Londinium Shipping Yard:

Years Ago

Serenity hauled the crate off of the loading platform and onto the grilled flooring of the ship’s cargo hold.

“I sure hope these folk appreciate this,” she called out.

Soul, the captain of this here vessel walked in carrying a crate of his own. No mule necessary. “Show off,” she muttered, prompting a smile from the man.

“It’s for a good cause,” he answered. “You know that.”

“Helping folk that can’t help themselves,” Serenity acknowledges, her focus on unloading the boxes. “So where’s this one off to?”

When there’s no answer, she stops and looks up.

Soul has a smile on his face and is looking outside the ship.

“Daydream believer,” she calls out to him, before stepping out and following his gaze to the outdoors. There, standing in the shadow of the Firefly class vessel is a young man, smartly dressed and looking just ever-so-slightly lost.

“Needy,” Soul says, warmly welcoming him. “I’m glad you could make it.”

Soul walks down the walkway and greets the companion, holding his hands out.

Needy takes the man’s strong hand in his own and shakes it.

“Don’t particularly know what I’m doing here,” he says.

Needy looks up and catches sight of Serenity, although the sunlight is hiding her features. The silhouette of her wings is enough to take him back.

“Who’s that?” he asks, a little fearful.

“This here is Serenity,” Soul introduces, as the woman walks out of the ship and into the light.

The woman is dressed in work wear, her face is dusty and there’s no make-up covering up any blemishes. And she looks absolutely stunning.

Needy holds out his hand.

“You’re a companion and your name is Needy?” she says with a knowing smile, holding out her hand too.

“I know,” he says, raising a smile for the first time.

Then, spotting the necklace hanging from her neck, he says, “Nice Wren.”

“I’m sorry?” she asks.

“Your chain,” he says, reaching out but holding back from presumptuously touching the jewelry. “It’s a wren, right?”

“Oh” she says, taking the chain in her hand and examining the pendant. “It’s a bird, I dunno. It was a gift,” she admitted.

“It’s one of the birds of legend. From Earth-that-was,” Needy said, then with a hint of sadness. “Not every animal survived the journey.”

“Needy here has a bit of a fascination with the legends,” Soul said.

“Not exactly,” he admitted. “Just appreciate beautiful things.”

“Wow,” Serenity says with a laugh, looking to Soul she asked, “You hired a charmer? You think that will help us get work?”

Needy grew shy. He’d said the wrong thing, again.

“No,” Soul said. “Needy is just like us, looking for a place.”

“Okaaay,” she says, eyeing the companion. “But I ain’t one to be charmed. I’ve got my eye on you.”

Needy nodded, accepting the warm welcome from the woman.

“She don’t bite…” Soul says as Serenity heads on back into the ship. “Still, I wouldn’t push it.” He said with a smile, before asking Needy to move one of the crates.

Destiny. The name of the ship was called Destiny. Needy shook his head in disbelief, he couldn’t believe this was his life now. And yet, for the first time in a long time, Needy felt like he’d found home.

--

Boros Companion House,

Now

“Why do you need to know about Serenity? My little Wren's not in trouble is she?” Needy asks as worry flashes across his handsome features. Still quite young, his slight frame clothed immaculately without being too formal. And yet despite all this, he still managed to look slightly tousled.

“So then you do know her?” Jack asks, shifting uncomfortably on his cushion. The group are in the parlor of the local Companion house, all seated on lush red and gold oversized cushions.

“Yes,” Needy began, wondering how much he should tell the group. “I got to know her quite well... during her stay on Boros. We became close.”

Bride 7 snorts, “I’m sure you did, boy-whore, I’m sure you did.”

Needy ought to have been offended, but he took it as the jest the woman intended. “No, no, no, clearly you misunderstand me. Not that I didn’t try mind you … but if that were the case, it wouldn’t be a subject open to discussion.” The young man was all too aware of the danger of sharing too much, particularly when it came to his work. He continued, “I showed her around town and such. She didn’t know anybody and this can be a rough town as Mr. Citizen can attest.”

Citizen, startled out of his enjoyment of the biscuits and tea, looks up. “Hunh? Wha?”

