreading. Three Hills farmland was parceled out to sharecroppers, who broke ground, tilled, planted, broke their backs bringing in the much-in-demand harvest, while all of the profits went to the landowners. Those-that-had looked to the surety of climbing profits, hence the parceling out of more and more acreage every year to the poor and hopeful, hence the healthy market for quality manure. Equitable or not, it hopefully added up to a profit for him and his. If all went according to plan. For once. “How the wealthy leave you waiting,” Zoe commented, coming up beside him. “Someone doesn’t come soon to get the gorramn stuff out of my cargo bay, I’m about ready to take off and dump it out the airlock.” “Might agree with that plan if I thought it was possible.” He tossed Zoe an eloquent “huh?” then looked over to where she was nodding . “But the starboard thruster seemed fine on the landing,” Wash said. “Thruster is fine. It’s the locking mechanism’s worn out. Take her up outta atmo, thrusters turn, right one don’t lock and…” Kaylee made a wild wobbly gesture with her hands. “Don’t see us landing safe or I anywhere in one piece to land.” Wash tried a few different variations on his own then, hands still marking out possible, very unpleasant scenarios, he walked over to Mal. “Mal. Do you see this? This is a disaster!” “I see that if you’re planning on taking Zoe to the Christmas ball, you’re much in need of some better dance moves.” “No. This is…wait. There’s a Christmas ball?” Wash’s hope was shot down by one look at Zoe’s face. He turned back to Mal. “Captain, this time really and truly, in all ominous and deadly seriousness, you have to let Kaylee and I—“ “Get some new parts for the ship.” Kaylee’s eyes got rounder than Three Hills moon for a second but then she shot Mal a scowl that would have put him under if it were a bullet. “Really? Cuz…don’t even try to joke about that no more.” “Really and truly,” Zoe assured her. Kaylee face lit up at Mal’s nod. “It is Christmas!” “Don’t mean to put a damper on, but—” Mal took hold of his engineer’s arms before she could give him kiss and glared at Wash who seemed ready to do the same. A finely clad trio he assumed to be his buyers had come up to edge of the ramp, stopped, and were now digging in their pockets for handkerchiefs to cover their delicate noses. “I need all of you to shush now and act well-behaved for a spell. We don’t make this deal, we don’t have any nice cashy money for parts. Or food. Or dance lessons for Wash.” In under half an hour, the deal was done and Mal found himself handing out Alliance credits to some of his crew along with instructions on what necessities to purchase and, for a wonder, extra supplies. Kaylee and Wash headed for the salvage dealers. Book and Jayne were sent out to pick up supplies – Book for the buying and Jayne the picking up. “You alright, sir?” Zoe asked. He realized he’d been staring at what he had left over for quite a while. Couldn’t seem to stop. “What was that Kaylee said?” “Locking mechanism’s worn out?” “The other thing.” “About it seeming like it’s really—“ “Don’t…say it. Not yet. Not out loud.” He and Zoe exchanged a look. She nodded agreement and they both held their breath for a moment. Oddly, nothing blew up, caught fire, and no one started shooting at them. “I’d like to keep the hatch open for awhile, invite some fresh air in. You don’t mind staying here with an eye on things,” Mal said by way of asking, “I’m…going to put this in the safe.”

