"Shuh Muh?" Asher's timid question hangs in the air.

Slowly spinning his chopsticks a quarter deep in his noodles, Wyatt uses the methodical action to consider what the Colonel has revealed. He has no interest in getting involved in a local turf war—even less on this mudball. However, the thought of ruining a Purple Belly's day is tickling his fancy. Of course, he can't let her know that he's even thinking along those lines, and he severely doubts that she's going to just let off her interest in them even after their pleasantries. That means that he needs to play it ku. There's just one problem with that. She mentioned ghosts.

Lifting a slightly too large ball of tangled noodles from his white, ceramic bowl Captain Sung shakes the broth from the dangling ends. Ghosts are bad luck no matter how you look at it. If you're a little more inclined to the cynical, but still a bit twitchy—like Sam—the mention of ghosts means nothing more than some shady se duhng snatching the unwary for whatever nefarious purposes as holds their black little hearts. Sung, being less inclined to the cynical and more inclined to the superstitious, just plain doesn't like the concept of ghosts of any kind.

"An' what's yer take on this kind o' talk, Colonel?" Wyatt looks at her from beneath his raised brow and places the noodles in his mouth finishing the stragglers off with a quick slurp. The fact that his question momentarily diverts the conversation from the Alliance Officer's request to keep her informed of Morningstar's activities is nothing more than an added perk. Wyatt Sung really wants some clarification into whether or not there are undead spirits haunting Serenity Valley.

Things never do go smoothly do they?

Captain Wyatt Sung looked down at the man before him while pulling the hammer back on his service revolver and wondered if he would shoot this man between the eyes and do the verse a favour.

Virgil Morningstar, self styled mayor of Serenity Views, lay on the muddy ground, his right kneecap shattered by Wyatt's bullet, his white suit covered in dirt, mud and blood. His right hand mangled as the Captain shot the gun Virgil that had been carrying, shattering it to pieces. This man, no - man was the wrong word, this piece of gosa had been conning helpless people into giving away their rights and becoming slaves to wealthy landowners through the verse. Men, Women, Mothers, children, all bought, sold and loaded into a cargo crate with medical chambers that kept asleep and helpless until they arrived like package goods.

This was a simple job. All you were here for was to bury Captain Havelock among the men fallen in Serenity valley. He had come abroad your ship as a rescued passenger, drunk and oblivious to the chaos around him. But when things went south and you were facing overwhelming odds, he stood by the crew and gave his life in your defence. Now, you had the paperwork, you had the approval from the alliance but then things , never go smoothly.

Started with a tale of waiting for landmines and ordinance to be cleared from the spot where the 42nd was buried. Then there was a shifty sorta Shepherd named Carson and a young Colonel Sally Wu who wanted you to either work for her of at least be useful to her. Then there was talk of ghosts and people disappearing.

There was a Beowulf class cargo hauler next to you With a three person crew, Captain Justin Case, the Mechanic named Chewie and the ugliest, drunkest, Cursing-est PR person you ever met, a woman named Billie Rudd. They seemed to be waiting on something and tension was clear but they kept to their own.

Jade and Wolf made acquaintances with a Doc Green and Reverend Jim who were trying to get to the bottom of things when a group of tradesmen claiming to be doing charity work came around but got into a fight with them.

Then there was an attempt of Sally Wu's life in the noodle house you were in, that involved a bomb under a silver serving tray. Had it not been for Asher noticing something strange about a server and a wire barely noticeably sticking out from under the dish, there would have been more than peking duck killed that night.

Wolf went to a local bar in the evening with the crew of the Beowulf. Over the course of a number of drinks, the lady gunfighter of the Beowulf let slip that Morningstar had something on their Captain and they were waiting around to haul cargo.

Jade and Willow found out that most of the people disappearing were from Phoenix Heights, the home of the displaced survivors of Serenity Valley. Also missing was anyone who asked too many questions about missing people including the missing Companion Jennifer Lim, for whom Willow had been asked to keep an eye out.

Wyatt decided to have a Captain to captain talk with Justine, which became quite heated on Case's side. So much so that Case drew his gun on the Captain. Yet Wyatt kept his cool and something made him stand up and not draw back - something in the other man's voice. Then it all came out. Morningstar was holding his daughter as a hostage to make him haul human cargo.

Wyatt had heard enough and decided it was time to act. He called Wu and made arrangements to meet in secret with her, The Doc and Reverend Jim. He got Willow to contact Javelin of the guild and worked out a plan. However, in doing so, he made a deal with Wu - a particular deal meant to get his own family home again.

The next day, you got the word from Morningstar that the site was ready. You took the body into the valley and had a small ceremony for the fallen Havelock. Morningstar had his men dig the grave ahead of time and even made a marker stone. Wyatt said a brief eulogy, all the while watching around him. There were twice as many "diggers" as there were crew members standing around - like Virgil was expecting trouble. However, none was given and once you finished the funeral, you thanked the Mayor for his work and then loaded up to return to Rocinante. Within hours, the ship took off for the Black.

Three das later, Captain Case got the call he'd been waiting for, in the dead of night, moved his ship into the valley, and landed at the designated pickup up point. Morningstar was there with his men. The hidden doors to the bunker they were using were open and three large containment bins awaiting pickup.

Then all hell broke loose on Morningstar.

Wyatt and Wolf had stayed abroad the Beowulf. Asher was riding high atop the cockpit with the sniper rifle ready and a number of handy grenades just right for the occasion. Rocinante came back into atmo leading three ships of the Companion Guild Security to the drop point.

There was a brief fight but Virgil went down fast and his men were not interested in dying for his service. Virgil Morningstar, self styled mayor of Serenity Views, lay on the muddy ground.

"You got it all wrong!" he proclaimed, "This is all legal! I ain't done nothing wrong. When we sold the land for the builders and developers, in was conditional on relocating them sort in the Heights. Carson came up with the plan. I just supplied the men and the money! We were giving them a better life! Most of them signed up for a sandwich! A Sandwich! We were gonna take them where they'd fed and a place to stay. Everyone signed willing, no gun was put to their heads."

Colonel Sally Wu came up beside Wyatt, "You are correct Mr. Morningstar, despite the fact that what you were doing was deplorable and disgusting, and it is indeed completely legal."

"See! Now arrest them!" Virgil shouted.

"But kidnapping a registered companion, well that falls under the Companion Guild Law, And Mr. Javelin over there has complete jurisdiction as to your fate."

"Mr. Morningstar, " Javelin nodded as he and Willow were busy freeing the people from the suspended animation state the containers held them in, "We need to have a very long talk. Have you ever seen anyone sucked out of an airlock? It is not pretty."

