Ch.23

When the builder bots finished up with the ship and showing Mal all the extra hiding spaces because of the far more compact technology, they left back to their stands. I took a stroll the last day grounded and came back with a buggy full of fresh produce.

Most I'd grown myself while some I had to buy. All of it was in stasis bags to preserve it from time and mold. I even had several cattle worth of steaks, sausages and various meats to be stored away for the long months.

When Mal mentioned the second half of the cash I'd eventually have to pay him, I told him. "Not to worry, I've had some coin changed into credits and have an account open with the iron banks. It's secure and not even the alliance could mess with it. I can show you the balance if it'll set your mind at ease as to how easy it is to pay you."

He nodded and I pulled up my account I'd just opened up with the core system's most secure bank. I'd robbed half the royalty and rich people on the planet with wire transfers and hacking skills. None of it was traceable to me but some did trace back to a few local big shot thieves known for human trafficking.

Mal was more than impressed with the bank account by the look on his face. When I turned off the data pad and cleared out all the passwords I'd used I handed it to him and headed to my quarters.

I'd had an actual shower installed along with a water filtration system that collected and filtered clean water out of the air when we entered the atmosphere of a planet or moon.

It was a treat for myself as whores baths didn't appeal to me in the long term. In a way my room was nicer than even Mal's now and only Inara's room came close. I'd set myself up as a trader with licenses and IDs covering every inch of my background including birth records and family history going back several generations on Osiris, the planet in the core system worlds.

When we flew without shaking thanks to the inertial dampeners I had installed, it shocked both Kaylee and the rest of the passengers on board from the difference. It truly was the smoothest ride in this galaxy now.

I began my routine of workouts and that lasted the first three days before Jayne commented. "How's come you don't smell like us common folk after so long aboard this ship? Even Inara only smells slightly better than the rest of us but not nearly as clean as you."

I shrugged and took a bite of my burger before saying. "I had a shower installed when I had the ship upgraded. It wasn't much extra, the extension to get the space to include it cost more than the shower itself. It collects and purifies moisture from atmo when we enter and exit. It stores hundred thousand gallons and has it's own heat and cold modifier. I take a shower after I work out or I'd be as ripe as you or worse."

Mal frowned. "You're just mentioning this now?"

I chuckled. "I asked if you had anything you'd like installed in your personal quarters. When you said you were good I figured you already had all you needed."

Inara raised an eyebrow before asking. "Might I make use of it? I mean, so long as it's ok with you?"

I shrugged. "Sure thing, just don't wake me up or try touching me if you see me sleeping. I tend to get grumpy when I'm forced to wake up. All of you are welcome to use it, just put a note on my room door that says don't enter if I'm not sleeping. I don't exactly wish to see a bunch of grown men naked nor do I wish to intrude on your delicate sense-abilities. There's shampoo and body wash there, for those without your own, by all means, apply liberally."

Mal snorted and Simon smiled causing Kaylee to smile as well. I turned to Jayne. "I catch you snooping in my stuff and you'll wish the reavers had you."

He flinched and shivered at my threat but snorted it off after he caught himself. "What, you got something to hide?"

I shook my head slowly. "Not particularly, I just don't want you stink on my clothes or music crystals."

Inara frowned. "You have music crystals? Those are rare even on the core worlds."

I smiled. "I've hundreds of music crystals. You my lady are welcome to listen to and borrow them so long as you let me know which ones you're taking. There are a few my wives made for me before they left, they're personal."

She raised an eyebrow asking. "You're married?"

I shrugged uncomfortably. "Not in the strictest since. They passed on I guess you could say."

The table went silent and I sighed. "They sought enlightenment and from what I understand of it, when the mind is enlightened, the spirit is freed and the body matters not. The monks I talked to called it ascension, going to a higher plane. Shepherd here probably thinks it's heaven, I don't care what it's called, they're just not with me any more."

I took a swig of my red wine I'd bought before standing up. "I'm heading to practice before grabbing my own shower and heading to bed. Feel free to use the facilities before or after I'm done and asleep."

Inara gave me a sorrowful look and I brushed it off as I went to practice. Three hours later River stopped my vigorous workout asking. "Why those marks?"

I stilled and touched my enochian tattoos before telling her while Book was listening. "It's enochian, the language of the angels you could say. They're protection symbols meant to protect me from the wrath of gods. When my wives left I had them inscribed into my flesh to hide my presence from the eyes of the gods themselves. They can not punish what they cannot see."

