"Mal!" Wash's radio com broke through whatever "calm" dream vibe Malcom was sleeping in.

"Wha-hoo(?)!" He slipped and fell out of bed, sheets dragged off his bunk.

"Mal, wake up. We're being hailed."

Now awake, Mal grabbed his shirt and gun holster.

"Have we ID-ed it?"

"That's a neg. Closing in. You better get up here." He threw on his brown overcoat, climbing up the ladder and into the main deck.

Hauling up the steps two at a time, he came into the cockpit. Wash was flicking switches on and off, systematically checking the radar every few seconds while Malcom looked out the windows.

"Alliance?"

"Nope. They would've shot us by now." Squinting, Mal made out the tails ends of a carrier vessel.

"Boarder vessel, Classification Exodus."

"Exodus? I thought those went out of commission 400 years ago?"

"Well, unless Simon doped me, that's an Exodus we're looking at."

"Is it a distress signal?" Wash turned a dial on the sonar screening.

"Not exactly." Mal looked to Wash as Zoe and Jayne climbed up the cockpit stairs.

"What's going on?" Zoe strode behind Wash, leaning over to see out the main window.

"They're asking permission to dock. Green light?" Mal combed his hair back with his fingers.

"Yeah." He walked out, but not before stopping in front of Jayne.

"Be nice, Jayne."

"You don't pay me tah be nice, Mal."

"No, I pay you to shut up." Mal smiled politely before he walked out, climbing back down into his quarters to make himself more fashionable.

……

"Exodus docked. Entrance in one minute."

"Thanks, Wash." Mal let go of the intercom button, fixing his coat collar as Kaylee came down from the scaffolding stairs.

"What's going on, cap'in?" Kaylee's jubilance always somehow lightened the mood.

"Some flybys are docking. Probably a job." He said optimistically, "Or maybe ask what they can scratch off our hull."

The cargo bay door centered in the dual air lock gates opened, the smell of heat and famine creeping out as a tall, burly man stepped through. Two, smaller Asian men stepped on other side of him, red sashes tied to their right shoulder.

"Are you Captain Reynolds?" Mal looked on either side of him before he reacted.

"Oh, OH! Uh, yes, that would be me." The stranger walked up to Malcom, bearing the extra six inches Malcom lacked down on him, "And, you would, be?"

"My name is Xiao. Xiao Shiang Lu."

"Shiang Lu? As in the Shiang Lu Gang, noting from the red sashes your boys have." Both of them had swords in back scabbards, holding an automatic in their hands.

"I admit, we have a bit of a…complicated reputation." Xiao smiled, showing two silver teeth.

"And what would a bunch such as yourselves be doing on an Exodus craft? Planning to start a better world, I hope?" Xiao chuckled softly.

"Ironically, you're correct. Since you've been spread out on the Cortex about as much as the Alliance shit, we thought seeing as you're doing so well in this," he scanned the cargo hull, " ship, that we'd offer a job."

"Oh? And what's the deal?"

Xiao pulled a photo from his front vest, flicking it in view of Mal.

"Her name is Lai Jankins. She's an operative for our gang and a valuable asset. The Alliance caught her a week ago trying to snatch some crop supplements from a cruising Alliance-sponsored carrier vessel."

"Planning to sell them in the black market, Xiao?" He shook his head with a smirk.

"Malcom, half of our ship's passengers are dead. We've been looking for a planet as far away from the Alliance as we could and we're losing out in this shithole of nothing. I'm offering you a job, with 20 coin as profit. Spring her from the Alliance, and we'll give you the amount. Don't, and we'll blow the crap out of your gorram ass, got it?" Mal swallowed and took the photo, nodding.

"Right then. Details?" Xiao took out hologram schematics sheet.

"They have detained her on Persephone, due to be transported to Osiris in three days. She's locked up in the Alliance stronghold, probably being "interrogated". It's best you get her ASAP so the goods aren't damaged beyond repair." Xiao winked, chuckling, "She's up in the southeast wing," He tapped on the schematics sheet, focusing in on the area, "The guards change shifts at 10:35 sharp. Blend in, get her out. We'll rendezvous here." He focused out of the area, and signaled to a bar in the lower corner of the map, around 2 miles away from the stronghold.

"Got it." Mal took the sheet, looking over the details as Xiao bowed and started to walk away.

"What, no payment in advance?" Xiao turned.

"Are you an honest pirate?" Mal shrugged as if to say "you don't trust me?".

Xiao laughed and tossed a small wad of bills to Mal, turning to enter his Exodus again.

"Oh, and if you screw up," Mal looked up, "We'll make Reavers look like children." He closed to cargo bay door, the spaceship detaching soon afterwards.

Mal looked back down at the sheet, reading it over and comparing it to the photo.

"Right, three days. Heavy Alliance guard, slim chance we'll get out in one piece, not to mention the Shiang Lu gang holding us at our throats," Wash draped his arm around Zoe's shoulder, "What are we waiting for?"

Mal smirked and glanced back at the photo, Lai's fire brown eyes staring back intensely under the red bandana that was tied around her lower face.

"Rescuing pups ain't my style, but if it gets the money, then hell. I'll make Feds look like morons anyday. Set course for Persephone." He started back for his room, tucking in the photo and schematics page as he muttered to himself, "and maybe we'll catch the ambassador on her day off."