The Mayor's eye went real wide and he swivelled his head back to Wu, "It was all Carson! He was the mastermind! I will testify against him! He ain't who he says he is! He an alliance deserter!"

Wyatt kept his gun steady but keyed his comm set, "Doc? Reverend? You got the Shepherd?"

"Oh yes we do." Reverend Jim replied, " He took a couple of rounds of rock salt to the rear when he tried to run from the Doc, but he'll live. Tell Captain Case that we have his daughter safe and sound too."

"Enough then," Wu said dismissively, "Virgil Morningstar, you can be bound by law by me or take your chances with the Guild."

"I surrender to you Colonel."

Wu stepped forward towards the prisoner but stopped suddenly as she realized that Wyatt had not lowered his gun. Her eyes went wide for a moment, "Captain? He is no good to me dead."

Captain Sung waited a few seconds and then replied, "We had a deal."

"Yes yes yes. The paperwork ,."

"I get the paperwork, you get your man."

The colonel stared at Wyatt for a moment and then at his steady gun-hand. "Very well." She replied curtly and waved to one of her bodyguards who brought her a document holder. She held it up to Wyatt, "As promised, one full pardon for Morgan Trent, aka Samuel Dash. A record of expungement of his file. But I am sure you knew this because as soon as we accessed his file, something deleted the entire record for us."

Wyatt shook his head, "Don't know nuthin' about that." He lowered his gun and took the documents.

Wu shrugged, "Must have been fairies then because we could not trace it."

"Captain Sung." Javelin said, "In order to thank you for the aid you gave the guild in finding one of our members, we have a present for you. Willow told us what you wanted and, well the alliance may not be able to find him but we found a way." He pointed to an Arrowhead courier ship nearby as the cargo bay doors were opening. Coming down the gangway, in a pink frilly housecoat barely long enough for modesty was Sam Dash. He was squinting in the light, holding a similar document to what Wyatt had and had two beautiful ladies behind him, dressed in business suits.

Wyatt walked slowly towards Sam as if he could hardly believe his eyes, stepping on Morningstar injured hand as he did. For the first time in a long while, the Captain smiled.

From his hid'n place above the cockpit of the Beowulf Asher watched things play out through his sniper's scope.

When things seemed to be calmed down and com'in to an end the kid could see Wyatt's cold draw still the steady the man in white what was lay'in all defeated like and bloody on the ground..... That little Colonel lady seemed to not quite be pleased at that. See'in her wave to one of folk she got some kind of papers and handed them the Captain.

Then the fella what was with Willow and the Guild folk pointed to an Arrowhead courier ship nearby and the cargo bay doors were opening.

Coming down the gangway, in a pink frilly housecoat barely long enough for modesty was Sam Dash. He was squinting in the light, and had two beautiful ladies behind him, dressed in business suits.

The kid nearly choked as a rush of memories came flooding back.

=========================

Storming out of his room and headed for Sam's he shouted, "SAM DASH you Feh Feh Pi Goh!" (Baboon's ass crack)

"Ghuh-Ghuh, (Big brother )I'm gonna get my stuff back."

He jerked to stop when hear the Capt'n's voice over the intercom.

"This is your captain,,.. Sam Dash has tendered his resignation and will no longer be flying with us. It was a difficult decision for him, an' he wishes all of you his best. He had some fond nonsense t' pass on t' each of ya; which if yer so inclined t' hear I'll share it with you in a more confidential setting later. ,.Meanwhile, this leaves us short a pilot and a job. So, git yer gear together an' git about yer day people. We got work t' do in order t' get back into the Black. I want to burn atmo as soon as possible."

Ash backed to wall and slid down to sit in the corridor....

Sam had been like his older brothers, teasing and tormenting, but always there when it counted. Now he was gone. Well, he'd left too, he should have known it would never be the same.

Hanging his head all he could say was, "Aw Sam,,,,"

===============================

Asher sat up on the hull and laid the rifle across his lap.

From way up there no one could see the tear that formed in the kid's eye. Beaming a broad goofy grin he could only say, "Aw...Sam".

Pinedale, Jiangyin - A little more than a two weeks ago.
Two years.

For two years, Sam Dash had managed to fly under the scanners by playing ranch-hand on Jiangyin. In all that time, the one-time pilot of Rocinante had seen neither hide nor hair of the Alliance, let alone anyone else as Phoenix might've sent on the hunt of his head. It'd been a right peaceable existence, mind-numbing, boring as hell, peaceable, right up until the time he actually went into town and, like a buhn dahn, got himself mixed up in a scrap between a couple of locals.

Sam and his crew had run a herd of cattle from the ranch into the town of Pinedale, that day, and, once they'd delivered the herd to the stockyard, one of the other drovers convinced him that stopping in at the local saloon for a beer or two was a good idea. They hadn't gotten halfway through the first of those beers when, all prior convincing aside, Sam came to realize that how w'rin bu lai, whai w'rin bu jwo,

There was a pretty little philly in Pinedale by the name of Sadie Memphis who had, as pretty little phillies do, drawn the eye of a couple of young colts (Jake Walsh and Henry Hawkins). Jake and Henry were already firing some pretty heated words at one another when Dash and crew jandered into the saloon, and the ‘conversation' between the boys only got fierier as the beers started to flow. Sadie was there, too, and, by the time Dash had come to a middle on his first draught, the girl had got plumb hysterical trying to cool the situation, and that's when things went sideways. Henry, in all his wild ruttin' youth, made the mistake of openly questioning Jake's character in public and, worse, in front of Sadie, So, of course, Jake got all red-eared and drew iron on the other youngster.

Like most of the rest of the saloon's patrons, Sam's attentions had been drawn to the scene and he'd found it mildly entertaining, right up until the gun came out. It was at that moment that two years of boredom and quiet got flipped upside down. With his last swallow of beer held in his mouth against the dryness that had just set it, Sam set his mug aside and turned to actually face the trio, thinking that he probably should do something in this situation, If Jake got too bunched up he was likely to bear down on that trigger, after all, and that wouldn't go smooth for Henry, or anyone else in the place for that matter. Sam forced the swallow of beer down his throat and started to rise from his seat.

"Hey, kid," Dash had started to say, "Why'nt ya holster that smoker an' take a walk. Ain't no gorram sense in puttin' a bullet to,"

He'd barely gotten to his feet when Sadie let out a little shriek and, at the same time, Henry lunged for Jake's weapon,

"Oh, son of a," That next quarter of a second was a blur. Sam charged forward, bulling Henry out of the way even as a hand clamped down on Jake's wrist and wrenched his arm around, The pistol barked, blowing a hole in the oak planking of the bar rather than poor Henry's brainpan, Sadie squealed louder than the gunshot, Henry wet his britches, and, when it was all over, Sam had snatched Jake's gun from his hand, set him on his pi guh with an uppercut, and stood over the younger man, daring him to move.