Shepherd asked from his place while River touched them in places. "You believe god cannot see you? Even now?"

I smirked. "I know he cannot see me. This is his language, his words after all. To see me he's have to break his own word and let me ask you, what kind of god would he be if he did that?"

The preacher frowned before opting not to comment. When River spoke she tried to pull my pants down. "They go all the way down don't they, to the soles of your feet? Just beneath the skin yet powerful."

I brushed her hands away grunting. "Girl, careful who and where you touch. You're not so young and delicate that I won't plant you on your ass."

She gave me a wry look and I turned my bands back on to continue my workout. I heard her humming My Way by Ava Max. I gave her a scowl and continued my workout. When I was good and sore again I headed to the shower where I ran into Inara coming out of my room happy and clean.

She thanked me before passing me by. I grabbed my shower and heard a knock at the door. It was Inara and Kaylee this time. Inara wanted a few music crystals to borrow and Kaylee wanted a shower. I showed her where to tap to fog the glass and how to work it all before showing Inara where the crystals were.

It was a small bag in my leather pack. Each crystal had the singer's face on them with a screen option to choose the songs. I gave her my spare player and told her how to use that specific design. Once she got the hang of it she took twenty crystals to try listening to.

Almost a week later and some very disturbing flashes from each of the crew, we got used to each other and our habits. I avoided my room all together when the men grabbed showers. The females found I didn't intentionally look nor did I care to see them naked up to a point as I was polite enough to meet their gazes instead of letting my eyes wonder.

Adria found it amusing how I treated them as she watched just beyond their senses, well most of them anyway. Sometimes River was able to perceive her as if she could see her standing there. When I slept or simply laid in my bunk, Adria would float above me as if she was laying down as well.

When we arrived on a back water moon, Mal invited me down to a bar where he was making a contact for a job. Jayne and Zoë were coming with while we drank and waited for the contact to well, make contact.

I had a few drinks of the gut rot swill they passed off as alcohol when the contact came through. Then a dumb ass had to go and ruin the day by toasting to something they called unification day. Mal went to pick a fight and Zoë followed.

Sighing, I followed. Now, I've not been in a fist fight since I made this body so when I clocked the dumb ass and heard his jaw break, his teeth spilling on the floor, I kind of felt both bad and surprised. That of course quelled the idiots that went to stand in their friend's defense for a moment until Mal swore.

They took exception to that and a bar fight broke out. I softened my blows a bit and managed to just knock out those that came at me. Some still ended up with broken noses, but it was rather fun especially when Mal got tossed through the hologram window.

Zoë went out the door beating on two of the guys after her. I Spartan kicked a big guy through the front door and he went down for the count while the door splintered. Jayne came out after me fighting three with a metal stool.

Chuckling I clicked the first one that went for his back then introduced my heel to the temple of Zoë's second friend. With the odds more in our favor as none of them came near me, Mal was having a hell of a time kicking ass.

That is until the dumb ass I busted up came out with his jaw swollen and his pith all fucked up. He pulled a gun on me and my reaction was just as fast as he fired, I cut off his hand in the same time his bilked hit my exposed arm.

Grunting I watched him scream and hold his stump while a few more of the local bar patrons pulled their guns. Mal told them. "You don't want to do that friends, he was taken him likely. If you do this there ain't no stopping him from killing you all. As it is the idiots hand can be reattached. No harm nor foul."

My blades were already free and bare, their wicked looking edges quelled more than a few of the patrons until Serenity showed up guns bared with Wash over the coms. "Drunk people, it's best you all go back inside before I'm forced to blow a new crater in this small moon."

Mal smiled as the patrons went back inside. Even the dumb ass grabbed his hand and went back inside. Smiling I hopped on the ramp and walked inside with Mal, Zoë and Jayne.

Mal saw my arm and asked. "How bad is it?"

I shrugged. "Worse than if I'd worn my armor like I'd wanted to but then, where's the fun in that? It's not a graze if that's what you're asking though, Simon's going to have to dig out the bullet."

I flicked my wrists and sheathed both my blades before he replied. "Go to the infirmary then, we need to be in top shape for the next job."

I smirked. "I'm always in top shape, but you're right, I'll go there now."

I passed Inara and Kaylee on the way to the medbay. When I walked in I slid off my robe and Simon frowned. "Just a bar brawl huh?"

