The Crew of Serenity

Enlisting Help:

Shadow was being carried into what looked like a small Infirmary. She didn't remember even boarding the ship. She must have fallen asleep without even realizing it. When she opened her eyes all the way she saw Aaron standing to the side, their belongings were nowhere to be found, but at least Aaron still had her gun on her. She looked over at the man that seemed to be the doctor and realized that he looked familiar. When she tried to sit up, the doctor tried to stop her, but it was Aaron who stopped her and shook her head. She understood from Aaron that she was to let the doctor take a look at her while the rest of the man's friends were busy doing what they needed to do.

As Simon worked on Shadow, Aaron moved out of the Infirmary to their shared quarters. It was the Shepard that stopped her. He asked how the two of them had found each other and Aaron told him that there would be time for talk later, that at the moment, they needed to feel safe. He took the answer and let her go to the quarters that Mal had designated the two to share. Kaylee walked down out of the cargo bay with River and Inara behind her. Wash, Zoe, Jayne and Mal stood at the top of the stairs looking down and watching Simon work on Shadow.

When the woman had approached them asking if they had passage for two friends, they had at first hesitated, what with Simon and River being fugitives and all. But it had been River who said that they could come on board, which was why Mal had agreed. He wanted to know what River obviously already knew. River now watched as Simon worked on the teen girl, who seemed to be about the same age as River was, seventeen. The woman had told them that her name was Aaron and that she had just left her job to start over. The girl had asked her to take her somewhere but the cruiser the two shared wasn't large enough to get them to where they needed to go.

When Simon came out, he looked for Aaron. He told her that she was malnourished and that once she got the proper food in her she would be alright. Aaron handed him some money and said that he should use it to get her the proper food and said it was also for the medical that was done on her. Simon took it but knew that the money would be used for parts and whatever else the ship needed for repairs to be done in space. Aaron moved back towards the Infirmary when River finally spoke up.

"Her name is Shadow and she is from the planet Rada. You are the FED that helped her escape the Academy; you were nice to us back there."

"I didn't think you would recognize me River."

"Aaron Sportling, the only FED in the Academy to care what happened to us. Before I contacted Simon for help, you tried to help us get free but it didn't work."

"I nearly got caught in the process River. I'm surprised you didn't turn me in when they caught the two of you again."

"Friends don't snitch on friends. Rada seems like a nice planet to live."

"How do you know of Rada, River? Shadow never talks about her home world, well at least not to me."

"Shadow doesn't say a lot. She doesn't talk using words. She communicates with her home world using telepathy. She knows when to search and communicate with her mind and when not to. When I escaped, she blocked me from her mind so that they could not use her to find me. Shadow needs rest."

"That part I agree on. She sleeps mostly during the day and even through the night, but it never seems like she gets enough sleep. She misses her home."

"A home she has not seen since she was a small child. She is the last of her kind in this area of the verse. Her home world of Rada is in a different section of the verse, one not traversed by Reavers or the rest of the human population. It is an untouched world, might be because there is no land mass."

"If there is no land mass, then how are we to find her people?"

"They live and breathe the water. The water is all it is for them. They are the people of the water. Their cities reside underwater."

"Huh, no wonder she never talked about the land cities. I was always asking what her cities looked like from above and she could not tell me. But that still doesn't answer how you know all this."

"In due time Aaron will you understand. Shadow and I are back together, I think I will sit with my friend."

Gathering Supplies:

Once Aaron's true identity was out and everyone knew that she was a FED, there was no denying why she wanted a ride to a planet on the other side of the verse. She, like Shadow, River and Simon were all on the run from the Federation and the quicker they got away from inhabited planets the better. Aaron gave them enough money to get what they needed for mechanical supplies (as just in case the ship broke down in the middle of space they would have the parts), all the food they needed for such a long journey as well as water supplies.

As far as Aaron knew, nobody knew that she had Shadow with her and her superiors had believed her when she said she'd found a small homestead to call her own. If she needed to use her ID to get through certain checkpoints, then that's what she would do to help Shadow and make sure the Firefly didn't get held up somewhere they didn't need to be. Clothes were bought for both River and Shadow and more books and entertainment was bought for the long flight. The cruiser that Shadow and Aaron had arrived in was sold almost immediately, through some not so proper channels and the money was used to buy what was needed for the long journey to Rada.

THIS CHAPTER IS NOT FINISHED. JUST NEEDED TO POST AN UPDATE.