Later, Sam would figure that it was that incident - less than twenty minutes in the saloon and a thirty second ruckus - that washed away those two years of relative anonymity and set him up for what was to come. Pinedale's sheriff showed up at the saloon, took young Jake into custody, and, after questioning the staff and clientele, found himself duly enough impressed with the ranch-hand calling himself Sam Dash, that he offered the man a shot at a bounty for the apprehension of a gang of bandits that had been having themselves an impressive run in these parts of late. There had been a lead come up that ‘The Deadman Gang,' as they were known due to the newtech zombie masks they always wore, were holed up in a cave not far from Bill Jacobs' farm. As the sheriff was recovering from a broken leg and wasn't able to make the ride, much less go creeping around in a bunch of caves, so, impressed as he was with Dash's handling of the tussle in the saloon, he figured offering the bounty to Sam (and whatever crew he could round up) wasn't the worst way to go about finally apprehending the bungers.

The long and short of it is that, after some consideration, Dash decided he'd take the sheriff up on the offer. He gathered up a small crew, made for the Jacobs' farm, and didn't have too much trouble in rounding up the Deadman Gang as he'd more or less caught them sleeping in their underground hidey-hole. Dash and crew returned to Pinedale with the gang in tow and turned them over to the sheriff whom, in turn, handed over the bounty in the form of scrip that was redeemable at the local bank (if they didn't mind waiting around for twenty-four hours or so for the scrip to be converted to credits). So, there Sam was, at Katie's Kathouse, rather enjoying the newfound notoriety in the company of a girl named Jenny. Just as they were set to getting to grapple, Dash found himself bushwacked and apprehended by some goons who professed to be an "unofficial security team" for the Companions Guild, and, truth be told, Sam stood no chance of defending himself as, when they security team showed up, he was wearing nothing but his birthday suit and a smile. They didn't even bother letting him putting his clothes back on before they shuffled him off to a waiting Arrowhead courier ship.

Now - Location unclear
For the last seven days, Dash had been aboard the Arrowhead with Jenny and a another lovely lady named Amber. They had treated him like an honoured guest for the duration but, no matter how many times he asked or threatened, they refused to tell him where they were going or who had ferreted him out. They did tell him, each time he asked, that he had no need to worry, They didn't give him back his clothes, either, "Because it makes things simpler," they said.

So, after seven days of distraction and dalliances, the Arrowhead finally come around to touching down dirtside somewhere. Jenny showed up to his cabin, informed him that they had arrived at their destination, and, instead of returning his proper clothes, offers over a frilly, pink bathrobe that was a size or three too small. Once Sam was "dressed," Amber showed up with a smile and a pile of paperwork.

"What inna hell is this go suh," Sam asked warily, taking up the documents and starting to skim over the first page.

"That," Amber smiled, "is a full and complete pardon for any of the crimes you may have committed against the Alliance, Mr Trent,"

Twitchy started flooding back in that moment and Sam was all but sure he was going to have to fight his way off this ship in nothing but the frilly, too small housecoat. Jenny and Amber, though, continued to reassure him that he had nothing to fear and convinced him to read through the paperwork with them.

As it turned out, Jenny and Amber were lawyers for the Companion Guild and were currently representing his, as yet unnamed, benefactor. They told him that someone had made a deal with some Nien Mohn bigwigs and this true-as-the-sky pardon was the result.

",All you need to do," Amber continued, "is sign - here, here, and here - and you can be on your merry way."

Skeptical as he still was about this whole thing, Sam figured that there wasn't anything else he could do to get out of the women's custody but sign off on the documents. Once he had, both women offered bright smiles and sincere congratulations as they led him from his cabin to the ship's cargo bay, still without returning his clothes.

"So, bao bei," Sam asked, standing there with one hand clutching the stack of papers that had supposedly served to pardon him, and the other tugging at the too short hem of the housecoat, "Yer jus' gonna dump me dirtside in this get-up? I don't get my ruttin' clothes er even my gorram boots back?"

The women simply giggled as the Arrowheads gangplank swung open. "You're benefactor awaits, Mr Trent," Jenny smiled, indicating with a gesture that it was time for him to disembark.

"It's Dash," Sam grumbled sucking in a deep breath and taking his first steps down the gangway. His heart was thudding in his chest and his hand was itching for a pistol, of course, but, as things stood, there wasn't much he could do but resign himself to taking his leave of the Arrowhead and coming face to face with this mysterious benefactor. Squinting against the light, Dash strode down the gangplank as confidently as he could, given his state of dress. From the looks of things at the end of the Arrowhead's ramp, there'd been something of a ruckus happening just before they'd landed, and there were several folk and flyers littering the landing zone,

Aw, jao gao, he grumbled inwardly as his squint-eyed gaze swept the scene, this don' look at all good.
,He didn't seem to recognize any of the faces on the folk, at first, but, when his gaze lit on the figure of the man walking slowly toward him, all of his apprehension and twitchiness was erased by the disbelieving laugh that swelled in his chest and burst past his lips. "Ta ma de! Ya gotta be strokin' me!" Both the paperwork and the hem of the too-short housecoat fell from his hands, then, and he was no longer walking slowly down the gangplank, he was running,

"Wyungsung, you shifty sumbitch," Dash was laughing and maybe crying at the same time when he reached Wyatt and snatched him up in a crushing bearhug.

"I surrender to you Colonel."

Words of defeat. Words that had oft been spoken on these very fields years ago. Perhaps the rank was different then, and the circumstances are most certainly different, but to the captain of Rocinante the words are spectral and hollow despite their small victory.

Wu steps forward towards the prisoner but stops suddenly as she realizes that Wyatt has not lowered his gun. Her eyes widen for a moment, "Captain? He is no good to me dead."

But the ‘Verse is much better off, Captain Sung waits a few seconds and then replies in a flat and unfeeling voice, "We had a deal."

"Yes yes yes. The paperwork..." Colonel Wu sounds impatient.

"I get the paperwork," Wyatt keeps his icy gaze on the broken man lying before him, his brainpan perfectly lined up with the sights on the captain's Colt, "you get your man."

The colonel stares at Wyatt for a moment and then transfers her assessing gaze to his steady gun-hand. "Very well." She replies curtly and waves to one of her bodyguards who immediately steps forward to hand her a document holder. She presents it to Wyatt, "As promised. One full pardon for Morgan Trent, aka. Samuel Dash. A record of expungement of his file. But, I am sure you knew this because as soon as we accessed his file, something deleted the entire record for us."

