Ch.27

When I heard what the job was I had my bots on world build me a two seater hover bike with a weapons cache storage and it's own automated defense rocket launchers. I knew what was coming and I wanted to be ready. When it was time to leave I loaded it up next to the mule and received looks from the others.

I sighed as Mal already said the plan involved using River's talents. "Mule won't run with five plus cargo. I bought this so we'd have extra room for more cash and stuff. It's small but ten times faster than the mule and has automatic defense weapons and a shield that would last under short burst rocket fire."

Kaylee whistled. "How much did it run you?"

I smiled. "I know the people who made it so I got it as a favor they owed me. It'd cost nearly as much as all of Serenity's upgrades put together and is illegal to own by private owners. Technically, if anyone asks, it's apart of my manifest."

Mal asked. "How much would we get for it?"

I grunted. "We can talk about that after the job. We got places to be and the mule needs fixed up and packed for our crime spree."

Jayne snorted. "I still don't see why we don't just use the tele-thingamajig to get all the cash out."

I snorted. "It's guarded by guards who will spill the beans if they see us beaming shit out. Then we'd have a lot more to worry about than som simple bank heist."

Mal shook his head. "We do the job like any other and we get paid. Teleporter isn't to be used unless absolutely necessary you hear me?"

Jayne held up his hands in surrender. "Got it boss."

I sighed. "I'll take some slips just in case we run into an emergency. Be sure to wear one at all times."

They each agreed and we began loading and prepping for the heist on Aberdeen. We hadn't been out in this region of space in a long time as we tended to steer clear of reaver territory and places near it unless good money was involved.

Simon pitches a fit when we got close about River going but I simply told him. "She's come a long way now and while she's still not alright, she's much clearer now. She's not having problems with thoughts and memories acting up as much. She'll be fine and I'll be there to watch over her Doc. It's what I do after all."

River had her moment with Mal about understanding her part in all this while I watched in amusement as she asked him. "Do you?"

He defended himself saying. "This is what I do."

She came before me and wrapped her hands around me neck while giving me a kiss. It was something she'd done since Inara had left and while it irritated Simone, I was all that was left to slate her lust when she felt to much from Wash and Zoë.

She frequented my bed nearly every night now seeking her own pleasures even when Zoë and Wash wasn't going at it. Adria was amused and held her most nights while she slept. I hadn't taken it farther than helping her find release and that's what frustrated her so.

She'd tried to have her way but I stopped her each time saying. "You're not all you yet. When you've figured out how to be all you again, then I'll happily take you whenever you wish love."

She'd become frustrated several times and tended to try beating me into submission when I refused her. I understood and blocked her punches and jabs as she released her frustration on me. Then I gave her a release or three before she fell asleep in my arms.

Simon had grown sort of used to it by now and when she released the kiss, I grabbed her waist and lifted her to bike where she then wrapped her arms around my waist when I got on. Simon told her. "River, stay behind the others. If there's fighting, drop to the floor or run away. It's ok to leave them to die."

Mal snorted. "If anything happens to her, anything at all, I swear to you, I will get very choked up. Honestly, there could be tears."

He looked to me now. "Let's ride."

I tapped the auto shields and an energy shield wrapped around both river and I as the bike came to life. I drove off the ship with River giggling in happiness as she held out her arms like she was flying.

We matched the mule's speed and drove beside it as the barrier became transparent and we could feel the filtered wind. The filter kept bugs and dust out of our air but allowed us to feel the air and had River's hair blowing in the wind while she laughed.

When we got close to town she returned her arms around my waste and felt up my chest mischievously. I let her play as it wasn't anything she hadn't done before and it kept her occupied and happy.

She knew to stay away from my weapons belt ever since she'd destroyed my last robe pulling out my sword while being hit with emotions. She shied away from my weapons since then as she knew I wouldn't let her play anymore if she touched them.

I'd spent many hours talking with Inara over transmission waves about River. She'd given me suggestions on how to cook her down and what she'd found that worked best. For talking about sex our transmissions were very clinical.

We were both very open about it and what we wanted to know so it was very intuitive. River had talked to Inara over a few waves of late while I gave them privacy.

Adria has offered to tell me what it was about but I'd declined saying. "I don't need to know all her secrets love, just like I never needed to know all of yours or the others. Let her tell me if she wishes for me to know."