He wondered if he’d be able to remember the combination. These days most anything having to do with security relied on DNA scans, even on the outer planets, but Shepherd Book preferred doing some things the old fashioned way. Doing the unexpected was sometimes enough of a precaution in itself. He found himself to be decidedly old fashioned if not an outright cliché in one thing. His palms were sweating as he planned out the best the path to take. Once Jayne and he had finished buying the supplies Captain Reynolds had sent them for, he’d have to be very casual about going off on his own. Jayne wasn’t always bright, but his nose was sharp for anything not entirely on the up and up. Preoccupied, Book reached out for the plastic crate of produce he had bartered over for the last half hour and lost his grip. The crate swung by one handle and the contents would have spilled out over the dry, cracked ground had it not been for Jayne’s quick catch. “Aw hell, shepherd, I told you to let me do the carryin!” “I believe those were the captain’s words to you.” “Well. Woulda done it anyway seein as I like my melons ripe but not bruised.” Book gave a stern-preacher look to Jayne when he noticed the man eyeing not the fruit in the crate but a trio of rather scantily clad ladies passing by. Three Hills’ marketplace, located just outside the docks, was crowded with buyers and sellers of all sorts of wares. A fact for which he was extremely thankful that day. “It seems we’re about done. I expect that by the time I get back, our dry goods order will have been filled and you’ll have loaded it on the mule.” “Right. Where’d you say you were going?” Book just smiled. “I have one more item on my list. You’re sure you won’t need my help with loading?” With one hand, Jayne picked up the crate he’d just put down and moved it closer to the driver’s seat of the new four passenger mule – simply to flex his bicep. “Well then. I won’t be long.” Book turned his back on the big man and began to pick his way through the crowd. “Sure you don’t need any help with whatever it is you’re I?” Jayne called after him. Book didn’t see Jayne’s petulant frown as the fellow plopped himself into the mule. He also missed taking note of the fashionably veiled woman and her not-so-fashionable escort as they turned away from the booth across the way to trail behind him on a parallel course.

The bank was in the fine part of town, a classic Neo-Alliance structure that stood like a monolith of glass and concrete between the more fragile-looking elegance of the Sino-influenced buildings on either side. The startling contrast of the two differing absolutes of style gave Derrial Book pause. He had once followed the lure of absolutes, let belief in absolutes rule his life. More than once, if the truth was told. Recently, on board Serenity, he had become enlightened by through the harsh reality that faith was never truly well-founded except in uncertainty. After some scrutiny of his ident card, Book gained access to the bank’s inner offices. He wasn’t dressed as handsomely as it seemed the manager would like, but he was a man of the cloth so there were looks, but no discussion on that point. Some eyebrows were raised at the amount of the withdrawal, but the account was in very good standing. The fact that it could be accessed only by the manual entry of his personal code spoke volumes on the status and level of discretion due to the account holder. The exchange was handled with terse words, but polite. Still, his hands shook a bit when he exhaled his first breath back out on the street. It seemed he’d been holding it for some time. He took another deep breath to calm himself. What Captain Reynolds and the others would think if they knew how little the transaction had depleted his reserve, he didn’t want to contemplate. He was enough of a mystery to them already. He had one final stop to make, and having asked for a recommendation from the bank manager, made haste to follow the directions he’d been given. The horticulturist’s was set back from the street, entered through a paved courtyard. The Zen rock garden didn’t bode well for his errand. One step inside, though, and Book’s spirits lifted. The establishment had an honest to goodness greenhouse in back. The typical potted orchids in front gave way to rarer plants: chrysanthemums, daylilies, and even roses. When he opened the glass doors, the earthy smells of humus and mushroom compost that perfumed the humid air brought back memories of working the Abbey gardens. After a short conversation with the proprietor, Book was led outside to the yard in back. A soft mist was drizzling down by the time his choice was made, changing to the patter of light rain as they headed back inside the store. Book made another more modest purchase as arrangements were made to deliver him and his purchase back to the docks. The proprietor walked him to the door with a beaming smile on his face. “Best wishes of the season, Shepherd. Come back and visit us soon!” “Wouldn’t you know it?” said a new voice – wry, well modulated and female. “Three Hills finally attracts an honest to goodness shepherd, just when I’m planning to leave.” Book turned to the young woman standing beside him, adjusting her veil before stepping out into the light rain. “I’m just passing through. Is Three Hills in need of a shepherd?” “Isn’t everyone?” The woman’s lips quirked into a half smile. There was a familiar look about her. Something that was setting off a chime of recognition. It was just the warm voice, the elegant attire and the dark wavy hair, he decided. Inara had been wearing hers straight in the weeks before she left, but this woman had that same look, the same steadfast surety of purpose. “Shepherd Book,” he said extending his hand. “Piera Melathene. It’s a blessing for me that you’re not staying though.” “I’m sorry, I don’t think I follow that.” “I haven’t yet settled on my means of transportation off this world. What about the ship you’re traveling on? Where is it headed?” “I’m not…sure…that it would suit you. It’s an old firefly transport, mostly used for cargo runs. For myself, I’ve no complaints about the passenger accommodations but they are rather humble.” “Nonsense. If a man of the cloth finds the ship and company suitable, surely I’d have no complaints. Anyway, I can make up my own mind once I take a look at it. If you wouldn’t mind telling me the name of the ship?” Book saw no reason not to give her the information. The captain could decide whether or not he wanted to take on an extra passenger – if she did go to check it out. He walked her to the courtyard gate and then watched until she disappeared into the crowd and the darkening afternoon. The rain came down harder as he waited for the shop’s delivery transport to pick him up.