I shrugged. "A guy pulled a gun on me. I took exception to that and trust me, he's in worse shape. Get the bullet out and patch me up doc, there's crime to be done and I plan to be doing it."

I sat there and watched him work. When he went to inject me I stopped him. "Save the meds for when it's necessary. I won't flinch trust me, just dig it out and give me a bandage or something and I'll be fine."

River watched from the table across from me as Simon shrugged and sighed. "Alright tough guy, stay still, this is going to hurt at least as much as it did when the bullet went in, if not far more."

Chuckling I watched him work, true to my word I didn't flinch. When the bullet was out, I felt myself healing rapidly and slowed it down as to not cause too much attention. When the bandage was on, I hopped off the table saying. "Thanks doc, you've got the healing touch for sure, I already feel much better."

I flexed a bit as the pain turned into a dull ache to the bone. Ignoring that I slid my robe on and sighed. "Think you can sow up my robe as good as you did my arm by chance?"

He frowned as I slid off the robe again. River hopped off her table and walked over lightly, taking my robe saying. "Holes all over, filling holes with more."

I tilted my head. "Thanks for that, a guy loves to hear that he'll be getting shot a lot more often."

Simon's frown deepened as River smiled and nodded. "You do don't you, it's exciting for you."

I smirked. "If you weren't so crazy I'd let you ride the whirlwind."

She raised an eyebrow asking. "Who said I'm crazy? It could be that I'm the only sane one here."

I shrugged. "Crazy is as crazy does love, now unless you're volunteering to sow up my robe-"

She took it and walked away. Simon looked at me with both confusion and weirdly respect. "You know how to talk to her. You understood what she meant."

I shrugged. "From the way you described her, there's only one project the alliance would make her apart of. She's a precog with telepathic abilities. It's rare but some few individuals are born with an evolved mind to the point where they can see glimpses of the future and even hear the thoughts of others. It's all wavelengths and natural aura talk for most but a true psychic isn't unheard of. My guess is they'll want her back to weaponize her. Strip the humanity away and leave the primal drive with the inherent gifts of a psychic and the training of an assassin."

He gulped. "She's a psychic?"

I nodded. "She could see that I'll be needing patched up a lot. At least, that's what I could make out of it other than the blatant flirtation."

Simon frowned now. "Wait, flirtation?"

I smirked and pointed to River hugging my robe and sniffing it. "Don't sweat it doc, I don't do crazy and she's clearly broken in the head from the alliance's attempts to strengthen her abilities. As to how and what they did, I couldn't say, but it broke her good and plenty. Tell her I said she can keep the robe, I've got spares, I was just hoping not to have to break a new one in so soon."

I left him there gobsmacked while River giggles and mumbled holes aplenty. When we arrived at Niska's space station, I was already cleaned up and in a new robe. When I saw the hanging body from the hooks and Niska started talking about being solid I gripped my blade handles.

Mal noticed my actions and shook his head. I released my hold on my blades and the tension in the room was cut in half. Niska seemed cuddly by comparison if my ship mates reactions were anything to go by.

When we got the details for the train heist and headed back to the ship I told Mal. "I'll do the drop. I want to ride atop a train if only for a few moments."

He nodded. "Alright, that leaves me and Zoë finding the loot and letting you in. Jayne, you're on guns in case things get hairy."

Jayne was happy enough with that so when it came time to jump out of serenity and onto the train below he shut his cake hole. I had a grin the entire time as I surfed the train until Mal opened the hatch. I hopped down gently and he took the clip for the hauling wire while hooking it up to the net he had the boxes of medicine in.

When I hooked myself up to the wire to be hauled up, a fed came in and popped the smoke bomb Zoë planted in the doorway. He fired about randomly and I got hit in the leg and as luck would have it, the other arm.

Grunting Mal said. "Go, we'll take care of this."

Kaylee hauled me up and I unhooked myself as I hit the floor. "We got surprised by a lucky fed. I got shot in the ruttin leg and arm. Mal and Zoë are going with plan be. They'll meet up with us before we rendezvous with Niska's men."

I stood up with Jayne's help and headed to the medbay. There Simon started to patch up my arm until he saw the amount of blood pooling at my feet. He cursed before saying. "The bullet nicked an artery, you'll bleed out soon if I don't go in and repair it now."

I chuckled. "Do what you gotta do doc, just no drugs, I gotta stay lucid in case shit hits the fan."