Adria had faintly tried to kiss me but like with River she couldn't really touch us. A frustrating aspect of this form of existence to be sure.

When we arrived at the bank, River stopped her playing as we parked. It wasn't a real bank but more like a cash house with a hidden vault used to pay contract protection agencies the alliance hired to keep their interest out here safe.

River stayed with Zoë as the rest of us entered strapped and told everyone. "This is a robbery, everyone get down on the floor."

A guard charged Jayne who promptly flipped him on his head and slammed him down, likely killing him. I pulled out my sword and sliced a gash in the stone wall to the people's fear.

Mal spoke clearly now. "Everyone get down on the floor and stay there or my friend here will do to you what he did to the wall. What we are here for does not belong to you. So, let's have no undo fussing."

Jayne checked the wall safe before saying. "She's locked you."

I opened the door and River came inside with Zoë. They circled the people until River pointed to one of the men. Zoë have her a look and she returned it with a sardonic nod.

Zoë stepped behind him and cocked her shotgun next to his head. "You know what the definition of a hero is? It's someone who gets people killed. You can look it up when we're through here."

I grabbed the old man at the counter and brought him to the safe saying. "Open it."

He fiddled with it until it was opened, revealing some petty cash ready for a bank deposit. Zoë made a sarcastic comment. "At last, we can retire from this life of crime."

Mal snorted and I took the cash out before he flipped the switch, unlocking the vault path below. Mal turned to me. "Stay here with Jayne and the girl while we load up the cash."

I nodded and handed him a few teleporter strips saying. "Just in case."

He nodded and went downstairs after Jayne gave the man down there the password in the form of firing off a few rounds. I circled the room and went to River's side until she convulsed and screamed.

I caught her as she said. "Reavers."

I grunted to Jayne. "Tell captain we got reavers incoming. Move your ass."

He booked it to the vault yelling. "Mal!"

A minute later I heard Mal and the rest come up saying. "Reavers are here, everyone get in the vault!"

He tossed the money bags to me and nodded as I grabbed River and went outside with them following. I tossed the bags on the mule before hopping on the bike with River and hitting the defense shield as a reaver tried grabbing her. It hit the shield and bounced away like it was hit by lightning.

I started the engine and hit the auto targeting system as shots rang out, killing a dozen reavers near us. Mal shiver the guy off the mule as he said. "Get back inside the vault."

Three reavers grabbed him but a second later they died from the bikes auto guns. We drove by him as he ran back inside. We chased the mule then passed it until a reaver ship started chasing it. I hit the speeds of ten times faster than the mule before turning around and hitting the rocket defenses. Seconds later the reaver ship was a pile of exploding fire.

Spikes it had shot just before it exploded bounced off the shields. We followed the mule into the cargo bay and took off. When Zoë commented about not taking the man, Mal told her. "I knew he'd be fine. I just saw Osiris kill a dozen reavers with the bike's defenses. They were following us and he made it inside just-"

That was all he got out before Simon punches him calling him a son of a whore. Mal stood up Simon continued. "Never again."

Mal growled and spit out race amounts of blood. "I seem to remember saying something about you giving orders on my ship."

Simon snorted. "Well we're off your ship just as soon as River gets her share of the bounty."

River, who had yet to speak or take her arms off my waist spoke up. "I want to stay."

Zoë told him. "She warmed us about the reavers. If it wasn't for her we'd have been trapped inside and likely eaten."

Simon looked defeated as he tried talking to her. "River, please, it's to dangerous here for you."

I gently pulled her arms off of me saying. "Go, talk to your brother in private."

She sighed and took Simon away. Once she was gone I told Mal. "If they leave, so will I. I came for adventure and fun captain, I staid because this ship became my home as well. But I feel something other than the need for dangerous excitement and I'll follow that feeling across the verse and back if necessary."

He gave me a look before sighing. "He just punched me in the mouth."

I snorted. "Who hasn't? Besides, he's worried for his sister and knowing she got so damn close to them, especially with the fact that she can feel them and hear their thought, well, would you feel ok with that if it were Inara?"

