Things started happening very quickly. Riot counted 6 gunshots, as well as the sound of rapidly approaching vehicles and distressed metal. The crowded exploded into chaos around them. Thankfully Tabitha did what Riot had asked, and headed straight for the ship, Bandit helping to clear a path for her with growls and snaps of her teeth.

Riot glanced around looking for the loud vehicles, but a shout brought her attention back in front of her. "Stop! Hey! Don't let them get to their ship!" The Alliance woman's voice carried through the crowd, but Riot had lost sight of her, and the soldiers that she could still see were totally focused on the gunshots.

The crowded jostled her as she took a few steps backwards, trying to keep sight of the preacher, who had finally come to his senses and was making his way towards her. "Time to go children!" he said when he was close enough.

"Damn right it is!" Riot said, turning and shouldering her way through the mass of people. As they broke through the crowds and hustled up to the ramp, Riots comm unit crackled to life. "Riot. Cargo inbound. Get her opened up. We're comin' in hot." Even as one hand fumbled with the comm unit, her other hand was punching in the door code. "Opening her up Cap. We, uh, we're also coming in a bit hot. Gunshots in the crowd and some Alliance trouble we might have to talk our way out of."

She looked at Tabby and Viktor as the cargo door started to slide open. "Alright, everybody inside. Captains arriving in a hurry." She herself stayed on the ramp, well to the side so Barnaby wouldn't have to worry about accidentally running her over. Her hand rested on his sidearm as she scanned the street and crowds for the approaching Mule.

Team 1:

The mule wobbled as a body landed on its hood, further threatening to tip. Bret's gaze snapped up to the enemy combatant clinging to the vehicle like a spider-monkey, his mouth opening to order his 'partner' to shoot the man. He only managed a "Shoo-" before Rian's gun fired and Bret slumped to the side, relinquishing control of the mule to Mattie. Not that he'd had a choice. The vehicle pulled to a stop, Mattie's quick maneuvering saving the pair from being flung out of a rolling vehicle. Ahead of them, the rest of the Darling crew pulled away, the gap growing between Rian and his people.

The crowd ran this way and that, uncertain sheep in a dangerous stampede. Alliance officers split ranks, a small group trying to wade through the crowd toward the ship and the other heading in the direction of the gunfire. However, before they could find the source of it, it found them first. Mona dove from the mule into the group, rushing at the soldiers with the wild fury of a Valkyrie. Their brief surprise left two of them knocked to the ground, another two rushing for the crazed woman with sonic guns and fists drawn. "We are under attack! I repeat, we are under attack!" one of them shouted into his comms unit from where he sat on the ground, his free hand pushing up from the dirt and dust. "Get her under control!" another shouted to his comrades, trying to fight with the woman as well as keep their balance as the dock's population bumped and pushed into them amidst it all.

With all the commotion, Barnaby and Arlo were able to slip past the group of officers, their attention focused wholeheartedly upon the woman trying to claw and punch her way through their flesh. From their current position, there was a mostly clear path to the ship if they veered to the side and drove between the docking clamps and the docking computers.

Team 2:

Bandit and Tabitha reached the cargo door first, but the doctor turned quickly to look for her crewmates, a relieved breath lifting and lowering her shoulders when she'd spotted them right on her heels. She stepped out of the way once Riot made it to the door and reached out to grab Viktor's hand as firmly as her small hands would allow. She didn't like how scattered her people were.

As Riot punched in the code, the system faltered for half a moment, something she might have noticed depending on her level of concentration. It wasn't much of a pause, but it was suspicious and may have hinted at tampering or tampering attempts. In any case, the door slid open and Tabitha pushed through as soon as there was enough room to, following Riot's suggestion and trying to tug the pastor in after her, a determined little frown pulling at her pink lips.

The Alliance group heading for the ship grew more frantic as they watched the cargo bay doors sliding open, allowing their targets a way of escape. "Lock it down!" the woman shouted, gesturing wildly at her team, although none of them were in any position to get to the dock's computer. "Call it in!" she yelled, her voice hoarse as she tried to up the volume of her orders over the din of the panicked crowd.

Rian watched as Mona leaped off the mule, distracting the feds as he neutralized the threat. He recognized the sonic weapons coming out and the group assembling around her. It distracted him from his jokingly flirtatious greeting to his new friend. As smoke rose from the vehicle he'd just shot up and the Darling's mule slipped into the chaotic crowd on the docks and the gunhand brought his attention back to Mattie.

"Aiya... Sorry about usurping your vengeance there...I think a friend of mine just got herself pinched..."