Not waiting for Citizens input, Needy forges on, “Is Serenity in trouble? It’s not often Mr. Citizen brings company, let alone such an eclectic group as yourselves and I must say it has me more than a little worried.”

“As far as I know, she’s safe on a ship called the Sereni-Tree. It’s got a good crew that’ll keep her safe…” Safe is interrupted by Needy’s laugh.

“Serenity needs protecting?? That’s funny. Have you seen the Katanas she wears? She knows how to use them.” Needy says.

“How does an agriculturalist come to be familiar with the use of Katanas?” Safe says, clearly annoyed with the companions mirth at his expense.

The group seemed to be hanging on Needy’s every word, so he continued, but he was careful to only tell them what was necessary. He didn’t want Serenity landing in any more trouble, not to mention the fact that his own position in the House could be jeopardised if he revealed everything.

“Agriculturalists work can take them to some backwater planets to help with terra-forming and such. A planet being terra-formed is not inhabited at first by the "cream of the crop" so to speak. The work often requires hard labour at low wages; hence hard, desperate men and women are the initial inhabitants. One learns quickly how to take care of oneself or they don’t last long. Lots of places for one to “disappear” on a planet being terra-formed.”

Safe nods. “What about this scar man?”

“I’m sorry,” Needy replies.

Safe goes onto relate their encounter with the thug with the notable marking. “The reason I’m askin’ is, he’s drawing a lot of… unwanted attention my way and I’m curious as to why.”

“That’s who he is,” Needy explains. “Heinz, or Scar man as you refer to him, is the local muscle for the criminal element on Boros. That being said, he feels he is owed certain “comforts” because of his position. He near beat one of the girls to death because he felt she overcharged him.” Needy paused taking a drink of his tea.

“When Serenity arrived, it created quite a stir. She doesn’t exactly blend in. Heinz mistook her time with me as an indication that she was a novice in our house. He tried to force himself on her. She killed his two henchmen and gave him the scar for his troubles. Since then he’s had it in for me and this House…”

Needy is interrupted by a call to his personal communicator.

The voice belonged to Milton Reeve, Needy’s assistant and companion in training. The boy was young and ill-prepared for the situation that he now found himself in. "There's a stranger at the front gate with Drusina,” he said. “She's in a bad way. He says that she was being attacked by thugs in town. She told him to bring her here before she lost consciousness."

“Let him in,” Needy said. He looked at the group and wondered if they had something to do with it, but he kept his thoughts to himself for the time being.

--

A burly man walked through with the main gates of the companion house with a unconscious companion across his shoulders in a fireman's carry.

"Call your security,” he announced as he walked into the entrance. “Lock and barricade the gates there appears to be some unpleasant group of people nearby, I think one of them has a bullhorn and the don't look to be human rights protesters.”

Milton looked at his fellow companions in the foyer, panic etched on his face. Unfazed, the newcomer took the lead, “Where is your infirmary, clinic or whatever it is that you call it?"

Milton takes a moment to let the fear in and then remembers his training. Drawing deep from within himself, he finds his voice and announces to the stranger, “Across the way to the other building. I’ll take you.”

The man nods his head, as he carries the injured woman to the healer’s house, “Lead the way.”

--

Back in the main house, Needy stares at his tea and then calmly places it on the table beside him. “You know anyth…” Needy started before being interrupted again. This time, from a loud speaker coming from beyond the gates to the house.

“Captain Seth Franklin”, the voice boomed. “Alias Safe, I know you are in there. Please come out quietly. You wouldn’t want anymore of your... acquaintances... to be hurt now would you?”

Safe peeks out the window. A man in a gray suit and dark glasses stands flanked by Alliance soldiers.

The man in the gray suit notices that he has the attention of the occupants of the house as faces start to appear in the windows. He raises the bull horn again.

“Captain, I had hoped we could deal like gentlemen. I even brought a guest.”

The Alliance soldiers part and Heinz, the scar man, steps forward, a nasty smile on his face and a chain, tied to something still hidden by the soldiers, in his hand. Heinz jerks the chain and a man, shackled hand and foot, stumbles forward.

Lieutenant Neilson... Safe’s man... The one he’d come to Boros for.