Wyatt shakes his head without taking his eyes off of his prisoner, "Don't know nuthin' ‘bout that." He finally lowers his weapon and takes the documents with his left hand.

Wu shrugs, "Must have been fairies then because we could not trace it."

"Captain Sung." Javelin breaks in, drawing the steely-eyed man's attention as Wu's men move in to take the injured politician into custody, "In order to thank you for the aid you gave the Guild in finding one of our members, we have a present for you. Willow told us what you wanted and, well, the alliance may not be able to find him but we found a way." He points to an Arrowhead courier ship nearby just as the cargo bay doors begin to open.

Quickly spinning the Colt on his trigger finger, Wyatt hooks the barrel on his holster and returns it to the snug grip of the leather. Focusing on the gangplank Captain Sung tries his best to suppress the anticipation building inside of him. Years have past and people have changed, but family is family and the potential for a reunion is enough to make even the consummately stoic Wyatt Sung draw himself up like he could only remember doing on a couple of occasions in his life. The first was when he was introduced to Eden. Again, when Eden first walked down the aisle and then again when Summer was born.

Coming down the gangway in a pink frilly housecoat barely long enough for modesty is Sam Dash. He is squinting in the light, holding a similar packet of document to what Wyatt has in hand with two beautiful ladies behind him dressed in business suits.

Hardly believing his eyes, Captain Sung steps towards his friend—his brother—stepping on Morningstar's injured hand as he does, eliciting a scream from the wounded man. For the first time in a long while, the Captain smiles.

Sam Dash doesn't seem to recognize any of the faces on the folk at first, but when his gaze lites on the figure of the man walking slowly toward him all of his apprehension and twitchiness is erased by the disbelieving laugh that swells in his chest and burst past his lips. "Ta ma de! Ya gotta be strokin' me!" Both the paperwork and the hem of the too-short housecoat fall from his hands and he is no longer walking slowly down the gangplank, he is running,

"Wyungsung, you shifty sumbitch," Dash is laughing and maybe crying at the same time when he reaches Wyatt and snatches him up in a crushing bearhug.

"Wo Bu Shin Wo Dah Yan Jing!" Sung forces out. For being such a wiry and lanky individual, Dash has a lot of tendon strength. Normally the kind of man to be strongly adverse to such public shows of affection, Wyatt easily forgives this and even returns the expression. "I weren't expectin' t' see ya this soon, puhn yo, but—Renci de Fouzu, put me down! I got's a reputation an' such."

Even after pleading in a respectable manner, Wyatt has to practically pry himself free. "An' Ni meí shì bà? I don' normally see this, side, o' ya." Stepping back, Captain Sung scratches the back of his neck and looks off to the left. "Where's yer clothes?"

It had been a quick take down almost, Fenris had to admit, flawless in a way that rarely happened in the verse. From Havelock's burial, to Wyatt, Asher and himself hiding on the Beowulf, to a brief fight three days later. Virgil Morningstar, self styled mayor of Serenity Views, lay on the muddy ground faced by more then a few unfriendly faces.

"Enough then," Wu said dismissively, "Virgil Morningstar, you can be bound by law by me or take your chances with the Guild."

"I surrender to you Colonel."

Wu stepped forward towards the prisoner but stopped suddenly as she realized that Wyatt had not lowered his gun. Her eyes went wide for a moment, "Captain? He is no good to me dead."

With a look from Wyatt, Fenris held Asher's SPAS30 Combat Shotgun at the ready incase the deal Wyatt had made with Colonel Wu went bad. Though it was doubtful, in the verse you learned really fast not to trust anyone but your crew.

Captain Sung waited a few seconds and then replied, "We had a deal."

"Yes yes yes. The paperwork ,."

"I get the paperwork, you get your man."

The colonel stared at Wyatt for a moment and then at his steady gun-hand. "Very well." She replied curtly and waved to one of her bodyguards who brought her a document holder. She held it up to Wyatt, "As promised, one full pardon for Morgan Trent, aka Samuel Dash. A record of expungement of his file. But I am sure you knew this because as soon as we accessed his file, something deleted the entire record for us."

Wyatt shook his head, "Don't know nuthin' about that." He lowered his gun and took the documents.

Though trying hard Fenris could not keep the smile off his face as the Alliance Colonel coughed up her end of the deal. Now if only Willow was successful in her part of this plan.

Wu shrugged, "Must have been fairies then because we could not trace it."

"Captain Sung." Javelin said, "In order to thank you for the aid you gave the guild in finding one of our members, we have a present for you. Willow told us what you wanted and, well the alliance may not be able to find him but we found a way." He pointed to an Arrowhead courier ship nearby as the cargo bay doors were opening. Coming down the gangway, in a pink frilly housecoat barely long enough for modesty was Sam Dash. He was squinting in the light, holding a similar document to what Wyatt had and had two beautiful ladies behind him, dressed in business suits.

Wyatt walked slowly towards Sam as if he could hardly believe his eyes, stepping on Morningstar injured hand as he did. For the first time in a long while, the Captain smiled.

Seeing that everything had again gone flawlessly the big mechanic slung the shotgun over his back and avoiding stepping on Morningstar's hand followed his Captain to the Companion guild ship. After Sam and Wyatt released each other, at first Fenris stood quietly looking the tall pilot over. Though he was a lanky six feet one, Sam Dash was not the larger of the two, being lean to Fenris's six feet five, two hundred and fifty pounds of pure muscle. Which was put more on display as the mechanic finally moved in to greet Dash after Wyatt had withdrawn. Lifting the pilot in a tight hug, the pink robe caught a breeze, coming open giving all looking a rightly pretty view.

"Welcome home Sam"

As he stepped back Fenris, a huge smile on his face, could not help but laugh as the expected question was asked by Captain Wyatt.

"An' Ni meí shì bà? I don' normally see this, side, o' ya. Where's yer clothes?"............

"Wo Bu Shin Wo Dah Yan Jing!" Wyatt croaks. Sung was never one for such public displays but, in this instance, Sam was more than happy when the man returned the smile and the embrace. "I weren't expectin' t' see ya this soon, puhn yo, but—Renci de Fouzu, put me down! I got's a reputation an' such."

"Yeah," Sam chuckled, reluctantly letting go of his hold on the man and depositing him back on his feet but still holding him at arm's length and hesitant to fully release his long lost brother, "well, I ain't never figured ta see you ag'in, at all, puhn yoh! Who'd ya hafta kill ta ferret me out?"

