Back Where I Belong

If the locals weren't pissed enough before, they certainly will be when they get the wave Lily sent before we ran off. I decided I'm takin' her to see Old Otto, see what he makes of her. Otto's an old fogey, but he's got wisdom 'bout stuff I never even heard of. Maybe he can even do somethin' to help Lily.

The real trouble is gettin' there without a ship since my fighter only fits one. So we decided to do things proper and old fashioned: stow away on a cargo barge. Those things are so gorram huge, you don't even gotta hide when you're on board. Hell we coulda started a fire and roasted marshmallows and still nobody woulda known we was there. The barge was headin' to Ariel, not the ideal location, but still closer to where we needed to get.

We realized a little late that we didn't have any money to get around, so I took Lily to meet my contact at the local bar. A'course.. the first thing outta Lily's mouth when I introduced her to him was "You fat mister". He was so pissed I thought he might pull a gun! Though likely that woulda ended a lot worse for him than us. Anyway, after I buttered the guy up after Lily pressed what apparently was his hot button, he finally gave me some intel on a job.

It was a trip taking Lily out for a bounty. If she wasn't so dead set on goin' to the Wastes, I'd ask her to permanently team up with me. The job was pretty in and out, but she still did a damn fine job. Hell for a moment it was like workin' with... well... it was like old times. The target was, to my surprise, a Browncoat. Turned sour, but still.. Guess after spending time with the Cap and Pod, my vision of your typical Browncoat was that of a righteous do-gooder, protectin' the weak, overly generous, all that. Well this guy was a true blue prick. He'd been swindling cargo captains all 'round the world. Apparently he ran off with the wrong guy's cargo this time, and he wanted it back. Accordin' to the contract, there'd be a shiny bonus if'n we reclaimed the stolen cargo along with the guy's head.

What would normally be a tricky job turned out to be a breeze. The target wasn't surprised that bounty hunters were after 'em, so we ended up givin' chase out of the building we found him in. He led us on a merry jog all 'round the alleyways, the little fella. He weren't a big thuggish type, but rather a tiny little guy faster'n a damned rabbit. He was too quick fer me and I started fallin' behind, but then here comes Lily zippin' right past me, laughin' like she was havin' the time of her life. Lily caught the guy and took him down easy. By the time I caught up, she had him out cold on the pavement, holdin' his suitcase, which held the client's cargo apparently, in her paw. She wanted to take a peak inside, but I told her it was better not to know. That's usually the case with these kinda situations. By the weight of it, I reckon it was some black market drugs or some such. Whatever, our work was done.

With the bonus for recovering our client's cargo, we had enough to bustle out of Ariel and sail one step closer to Otto. Lily seems pretty thrilled now that she's an official bounty hunter... I'm thrilled too.

I've had it

Since I first stepped foot on this gorram moon, every last prick here labeled me as a low and dirty scumbag looking to sleaze my way around. Everyone but Lily. She invited a total stranger like me to her home and never gave me so much as a cold stare or a skeptical glance. It tears me in half that I failed her the way I did. Maybe I got ahead of myself, maybe I saw too much of Sylph in her, I don't know. Another strike carved through my heart and whatever ridiculous fantasies I had for a happily ever after.

I reckon a lot more people will want me dead once word spreads that I hurt Hale's community child. Let them try, I say. I'm done wearing a mask and trying to earn their respect. I'm done laying my life on the line only to get scowls and glares in return. I'm through taking the bullshit they throw my way. If they don't like it, they can either do something about it or back the hell off. I'm not gonna go on a crazy killing spree like General did, but I'm not gonna meekly bow out of a conflict either.

'Side from that, nothing's gonna change. I'm gonna stay with the Cap's crew and take on jobs as they come like I did before, show up at Firefly's and drink and dance and do whatever the hell else I want. I'll march on ahead with my head held high, like I always do. And if anybody gets in my way, I'll pump them full of lead. Simple as that.

"Not again"

Sylph...

I still don't understand why you did the things you did.. Why all the love I held for you was reduced to.. well.. whatever it is we have now. I can't undo what I've done to you.. but I hope through some miracle that what I write here somehow reaches your ears. I'm so sorry for everything.. for betraying you, for putting you through what I did..

I'm sorry... for Ellie.

Since this no-name bounty hunter showed up on Hale's, I've thought about you.. I've even told a few of the folks here about what happened, but I could never tell them the rest of the story.. I'd rather them think me another coin hungry mercenary, not a downright traitor. I reckon it makes me a coward that I can't bring myself to tell them the truth about you, Ellie, and I..

I hope to see you again some day, preferably without a pistol to my heart. I just want to explain things without you storming out of my life.. Would vengeance really save you? Save us? I always wondered why you never finished me.. I've given you more opportunities than I'm proud to admit, yet you never pull that trigger. You, the hotheaded, 'guns-a-blazin' loudmouth. Now, after the end.. I guess you were better after all, eh?

I wonder, Sylph...

Do you still wear my ring too?

Back in Action

Feels good to be working again. I signed on as a tracker and hired gun with the crew of the Raivenn, an old Firefly captained by a Browncoat Vet named Duncan. The work's mostly salvage or cargo hauling, but we get to lay out a few purple bellies here and there, so I can't complain. The coin ain't bad either.

I got a wave from Shalimar last night, sayin' Pod had a job for us. So me and her met up with him at the station and he filled us in. I ain't gonna include the details here, just that the job was a success, but turned sour pretty quick. Ended up in a pretty fierce firefight in an abandoned fallout shelter on Shadow. It was just me and Pod there when five fully armed feds started lookin' for us. I figured we were humped. Luckily, I managed to get a wave to Lily and request backup. Her, Duncan, and Shal all came to save the day. It was still damn ugly though, longest firefight I been in for quite some time. I managed to go out without a scratch and still took down three of the feds.

We were plannin' to fence the goods we got and I was lookin' forward to a vacation to Ariel or some other core planet where I could spoil myself. But, of course, Pod and Duncan ended up destroyin' it! "Too dangerous if it landed in the wrong hands" they said. Now I didn't sign on with this crew to spread rainbows and sunshine through the 'verse, I did it for the coin. If things keep goin' this way, I think I'd rather be unemployed again. Damn vets with their ideals and belief in the greater good.. Ah well.. once a Browncoat, always a Browncoat.