He made a show of carefully placing his pistol back into his shoulder holster under his suit jacket. The chaotic scene juxtaposed with his somewhat nonchalant demeanor didn't betray how worried he was about Mona at the moment. He could join the fray, but that'd likely only get him and his new friend locked up too. He tied it off, and shut the thought from his mind. Focusing on getting Mona out of the lockup would just land him in a matching cell. Best he could see, he and the blond badass had about one shot to try and gun the shot-up mule towards the Darling.

"I don't know what brought you 'round to my side of the fight, but I'm sure glad you were on it. If you can help me get to the Darling, you can usurp vengeance from me any time you want."

Rian didn't have much time to make his pitch and seeing the group of approaching purple bellies, he hoped that the implied job offer wouldn't come off as a flirtation, and that Barnaby would be okay with that seeing as how security was his job, he wasn't exactly cleared to start hiring strange women he'd just met, but today was a weird day, that called for weird solutions. He threw his hands up as if to ask "What you gonna do?" as the feds got closer and he pointed towards a gap in the crowd and the Alliance agents.

"We go flat out towards that gap, we might make it before this hunk of junk departs this world."

Pulling on a seat-belt he stretched one arm then the other. Preparing for a rough ride.

"Darling, myself and a friend are going to be approaching in the mule that just attacked. I'd ask you kindly not shoot us."

He paused for just a second, considering omitting what just happened to their XO, and the sacrifice play she'd just made for them.

"Feds have Mona."

With that, a bit of emotion, and frustration finally registered amid the fracas. Rian punched the plastic dashboard of the mule and growled, momentarily venting the feelings of guilt that accompanied telling Mattie to drive right past the agents as they locked her up. He rattled off several very profane things in Chinese and only a second or so later had himself calmed down and back in the game. Mostly.

Knuckles white, caution thrown to the wind, Barnaby maneuvered through the crowd, shouting at dawdlers. "Get outta the way! Coming through! Move it!" They had to get home. And home is the only place they'd be safe. After a week's worth of doubt on his abilities as a Captain with his crew being in danger after taking a risky job he'd sorted, the payday falling out didn't faze him near as much. This was a double-cross, not a deficiency. Nobody was at fault but that thieving Baron. "He's a Robber Baron! Sonofabitch." Barnaby said, laughing despite the regrettable turn of events. A slow-moving cart of plantains stayed in his path long enough to force a swerve. "Wooo-eeeee!" Barnaby was in his element and somehow having fun.

He angled the mule to the starboard, where the crowd had thinned. He flew past the docking clamps and almost forgot to hit the brakes as he slammed the mule into the loading ramp, up and into the Darling, and to a shakey but mechanical stop.

Without a moment to reconnoiter, Rian's message came in over the radio, and Barnaby had to get back to action. He spared a glance back the way they came, caught flashes of purple uniform, and gave Riot the nod she was looking for to close up the Darling good and tight. "Rian. Can't wait for you. See what you can figure getting to us. We won't leave without you." He sighed deeply, scratching at his stubble, imaginary anxiety irritating him. "Mona neither."

Jumping out of the mule as the doors closed behind them, Barnaby was quick to action. "Y'all are a sight." His eyes had been sore but were balmed by what crew he had available and safe. "Glad at least we all made it safe. This is Mr. Arlo he's gonna join us for a while." Their new passenger, willing or no, would be on board indefinitely. More necessity than anything. "We ain't got much time. Riot. Get her started up. Looksee if they locked us down. Likely as not, but if we can skirt it and get outta the city, all the better. Check the adherence gauge, if you decouple it from the pressure sensor, might-could release the automated lock.

"Tabby, Preacher, if you can work on stowing the cargo, Mr. Arlo will help you 'til we break atmo, then I can come help finish. Tabby, you know that spot Hardy used to hide his plants? That's where I want'em." He paused and regarded the rag-tag, motley band of misfits and miscreants... and Mr. Arlo. "A lot's been happening and is still gonna happen. Mona got pinched, more her choice than the law's if I think about it. We'll handle that best we can. Rian's loose, but he knows what he's doing, you can trust that." A solemn, capable pause. "We're all gonna be safe when we come to the end of this. You got my promise. Now gettyup, we got sh*t to do."

"A touching speech, Captain. You love your crew." A voice said from the shadows, hidden from view until the source revealed himself. Abernathy, wearing that same smart suit and a slick smile emerged from the darkness, pistol in hand, and flanked by three men armed heavier. "Did you know your ship is berthed at dock eleven and not twelve?"