He ground his teeth before holding up a finger and curling it into a fist saying. "If he punches me again-"

I nodded. "I'll stop him. He's impetuous and used to having his own way. Arrogant and self entitled. He'll learn, he's already come so damn far. A year ago he was a doctor on a core world bossing people around and having everything he's ever asked for. Now he understands thing are different and while he wants that ability to have all he's ever wanted back, he doesn't say much about giving orders unless it's about his sister's safety."

My words took the steam right out of Mal who sighed. "Help unload the mule. We've got a ten hour trip ahead of us before we get paid. I slipped some teleporter bands in the-"

Two cases of cash nearly the size of the hover bike appeared next to the mule a moment later as I turned to see Zoë hitting the recall button on her control band. I'd had to make them for our more exciting jobs to actually get away with things others might not.

Those in the vault would be more concerned with the reavers outside and keeping quiet. The rest could be chalked up to an over active imagination and terror. I unloaded the money from the mule and hooked it back up to the chains before raising it to the ceiling hanger like a one ton raft in a flying garage.

We were off to Beaumonde with cases of cash. We counted it and took twenty percent off the top for Fanty and Mingo. It was actually because of them that Book had decided to move to an outer rim world where he could do more good.

Fanty and Mingo weren't the type of people he wanted to meet often and they were the only ones with paying work right now. Between the alliance cracking down in their search for River and Simon and Mal's personality, we were kind of screwed out of most of the jobs lately.

When I waved off the cut Mal offered I told him. "We have other things to talk about now. Fanty and Mingo have been reluctant to deal with us for a while now and work is getting kind of slow."

He sighed. "You're thinking about cutting ship."

I shook my head. "Not in the slightest. No, I've some work in mind thanks to my contacts with the merchant guild and I was thinking we go legit for a bit. Nothing to close to the core worlds mind you, but simple hauling work. Pays decent and it'll give me some time to check in with the more seedy contacts I've been able to make. The assassin's guild has work for me to do."

He and everyone else at the table stilled. The assassin guild was well known now for being indiscriminate killers so long as it's a paid contract and it's not an innocent. They had rules and the verse knew them now. Clients who tried skirting those rules ended up dead and examples were made.

Mal gulped audibly before asking. "What's your ties to that group."

I sighed. "Now that I know you so well, I'll tell you. I am a member."

Each of them paled before I continued. "It must not have been hard to realize I'm sure. Some of you must have guessed it at least. My skills, the way I fight. The way River spars with me and ends up loosing even with the programming and training they must've put her through."

I pulled out a token with an ouroboros on one side and a green Phoenix in the other. It was something I'd demanded all members of the guild have. It was proof of my status and something that had been shown around to let others know it was a legitimate member you were making a contract with.

I set it on the table for them to see. "I've taken a few jobs here and there that have lined up with our smuggling jobs. These jobs I've taken are only towards people like Niska. The guild is very strict on what type of contracts we take out."

Jayne snorted. "What's the pay like? If it's any good I might decide to branch out."

I chuckled. "They'd never accept you idiot. The guild personally trains you from a young age to withstand anything and everything. You'd break in under ten minutes from what they'd do to you. Without their training you would never be accepted into the guild. Their secrets are kept because of that training."

Kaylee asked. "Why'd you join something like that?"

I shrugged. "When you face life without, you'd say yes to anything that got you what you needed. Some do it for the money and future, others for survival and even more to actually have a life not controlled by others."

Mal frowned. "So they sell themselves into servitude?"

I snorted. "All contracts are optional Mal. Like companions we can pick and choose who we deal with. We decide who we go after, who was worth the time to kill."

He sighed. "And what happens if the one you go after is innocent?"

I shook my head. "Doesn't happen, all targets receive a background search that goes back to their childhood. We know every detail of their lives before we end them. If they turn out innocent as you say though, no matter if they are killed by mistake or not, the one who made the contract is made an example of. Them, their families and even their pets are killed, their finances drained and given to whomever was wronged. Our symbol is burned into the bodies of those those responsible along with the reason for their death."

My cold explanation had them all reeling while I sighed. "The assassin's guild is like any other, performing a service is all. We don't harm innocent people and we never give up on a contract we've agreed to. If one is killed they send ten, if ten die, a hundred and so on and so forth. All deaths are avenged and all aggressors eliminated. We answer the call of our own in need whenever necessary."

Simon walked in and asked. "Is that why you boarded this ship? To kill us?"