“I can take care of this on my own.” The woman stopped in the doorway as soon as she was out of her quarry’s sight. When she finished speaking, she held the tiny communication pod to her ear. Discretion was everything in this case – to her at least. “There’s no guarantee of that. And I have questions.” She listened, frowning, and her face suddenly looked much older than her years. “Things happen. People change. And we need to–” “We do this. Now. It may be the only chance we get.” She winced as the voice on the other end rose to a pitch that was audible to passersby. She said the rest of her piece through gritted teeth. “Now that we’ve found him, we won’t lose track of him again. AND…we need a contingency plan in case yours doesn’t work.” She hailed a passing hover rickshaw and thrust a credit into the hand of the driver. She detailed her plan as she settled back for the ride to the docks and the ship called Serenity.

Jayne didn’t mind loading up the supplies or the preacher going off on his mystery errand. Fact was, waiting on Book’s return gave him time to people watch – something he hadn’t had the time or the place to do for quite a spell. And, there were some mighty interesting people to watch. The lustful gleam in his eye seemed to have troubled only the plainest of the womenfolk which had passed by. So far. Which was good. Captain had told them – him specifically – not to start any trouble. Which he wasn’t. Except maybe the plain ones were the respectable kind and would cause trouble for just his lookin’ at them. Maybe some of the pretty ones were respectable, too. Come to think of it even the ones he was pretty well to sure were whores might cause trouble if they thought they could get something out of it. There was one looking at him now with a conniving glint in her eye, which he had noticed after finishing a long-distance tour of the womanly curves she was displaying beneath her silks and laces. Jayne punched the mule’s dashboard. You wanted for once to stay on the captain’s right side, Jayne Cobb. Better turn away now and… As he did turn away, a dark purple plum perched precariously atop one of the crates caught his eye. Might roll out once they started up the mule to head back to the ship. Should do something about that. Juice trickled down his chin with the first bite. No use letting any opportunity go to waste.

The woman didn’t look like the kind would want to take passage onboard a firefly, but then Mal couldn’t really peg what that type would be anymore. The shepherd, the doctor, and Inara – when she’d been with them – had all, at the start, seemed too high and prissy to ever consider themselves suitable for Serenity, but it all had worked out. For the most part. So who was he to say, he wasn’t wrong about this one? He was slightly disturbed by her dark hair though. Almost a match for Inara’s. If the eyes were even close to the same, he would have turned her down no matter how high the price she’d been willing to pay for passage. But this Piera Melathene’s eyes were something Inara’s had never been even when she was trying to be: cold and distant, a bit like the doc’s could read at times. He tried out a smile as he asked for her destination and she did smile back but only with her lips. Definitely not his type, which was all to the good. He hadn’t so far picked up another job, so any planet she named would be just as good as another to look for work, long as it wasn’t one too close to the Core. Of course, if he did find a job – well even if he didn’t – detours were ever and always a part of the journey these days. He’d best feel her out about travel times. “Might I inquire as to how hasty or leisurely you’re looking to travel, Miss Melathene?“ “Piera, please. Captain…?” She put her hand on his arm, which he didn’t much like. He gave her his best sincere and concerned businesslike face. Let her decide how to play it from there. “Reynolds. Captain Malcolm Reynolds.” She wisely decided to avoid the issue by just answering his question and moving on from there. He found himself only half listening to her, half to Zoe suspiciously hushing Wash over discussing the “extras” he’d brought back from his expedition. Kaylee had already headed back – well practically skipped like a schoolgirl – to the engine room with her shiny new parts. So, he was a bit distracted when the bullets started flying.