I shrugged off my robe revealing my armor-less form and he cut into my leather pants to get to the wound. I grunted saying. "You might want to dig the bullet out first doc, it didn't go all the way through in either wound."

He did just that and I went light headed as the blood flowing out sped up. He was forced to do a transfusion while giving me a coagulative to stem the bleeding for long enough to repair the damage. Once he was done with my leg he moved to my arm.

There the bulled had fractured the bone which explained the mind numbing pain. He did the best he could while working with what we had. I'm not ashamed to say I passed out, though that was more from the blood loss than anything else.

When I came to I heard Jayne saying thing about the chain of command and beating someone with it. Sighing I grunted and sat up saying. "Unless you intend to try beating me with it, you'd best go clean your guns. That is, unless you think you can take me."

He looked me over before saying. "You look like a rutten wet towel could take you, I imagine I shouldn't have a-"

I struck fast and hard as my fist connected with his jaw. He hit the floor and it was lights out. Grunting I told Simon. "I think I popped my stitches doc, care to take a look?"

While he got on it I told Wash. "We don't meet with Niska or his men until Mal and Zoë are back. If he thinks they've become a liability, he'll try having us all killed to tie up loose ends."

Simon asked. "What about the alliance? It's their stolen cargo that's on board this ship."

Wash shook his head. "With the way this crater is we'd heard them long before they arrived. We're safe for now."

River shook her head while holding my robe and wearing the other. "Not safe. They'll keep coming until they get what you took from them. Two by two, hands of blue. Two by two, hands of blue."

I grunted. "Agents of the alliance work in pairs, they're retrieval specialists. If what I understand from what she's saying is right, they'll be wearing blue gloves and coming for her specifically."

Wash frowned. "Agents?"

I nodded. "Parliament has special agents assigned to each task. Retrieval, assassination, spying. Name it and they do it. Assassins tend to work alone but retrieval is usually a two man cell. Each of them devoted to their cause with a religious zeal. They must be really desperate to get her back if they're sending a retrieval team."

Inara asked. "How do you know all this?"

I sighed. "There's nothing you can't find if you know where and how to look. I can get into anything and break any computer code. There's nothing the alliance can keep from me if I want to find it bad enough."

Each of them gave me odd looks but River smiled saying. "You know me best."

I shrugged trying not to wince. "One of my wives, Alice, was a psychic as well. She like you could see glimpses of the future. Her adopted brother was a reader, like you only far more powerful and more trained. I haven't seen him in over a decade now, but my wife, it's been about a month or two since they all left."

Sighing I fiddled with my wedding ring while the doc restitched my arm. He asked. "Are you sure you don't want anything for the pain?"

I shook my head. "No, but give Jayne something or he's going to be pissed when he wakes up with a sore jaw."

He shrugged and hit Jayne with a mild sedative and muscle relaxer. I saw the state of my robe covered in blood and holes and sighed. "Any chance one of you knows how to sow up a bullet hole in robes?"

Inara nodded. "I'll do it, though you'll forgive me if I want it washed before hand."

I shrugged. "I get it done tomorrow, for now though, Wash, help me to the cargo hold. We need to be there when Mal gets back. Inara, I need a favor, I doubt the sheriff of the town is going to let them go easily and their background is kind of iffy at best so maybe a respectable companion retrieving her run away indentured servant and his mistress will curb the sheriff's curiosity."

She frowned until I said. "Make it look good."

She left with a smile and came back an hour later having hit Mal who was a bit irritated. "She hit me!"

I shrugged. "I hit Jayne so I guess everyone's been hit today. Besides, you didn't have to stay awake while doc played with your insides so stop complaining."

He looked me over before asking Simon. "How bad is he?"

I grunted. "Right here, and I'm fine. Hell, Jayne's probably in more pain than I am."

Simon ignored me saying. "His radius is shattered on his right forearm and the bullet that hit his leg nicked an artery before shredding some muscle. As it is I'm surprised he's standing. He nearly bled out on the table."

I scratched my head. "Ok, so I have a slight headache from blood loss but I'll be fine. Besides, doc fixed me up real good."

Wash snorted before calling me a lier in Chinese. Grunting I called him a whimp for being such a baby over a bit of spilt blood. He refused to dignify that with an answer. Mal ignored us both before saying. "Alright, lets get this stuff unloaded for now. I'm canceling the job. I'll give Niska his money back after I drop off the medicine to these sick towns folk."