“I do believe this man is the last of your squad” The man in the gray suit pauses and counts on his fingers. “Excuse me, I seem to be mistaken. This is the second to last man. The last being Lieutenant Jack Cooper and I see you’ve been kind enough to bring him along. We’ll deal with him in due time."

--

Approximately 60 metres away and to the left of the formation of soldiers, the large man that had rescued Drusina watches from the doorway of the healer’s house

"I guess they didn't get the gates locked in time." He thinks to himself.

“Still…”

The man known to his comrades as Scorpion analyses the situation laid out before him.

This small army had made an error in overconfidence and failed to surround the house, or even spread out his men into a partial perimeter. The whole operation was based on the strength of his hostage.

Scorpion moves slowly and smoothly from a standing position to a crouch and then completely prone on the porch. He sets his rifle up on its bipod and then extracts from his shoulder bag a Very Pistol flare gun and sets it down within easy reach. Next, he considers his various targets.

"First the suit, then babyface, then the sergeant,” he says to himself. “Then whoever’s smart enough to be shooting back at me. Headshots, at this range easy.” He smirks to himself. “First, let's hear this guy flap a little more."

--

The man in the gray suit continues his demands. “Now if you’ll be so kind as to surrender yourself, I can be off this backwater planet. As I said before; no need for you to cause any more unnecessary... deaths.”

"Time to make contact" Scorpion thinks to himself as he sets down his rifle for one moment and points a hooded flashlight at the window of the main house and begins to signal the people inside.

"Does anyone still know morse code these days? Companions are trained in all sorts of things. It's worth a try." He wonders.

Message as follows:

"Hello, hello, hello. I do not believe you are surrounded. Check to see if there is any one to the rear or on your flanks. If not attack them from your left at the corner of the house. We have a crossfire. I have killshot on the suit. Draw the blinds on two windows to acknowledge."

Scorpion waits ten seconds after ending his message for acknowledgement. He will repeat again if there is no acknowledgement, if the situation with the suit and his hostage hasn't come to a head.

--

From inside the Companion House on Boros, Bobbie runs up next to Safe and looks out the window at the hostage situation.

"Oh, look! That guy has a scar on his face. Is that anything like the scar guy you told us..."

Bobbie slows and stops talking when she sees Safe's face. Grimly, Bobbie readies her pair of Desert Eagles, and stares out the window, standing next to Safe. "Got a plan?"

Citizen looked out at the Alliance troops. "You didn't happen to bring that rocket launcher I told you not to bring did you?"

Bobbie glances at Citizen. "It'd sure be nice if we had a rocket launcher now, don't you think?"

Just then Reed the house attendant bursts into the room, surprised to see so many new faces surrounding Needy.

Startled, he plucks up the courage to say what he needed to say.

“Drusina has been taken to the house, Milton is with her.” Then, sidling up to Needy he asks, “Who are these people?”

Needy can only shake his head response.

In the background, Bobbie says “Hey some rude guy in that alley over there is shining a light in my eyes. Maybe we should close a few blinds...”

Safe closes his eyes and tries to concentrate over the noise.

Reed notices him and clocks him as the leader of this group. Cautiously approaching him, he starts. “All he wants to do is talk. Why aren’t you talking to him? He’ll let us go if you just talk…”

The attendant’s words trail off as he stares down the barrels of Safe & Jack guns.

“Listen closely; I’m only going to say this once.” Safe starts in a low deadly voice. “If I go out there that man will take me away then he will kill everyone in this house including those poor saps.” Safe says nodding his head towards the Alliance soldiers outside. “I won’t get off so easy. He’ll take a year to kill me. So the next person what voices the same suggestion, I will save the gray suit some time and kill you myself. At least my way will be faster.”

Surprisingly, Citizen nods his head in agreement. Safe looks at him with new respect. This man is more seasoned than he lets on.

“Jack what have you got?”

“We're surrounded Safe,” his partner answers.

Safe takes this in and then addresses the young woman Bobbie, “And what’s with the guy with the light?” Safe says peeking out of the window where Bobbie had directed him. “Is he Alliance? Keep an eye on him. If he’s a friendly, signal him to stand down. Too many lives at risk right now. ”

“Citizen, you and Needy see if you can find a connection to your tunnels from here and start gettin’ people outta here.”