I snorted. "If I wanted any of you dead you'd be dead now. No, I boarded this ship to feel alive again. The training we undergo, it makes us feel dead inside. I said before that I staid because I felt Serenity had become my home."

I turned back to Mal. "The moment I felt that I sent a notice to the guild. Everyone aboard this ship is banned from being contracted against. It is the guild's way of preventing in fighting and ensuring we protect our own. You all are protected for life from being targeted by the guild, Inara as well."

Mal grunted. "Then I fail to see the down side in this arrangement."

I shook my head. "That's not why I told you now. This evening when we got back I received intel that an alliance assassin, much like a guild assassin in technique, is coming after us. The guild won't interfere until I'm dead, then they'll go after the assassin. But for now, I needed you to know how serious this is. They don't have our names and faces yet but it's only a matter of time."

Wash frowned. "Then how do you know they're coming after us?"

It was River who walked in that answered. "Because of me. The alliance wants me back so they can play with my insides again and they're looking to kill all those that stand between me and them. They're after Simon to make an example out of him as well aren't they? For getting me out?"

I nodded slowly. "They are. If they get ahold of you, they'll find out who harbored you and come after us with a vengeance."

Jayne pulled out his gun at River. "The way I see it then, they die and we space the bodies, no harm no foul-"

My sword was at his neck as I growled. "Take your finger off the trigger or I separate your head from your shoulders. No one in the verse touches them without going through me."

Jayne grunted and lowered his weapon. "Just a second ago you were just saying we were some kind of family."

I snorted. "A dysfunctional one and you're the black sheep. I'd sheer you to protect them or do I need to revisit that stunt you pulled on Ariel?"

He paled and I put my sword away as Mal said. "Then we keep doing as we have. We hide them for as best we can for as long as we can."

He turned to River and Simon. "Sorry doc but it looks like you're getting inked once we land on Beaumonde. We can't take the chance they'll find you by camera if a bit of marker wears off any more."

Jayne snorted. "I still say we should space em. Or dump them on a backwater planet where the alliance don't touch down."

I ignored him as River met my eyes and walked to me before sitting across my lap. She stayed looking at my eyes asking. "Why can't I hear you?"

I smiled. "Every guild member is trained to silence our thoughts and create a barrier in our mind."

She smiled. "The book."

I nodded. "It's a mandatory lesson all members are forced to learn. We've readers of our own that we practice against only ours break into minds by force and don't read just surface thoughts. The pain is excruciating and we're subjected to it repeatedly for months on end until we either build up a solid defense or we go insane from the agony."

The others stilled by my words as River nodded. "But you can fix yourself if you break."

I agreed. "True. Once we master the mind arts we can file away our memories and feelings and shut them off if need be. It leaves one feeling though. An emptiness that consumes all emotion. We call it void. The empty. It's in that state that we kill our targets. No pain, mercy or sorrow. Only completing the mission."

"That is why we do so much to find out if the target is deserving. Because once the contract is accepted, it means certain death for the target. When we come out of that state, we are able to rebuild our minds one piece at a time and unlock our emotions once more. We accept that we kill but we also accept that we are not machines, we have emotions and souls."

She cupped my cheek saying. "Yes you do."

I smiled and did the same to her. "And you as well. They may have injured you but it's still there love. Once you're strong enough to quiet the voices and purge the memories you've taken in, you'll be able to fix yourself like I can."

Simon asked. "How can you fix a physical problem with a mental thought?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You of all people should know that a persons state of mind has a bearing on their physical health."

He frowned. "Only in the sense that if they don't take care of themselves they get sick or die."

I snorted and held up a hand. I then cut my palm and they watched in fascination. I closed my eyes and concentrated on healing myself with the potentia energy I had inside me. I felt the wound close slowly and opened my eyes to their shocked faces.

Smiling I said. "I am not a psychic like river so my ability to heal myself is limited to flesh wounds. It's mentally exhausting and gives a wicked headache as well."

Simon was quiet now as he studied my hand. When he asked. "How?"

I sighed. "Mind over matter. Willing your body to do what it does naturally only at a faster pace. The energy required is what you call focus or sheer force of will. Shepherd would call it the soul healing the body. In the end it doesn't matter what you call it, so long as you understand it has it's limits. You have to know exactly what your body is made of down to the last strand of DNA and understand what the process entails. It is one of the closest guarded secrets of the assassin's guild."