It first might have seemed to anyone else like the rain outside was wiping up, drops falling heavy onto the metal ramp and causing the violent pings, but even on the most relaxing of days, Mal was subconsciously listening for the sounds of battle. All fluid motion, he pushed the potential new passenger behind him and out of the way, at the same time drawing his pistol and crouching for cover. Before he could identify a target, his view was blocked by a dark shape coming fast up the ramp. Jayne and Book drove up and in, fresh produce and brown paper packages flying off in all directions. Jayne swerved the mule to a stop, barely missed crashing it into the rear of the bay. Both men rolled and dove for cover, Jayne bringing his sidearm to bear before his feet hit the deck; the shepherd already looking to see if someone was hurt. Mal took a second to ponder on that. Couldn’t ever get used to the way Book seemed so evenly matched in reflexes to Jayne and himself and even Zoe. Mal took another second to ponder the high whine of a shot that nearly grazed his left ear. It missed him but smacked right into his new, now not-so-shiny hover mule. “It just don’t pay to buy nice things. People come and shoot em up,” he complained to no one in particular. But his jaw and his mind were set. He stood up, stepped out, braced himself, aimed. And noticed the shooting had stopped. I truly do hate moments like this. Standing here all noble and nothing to do. “Hail inside the transport! Hold your fire. This is the police. We’re coming in.” Mal dropped his gun to his side and closed his eyes. Piera Melathene, already standing, focused her gaze on a point just beyond the oblivious Alliance police. She gave a last warning look to the man who’d shot the mule. He reluctantly signaled the other two shooters deployed among the oil drums and transport containers. She stared until all three disappeared behind the curtain of rain, then stepped over to the Captain’s side. “It’s about time the authorities showed up. Captain Reynolds shouldn’t have to resort to violence to keep his passengers safe. And while we’re still docked on dry land, for goodness sake! Whatever am I paying taxes for?” Mal opened his eyes to see -- for once -- someone more flummoxed than he was. The policeman, not an officer yet and probably not going to be anytime soon now, gulped and turned to his partner for assistance. Didn’t get any. “Truly sorry, ma’am. We came as quick as we heard there was a commotion—“ “Quick as you heard? You didn’t know? Isn’t it your job to patrol these docks on a regular…” Mal stood back silent and enjoyed the spectacle. Looked like his bad judgment on new passengers was holding just as true as ever. The woman had them apologizing to Mal before she was done. By the time she had them scurrying out the bay, they had even promised to pay some in compensation for the shot-up mule. Not that Mal ever expected to see a credit of that, but it was, all the same, nice to hear. “We decide on having her on board yet?” Zoe asked. When he shrugged, she quirked a brow and added quietly, “Seems like a keeper to me.” Zoe headed up the stairs to the bridge where her husband had already returned. He spied the doctor standing in the back of the cargo bay, sleeves rolled up and bag at the ready. For a wonder, Mal needed Simon’s fancy manners and not his medical skills. “Doctor, let me introduce Miss Piera Melathene who will be joining us on the next leg of our journey. I wonder if you wouldn’t mind escorting her to the passenger dormitory?” Simon froze for a split second, caught between surprise and etiquette. Propriety won out as Mal fully expected it would. In a gentlemanly fashion, Mal took the woman’s hand and placed it in one of the doctor’s. The Melathene woman fixed all her attention to the doc as he led her away. All to the good for me. Bad for her though if Kaylee gets wind of it. He waited a full minute