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((I had another episode all worked out, but this one -- an adaptation of the never-filmed Firefly episode "Dead or Alive" works much better as a Pilot eppy for the game, and I had it worked out already, so... we did that. Original goodness can follow this.))

A group of immigrant workers walk down the ramp of the Endymion, on the planet Verbena. The captain negotiates payment from the cashier paying for them. Verbena is celebrating the opening of a new factory with a local county fair. The captain pays everyone and folks decide to head out and check out the fair.

• Mi Tao and Chen Li Heinz head for the Beer Tent
• Lui Kwon plays at a 'guess the number on the roulette wheel thing' game, intimidating the barker into giving him a prize, then heads for the beer.
• Baz Wu strolls around the fair, checking everyone and everything out.
• The Mechanic: Bethany Belle stays the hell on the ship and works on getting her ready for take off.

Everyone pretty much plays around for a bit.

• Baz comes up on a stage where an Alliance commander by the name of Tanaka is dedicating the new factory. A large banner hangs above him, reading THE ALLIANCE REWARDS THOSE WHO REWARD THEMSELVES.
  • “Thanks to the good Alliance people of Verbena, our factory is opening ten days ahead of schedule." (The crowd around the stage cheers.)
  • "Verbena was scarcely surviving, barely more than a piece of barren rock, but now with the Alliance factory opening you and your families will be able to lead full and satisfying lives."
• Tanaka moves to cut the ribbon and...
  • The factory spectacularly blows up. A huge fireball goes into the sky and shards of metal and wreckage zip through the crowd.

• There's carnage all around. People crying, screaming, bleeding. Parents desperately hunt for their children among the smoke and wreckage.
• Most everyone in the crew is okay, if scattered.

Chen Li re-tasks the beer tent as a triage and starts organizing people to bring him the wounded. Mi Tao helps. Baz and Lui and Lui's-niece-the-captain help carry people to the tent. Beth works on the ship a lot more frantically.

The alliance officers (Corporal Grason and the Security Head, Lt. Quillan are checking over suspects and spot a former browncoat among the list of workers who've been building the factory. There's some hubbub in crowd about them and an impromptu lynch mob that goes after the wrong guy. The Lieutenant works the crowd over a bit and tells them to settle down until they figure out what they're going to do... legally.

• She announces that there's a bounty for whoever captures the guy. 1,000 credits (2,500 platinum/25,000 dollars), but he has to be brought in alive. If anyone harms the target they'll face Alliance justice.
• She then announces that every available ship in port is now under their control. Alliance personnel and volunteers will be assigned to each in order to go after and apprehend the target. Captains report to Corporal Grayson.
  • Quillan walks up to Selene and Baz: “Captain. I'll be going with you.” She hands over a flimsy of the suspect.
  • The Pilot knows the guy from the war: Private Everton.

The crew of Endymion split up, using the two Shuttles.

• One has the Lieutenant, the Captain, a local guy with a shotgun (Ambrose), and Lui Kwon
• One has Baz and two impromptu bounty hunters (Jonah, a talker and Mather a grunter).

BACK AT THE FAIR Chaos and flurry all around as people trying to save lives. A hodgepodge of folks, most not really knowing what they're doing, but trying. They're making due with whatever they can find. At the center of this, an island of focus: Chen li and Mi Tao

• Two Alliance soldiers with Grayson leading them bring in a stretcher. It's Commander Tanaka. He's issuing orders even though he's in great pain. His arms are wrapped around his stomach -- looks like internal injuries.
  • They just got him free, the wreckage had him trapped.

He looks at Chen with too-sharp eyes and says, "Who’re you?"

There is a chilly pause. Chen looks down, busying himself with his tools and says, "I'm... the man who's going to save your life."

[To be Continued.]