Safe's train of thought is broken by the bull horn:

“Captain, I’m getting tired of this game. I didn’t want to resort to such base methods as threatening to kill Lieutenant Neilson here, but you’ve left me no other option. Apparently the lives of your squad and the people in that house mean nothing to you.” The gray suit nods to the Scar man.

With an evil grin, Scar man draws his guns and shoots Neilson in the leg, dropping him to the ground.

“AAAGGH!! Captain!! Don’t you give in! Ain’t nuthin’ what you did was wrong!” Neilson screams “Any one of us woulda done the same had we the same guts you have.”

BOOM. Scar man shoots the other leg.

“AAAGHH! Captain… You’ll tell my family the truth…”

BOOM….

The silence that follows dissolves Safe’s formerly steely demeanour. Old doubts suppressed for years rush to the surface threatening to drown him. He slumps to the floor. With the gunshot still echoing in his ears he looks up. The grief on his face is painful to see. He watches as the room around him moves in slow motion.

Bobbie's hands fly up covering her mouth in shock, Jack screams “NO” but the gunshot echoing in Safe’s ears drown out all the sounds. Citizen tackles Jack as he heads for the door.

Needy pauses as he ushers the last of his people through the hallway to the secret passage, a look of horror etched on his ashen face.

"His time'll come, and it'll last, just not yet." Citizen says as he reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a small device. "Well they're not much, but they'll slow them down." He mutters as he presses a small red button on the remotes face.

The air outside was filled with the sound of screaming monkeys and gun fire.

"So." Citizen says turning to Safe, still crouched on the floor. "Do we stay and fight, or..?"

--

With Heinz’s last gunshot still fresh in the air, three Alliance soldiers step forward. One hands the man in the Gray Suit a two-foot-long rod, and the other two get to removing Neilson's body.

Meanwhile, two buildings down from the Companion House, Scorpion watches as the events unfold.

Not sure exactly what's going on, he's torn as to whether he should act or not. His indecision last only long enough for the last gunshot's echo to fade.

“Screw it! Proper authorities don't gun down already bound and captured prisoners” He thinks as he squints into his scope, aiming at what appears to be the senior officer. “Who sends a suit on a grunt mission?”

Scorpion squeezes the trigger in rapid succession, moving from one target to the next quickly.

Shots ring out and the three soldiers drop, dead before they hit the ground.

From his position, all of his marks looked to be down for the count: the man in the suit BOOM ; babyface BOOM, the sergeant BOOM, the troops… one falling after the other.

"I hope it was worth it." He says as he raises to a crouch and sprints down the alley between the two buildings. But, in the heat of the moment Scorpion forgot the first rule of a sniper... make sure your mark goes down.

Robbing the gunman of his intended target, the man in Gray dropped to one knee as Heinz signalled soldiers in the direction of the gunshots. Gray Suit raises the rod and strikes it on the ground.

Around the Companion House, as if on cue, three more identical rods, wielded by men in identical gray suits, strike the ground.

The top 5 inches on the rods shoots straight up, the sides folding out creating four blades which begin to spin like a helicopter holding the units aloft.

A deep hum fills the air, more felt than heard.

Bobbie is a little flustered, confused about what was going on. She grips her pistols tightly, and looks up at Safe.

"Should we be going now? Or... uh... do you have another plan?"

Bride7 grabs the indecisive Bobbie's shoulder. "Look, I have a plan! Let's get the hell out of here!"

Bobbie brushes her off. "No, no, no, NO!. Not without Mister Safe, Mister Jack, and Mister Citizen!"

"Suit yourself!" Bride7 shrugs before diving into the entrance to the tunnels below.

--

--

The Spacecraft Sereni-Tree,

Somewhere in Deep Space:

Alone in his office, TheRealMe concentrates. A spot of light appears before him, and it expands into a tiny circle of fire surrounding a dark void, only about a handspan across. Through the portal can be heard faint sounds of gunfire. Then some familiar voices:

“No, no, no NO! Not without Mister Safe, Mister Jack, and Mister Citizen!”