As the question was asked, Sam caught sight of Wolf approaching and, just before he finally managed to let go of Wyatt, the big mechanic's arms were around him and giving him a taste of his own medicine. Wolf lifted Sam of his feet in a brutal embrace and the pilot might've squeaked a bit when he felt his nethers slip free of the marginal protection of the housecoat.


"Welcome home, Sam!"


"Aiya, Wolfy," he chuckled, patting the big man on the shoulder as he was sat back down, "I ain't home a minnit an' yer flashin' my hoo-hah ta the ‘Verse! Good ta see things ain't changed much!"

"An' Ni meí shì bà," Wyungsung said as Sam's feet came back into contact with the dirt, the Captain's head turning a bit embarrassed-like to the left, "I don' normally see this, side, o' ya. Where's yer clothes?"

"Heh," Dash snorted, running a hand through his significantly lengthened hair as his whiskey-colored eyes flicked back to Jenny and Amber where they stood at the foot of the Arrowhead's gangplank, "I ain't seen my clothes er my gear since Jiangyin, brother! Seen a lot o' them two darlins, though, dohn ma?

Thought they was like ta kill me, a' first," he grinned a wicked grin, "But, after a day er two, I figgered what better way ta go, get me?" Dash flicked a wink at the business suited lovelies, his gaze lingering only a second before it swung back to Wyatt, "So, I reckon as ya went to so much trouble ta get me back here, Are we on Hera?..." The question was a true aside and the pilot didn't wait for a definitive answer before continuing; "Lemme guess, ya need a pilot as won't go breakin' go suh off ever' time ya break atmo?

Where's Ma an' th' Kid? Willow still prettyin' up the jernt?" He tugged at the hem of the too-short robe, again, and fought to keep the thing closed. "Ya been flyin' Roc all by yer lonesome? Wha' happened ta Jade?"

Back on Earth-that-was, there was a saying that no good deed goes unpunished. Ain't that just the gorram truth.

Things were looking and feeling might fine back a ways - Sam Dash was back, you had buried Captain Havelock and broken up a human trafficking ring along the way. Seemed like for once things were aligning your way. The "theme park" back on Serenity Views had completely fallen apart without Morningstar to back the project. The Trade Guild Consortium was now working on a more serene memorial to the war and a place for people to go to honour the dead or find their lost family members. The Companion guild had done you a big favour in return for your efforts to find their lost sister, so they were considering themselves square with you and you with them. Things could go back to normal.

Or so you thought ,

Started out very quiet like, but you could not get jobs. People would say they had nothing to ship, or they were already booked with someone else. Sounded all legit but there was the briefest pause, the edgy look - like they were scared of something. Then you heard from a friend, who heard it from a friend who heard it from another - You were considered Alliance now. Two jobs in a row with Alliance people, and the contacts you had just didn't want to mess with you anymore out of fear they would be watched, scrutinized or get in trouble. You were being shunned by some and outright hated by others. A friendly drink in an Independent bar one night turned into a brawl when someone called Wyatt a "Purple Belly Sap Sucker" to his face.

If that wasn't enough, the friends you have with legitimate cargo weren't calling you either. Turns out the Trade Guild Consortium and the Tradespersons Guild were none to please with you either for killing the theme park on Hera, which was a source of much revenues and jobs for the next few years.

Adding fuel to that fire, was a Hotshot Commander of the Alliance, Eugenia Renaldo of the ISV Domager had been sent to the border planets to "deal" with the increased pirate, smuggling and so called "reaver" activity. Seems she is quite enthusiastic in her efforts to board and confiscate cargo without the property paperwork - taking a percentage of the goods a "prize money". You don't know if it was your "alliance" reputation or just sheer luck but you have not been boarded or inspected by any of the taskforce ships - which does not to enhance your reputation with those on the rim.

And then there was the Ship itself. Oh, it was decked out nice and repaired with shiny new engines and whatsits but now getting the replacement parts were expensive and it wasn;t like Wolf could dig through the junkyards to find the parts. Too damn new! You had to buy the parts! More money needed and no jobs coming in.

So here you are, approaching Whitefall with a cargo of , bees. Cryogenically frozen beehives, ten of them in fact, from a company called BCNU (Bee Cryo Neotech United). The hives are for a "Eagle Eye" Sarafina. Eagle Eye is part of the Rancher Lodge on Whitefall and he is looking to branch out into the honey business. Nice thing about this mission is you were paid in advance, which helped the crew from dipping further into the reserves. This job was gotten through Wolf as Eagle Eye was a former convict in same prison as Fenris (racketeering, smuggling, and forgery). Furthermore as a Whitefall Rancher Lodge member; he doesn't give a gorram damn about any other guilds and their business.

So you have been travelling to Whitefall with a careful eye on the cryogenic control panels. Not to mention that a lot of ships and crews get really nervous and twitchy about hauling bees since the time the Weeping Somnambulist went down with all the crew due to a cryogenic containment failure. A ship full of angry bees is not a happy place.

Of course, Whitefall wasn't without its own quirks and cautions. First, being the "Governor" Imogen Patience who had bought the right people and the right lands to make herself the self-styled ruler of Whitefall. She liked to know all that was going down on her planet and she liked her fingers in everybody's pie - if she couldn't take the pie for herself. As crooked as they come but well-armed and well-placed, Patience had deals with Alliance and word was that she even had her own air-force now of gyrfalcons to "maintain the peace". Not all is well for Patience right now as a Captain Reynolds did embarrass her some in front of her men and that lead to folks standing up to her and the forming of the Rancher's Lodge. Seems the only friends Patience's has are the ones she pays for, but they can be a bother, none's the less. Being on Whitefall, and what with your "infamy", no doubt she knows you are there and Buddha knows what that may stir up.

Of course, Whitefall is so out on the edge that it is deep in what some call Reaver territory. Always a good reason to be cautious, keep an eye to the sky and keep your gun handy.

But Patience, Whitefall and Rancher's aside, you reach the landing point without much ado and breathe a hefty sigh of relief as the Ranch hands come to take away the bee colonies. Wolf and Eagle Eye exchange a bear hug and some reminiscing about selling homemade hooch in their cellblock. Eagle Eye is a tall man with broad shoulders and well dressed in typical rancher style. He wears an eye patch over his left eye and scarring is visible around it. When asked, he claims the eagle got that eye with a laugh.

He invites all the crew to his estate for lunch, which appears to be an open-air banquet with long tables and all the people who work his ranch. You get the feeling this is a common place event and there is certainly enough food and drink to go around. This could be a good time to ask Eagle Eye if he has any cargo to go elsewhere or if he knows someone who does. Flyin' empty right now doesn't strike nobody's fancy and the thing bout Whitefall is you don't want to hang around too long because if the Reavers don't get ya, then Patience will.