after the woman was out of sight. Then he crossed the deck, picking up a small but hefty metal container on the way. ”What did you do, Jayne?” “Huh?” The word turned into a grunt as he caught the container Mal had shoved at his solar plexus. “Wasn’t me!” “Was there thieving?” Mal stepped up close and continued in Jayne’s face, “A shooting or a knife throwing or a fist fight? Some misunderstanding of note, maybe leading to another statue of you going up?” Jayne’s face went blank instead of mad, which Mal took as a bad sign. But when he spoke, Jayne’s voice was dead serious -- the way it got when he talked about his gun, Vera. “Tyen shiao duh, Mal. It didn’t have nothing to do with me, honest. Only thing I did was see the supplies got loaded and help the shepherd here juggle his tree.” Mal’s eyebrows shot up at the phrasing. He nearly forgot he was angry. “Sounds to me like an activity that might just be considered illegal on some of the more conservative worlds.” Jayne could not have made a more disgusted face if he’d just eaten a pile of the manure they’d just unloaded. He turned around to face the mule and pointed, violently, to what was clearly an evergreen poking out of the wrapping strapped on top of the containers in the back seats. “Oh, well then. Guess you’re off the hook.” Strangely, Mal did believe him. “This time anyways.” Still offended, the big man stomped off to unload what hadn’t already fallen off the mule. Mal watched as Jayne began wrestling with the wrapping on the tree. The wrapping had the upper hand for a while. “Nice tree, Shepherd.” Mal said as Book came over – to enjoy the spectacle, Mal assumed. “For once, Captain, I’d say you’ve misjudged your crew member’s culpability.” “No worry. I’m sure there’ll be a next time when it’ll apply. But it does look like someone was honestly just after what we’ve got. For once.” Mal, bemused by that thought, moved over to the com. “Zoe! You’d best come down here. There’s something peculiar in the cargo bay.” Just then everyone’s ears were pierced by a high pitched squeal from the cat walk. Jayne had finally gotten the better of the wrapping. The tree that stood upright on the deck was clearly meant for landscaping, its root ball covered in burlap sacking. It was about five feet tall, a good sight shorter than Jayne. But it was an evergreen, an honest to God Christmas tree. “Captain, did you see?” Kaylee asked as she bounced down the last three stairs. Mal took that as a rhetorical question. “How are those repairs going?” “Oh, coming right along, Captain. Right along...” Mal could see where her mind was as she pushed down on the evergreen’s branches to watch them bounce gentle back once, twice, then a third time. Jayne was grumbling about not having enough ornaments now, his mind not on finishing up chores either. He should really get them both back to work. And where was Zoe? He looked up and there she was linked arm in arm with Wash, both of them looking down and grinning large at Jayne and Kaylee’s shenanigans. And…are they laughin’ at me? He cleared his throat and did his best to put on a captainly frown. “Kaylee! Didn’t get you those new parts to use as paper weights. Let’s get a move on.” “I’m going, I’m going. It’s just so…shiny!” The next moment, Mal had stepped back in his mind and could see them all like in a picture – Zoe, Wash, Kaylee, Book, and him, Simon and River back somewhere near the infirmary – his crew and Serenity, all together, working and well. It nearly filled his heart full. But for that one prickly emptiness that only Inara could…. Mal cleared his throat again, as if that would clear away the mistiness in his eyes. “Captain,” Book said quietly nearby, “River’s unpredictability is not the only potential danger to this crew.” “I’m full aware of that, Shepherd.” Mal had only half paid attention to Book’s remark so he didn’t turn to see his face – that of a man making a confession.