"Suit yourself!"

Then the portal collapses.

“Huh! That was Bobbie and Bride7. I still can’t open much of a portal to them. It sounds like they are in trouble! But did Bobbie mention Safe and Jack? Are they all together?”

TheRealMe picks up his com-link to see if Safe or Jack left some clue as to their intended destination in the Sereni-Tree’s computer records when they departed in the General Grant.

COMPUTER...

Access General Grant On Board Navigational Computer records...

ACCESSING PLEASE WAIT...

ACCESSING...

CURRENT CONNECTION UNAVALIABLE AT THIS TIME...

Access General Grant O.B.N.C.'s last recorded information...

ACCESSING PLEASE WAIT...

ACCESSING...

LAST INPUTED DESTINATION, PLANET BOROS, CENTRAL SPACE TERMINAL...

CONNECT TO BOROS SPACE TERMINAL FOR CONFIRMATION?(Y/N)...

Never wanting to give too much information to potential enemies (or a trail for them to follow), TheRealMe enters "N".

TheRealMe goes to the Bridge and sits in one of the control stations. He configures it for navigation, and appropriate displays and control surfaces start appearing on the panel before him. He touches one of these controls, and a three-dimensional star-chart appears in his view, rotating slowly, space lanes marks in colors indicating the amount of traffic on each route.

TheRealMe begins plotting a course for Boros, but not a direct, obvious course. Something a bit unexpected. Tricky.

--

--

--

Dazed, the events of the last few minutes flash back through Safe’s mind as his brain catches up with what just happened. He relives it like an out-of-body experience, watching himself as the chaos unfolds

Safe looks at Citizen lying on the floor holding Jack down, he seems to be saying something to him. Safe looks up. Bobbie & Bride7 look to be arguing.

Gunshots and a commotion outside bring the real world rushing back. Safe looks out the window in time to see an Alliance soldier in front of the Gray suit, drop to the ground, a large hole in his head. The Gray suit calmly wipes the blood off his face and drops to one knee hitting a rod on the ground. A squad of soldier takes off at a run, headed to a house down the street, the origin of the gunshots? Safe wonders if it’s the guy signalling them from before.

Safe rubs his eyes. A low hum fills the air and a pressure builds in his ears. The scene outside slows to a crawl. Monkeys suspended in the air, bullets, now visible, leave a path of disturbed air back to their origins. It’s like the whole scene is suspended in clear gelatin.

“OH SH...!!” Safe regains his sense of self and turns to his people. "Sonic mines!!”

The man in gray stands, seemingly unaffected, adjusts his glasses and replaces his blue gloves with clean ones and starts towards the house.

“Move!! Into the tunnel!!” Safe orders

Citizen and Bobbie look at Safe puzzled. Bride7 was already gone.

“What are you talking about?? It should be like shooting fish in a ba….”

That’s when they realize the effect was not localized outside. The house offered some protection but wouldn't shield them from the effects of the mine much longer.

Bobbie shakes her head and yawns trying to relieve the pressure in her ears. Citizen backs towards the tunnels, guns drawn as he warily eyes the windows.

Bobbie raises her guns, confused as to why they suddenly seem heavier. All trace of the flirting bubbly persona gone, replaced by a steely continence. She takes aim at the man in gray, now flanked by Alliance soldiers dressed in weird helmets and body armor.

Why are these soldiers unaffected when the other soldiers continue to fight a slow-motion battle? No time for that now, she squeezes the triggers.

Both guns buck and the bullets speed for their mark. While not so slow as to leave trials like outside, they move almost visible. Upon hitting the glass of the window, the window, instead of shattering, bulges. When the glass final breaks the glittering pieces float in the air and the bullets slow further, now showing a trail through the air.

The man in gray watches the bullets as they float towards his head, a smirk on his face. He casually steps to the side and watches the bullets creep past.

"Okay let’s go, now!" Citizen shouts as the grey suit makes for the door of the house.

As they scramble into the tunnel Citizen unhooks a grenade from his belt and rolls it toward the front door. "Something to remember me by." He mutters as he pulls the door shut and the percussion of the grenade rings in their ears. Citizen jams the door to the tunnels shut, while setting a few more grenades around the door so they’ll go off when the door opens.