River touched my hand and fiddled with the drying blood on my palm before saying. "It has no more life."

I nodded. "The blood spilled dies as it's energy is burned off healing the wound. Master the mind and you master the body."

She turned to Simon. "I want to learn this. You should too."

Zoë asked. "Won't they be pissed if you go spilling their secrets?"

I sighed. "They would, if any of you told them they'd silence me and all of you as well or they'd try to anyway. I'm not that easy to be killed. Even in the guild I'm not a newbie."

Kaylee asked. "How many people have you killed?"

I looked at her and shook my head saying coldly. "Don't ever ask that again. There's a reason I was looking to feel again. Most newbies revel in the lack of emotions. It's freeing at times. No worries or fears. But those of us that are veterans and have a few years under our belt crave something more to offset that feeling of emptiness as it's no longer enough."

I turned away from her and back to River who was looking at me intently. I sighed as Simon asked. "How much is a contract?"

I turned to him and shook my head. "It varies depending on how high profile, guarded and difficult the job would be. But mostly an average contract is around a million platinum. It goes up from there depending who and where. If you're talking the most expensive, then an alliance ship full of officers would run you around ten billion platinum."

Simon frowned. "No members of parliament?"

I shook my head. "Parliament is on a hands off list. The guild won't take contracts on them unless they harm the guild's business interest or declare our members be hunted down and killed. Then we'd kill all of parliament all in a single night."

Mal frowned now. "Why don't you do that anyway? Why let the alliance have power?"

I sighed. "To the guild who runs the galaxy is irrelevant. So long as contracts are taken and someone wants someone else dead, the guild will endure whomever is in charge."

Simon frowned. "So taking out a contract on those that want River back isn't an option?"

I shook my head. "So long as they're members of parliament and they don't interfere in guild business I can't take them out no mater the amount of money you offer."

He asked. "What would be considered interfering then?"

I shrugged. "If parliament started taking our contracts or intentionally protecting our targets just to spite us."

Simon frowned. "If I took out a contract on myself then?"

I shook my head. "You can't, like I said before every one of you is protected on a list like parliament is only there's only one way for you to be taken off. You'd have to kill a guild member and I gotta say, that's not likely. But on the off chance let's say you succeeded and killed a member. You'd be hunted by every member of the guild immediately and killed for sure. If the assassin the government sent got in the way, he'd be killed sure, but that's it."

Simon looked at the end of his rope now so I sighed and told him. "Don't worry, if the assassin comes for you and River, I'll kill him myself. I won't let him take River or worse kill her."

The girl in question kissed my cheek before grabbing Kaylee's hand saying. "Let's go play."

They took off to play while I stood up. "After we get done with Fanty and Mingo I can contact the merchant guild for the legit work for a while unless you can find something else. Either way I'll contact the assassin's guild on Beaumonde to see about the contracts up in the area and find out any intel on this would be assassin that's coming."

He nodded. "When are you heading out?"

I shrugged. "As soon as we hit atmo. I'll contact the assassin guild first and check back with you to see if Fanty and Mingo have any more work before heading to the merchant guild if they don't."

He sighed. "If you can hold off I'd like you to be there in case Fanty and Mingo get ideas of cutting us out of more. They're intimidated by you ever since you cut their guard to pieces for trying to touch your swords."

I shrugged. "Rules are no guns, I don't give up my swords easily."

He smiled. "Yeah, Fanty mentioned he might be changing that rule because of you."

I gave him a look and he chuckled. "That's what I said. Anyway, it's not like you'd need them I'm sure."

Shrugging I told him. "True, but I feel naked without them. I'll go with you to the drop off but after they agree to twenty percent I need to head out. I've a busy day and I don't fancy hearing their stories or whatnot."

He agreed and I headed to my room to prep the shuttle. When we arrived on Beaumonde I left with Mal and Jayne after telling them I was getting the ship upgraded again and not to flip if people started showing up.

I made sure the bots I had coming showed an assassin's guild medallion. They were to replace the windshield with a diamond-trinium glass like combination that wouldn't give out under fire. That along with upgrading the ship's engines to a naquadria reactor, adding cloaking and shield capabilities pretty much summed it all up.