Wash grunted. "Well, if you plan on talking to Niska here's your chance."

He pointed to the ramp where Niska's right hand man was walking in. I grabbed my pistols and switched them to stun. Mal talked to the head guy before negotiations broke down and he got knifed in the shoulder, I opened fire on the group, dropping four while Mal fought the big guy and another fought Zoë.

A moment later Zoë finished off her guy before another shot rang out and the big guy went down. His leg was wounded so he couldn't stand. They tied up everyone and I stunned all those living for good measure while Zoë and Mal went to return the goods to the townsfolk.

When they got back I asked. "Any trouble captain?"

He shook his head and went about trying to convince Niska's men to return with the money we were paid in advance and a message to let bygones be. The first and head guy ended up in the turbine when he got mouthy.

The second one understood though and as such we let them go while keeping this weapons. I was had a nice collection now, though not as many as Jayne at this point. We took off and headed to the next planet while we healed and worked off some energy in a convoluted game of basketball.

When the proximity alarm went off Wash headed up to the cockpit to check it out. I called it quits for me and headed to the showers. While I was doing so I had Adria quadruple the amount of immunization rations, gen-seed, protein and crop supplements on the screwed up life boat not far away.

It would keep the crew happy to know there was some sort of reward for all the crap that was about to go down. I hacked up a list of goods as a manifest for our ship and my own merchandise we were supposedly hauling.

When Mal decides to go over there and check it out I told him. "Radio back if there's life support and I'll go over to help find what we can."

He nodded and he and Zoë went over there before calling for me and Jayne. He played a trick on Simon and got him to go over in a space suit. While he was having a laugh, I told Mal. "I'm gonna take a look around see what's worth taking. I checked the data on this lifeboat and found the most likely place they'd store any goods would be the C-deck aft."

Mal smiled. "Good man. You come with me and Zoë. Kaylee, you take Simon to the engine room. Jayne, the mess hall. Enough playing games people we got work to do."

I carried the torch to the C-deck and cut a way in when it failed to open. We searched around until Mal found the seeds and stuff. He cursed in exclamation. "There's enough gen-seed, protein, crop supplements and immunization foods to feed a family of thirty for a year at least. Forget everything else, let's just take this!"

He called up Jayne on the radio and I grabbed a dolly out of the corner before I started packing boxes on it. When River showed up and found the bodies hanging above us from the ceiling with chains wrapped around them, Mal lost contact with Jayne.

I grunted. "You guys go deal with whatever that was, I'll load this up so we can rabbit before whatever did that comes back. River, care to give me a hand love?"

She tilted her head and I sighed. "Zoë, can you take her back with you on your way to back up the captain? I don't think this'll help her mental stability."

Zoë took River's hand and lead her away. I loaded up the dolly before putting the rest in my ring and beating feet. By the time I got to the air lock, they were searching for the man that survived the reaver raiding party. I unloaded the boxes in the cargo space and put alliance seals on them with merchant guild seals as well to make them official.

As I was officially a merchant guild member, the alliance wouldn't dare touch my cargo after checking the official seals. I was a bit greedy as I put seals on all of it and made the manifest match it.

When they came over and saw all the work done, I shrugged. "Let's day I'm highly motivated to not stick around for the reaver raiding party that likely will be coming back."

Mal pointed around the seals and I smirked. "You're looking at an official merchant guild member, didn't I tell you? This is my cargo, or so I'll tell any alliance idiots that ask. Manifest and all."

I slapped the paper on it and Mal gulped. "Damn, that is mighty impressive."

I nodded and looked to the man they brought back with them. "Friend of yours?"

He shook his head. "Witness."

I flinched. "So no survivors then. Damn that sucks to be him."

Jayne snorted. "Tell me about it. Guy goes crazy and kills his own crew-"

I snorted. "You're an idiot. The people aboard that ship were strung up like a Christmas tree and cut up besides. From what I could see a few had bite marks and chunks missing and there's only one thing I know that does that."

He paled and cursed. "Gorram reavers!"

I nodded. "Hints my desire to be as far away from that ship as possible and my motivation to have finished so damn quickly."

I waved to the boxes while the shepherd spoke up. "We're just going to leave them like that?"

I shrugged. "That's between you and the captain, I've done my part and I sure as hell ain't going back over there. Crazy is as crazy does. The poor bastard doc is trying to fix will either kill himself, or become that crazy."

Mal frowned. "You think so?"