The four of them head off down the tunnels before Citizen’s comm begins beeping. He pulls it out and answered it as they continued down the tunnel network.

“Now’s not a good time.” He says with some understatement. The com buzzes for a few seconds. “Well, you can deal with… they want to deal direct… have what…” Citizen looks at the other three. “Okay I may be able to do something, tell him to meet me at the old town hall in thirty minutes.”

Safe shoots Citizen a ‘what-do-you-think-you’re-doing?’ look on his face.

“Relax, I’ve got someone who seems to want things on or off this rock, quite like.” He pushed the com back into his jacket. “If it pans out this we could use this to at least get out of here.”

“And if it doesn’t pan out?”

“Well, the way I see it, it’s either legit, or a trap. If it’s a trap we’ll shoot who ever turns up. We’ll be there in a moment, plenty of time to set up.”

- -

Across town, Scorpion taps on the window of a taxi.

"You on duty?"

"Hop in."

Scorpion climbs in. The cab pulls away from the curb.

"Where to?"

"The Stadium. There's an extra thirty in in for you if we can get out of the neighbourhood fast, There's a jealous husband not far behind me."

"Easy Money!"

The cab accelerates to a crisp speed.

Scorpion eyes the hack's license.

"Tell me Wally, is it true that cab driver's know where to find everything?"

Wally gives his fare the once over in the mirror.

"It's possible to find almost anything for the right price, hypothetically speaking."

"Well consider me a investor in your children’s college fund then." Scorpion holds up a diamond the size of grapefruit in his left hand. "This is the object that will pay for the deal that you will help set up." Scorpion then presses a lump of plastic explosive the size of a tennis ball onto the safety screen between the front and rear seats. "This is the bomb that will kill you if you decide to rip me off or double cross me." Scorpion holds up a fat wad of cash. "Here's your finder’s fee from my end, what you get from the otherside is none of my concern as long as it doesn't come back to bother me."

Wally begins to sweat heavily. "What do you want."

"You have connections at the space port. I want to meet the guy who gets stuff in and gets things out. The direct source, no middlemen, after all that would cut into your share. Go ahead and call him first. I know how jumpy these sort of people can be when visitors show up without an appointment."

- -

With the explosion still ringing in his ears, Safe breaks into a run with the others, falling into stride alongside Bobbie. She holsters her pistol as she scrambles to keep up with everyone else.

"Uh, what was that back there?" Bobbie's lip quivers, tears welling in her eyes. "I had that guy in my sights. Should have popped him good, but... and the window, how did..."

“That... was a “sonic mine” used to capture some of the more elusive targets. It has something to do with very low frequency sound and electrical current. Slows the target down, makes ‘em easy to capture if they can’t run away.” Safe says, a look on his face like he had a bad taste in his mouth.

“The Blue Sun Corporation funded the Alliance in the research. They found that it not only affects the body's electrical system but somehow the very air within a radius of the mine.”

Bobbie look worriedly back the way they came. “How come the man in the grey suit wasn’t affected?”

“That I don’t rightly know...”

Safe slows as they approach the hatch to Flechette’s restaurant. Was that worry he felt? How could he worry about someone he barely knew? It went against all his military training.

As if responding to his thoughts, the hatch opens. But it wasn't the person he was hoping it would be.

Needy looks down and holds out his hand.

Safe grabs it, and is helped up out of the tunnel. When he releases Needy’s hand he realises it wasn’t just a helpful gesture. In his hand is a small piece of paper.

“I wasn’t sure I could tell you,” Needy begins. “In my line of work, you might say it goes against all my training. But I’ve learnt over the years things aren’t so black and white.”

Safe examines the piece of paper. A name and a location.

Needy continues. “A client of the house has a hanger. In it is his private collection of shuttles and fighters. The Alliance made him mothball the fighters and turn all armaments over to them, but the shuttles should be operational.”

Safe nods.

“I should’ve realised straight away,” Needy says. “A friend of Serenity is someone you can trust.”

