Inara Serra was once a little girl whose only dream in life was to become a Companion. At the tender age of twelve she and other potential Companions were taken to a large government facility for a grueling month of tests designed to predict, with 97.6 percent accuracy, which girls could withstand the training necessary to become a Companion. Inara outperformed every test that was laid before her and earned close to perfect scores on physical, mental, psychological and emotional aptitude tests. She was one of one hundred girls from the planet Sihnon that made it through the testing and were given the honor of becoming junior Companions. The junior Companions were then taken to the official training center of Companions on Sihnon, the Companion House Madrassa.
At Madrassa the girls were trained in arts of seduction, various weaponries, psychology, philosophy, medicine, proper etiquette, and even space travel were just a small sampling of what the junior Companions were put through. After the 9 year training period ended, all 100 girls had passed their course and been given full titles as bona fide Companions. Inara herself graduated with full honors and received nothing but praise from her colleagues and instructors. So beloved was she that she was given her own room at the Madrassa instead of being sent out to another core planet. Clients spoke highly of her skills and it was widely acknowledged that Inara had a very bright future ahead of her. Some of the higher-ranking Companions even suggested that Inara succeed as Mother of the Sihnon Madrassa. Then for reasons that no one fully understands, Inara left her glamorous life at Sihnon behind and instead, went out to travel the galaxy in a 03-K64 Firefly class transport. She was a part of the Serenity's crew for an entire year before she left the ship and it's crew behind without anyone but the captain ever knowing why. For exactly one year she was gone without anyone knowing anything about her whereabouts. Then she reappeared and once again joined the crew of the Serenity in a daring adventure that has since become a legend throughout the former Union of Allied Planets.
This is Inara's fate, to help save the galaxy from Alliance tyranny. But there was a time when the future was not set in stone. A time when Inara walked a thin line between Savior and Damnation. Here is the beginning of her story.
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"Come on Inara, I really want you to stay. You're the only other girl on this ship! Well ok, there's River but she doesn't count because she's somehow a better shot then Jayne! And there's Zoe but she's always either with Wash or Mal so I can't really ever spend time with her."
"Oh Kaylee, I've enjoyed my time on the Serenity and I think of you as a rather good friend but I can't waste my whole life on one ship that never flies within range of any decent planet with a respectable clientele. Plus I just can't stand how smug Mal always is."
"You know he's only smug because he loves you Inara. You two can work it out! I know you can."
"Not to be rude Kaylee but I don't think a Companion should take relationship advice from a mechanic. Especially not one who has to compete with man of her dream's sister for his love."
"That was low Inara. Still, if you just give Mal a chance he'll really sweep you off of your feet."
"Who's ready for prostituting themselves on a core world Alliance planet? Oh right, that would be the whore."
"Wow Kaylee, he really swept me off my feet. I may be swooning."
"I'm surprised you can stand on your feet considering how much time you spend on your back."
"This coming from the man who was beaten by his own wife twice."
"Well it would've been cruel to beat my own wife so I had to let her beat me."
"And a very thorough job you did of it."
"Cap'n! Inara! Come on you two, this is the last time she's going to be on our ship. If you can't admit you like her, can you at least stop fighting long enough for a kinda shinyish goodbye?"
There is silence for a few moments and then the exit hatch begins to open up. Mal quickly takes advantage of the distraction.
"Look at that Inara, the hatch opens almost as quickly as you do."
Jayne and Simon enter from the lower door while River and Zoe enter from the upper door. Zoe says, "We've come to say goodbye to the only respectable person on this ship." To which Simon replies, "I think I qualify as respectable. I was a highly important Alliance doctor!" "Gorram it kid," Jayne says, "we all know and we're all sick of hearin' 'bout you and your fancy medical degree." Zoe responds to Jayne saying, "I'd be careful picking a fight with Simon. You know his sister can kick your ass anytime she chooses."
River stands by the mule and begins petting it saying, "Pretty car enjoys having whiskers."
"Yeah Zoe, real scary. I'm a mercenary and she's a 90-pound girl with half a brain. I wonder who'll win in a fight?"
"Hey, did she draw whiskers on my mule? Hey, hey get away from there!"
Mal proceeds to chase River away from the mule and into the living quarters as Simon begins to verbally assault Jayne.
"She doesn't have half of a brain, she has tiny neurological incisions that keep her in a constant state of fluctuating thoughts and emotions that keep her from behaving normally."
"So she's a 90-pound freak with half of a brain?"
"Simon and Jayne continue to argue with each other in Chinese as Zoe comes to say goodbye to Inara.
"I can't believe you're leaving us. With Shepherd Book leaving to start that church back on that desert planet and you leaving us here, we've lost every respectable member of this crew."
"That's very kind of you to say, is your husband not coming?"
"Wash is staying up in the flight deck until you're gone. Apparently leaves on the wind don't say goodbye."