I nodded slowly. "When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back into you. If he was forced to watch what happened, odds are his mind shattered worse than Rivers and the only way a man can come back from that sort of evil, is to become it or end it all."

Mal nodded slowly telling the shepherd. "After the doc knocks out our guest, take him over there with you to cut down the bodies. Say a prayer for their souls if you must but I doubt god is listening."

When they left Mal showed me a problem and I sighed. "It's a compression explosive cap. If we disengage it'll blow and disable our ship as well, leaving us easy pickings for them when they come back. It's a common reaver tactic."

He nodded. "Can you disarm it?"

I scratched the stubble on my face before nodding. "I should be able to. It's not complicated and hell, if you want, I can even take it apart for the explosives. It'd blow a bank vault easy enough."

He smiled. "Good man, see to it once they're busy with the dead."

I nodded and twenty minutes later I set the deactivated bomb in front of Mal. It's done. We're good to go so I'm gonna grab a shower. Be sure to put that somewhere Jayne can't fiddle with it. Last thing we need is that thing going off in the middle of this ship and blowing us all to hell."

I went to the shower before grabbing a sandwich to eat in the mess hall. When I headed back to my bunk the alliance hailed us and people got nervous. I did a small but powerful illusion spell on some boxes on the lifeboat making them seem as if they contained seed and all the crap we took.

When Mal asked me seriously. "How sure are you on the manifest?"

I snorted. "It would pass muster even if the members of parliament and the guild checked it personally. The cargo is fine, it's River and Simon we need to hide."

He nodded and had them his in one of the super secret extra spaces the upgrades made room for. When the alliance troops came over and started pointing guns I smirked. "You are in violation of the guild treaties by pointing those guns at myself and the companion here."

I indicated to Inara and almost instantly they lowered their guns that were facing us. The officer in charge asked to see our papers and my manifest. I showed them mine while Inara showed hers. When they read the manifest and counted my boxes the lead officer asked. "What is a merchant and a companion doing on a smugglers ship?"

I snorted. "You imply too much. We are passengers and my cargo is in need of transport. Both of which are out of your perview unless you wish to be brought up on charges of interfering in merchant guild affairs or companion affairs."

He sweat dropped a bit and Mal spoke. "They're just passengers and if you're looking for what we took off that lifeboat you'll find it in the medbay. As best we can tell the lifeboat was hit by reavers and the only survivor was forced to watch what they did to the rest of the crew."

He waved his hand to the shepherd saying. "The good shepherd here had us cut them down from the hanging the reavers left them as and said a few prayers to their souls. Now you're free to search my ship but I must warn you not to destroy the merchant or companion's things else you and your people face guild law."

The leader of them men grunted. "Very well, search the ship but don't break anything. These firefly's have plenty of books and crannies to hide things in."

I followed the officers to my door and opened it up. "This is my room and you'll be damn careful with tossing my things. I've music crystals in there that are personal from my wives, you break them and you'll be an indentured servant for the rest of your lives."

They each shivered as I wasn't lying. The music crystals Sam made me were based on the rarest things in this galaxy as a way of saying I meant more to her than anything here.

They were extremely careful with what and how they touched things in my room until they left it. I sighed and closed my door as we left it to go get questioned by the alliance chief officer on board the ship.

I looked at the rest of the ship that'd been tossed and sighed while following the officers out. I spent the next several hours answering all manners of questions that always seemed to circle back to the man who'd apparently split his own tongue down the middle or the brother and sister duo that they were looking for.

When he couldn't find a flaw in my words he sent me to a holding area where I met up with Inara. I didn't hear much back until we were set free and the lifeboat was destroyed while we looked out the window.

It was a sad moment for most to be sure but Mal and Jayne were celebrating. Jayne laughed. "I can't believe they let us keep the loot!"

I snorted smiling. "Boy are you dumb, they didn't let us keep anything. They didn't have a choice and couldn't prove otherwise that the 'loot' as you call it wasn't merchant guild property."

Mal chuckled. "Here's to you Osiris, without those skills you have we'd be missing out on a fortune!"

I raised my glass and we each drank happily until it was cleanup time. We spent the next week cleaning up all the crap after I let Simon and River our from underneath my bunk where a capacitor used to sit.

After a drop off and sale of the small fortune in seeds on Santho, we ended up in another bar fight because Mal decided pickpocketing a bunch of slave smugglers was a good idea. After beating them half to death I followed Mal out of the bar with a bottle of top shelf whiskey, on them of course.