Elsewhere, Jade is going through the shutdown protocols for Rocinante when the communication array picks up a DTS (Direct to Ship) transmission. Jade checks the source, it is local, another ranch about ten kilometres away. The message is live and directed to Willow from a Percival Chao. Even Jade knows of Percival Chao, a wealthy socialite from Persephone, known for have a desire to "seek opportunities" out on the Rim planets. With his money, power and connections, it is no wonder he knew where to find Rocinante just as it was landing. Jade alerts Willow to the message and patches it through to her personal communication receiver.


OOC: This and That
The ship is at ¼ tank of fuel (15 tons or 200 hours). The ship is parked in a field right now so there is nowhere to refuel unless you move the ship to a spaceport and pay the hefty docking fees and maintenance fees and the Patience's tax. The ship is about one month behind its usual maintenance right now (1030 credits if you wish to invest). Your cash reserves are down to 2500 credits and you were paid 1000 credits up front for hauling the bees. So, you are looking at 3500 in hand with 1030 needed for maintenance and if you fill up on this planet, 800 for fuel, 400 for port fees and supplies refills).



Weird issue with this posting so I broke it into two.

Day 1, Whitefall - Eagle Eye's Estate, 1:10 PM PT

Wyatt is plumb full to the brim. Near to bursting, in fact. Food is good planetside and even with Ma's cooking being able to grab something other than prepak on occasion sits pretty with the captain. Bugs are another thing, however, and the flies on Whitefall are just as annoying as elsewhere.

Leaning forward and resting his elbows on the rough wood of the weather worn table, Wyatt Sung has removed his brown cowboy hat gilded with a darker brown snakeskin hatband holding court to a series of reptile teeth that he'd been told were from an authentic crocodile and was using it to fan flies away. His black hair is slightly curled from the sweat cultivated under the hat and hangs low over his forehead. Sitting in the early afternoon sun does nothing for regulating body temperature.

Things are decent for now. They were good, for about two blinks of an eye. Then jobs became scarce and people started getting as twitchy as the old Sam Dash. That's when Wyatt had started noticing that the status of "good" was changing rapidly and he couldn't figure out why. Sniffing reflexively in derision at the thought of the barfight, the athletically built man reflects on the discovery that their reputation has suffered. He knows they need to do something about that, but has yet to figure out what. This job with "Eagle Eye" Sarafina is sent by Bhudda direct but Sung isn't a fool. He knows that everything comes in threes and they'd landed the job carting bees (thankfully the first in the series of three, not the last lest they'd wind up like Weeping Somnambulist), they'd been paid upfront (that's two), and they'd made their delivery without being boarded, running into Reavers, or having to deal with Patience (that's three). Their luck is surely about to turn sour.

Glancing over to his right, Wyatt considers the last six months while he visually contemplates Dash's interaction with Willow. Sam Dash back in the pilot's chair is like having a long line of clients waiting to talk with Willow about filling Roc's cargo bay. Wyatt has to admit that at first he was a little concerned with how Jade and Sam would split duties, but they'd worked it out without any problem he was aware of and the combination has proven to be a blessing. Of course, that was two with the first being Sam's return to the crew on that fateful day in Serenity Valley. The third in that series was being party to the demise of that gorram amusement park. Then they'd run dry and the series of three began with the bad.

The compression coil's ring busts. Wolf can't just use any old part from the junkyard and has to special order it. Then they encounter a slight drift in the starboard yaw that needs another special part to repair. Last is when it's brought to light that they are considered friends of the Alliance. If it weren't in Wyatt's nature to fight through everything in his path, he'd have given up right then, but that's not his way.

Turning his attention across the table, the captain studies the others sharing their meal. Always three, he muses while wondering what is waiting for them. Glum sishengzi, aren't you? he could practically hear Eden scolding him and turns his attention to more immediate matters. With Roc sitting at a quarter tank and behind on repairs, he needs to really find something to fill their cargo hold with.

"Eagle Eye," the half-Asian captain drawls in an attempt to garner their host's attention. "Thank you, on behalf of me an' my crew, fer the meal an' company. Can't properly say how nice it is t' get some authentic grub in the belly, but it's been real shiny.

"I don' mean t' sway conversation away from pleasantries, but there ain't no rest fer the wicked an'... well, Roc's hold is now bereft o' yer bees. You wouldn't know, by chance, o' no one lookin' fer passage fer themselves'r some cargo, would ya?"

Direct and to the point, as usual.

AFTER LV-426 AND SERENITY VIEWS

For Fenris LV-426 had been a major learning point for the big mechanic who had come to realize a major fault in his armory. That using a shotgun vs. fully armored enemies was about as useful as engaging in a *-tzeo bee DIO-se with a monkey. Thanks to the Kid and his virtual military sized stockpile of weapons it had not come to that. However the possibility of it one day coming down to life or death based on the penetrating power of a gun was just too much to ignore. So quickly ditching the cut down pistol handled shotgun he searched and was lucky, finding a Desert Eagle heavy pistol in 50 cal in a small out of the way pawn shop. One of the truly heavy caliber pistols created decades before the war by some thing called Israeli's, it packed enough power to easily penetrate most heavy body armors. He had also realized his lack of experience on crafting spare parts to keep the Rocinante flying was the main reason for the gunfight on LV-426. If not for his failure to keep them up in the Black they would not have been caught in that firefight at all. So as he got better with the Desert Eagle he also made himself better at crafting parts so being stranded on a barren rock like 426 would not happen again.

However Serenity's View, unlike LV-426 had been a blessing of sorts reuniting the Rocanante with it's original pilot Sam Dash, thus giving the ship two damn good pilots and a distinct advantage when flying around the verse. New parts and tech and an almost complete reboot had given new life to the old ship and Fenris had to admit none to soon. With Jade and Asher both also having a good basic knowledge in Mechcanical Engineering life also became easier for Fenris to find help as needed to keep the ship flying. Life at the moment was good.......


TWO DAYS BEFORE PLANET FALL ON WHITEFALL

Somehow it seemed watching the **go tsao duh! bee hives had fallen to him. Ok yeah, Eagle Eye was a friend, the contract came through the big mechanic from him, it was needed and the money was paid up front in full, but ***Run-tse duh FWO-tzo why him. ~sigh~ The duties of a mechanic were never respected. Turning from the hives Fenris made his way leisurely to the engine room to make a last check on the compression coil's ring before dinner time. As he moved just past the entrance he heard a sound and turned to look, seeing nothing, then turned back. Suddenly he slammed the right side of his forehead into a length of pipe he could of swore was not there five seconds earlier.