"But they have plenty of time to play with dinosaurs?"
"That's Wash for you. Really he just gets very emotional when it comes to goodbyes and he doesn't want to let Jayne see him crying when you leave."
"Well tell him I'll miss him dearly."
"I will." She turns to Jayne and Simon and yells, "Hey! Are you two going to keep arguing or are you gonna say goodbye to Inara?"
Simon sheepishly turns and says, "Goodbye Miss Serra, it's too bad that we really didn't get to know each other better."
"Yeah and I think it's a shame that you and I didn't get to know each other, if ya know what I mean."
"Jayne, stop with the pickup lines. Inara's seen much better specimens than you could hope to provide."
Zoe's retort shuts Jayne up for a moment. He gapes a few times before adding, "Ship won't feel the same without you and Mal's angry arguments echoin' all over the place."
"I appreciate your sentiment boys."
River comes running back in and says, "Pretty whiskers wants to say goodbye but is too afraid of getting hurt."
"Are you afraid of saying goodbye to me, River?"
"No, but pretty whiskers is. I don't say goodbye because it won't be goodbye for very long."
"What do you mean by – "
At that moment Mal comes walking back in with cat whiskers drawn on his face. The crew bursts out laughing at the ridiculous sight.
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The scene replays itself endlessly in Inara's dreams. Her sleep always troubled by the empty goodbye she received from Mal and how she never once told him of her feelings. Often times a client would find himself awakened by her fevered murmurings and professions of love for an unknown captain of a vessel called Serenity. For two months Inara was deeply troubled by her loss of the most important man in her life. Previously there had only been one problem in her life, which had troubled her greatly, and yet, even this paled in comparison to the loss of Mal. Then in the third month of her life on this new planet, there arrived a man who would give her a new perspective on life, one which would change the course of her life forever.
"I appreciate you picking me, Inara. I know what an honor it is to be picked by a Companion of such high regard such as yourself."
"The pleasure is all mine, Baron. You were definitely one of the more interesting clients I've ever had."
"Well a lot of women have thanked me after breakfast but this is one of the few times I really feel like that means something." Inara blushes and begins to reply but the Baron interjects saying, "I really mean it. I mean I've had relationships with pretty much everything but Reavers and you have given me one of the best nights of my life. And you would be incredibly flattered if you knew just how long my life was."
"Ha…have you really had relationships with everything but Reavers?"
"Hmm? Oh well yeah. Let's see there've been men, women, cat women, an immortal time traveler (sort of), a green man or woman (I couldn't figure out its gender), a mound of sentient goo…are you feeling all right?"
"I'm just a little…shocked is all."
'Oh right, they don't have aliens in this galaxy,' the Baron reminds himself. "I was joking of course. I've only had relationships with men and women."
"Oh good, I was a little worried about your sanity for a moment. Perhaps it's best if you get going now, I need some time to rest."
"Well anything for a lady. I might be seeing you again sometime."
"Goodbye."
After he closes the door Inara collapses on the floor and her whole body shakes with pain. She begins panting heavily but refuses to scream and makes use of her Companion training to keep herself somewhat collected. After a few moments the pain goes away and she is able to stand up. She walks over to a special wooden chest that sits on her desk and opens it. Inside there is a syringe which she pulls out and inserts into the vein on her left arm. As the silvery liquid is slowly injected into her blood she lets out a sigh of relief and begins to berate herself, "You really shouldn't have waited so long before taking this. You know how dangerous it is to wait even three days between injections." She pulls the needle out of her vein and puts it back in the wooden box. Simultaneously, she pulls a bandage out of the box. She slowly winds the bandage around her arm until it is nice and tight and then pulls her sleeve down so it covers the bandage. She lets out a sigh and then collapses in her bed, the sedative already doing its work.
It is only 2 hours later when there is a knock on her door. Inara drags herself groggily out of her bed and onto her feet. The knock at the door comes again and Inara says, "Hold on, I need to make myself presentable." She takes a moment to regain her balance, straighten her hair, and smooth some of the wrinkles out of her dress. She then walks calmly towards the door and opens it.
Standing at her door, well leaning on the doorframe, is a tall man. His hair is a light brownish color that is well ruffled and he wears long brown coat, a blue suit with brown pinstripes, a white undershirt, and red tie. His brown eyes immediately sized her up before he stood up straight and began talking. "Hello miss my name's Smith and as you can see by my license," he said as he pulled out a piece of blank paper and held it up for her to see, "I'm an inspector who's looking for a very special man who keeps running away whenever I try to catch him. You haven't happened to see him, have you? He's tall, devilishly handsome, a smooth talker, likes to play rough, and omnisexual? Might even called himself some title of nobility such as, oh maybe, lord or duke or baron or some sort like that."
"You can't possibly expect me to fall for that?"