When they wake up they'll probably loose their ship from the debt they'd accumulated when I broke the pool table with their bodies. Jayne watched and laughed his ass off the whole time while I worked.

When he followed me out he asked Mal. "Where's my cut?"

Mal snorted. "Seems to me you didn't do anything except drink on my dime. I pickpocketed them, Inara hid the money and Osiris took out the trash. I'm not seeing your part in this other than drinking away my cash."

I snorted. "That's me captain, the trash man all right."

Inara held a hand over her mouth while she laughed and Mal looked at me funny while I gave him a droll stair. "At least let a man finish his drink before you go picking a fight. I lost a good glass of top shelf brandy to the egg head who grabbed you."

It was his turn to give me a droll stare now. "You didn't have to shove the glass down his throat and punch him in it."

I shrugged. "Slave traders make me itchy to do violence. He better have died from that or at the very least appreciated the taste before his own blood ruins it."

They each shivered as if my words set wrong with them somehow. I ignored it and boarded the ship carrying the bags of platinum coin Mal had gotten from the sale.

When I dropped them on the steps headed upwards I waved them to it. "It's not my cash and I'm not stowing it in your rooms for you. Might as well pay out now to avoid carrying the heavy go-se up to your rooms."

Mal sighed. "Right, Wash, get everyone in here, it's pay time."

Inara asked. "Would you be kind enough to carry mine to my room then?"

I shrugged. "Sure, but you'll owe me."

She smiled. "I can live with that."

I nodded and waited to see Mal divide up the loot. When he tossed smaller bags to each of the crew at about two thousand platinum apiece, I was a bit surprised he paid both River and Simon as well. What didn't surprise me though was Jayne's outrage at it.

When he shut his pie hole Mal told him. "Osiris here isn't taking a cut and he both hauled it all and kept it away from the feds. He asked that I treat everyone equally minus what it takes to keep this ship afloat and I can and will honor that notion. If you've got a problem with that Jayne, perhaps you're not as fond of that coin as you realize."

He shut up real quick only asking me as Mal paid the shepherd. "Why you ain't takin a cut anyhow?"

I shrugged. "I'm not a material man. Sure I value a few things for sentimental reasons, but money has no appeal to me. Action is my reward. The thrill of the hunt and chase. The fight and flight. The rest is immaterial to me."

He was even more confused now than before. "What that's supposed to mean? Immaterial?"

Inara answered for me. "It means things like money and expensive things mean as much to him as taking a bath does to you."

I could see him getting more and more confused while Inara gave me an interested look. When Mal passed her nearly six thousand platinum, I grabbed it and carried it for her to her room. There I set it where she indicated, on her nightstand where she hit a button and the section it sat on sank into the night stand itself.

A new section slid out and the money was well hidden. She turned and closed the door asking me. "Would you be kind enough to help a girl out?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you had an agreement not to service crew?"

She raised her own now. "Who said you were crew? Mal sure didn't. While he gives credit where it's due he considers crew family and you're not there yet."

Shrugging I helped her untie the back of her dress. Adria smiled watching amusedly as her near double tried to use her feminine whiles to seduce me. I sat the bottle of unopened whiskey down as she slid her dress off.

She asked. "Can you show me what you talked about when we met? I'm both curious and interested in adapting my portfolio to some new things."

I nodded. "You'll want to lock the door. I doubt Mal or any of the crew would be so understanding if they walked in on us. Give me two minutes to collect some things and I'll be right back."

I headed to my room and grabbed the wooden box I used as an excuse and way to grow fresh foods. I lugged it to Inara's room and she closed the door behind me, locking it. When I felt the ship take off and hit atmo I opened the box and stared pulling things out.

Leather hand restraints, a mask and ball gag. Various sex toys and a whip were towards the end along with candles and oils followed by chocolate and cherries. I showed it all to her and said. "Where do you want to begin, because I'll need a safe word you can say to get me to stop if it becomes too much. Most first timers cannot handle so much at once."

She looked over the items in wonder before asking. "What word should I use?"

I shrugged. "Nothing you'd normally say in the throws of passion yet not so hard you can't say it if thinks get difficult. Some go with fruits or drinks. Any word will do so long as you associate it with needing to stop, and the word stop won't necessarily do either."

She sighed and ran her fingers over the cat-o-nine tails and murmured. "Reavers. I'll use reavers."

