A/N: It has been a while since I have posted anything and I have never posted anything as long as this one will be. I hope you all like this one. Comments are very much appreciated, but be nice since I don’t have a beta. Please be aware that some of the scenes happen simultaneously, so the timeline may appear to be slightly off. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: All things belong to Joss.

They had been careful since Miranda. Very careful. No one left the ship without someone else. No one left the ship without a comm unit. No one left the ship without body armor on. Lastly, under no circumstances was anyone allowed off ship that did not have a beacon attached somewhere on their person. By habit, the crew usually wore their beacons even when they were on the ship. Knowing the exact location of each crewmember at all times was crucial in keeping themselves safe.

Cross training of roles on the ship was carried out. Everyone learned to pilot the ship. Everyone knew the bare essentials of the engine room. Everyone got a crash course in medicine. Everyone learned to use a gun. Everyone learned to fight.

Kaylee rigged a security alarm on the ship with a ‘panic’ button in each room. The alarm system was wired to work with the comms. If anyone was out and needed help, the comm alarm could be triggered. If someone on the ship was in danger, the alarm would also broadcast on the comms.

They even had escape routes planned. Nobody, except Mal, knew the complete plan. Everyone knew their parts, but he kept the whole plan a secret from them all so that the entire crew’s safety would not be compromised in the event of a partial capture of the crew. Every possible hidey-hole on board was utilized; even some were created where there were none. These compartments held anything from additional guns to extra space suits.

The Operative had told them that the Alliance regime had been weakened, but they were not gone and they were not forgiving. Mal wanted to make sure that they had a chance should that warning come to fruition. And they definitely needed a plan.

It started out as a normal day. They were on Persephone. Zoe and Jayne took the mule to buy ammunition. Mal and River left the ship to pick up the list of medical supplies that Simon needed.

“Are you sure we didn’t forget anything?” Mal asked River with a bit of sarcasm in his voice.

“Supplies were falling below acceptable parameters,” River responded.

“Were we out of everything?” Mal continued, repositioning the bags he was carrying. “Seemed like we bought out the store.”

River shot him one of her ‘you’re a boob’ looks.

“Do you require assistance with the transport of the supplies?” River asked.

Mal gave her one of his patented ‘I’m the Captain’ looks.

“No,” he said straightening his back in order to look like it was no trouble at all. He repositioned the packages again. He fantasized quickly about why they never tried to get a second mule. “They’re not heavy. I can manage.”

“Not heavy. Unwieldy,” River continued. “And another mule would reduce the amount space available to transport cargo.”

“Not a small one though,” Mal whined. He looked around at the street they were traveling on. The crowds were twice the normal amount. “Sure is busy today.”

River nodded in agreement. Mal repositioned the packages again and this time dropped a couple. River snorted and picked them up.

“Men of species are mulish,” she continued as she took some of the packages away from Mal. “Should ask for help when it is required.”

Mal and River continued walking in silence. River had a small smirk on her face while Mal tried to reclaim a sense of his perceived masculinity. Mal looked up and saw Inara’s shuttle flying back towards the ship. He tried to fish his comm out of his pocket, but it just served to further upset the precarious balance of the packages he was holding. He sighed and dumped all of the packages he was carrying into River’s arms. River rolled her eyes.

“Did Inara go somewhere?” Mal asked River as they moved out of the way of the foot traffic of the road. She looked up at the retreating shuttle as Mal tried to contact Inara. “Inara? Are you there? Inara?”

He got no response.

“Something’s wrong,” River whispered.

“Kaylee? Simon? Answer me!” Mal half-shouted into the comm.

Again, he got no response. He cued up the beacon tracker.

“It says they are still on the ship, but no one’s moving,” Mal said with concern. He turned his attention to the last two members of the crew. “Zoe? Jayne?”

“Just about to call you. We saw Inara’s shuttle. We’re almost back to the ship,” he heard Zoe say.

“River says something’s wrong. Got nothing from those left on board. We’re about ten minutes out. Be careful,” Mal warned. He turned towards River. “Let’s go. We have to get back.”

River stood with her head tilted to one side. She had dropped the packages and had started to shake uncontrollably.

“Too late. They’re here.”

Thanks for reading, please comment.