"Fall for what?"
"You're clearly not an inspector, that hasn't been a legal police position for 40 years. Also you have a British accent when there hasn't been a Britain for hundreds of years and your 'credentials' are a blank sheet of paper."
"You can see through my psychic paper?"
"Excuse me?"
"Well this is psychic paper, it shows whatever I want the other person to see via a psychic link that only I and, occasionally certain others, can use to transmit my thoughts onto the paper. But you, ah, you saw right through it, which is something only a few humans have ever been able to do. You must be really special, still I have to insist that you tell me if you've seen the man. Maybe he even told his name, Jack Harkness."
"I did entertain a man called the Baron a few hours ago who fits your description of Mr. Harkness. But I will not allow you to leave until you tell me what you are doing here, why you need this man, and why you need psychic paper to try and fool others. Overall Mr. Smith, I'm not convinced that I should be helping you capture one of this planet's nobility just because you flash a smile and say pretty please."
"Oh uh well, I'm an agent…of an organization…that seeks to punish certain people…when they break certain rules that I don't feel like telling you about. I need the psychic paper because I have to hide my identity or risk being exposed to the whole galaxy. Oh and I need to get Mr. Harkness because he broke the rules that I don't feel like telling you about."
"Do you honestly expect me to believe anything you just said 'Agent' Smith?"
"Oh no, no, no, no, no. No, no, no. No." Inara gives him a skeptical look. "Well ok, a little. But I think you should trust me on this because I'm a bit older and wiser than you."
"I need to trust a man who lies about his name?"
"Oh so you know Smith isn't my name? Fine, that's just fine. Call me the Doctor then. It's the closest thing I have to what you call a name. Well I do actually have a name but I can only tell it to one person and apparently I've already told it to that person just that happened in the future to a girl who I just met who died so…" his voice trails off as Inara gives him a strange look. "I lead a very complicated life, alright?"
He stepped over to her computer and pulled out a small metallic device adding, "Sonic screwdriver," before he pointed the blue cap towards the screen. A soft hum came out of the screwdriver and suddenly the screen pulled up a photo of the Baron complete with his history and current address. "If you can't trust a man who lies about his name," the Doctor said, "Perhaps you'll be willing to trust someone who has the ability to hack into your computer and yet was polite enough to knock before entering your room."
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Inara followed closely on the Doctor's heels as the walked through the crowded street. "I get the feeling Doctor, that this Jack isn't very dangerous and that he's not really going to get punished when you get to him."
"Oh he's not and he won't. He's just been playing around with technology that I told him is off limits, again. I'll just disable his technology with my sonic screwdriver," he pulled out a small block of metal with a blue tip when he said that, "and then I'll put him back on his planet and be on my merry way. So what's your name anyway?"
"Inara Serra. I'm a Companion, trained on Sihnon."
"Oh you're Inara. I've read about you in the biggest library in the universe. Oh you're going to have a great time in a couple of months." He glanced at Inara's puzzled face and added, "Complicated life, remember?"
"You've read about me in the biggest library in the universe? I think I'm starting to have a difficult time believing anything you say. Are you just a pathological liar or do you enjoy shocking me with nonsense?"
The Doctor stopped and began to shuffle around. He put his hands into his long brown coat and gave her a long look. Finally he spoke, "Well it's not all nonsense. Some of it just doesn't make sense at a level a human would understand."
"You keep saying things like that as if you weren't human."
"Well I'm not."
"In case you don't know, Doctor, there are no aliens in this universe. The closest thing that could be called an alien are the Reavers but they seem much more like insane men then actual aliens."
"No there are no aliens in this galaxy, in fact, this is probably the only galaxy in the universe where there isn't at least one planet with an alien species. Every other galaxy has a minimum of 3 at this point in time yet this galaxy is completely isolated. It's really quite amazing."
"Can you prove that you're an alien or do I just have to take your word for it as a Doctor?"
"Here's the proof you need." He grabbed her hand and put it over his chest.
"A heartbeat? That hardly proves…oh!" The Doctor had moved her hand down to his side where his second heart is located. "Is that…a second heart? Are you illegally transporting organs?"
"What? No. I have to hearts because I'm an alien. You can take this in as we continue on; I've just spotted our target. Oh Jack!"
The Doctor rapped his knuckle against the bright red door of a small rent house. He called out, "Jackie boy, I need to have a word with yooooou." Inara said to the Doctor as he continued to knock, "What's there to take in? You're clearly just illegally transporting multiple organs for sale on the black market. Two hearts isn't that unusual." Just as she finished the sentence, Jack opened the door and stared in surprise at the Doctor for a moment. He flashes a smile at him and Inara before speaking.
"Doctor! What are you doing here? Are you still stuck in this form? You know I liked your last form a lot better. He really enjoyed flirting with me and I can't say it was horrible flirting with him."