"****You Meh, tah mah duh hwoon dahn." He ranted at the ship as he put his palm to his slowly bruising forehead. Moving past the pipe he took one more look back at it out of his good eye and gave it a dirty look. Turning back forward once more he started to move deeper into the engine room.

Bamm! This time it was the left side of his forehead that slammed into an even thicker pipe that he knew for SURE had not been there before. Stopping all forward movement he looked at the walls, pipes, and metal fittings around him.

"Ok ok its not my fault, well ok maybe sorta, that those bee hives are onboard, but we needed the cash ok. Your not cheap to fix you know" A sudden rasping sound of machinery moving seemed to answer him. "Look ok I do my best and what do I always tell you, huh?" More metal moving "That's right that no matter what, I will do my best to keep you flying if it's in my power to do so" Once again metal moving "So please enough with these damn pipes ok?"

As the huge mechanic made to move off he heard a knocking sound coming from just outside the engine room entrance. Standing there he saw Ma and at once blushed a deep red not having heard her earlier and not knowing how long she had been there. Motioning to him to indicate dinner was ready she smiled at him like a Mother would to one of her children and moved off. Moving slowly, on alert for more pipes, he made his way to the dinning area to find the rest of the crew already seated. At their looks of surprise at his bruised forehead he turned and just said.

"Shut up and just don't ask" Seeing a knowing smile from Ma he found himself blushing red once more as he sat down,,.

PLANET WHITEFALL

Day 1, Whitefall - Eagle Eye's Estate, 1:10 PM PT
After landing, a hug of welcome between Eagle and hinself, hives turned over and a dinner invite the crew, minus Ma, found themselves at Eagle Eye's estate. With human belly's full it was time to fill that of the Roc's and as bruised foreheaded Fenris remained quiet, Wyatt spoke taking the lead as Captain once more.

"Eagle Eye, thank you, on behalf of me an' my crew, fer the meal an' company. Can't properly say how nice it is t' get some authentic grub in the belly, but it's been real shiny.I don' mean t' sway conversation away from pleasantries, but there ain't no rest fer the wicked an'... well, Roc's hold is now bereft o' yer bees. You wouldn't know, by chance, o' no one lookin' fer passage fer themselves'r some cargo, would ya?"........


* Feces hurling contest
**Dog-humped
***Merciful Buddha
****"Mother humping son of a b----."

There were many sights in the ‘verse that Jade wanted to see and experience before she kicked the bucket but, seeing a former mentor in a way too small housecoat was not that list. Jade suddenly found a new interest in the space above everyone heads, smiling at the touching scene and happy to see the man she respected greatly to be reunited with his brother in arms.

"Where's Ma an' th' Kid? Willow still prettyin' up the jernt?" Sam tugged at the hem -and Jade found a space above his head to admire. "Ya been flyin' Roc all by yer lonesome? Wha' happened ta Jade?"

"Right here, Sir. Though when you said I might see you someday, I will admit to imagining there being more clothing involved," Jade smiled with just a hint of mischief, "everyone missed you a bunch. Glad to have you back where you belong."

Eventually things were settled with, and new routines were established. Jade had expected that she and the crew would part with Sam return, considering Sam was their pilot and she had only been a replacement. But to her surprise, she was invited to stick around, partly due to her pilot skills and another part her tech skills. She was more than happy to not have to leave, even if a part of her was curious why they wanted her around, and wondered if maybe Sam had convinced the Captain. Whatever the reason, Jade was still with the crew and still flying through the universe, looking more into the ‘verse and the people within it.

Day 1, Whitefall - Eagle Eye's Estate, 1:10 PM PT

After landing on the planet, Jade had been going through the shutdown protocols for Rocinante when the communication array picks up a DTS transmission. A quick checks the source, proved it was from Percival Chao, a wealthy socialite from Persephone, known for have a desire to "seek opportunities" out on the Rim planets, sent to Willow.
"I wonder if he knows her or something?" mused Jade before rapidly pressing the buttons to send the message to Willow's room and thumbing the comm as well. "Hey Piao Liang, someone named Percival is trying to reach you, I am just sending the message to you now."

With that sent, Jade pulled on her sunglasses and doubled checked her puffer was in her bag before heading out to the planet side. Dusty planets were hard on her lung, but the medicine should do its job. As they headed over, Jade bounced ideas in her head, trying to see if she could think of anything that could help with their string of bad luck. They were too far to reach any of her friends, and mostly they had to hope Eagle Eye either had another job for them or knew someone who could help sour this ‘good' reputation they had (Jade was pretty sure her parents were rolling in their grave at that thought).

A last resort Jade could offer was to sell some of the medicine that was for her. Lord knows that stuff had cost her an arm and a leg to get, and she was pretty sure it worth would be even more on this planet. The only problem was she needed that medicine, and selling the extra meant she had less time before she would need to buy more or else Rocinante wouldn't have its extra pilot. But things were tight, and it's not like the crew knew exactly how reliant she was on it. If there was truly no other jobs here, selling her unused stuff might be enough to skate them by. It would be a risk, and she be gambling on another job to keep her from running out, but,

I am counting my bees before they are thawed, we could get a job. They were almost at the event, and Jade brushed her thoughts aside before she got herself in a funk. Food and people would help get her mind off of things, she just had to focus on what she can do now,

But it is option

Saul Potter look at his old friend and the two bodyguards who accompanied them for so long now. They needed a ship. They needed one badly but so many things stood in their way, the biggest being that there was no ships. That is to say, there was no ship until now. Saul stood up and straightened out his suit and shirt before proceeding, "The good news is we have a possible ship. A firefly class. Just made atmo and is parked out on Sarafina's land. Bad news is it is Rocinante

Brutus whistled, "Well we ain't taking that on by force. Have you seen the vids? That crew took on like 1 thousand mercs at once."

Saul sighed, "Taking it by force wasn't on the agenda Brutus."

""Good." He replied, "Because we wouldn't want to try."

"We are not trying. Was not part of the plan. Ever."

"Right."

"Saul nodded his head and looked over at the older man, "Your thoughts, sir?

"The old man coughed wetly and spat into a handkerchief, "Who's the captain?"

"Wyatt Sung."

"I know that name. He was on the independent side. Good man, very driven and loyal."

Saul shrugged, "Well his last two jobs of note involved helping the alliance in a big way. Rep is he's gone to the dark side."

