“Here goes nothin’!” seemed the most appropriate thing to say as Serenity approached the moon called Whitefall – a most appropriate name. She looked behind and around her and she kept running. There had to be some escape, but how? A solution needed to be found – quickly. The pursuing ships were on their way – well armed and primed for a kill. Serenity wisely turned away in fear. Possibly for the final time, Jayne said, “Let’s moon ‘em!”

Well behind Serenity and trailing the destroyers was Adelei Niska’s yacht. At that moment, he wished to remain hidden from his enemies. He would finally reveal himself after the chase was over. Mal and company had to know who beat them. What Niska had arranged was his masterpiece – years in the making.

The Firefly had foiled him so effectively he lost his ability to obsess about anything else. Serenity and her crew had become his white whale that he had to hunt. Niska figured he would never be satisfied with his life until he had ruined all of theirs.

To pull it off, Niska had to become legitimate – surprisingly doable for someone with his resources. He found a way to disappear. Everyone who knew him believed Serenity’s crew had run him out of business. They had heard he fled to a remote area on a moon somewhere to commit suicide. That way, he could change his identity without a problem. His many contacts made it possible for Niska to take on the guise of an industrialist from Ariel named Andrew Newcastle. Even his wife never found out the real story – not that she cared anymore. Only a few trusted allies were allowed to meet him personally. He knew they wouldn’t dare reveal his secrets.

Why did Niska do all this? How could it possibly work? He knew Serenity was gaining a name for itself around the outer planets. They were becoming very effective and very intimidating criminals. Their ways of eluding the law and getting back at everyone who played them were becoming legendary all over. It was only a matter of time before Niska could round up his band of lawmen, bounty hunters, trackers, and mercenaries. He just needed to prove that Captain Malcolm Reynolds had stolen from him, and they were on his side. Serenity had become a serious nuisance, and that ship had to be stopped.

Serenity could run, but hiding was another story. Everything that had occurred on Whitefall during the last three years haunted everyone on her crew. The colonists had become scattered without any practical form of government. No one knew how Whitefall should run after its ruthless owner was overthrown and buried. Patience ruled through intimidation. Whatever she wanted she took; the cost didn’t matter. A complete recovery for that society was out of the question. All hell could break loose at any moment, but still Serenity came.

She had offered much aid to the rebellion against Patience. Many rebels on Whitefall saw Serenity as a hero. Perhaps they would offer her crew sanctuary, and smuggle them away from danger. It seemed to be their only hope, and they knew it was a small one.

The people of Whitefall wanted good things for all their citizens. They did not wish to be dependent on outsiders. Many did not like the idea of a Firefly coming and going and helping them as though they could not help themselves. To live in dependence of such an entity meant they could not live as individuals in their own ways. Not to mention, some rebels wished to tell the stories about how they overthrew Patience without the help of those space pirates on a boat called Serenity.

Whitefall was an open door but not necessarily a welcoming one. As Serenity continued to flee, the fateful moon was coming closer and closer. Soon, there would be no turning back. Her crew found themselves staring at the mammoth spherical body thinking and hoping there might be some sign up ahead as to whether they had made the right decision.