When we got to the bar, Fanty and Mingo greeted us albeit reluctantly on my part. I didn't carry guns inside but my swords set them on edge and I'd ignored the sign they'd put up. The guard pissed off with a single look from me as he'd been there when I'd killed the last one who tried to take my swords.

Fanty flipped a coin to the dancers to cover the camera feeds while we talked. When Mal gave them the twenty percent Mingo sighed in defeat and took the bag without fuss. I nodded to Mal and stood up. "I best be going. I got work to do and things to check on. I'll wave you in a bit."

Mal nodded as I took off and headed to the assassin's guild base in town after grabbing the shuttle. There I read up on what was going on a selected a few targets I'd take out personally before checking on those in training. The guild hadn't been up and running long but it's human members were growing in number.

The only down side was that it took time to teach them and get them into shape even with the bots feeding their minds information and help building their mind scapes while they rested.

I suspect the first few dozen humans won't be ready for another six months. When I was about to call Mal he called me saying I needed to get back to the ship as shit went down in the bar.

I got there just as they were about to leave atmo. I docked and met them in the mess hall as we broke atmo and plotted a course for Haven, where Book had his flock. We were doing a full burn all the way there. We wouldn't have been able to if the generator hadn't been upgraded but now, with Kaylee working the modifications, we'd been there in a day.

As soon as I entered the mess hall I saw Simon physically fidgeting and Jayne talking about ending River. I walked up and clocked him, send him sprawling. "Any more talk like that out of you and me and you are going to have a problem."

I turned to Mal who told me what happened. I pulled up the feed before saying. "Contact me.Universe. I don't have the equipment here to exam the full feed. We need to know what she was watching when she went ballistic."

I turned to Simon. "Why was she off the ship without tattoos or at least marked up?"

He shook his head. "She took off not long after you left and wondered around as far as I can tell. We tried finding her but she's already caused the scene."

I grunted and told Mal. "Give me a moment with her to see if whatever it is that triggered it is out of her system."

He waved a hand. "Be my guest. She took out an entire bar and I'm pretty sure several of them are dead."

Headed into the pantry where he'd cuffed her to the floor grid. She was awake now and looking at me. I sat next to her and assessed the situation before growling and breaking the cuffs off her. She looked so lost and mixed up that I knew instantly what happened.

I brought her out of the pantry where they eyed her wearily. Sighing I told them. "Whatever triggered her before us gone. I brought all the memories and thoughts she'd read to the forefront and activated her for lack of a better term. She's been flooded with memories that aren't her own and she's drowning in them now."

River was muttering and twitching every which way. I pulled her into my arms and whispered in her ear while Adria helped her. "Focus, file them away and push them aside they aren't your memories but it is your mind."

after a few minutes she calmed down and went to sleep in my lap where I'd sat. Mal went to talk to Mr.Universe with the rest of the crew to see what the hell went wrong. They found the subliminal message and proof that it was high military grade and being broadcasted all over the verse.

River slept until we arrived on Haven. I'd taken her to her room and stayed there with her. When Book came to see her he didn't stay long himself before going to talk with Mal. The next evening we were off again as Inara was in trouble.

When we got there Mal and I slipped in undetected. That is until we found Inara. The agent/assassin was expecting us. When Mal gave me a look I nodded and he took Inara's hand and backed away.

The assassin spoke of firing on our locator beacon until Mal tosses the beacon to him saying. "If you do that then you'd best make peace with your god. A tip from an old tracker, use your eyes."

I smirked as I stood there unmoving until the assassin said he was unarmed. Mal up and shot him with the plasma pistol to the chest. He bounced off the back wall and hit the ground, his chest sizzling. I shrugged. "Damn, and I was hoping for a good workout before killing him myself."

Mal snorted. "Let's get out of here before his backup arrives."

We bolted and headed to the shuttle before heading back to the ship and dropping tracing beacons to prevent them from following. On the way to Haven River finally felt like talking. She showed everyone Miranda, the planet she'd been talking about before she'd went crazy.

It'd been at the core of the memories that she'd taken from others. We knew just from it's location and how bad the alliance didn't want anyone to know about it that it held a mightily powerful secret they were willing to go through a lot of trouble to keep.