I nodded. "Not a pleasant word and it's not used to associate with pleasant things. It'll do. So, are you ready?"

She nodded and dropped the last of her clothes revealing a silk landing strip of hair before her slightly puffy sex. Smiling, I gave her an approving nod before beginning with the body oils and candle wax.

It was several hours late when I finished lightly whipping her as with the cat-o-nine tails that she finally broke. Not saying the word but violently convulsing as her sex spawned and leaked juices. I then introduced her to a plug vibrator that left her ass gaping and her mouth moaning for me to actually fuck her.

I fore bared as I removed the mask she wore and let her up. When she finished her last few spasms, I fed her chocolate over Ed cherries and strawberries. She moaned limply in my arms while I fed her for a while.

When she was done I asked her. "Are you ready to ride the whirlwind love?"

She raised an eyebrow and I told her. "There are three types of people out there. One is dominant and demands attention, the other is submissive and loves the abuse. The last is a mixture of both. I am admittedly an extreme of the first and last. I can stand being dominated to a point if the one doing so is female. Otherwise I'm an extremely dominant person."

She sighed. "You don't act it with Mal."

I chuckled. "Love, Mal is just an ordinary man. Unique to be sure, but just a man all the same. He could no more control me than he could survive walking into a star. No, the control he has is perceived by what control and respect I give him. When I talk about domination, I speak of a more subtle yet far more powerful version. To know that whomever you meet, no matter where, will not be able to make you feel weak or vulnerable."

She shivered and I nodded. "It's time now. I'll walk you through the first part, but then you must take over from there. You must take charge and no matter what you do or don't do, I'll be at your mercy."

I had her bind my arms and legs to the steel bedposts before nodding. "You're in control now, take it and show me the power it brings you."

She started off simple and clawed my chest till a trail of nail marks appeared with thin trails of blood. After that one of her hands worked me hard while her mouth bit my nipple. I growled and strained the bands a bit but ultimately I was human physically so they held easy enough.

She saw the reaction she got and tried a few techniques she learned from me earlier. The whip, ball gag and candle wax were next. Each time she got a reaction she liked she brought it up a notch until she did something that made strain the bands and made the bed groan, she took me in her mouth and lightly graded the tip with her teeth.

Only enough to let me know she could hurt me or pleasure me at her whim. I had to say she's a natural sadist. Several hours later she finally gave in and took me within herself and rode me slowly. I could see Adria making a connection to her, giving her suggestions and mental cues.

Finally when she managed to take all of me to the base she cried out and spammed around me while her tight velvet sheath milked me trying to draw out my seed. When she failed to the first time she repeated the process in the reverse cowgirl position.

Finally seeing her red ass swaying while she struggled to take me full with each stroke set me on edge. Ten minutes later a silent roared broke past my lips as I came, spilling my seed in her silken depths as she continued to milk me. I saw Adria smirk and knew what it meant when I started to bulged inside Inara to both our surprise.

When I locked in place and she struggled to try sliding off of me only to end up taking all of me deeper as long thick spurts painted her insides white, she moaned and fell back against my chest while her breasts pointed towards the ceiling.

She panted hard while I continued my release inside her. Each spurt causing shivers and moans to leaver her mouth. When I finally went less hard and the swelling went down she panted asking. "What was that?"

I grunted as she slid off of me. "I've only felt that with my wives. I'd have told you sooner if I thought it was remotely possible. I've a defect you could say, my length thickens like that of a wolf's or digs when they mate. It's a defect I'm aware of and yet has only happened with my wives before. It's probably because you're the spitting image of one of them, Adria. You could be twins honestly."

She stilled before saying. "We were probably related then if we look so much alike."

I shrugged. "I doubt it as she was an only child. But then the universe is vast and random does account for doubles. A doppelgänger perhaps or a simple genetic fluke. Either way you're not her of that I'm certain so it means little in the end."

She sighed and unstrapped my wrists, freeing me. She's reveled in the power she had over me even meeting my gaze in the ceiling mirror and watching me find my release. I had shown her all I meant to now as she slid off of me.

I unstrapped my ankles and she asked. "Are we done? If so do you want to spend the extra time helping me perfect my techniques? I promise I can help with your current arousal if nothing else."

I shook my head sighing. "There's not a being in the verse that could physically take care of my arousal for any length of time. It's a constant state for me, another physical abnormality to be sure."