"Ha!" the old man laughed and coughed again, "You know as well as I do that them purple bellies lie and spin their stories to suit their needs. Wyatt's a loyal man, bleeds brown and he'll help us - see our need."

"Well, just in case, we might need a plan B, and we are a little short on funds to hire a ship right now. Brutus? Jerome? How do you feel about the fights?"

"Brutus and I are judo trained, Boss." Jerome replied, "The fights are strictly boxing style, no throws, no kicks, no takedowns. Frankly, we'd be at a disadvantage. You ask me to, I'll do it but I can't promise a win."

Saul nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I am going to the Slaughterhouse tonight. Hoping someone from the crew might be there. Then we can go from there. The crew roster mentions a Doctor on board so maybe I can get them to come see you sir."

"Saul, we've been over this. No Doc is gonna be able to do anything about what I have." The old man said loudly and then broke into a spasm of coughing up phlegm.

"So you say, but I would rather a doctor told me that instead of you."

"Bah! You know what I need! You all know what I need!"

Saul looked away from the old man's gaze. "Working on it Sir. I promise you I am working on it. If there is a way, I'll get you there."

Over the six months after Sam's return life on the Roc seemed to regain an old sense of normal. Asher was glad to have Sam back, but as with all things time changes people. The loss the kid felt when Sam left was nearly as painful as the loss he felt for his brothers Matt, Ben, Jacob and Andy. Sam wasn't dead but Asher had never expected to see him again.

The kid did his best to act like things were the same, but they weren't. Ash was starting to realize that he couldn't make Sam be Matt or Ben or Jacob or Andy..Sam was just Sam. So it was time to let go of Ghuh-Ghuh and accept Sam as an equal. So one evening after the crew meal Asher slid a piece of paper across the table to Sam. "Sam..I'm glad to have you back and you're as safe here as your gonna get..so it's time for settle'n and squaring things away." As kid got up and walked back to help Ma clean up Sam unfolded and read the paper.

Sam Dash owes Asher Talhone the rightly sum of 220 credits for appropriating of weapons from Asher Talhone's personal property as showed below:

1 xJC39 Assault Rifle & Shotgun (75c)
3 x Magazines of Rifle Ammo (150 bullets) ( 6c)
3 x Cases of Rifle Ammo (300 bullets/ (12c)
4 x Magazines of Shotgun Ammo (24 shells/ (1c)
5 x Boxes of Shotgun Ammo (120 shells/ (5c)

1 x PK12 Peacekeeper Pistols (60c)
8 x Magazines of Ammo (96 bullets/ (4c)
5 x Boxes of Ammo (240 bullets/ (10c)

1 x Colt .22 ST Pistol (20c)
3 x Magazines of Ammo (24 bullets/ (1c)
1 x Box of Ammo (48 bullets/ (2c)

1 Box Flashbang Grenades (6 grenades/ (12c)
1 Box Smoke Grenades (6 grenades/ (12c)
-------
Total (220c)

This account of Sam Dash is to be paid back in full or in payments in a just and timely fashion.

It hadn't been a hateful six months, at all, to Sam's way of reckoning, Well, not really, all things figgered in, anyway,

Thanks to some right jing chai deal makin' on Wyungsung's part (and likely Miss Wil's, too), Dash had been brought home to the one place he felt he truly belonged, aboard Rocinante and among her crew. Those first couple of days back on board had been somethin' of a big ruttin' shindig welcoming him back into the fold but, before long, things got back around to like Sam had never left,

There were some differences, betwixt then and now, of course. Most notable of those were that Roc had gotten some right shiny upgrades in his absence and he shared the cockpit with Jade, now. Dash didn't hate either of those things, The upgrades had made Rocinante better than she'd ever been. The only downside to the new tech was that, if something broke, it wasn't exactly easy to find replacements on the cheap. Then there was Jade Storm. Jade had been a student of his in days gone by, and a gorram good one, at that. Sam and Jade had other history beyond flight school, too, but most times, they didn't converse much on the topic unless they were alone in the cockpit from time to time. Yeah, sharin' the flyin' duties with Jade soon came to feel natural and he trusted her at the helm as much as he trusted himself. Plus, she wasn't hard to look at and Sam, of course, conjured that was just an added bonus.

,Yessir, it was niúba (ruttin' awesome) to be home and things were lookin' right shiny aboard Rocinante, fer a spell, anyway. It trickled in slow-like to begin with - trouble findin' jobs, folk avoidin' the Firefly and her crew like the plague, and the like - but, after a time, it started to show pretty ruttin' clear as Wyatt's dealin's with the Alliance had soured their reputation more'n just a little. Wyatt, as was his way, chalked it up to his "rule o' three" superstition, but Sam couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't somethin' more, Like if he'd jus' let me traipse ‘round Neverland ‘stead o' roustin' me out, mebbe things'd be goin' smoother,

He shrugged the thought off as quick as it had come. As bumpity as things had been, of late, they were still flyin' and still managin' to pull in a job here and there to keep ‘em that way so, Sam figured, things could have been worse. Hell, they'd just hauled a gorram ship-load of bees across the ‘Verse and hadn't gotten so much as a single sting among ‘em, he'd heard tales of much worse happenin' to them as were shiang jing enough to have tried the same thing. "Well, we ain't ruttin' dead," he'd said as the last of the cryo units had been shuttled out of Rocinante's cargo bay, "hooray for us. We'll call that a win."

Getting invited to supper at Eagle Eye's place was looking like a win, too. Sam loved Ma's cookin', of course, but pro-paks and veggies from the garden bunk only went so far in a fella's belly. Just the thought of real food was enough to set Sam's mind off of Roc's fuel levels and maintenance needs for a spell. He was halfway through his second plate full and, as good as the grub was, probably more than that far toward forgettin' that, now that Sarafina had his bees, they'd be needing another job or run the risk of flyin' off empty. Wyatt steered him back to remembering, though, when he called for their host's attention,

"Eagle Eye," the Captain drawled, drawing Sarafina's gaze, "Thank you, on behalf of me an' my crew, fer the meal an' company. Can't properly say how nice it is t' get some authentic grub in the belly, but it's been real shiny,"

"Heh," Sam chuffed around a chicken leg, "I c'n ruttin' improperly say if'n ya want."

"I don't mean t' sway conversation away from pleasantries, but there ain't no rest fer the wicked an', well, Roc's hold is now bereft o' yer bees. You wouldn't know, by chance, o' no one lookin' fer passage fer themselves'r some cargo, would ya?"

"I'd cotton ta anythin' ‘cept bees," Dash added, offhand, before lifting a mug of beer, "Those li'l wong bah duhn bunched me up an' made m' pi guh pucker,"