Mal decided. "When we get back to Haven we plan and see about getting around the reavers and hopefully avoiding them all together. If we can do that then maybe we can use whatever we find there to stave off this impending crisis."

When we got to Haven it was a disaster. The entire place was burning or littered with the dead. A crashed alliance patrol ship was shot down in the middle of the camp. When I saw this I turned to Adria who nodded and disappeared.

Moments later we landed and searched for survivors. When we found Book, he was near death. I saw Adria and she said. "He doesn't wish to ascend."

I nodded and she left him be. The doc came running to late as Book said his peace to Mal before drawing his last breath. Zoë figures it out when Jayne asked. "How come they weren't waiting for us? If they knew we was coming."

Zoë shook her head. "Because they didn't know. Wash, get on the cortex and warm everyone that's ever given us shelter to get out now!"

It was to little to late as all our allies were dead and the smug assassin answered the call. His chest covered but I could see the scorch marks while he talked to Mal. When Mal finished I asked him. "How's the plasma burn treating you? That body armor must've melted into your skin from the looks of it. You're weakened now, hurting. When I see you again I'll help you relieve the pain by ending you."

I turned off the transmission as I scrambled it and bounced it between every planet in the verse. Mal started talking about tying bodies to the ship and I stopped him. "There's am easier way. When we stopped on Beaumonde I had the ship fitted with further upgrades. In truth all assassin guild members have a ship with such upgrades but I'd forgoed it until now for obvious reasons once you understand what I had done."

I tapped my wrist band and Serenity disappeared before their very eyes. I tapped my wrist band once more and it appeared out of a shimmer. "Cloaking technology. Not even the alliance has this tech. Only the assassin's guild members have it. A tool nothing more."

Inara frowned. "Assassin's guild?"

Jayne rocked me off by saying. "He didn't tell you? Osiris here is a bona fide professional killer. He got himself a neat coin and everything."

I ground my jaw while Inara looked at me before it clicked for her. "The training and all the skills you had. How did I not figure it out before. It makes so much sense now!"

I nodded and told Mal. "The cloak will get us through Reaver territory so long as we don't bump into any space junk. One bump though and were humped. The cloak can't work with the shields."

Mal finally burst out. "We got shields now? Like those kind you got on that fancy bike of yours?"

I smirked and nodded. "That was the other upgrade I had installed. We have shields as a cloak yes. But they don't run together and shields won't help us if there's to much damage being done at once. You won't win a war with them so don't even try. At best the ship would take out maybe twenty reaver ships before and I repeat, we're humped."

We buried the dead before heading to the ship and taking off towards reaver territory. I showed Mal and the rest how to activate the shields and cloak before sticking to the cloak. We were able to do a full burn till we arrived in reaver territory then we switched to sub-light.

When we got passed the reavers with little trouble we landed on Miranda. There things took a turn for the worse for River as she was drowning again and this time I couldn't help her. She cried and asked why they wouldn't stand up.

It set the others on edge till we found the relay station that recorded a poor woman's death. She admired the alliance was responsible for mass human experimentation and creating reavers before being raped to death and eaten at the same time.

It was a horrible way to go and it made the others sick. I however had eaten humans before as a werewolf and drank blood as a vampire so it didn't even faze me. Hell, I'd lived so long now that the entire thing wasn't even the worst thing I'd personally done.

I murdered billions daily for their souls to consume and wiped out two species, both the wraith and the goa'uld. I'd eaten demons that were uglier than these reavers and yet my own stomach turned a bit now that I was fully human.

When River puked I held her hair while telling her. "Push it all out now. Once it's gone close the door to your mind. You can open it again when you're prepared for it."

She closed her eyes and when she opened them, clear and happy she said. "I'm me again."

I wiped her mouth while helping her up. Simon was ecstatic now so was Inara and the others. Jayne raised a hand. "This mean she's not crazy any more?"

River snorted. "It means I can kick your ass without needing to worry about the rest thinking I'm going to murder you or something."

I chuckled and Inara agreed. "She's back to herself again."

River leaned against my chest while looking at Simon and the crew. Even now I felt the spark in her in full force now. She was exactly my type of woman now. Powerful, intelligent, lethal and kind.

I hummed while we slowly made our way back to the ship where Mal laid out a plan for us. He gave a big speech about misbehaving and showing the galaxy what the alliance had done.