"Yes, yes I know, Jack. Listen: have you been playing around with time travel devices again?"
"Doctor, you hurt my feelings. Just assuming that I have been abusing a time travel watch just because I happen to be in a galaxy far away from my home time and two centuries away from where I should be that doesn't mean…"
The Doctor grabs Jack's arm and pulls it up, revealing a time travel watch. "Oh that! Well I meant to get rid of it but you know me, I just like to have a good time. Plus it just looks great on me"
"Goodbye Jack."
The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to make Jack's watch detonate in a puff of smoke. "I don't want you to ever use one of these devices again or I'll be using this screwdriver on you and not in a pleasant way. Now come back with me and I'll take you back to Earth. Shouldn't you be helping Torchwood anyway?"
"Probably but they've been doing so well without me I thought I could use a little vacation. Miss Serra helped me out in the regard."
"Mister Harkness, if that is your real name, this man keeps claiming that he's a time travelling alien. You seem to know a lot about him so I want to know why he likes lying so much."
"The Doctor's no liar. In fact, the worst he ever does is claim that his name is Smith and that's far less then what I do on a good day."
"So you expect me to believe that he is time travelling alien and you are some sort of intergalactic time criminal?"
"Whoa there girl, I'm not a criminal. I used to be a time agent until I got trapped in London and met the Doctor. After travelling with him for a couple of months he got me into a rather interesting situation, which resulted in a few…job perks."
"Immortality is a job perk?"
"Doctor you don't have to be jealous just because I never die while you have to 'regenerate' and I'm older. You still get all the girls, probably because you're so cute."
"Well that is true, I am pretty cute. Hold on a minute, you're older than me? How did that happen?"
"Oh yeah I got stuck in this weird dimension for a couple hundred years. It was sort of like hell unless you have a thing for demons."
"Never mind, I don't want to know."
"I can't believe I'm talking to an immortal lothario and an alien with narcissism issues."
Inara was led to a strange blue box and waited outside while the Doctor and Jack went inside. Jack said his goodbyes and then the Doctor closed the door after telling Inara to stay put. A few seconds later the blue box was gone. As Inara turned around to leave, hoping she wouldn't have to deal with either of them returning, a strange sound broke the silence and suddenly the blue box reappeared.
The door opened and out came the Doctor. "Hey I have an idea. Why don't you come with me and I show you the universe?"
Inara replied with a ferocious skepticism. "Me go with you? We barely know each other and I don't even like you that much. Plus don't you have Jack to keep you company?"
"Oh I already took Jack back to where he belongs. I always need a companion to travel space with me and you're actually a Companion so I figure that you fit the bill quite nicely. It get's lonely in space and truthfully I need someone to keep me in check."
"No thanks Doctor. I think I'd rather stick to this planet."
As she turned to walk away the Doctor said to her in a hushed voice, "I know about your disease." Inara stopped dead in her tracks. "I know you are slowly dying from a rare disease and I know it's fatal and I know that you're scared. You're so scared you drove the only man you ever cared for away from you because you couldn't bear to let him see you die like this. I know you just want to spend your final days in relative seclusion on a nice core planet. But you can't. There are bigger things in store for you and I can share the whole universe with you before you die. Will you travel with me?"
Inara stopped and reflected on her life. She carefully considered how little time she had left and how she had already given up on one man who had offered to travel with her. "I will."
Inara moved toward the blue box and asked, "Are you sure there's enough room in there for the two of us?" "Oh of course there is, and this will prove to you that I'm an alien. You see, the TARDIS is bigger on the inside then it is on the out."
Inara stepped into the blue box. From the outside a faint cry of, "This ship is gigantic!" could be heard and then the door closed behind her and the box disappeared in a flash of blue light.
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A note from the author: This is basically just establishing the setting for the stories that are to come. As you all should know, Inara was all set to leave the Serenity at the end of the first season of Firefly and she doesn't rejoin until halfway through the movie. These stories will focus on her development between her leaving the Serenity and her rejoining as she travels around with the Tenth Doctor. The original story idea came after I read a crossover between the Whoniverse (the universe Doctor Who takes place in) and the Buffyverse (the universe Buffy and Angel take place in). I thought it was interesting how the two universes meshed so easily and wondered if the Whoniverse could mesh well with another universe created by Joss Whedon, namely the Firefly universe. After that it was a short step to thinking, "What if the Doctor's companion was a Companion?" And thus the story of Inara and the Doctor was born. Many of you might also be thinking that the Doctor finding and apprehending Jack so quickly to be a copout, but you have to remember that Jack's not a villain and he's very likely to comply with the Doctor. Really I just needed someway to link Inara to the Doctor without using any aliens and Jack Harkness playing around with time travel again was the easiest and most believable way. Lastly, the story will focus more on Inara and her character development then it will on the Doctor.