Safe understands now. This companion was more than just an acquaintance of Serenity. Like her, he was fighting the good fight whatever way he could. But it was dangerous. Needy might have been able to handle himself, but the others with him were civilians. And Safe couldn’t have any more blood on his hands.

Safe looks at the paper and back at Needy. “Thank you. But you can’t stay here. Take Flechette, Amy and the book store lady and go wait for us at that hanger.” Safe looks down the tunnel at Citizen. “We have a bit of business... We’ll meet you there.”

--

After closing the hatch, Needy rises to his feet and looks back at the three women behind him. A long time ago he’d decided that he couldn’t bury his head in the sand anymore. He would use his connections to help those in need. And he’d do so discreetly.

But discretion was out of the window now.

Serenity’s soldier friend was not asking him to help, he was asking him to lead.

It was a hell of a responsibility, and not one Needy felt that comfortable with. Nevertheless, these were desperate times, and even though Needy never considered himself leader material, now was as good as time as any to try ones best.

"You heard the man," Needy addresses them.

"Actually, I didn’t" Amy replies as Needy shoots her a glare "I’ve not got super-hearing you know"

Not the best start, Needy thinks to himself

"We’ve got to go" he reaffirms.

"Why?" Flechette challenges

"It isn’t safe to stay here…" he begins to explain before Ami interrupts

"What… we gotta leave now?"

"The sooner the better.” he replies. “Alliance will be swarming the place in no time… "

"…and they won’t like that we’ve helped out some rebels" Versa adds

"Precisely."

Versa proves to be on Needy’s side in this, whilst Ami seems apprehensive and Flechette downright opposed

"You expect me to leave my restaurant? All that I’ve built up over the years… just abandon it?"

"Listen," Needy says abruptly, before calming himself. “You knew this would happen eventually, we all did. We’ve seen it time and time again.”

Needy knew it wasn’t the kindest way of putting things over, but time was of the essence. And it was true, every one of them had seen businesses shut down, people run off world, or worse, because of their affiliations. Flechette herself had had a few close calls with the Alliance. It had only been a matter of time before they took action.

"I don’t like it anymore than you. I’ve spent the last six months trying to rebuild my own reputation and now it looks like I’m going to throw it all away. But I’m not being hyperbolic when I say this is life and death here. If you fancy sticking around and taking your chance against the Alliance then by all means, stay. But I’m getting us out of here"

Flechette reluctantly accepts it.

Next Needy turns to Ami, "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, I guess" she replies quietly

Versa is already by Needy’s side by the time Amy moves towards him. Needy looks at Flechette, giving her one last chance to make up her mind.

When she doesn’t reply, Needy encourages the two ladies to leave with him through the front door of the restaurant

"Stop" Flechette interrupts

Needy turns back annoyed.

“It’s not safe,” she admits. Gesturing towards the back of the building she tells them, “this way.”

Reaching into the inside pocket of her jacket Flechette reveals a ID card which she quickly swipes through the panel, unlocking the backdoor.

Needy steps up to lead the way but Flechette puts her hand on his arm, halting him. “It’s my restaurant.”

Needy looks puzzled, unsure of her point.

“If there are Alliance soldiers out there and you show your face, what do you think they’re going to do?”

“Ask for my rates?” he volunteers.

She smiles. Always ready with a joke, even at times likes these. “This is my restaurant, and they won’t bat an eyelid if they see me leaving. You know it makes sense.”

Needy nods. He hates it. If there were soldiers out there, he wouldn’t be surprised if they shot first and asked questions later. But she was right, it was the smarter choice. Sighing, he lets her take the lead.

After opening the door and stepping out, its only a matter of seconds before Flechette returns.

"It's all clear"

"You sure?" Needy asks

"I said it's clear"

"Ok."

As Flechette steps back outside, Needy looks back and tells Amy and Versa to "stay close to me"

Standing at the back of the building, Needy looks around to gather his bearings.

"Right, you see that alley down there" he starts, pointing across the road towards the space between two blocks of homes "that's the direction we'll be taking."

He expects Flechette to jump in with another objection but fortunately there is none to be heard, but she instead listens in along with the others

"Ok then... let's go." he orders them, taking the lead finally as he starts to run over to the intended target.