It was smooth sailing out in The Black, and for the good ship Serenity this was a first. Everything was as it ought to be.

Captain Malcolm Reynolds was in his bunk relaxing and thinking about Inara Serra, the former companion who had decided to stay on Serenity, much to his delight.

Mal let out a long contented sigh and smiled to himself on his current state of affairs. He had his woman, his ship in one piece, and a pretty payment once he touched down on Beaumonde.

"Uh, Mal?" Wash's voice said through the com. "We're getting a wave from an Alliance vessel, so you might want to get up here"

Well, it lasted as long as it could.

Mal let out a groan as got to his feet.

There's always gotta be somethin' what goes wrong, He thought as he trudged up the ladder out of his bunk and onto the bridge.

"Alliance? What do they want?" Mal asked as he stepped onto the bridge.

"No idea, Cap't." Wash replied, looking over his shoulder, "Their message is coming in kinda fuzzy. I'm only getting bits and pieces, but I don't think it has anything to do with our less than legal cargo."

"Why didn't you tell me they were in the area?" Mal asked frustrated. This is just not my day.

"Mal, it's not my fault. They weren't even on the radar until they sent their wave. I was about to plow right into them until River spotted them out the window."

Mal looked up and saw the good sized Alliance ship sitting just outside.

"That's impossible." He said confused. "With a ship that size, there's no way-"

"We in trouble, sir?" Zoe asked as she stepped in. She moved over to her husband's side and put her hand on his shoulder while remaining calm.

"No trouble." River cut in. "It's Shepard." She said calmly looking up from her co-pilot's seat.

They all turned to stare at her.

"Now, little albatross" Mal began, "Shepherd Book is-"

"I thought she weren't crazy no more." Jayne interrupted from the doorway as he gave her a wary look.

"No, not Book Shepherd." She said to Jayne with a condescending tone. "Spectre Shepherd."

"There ain't no such things as ghosts, moonbrain," he sneered.

Then a new voice joined the conversation.

" *crackle* This is the SSV Normandy to Serenity, requesting immediate aid and permission to board"

A man's voice came through the wave as parts of him began to appear on the screen. A man in baseball cap could be seen through the static.

"Um, this Captain Malcolm Reynolds of Serenity." Mal moved lean down in front of the screen.

"What kind of aid would you be needin'? We're just a small transport ship. I don't know how we'll be able to help out a fancy Alliance vessel that don't even show up on our scanners."

"Look, we need help. We don't have time to stop and chat about how awesome my ship is, we need-"

"Joker!" a figure in combat armor holding a bloody side could be seen from the waist down in the screen that was finally beginning to focus. "What's the word on that firefly?" demanded the figure.

"They're stalling, Commander. Or trying to, at least. Probably thinking we're gonna ask for credentials or stop and search their cargo hold, as if we care if what they're hauling is legal or not. Smugglers tend to do these things when they run into the law. I told you they wouldn't want to help us." Replied "Joker" to the commander wearily.

"Too bad they don't have a choice, and neither do we for that matter." Then the figure bent down to the screen, revealing a woman with an authoritative air about her. Her steel grey eyes looked straight into the screen at Mal as she said, "I am Lieutenant Commander Shepard, commanding officer aboard The Normandy. Get your medic ready and prepare to be boarded."

***

"Kinda bossy, don't you think?" Wash said from his chair.

"She's Alliance, Wash. They're all bossy like that." Mal replied, none too happy with the way things were going.

"But, Commander Shepard? Seems I mighta heard that name somewhere before." he mused as he leaned up against the console.

"You really should get on the cortex more, Mal." Wash said as he gaped at him.

"Not only have you definitely heard her name before," he continued, "because she was the sole survivor of what happened on Akuze, but also because she's the first human to be admitted in the Spectres."

Wash then furrowed his brow before he letting out a light laugh.

"Spectre Shepard." He said looking over at River with a wide smile.

All eyes turned to the waif-like girl in the co-pilot's chair.

"Told you." She said simply. Then she turned her head to look expectantly at Jayne, who just gave her a sneer.

"Well, then." Mal said straightening up. "Since she's so ruttin' important, we best be seeing what it is she wants from us."

"What? Why for?" Jayne interjected. "Do I need to be remindin' ya of the feng le killer woman we got on board who may or may not still be the 'Verse's most wanted?" he said jerking his thumb over at River.

"Well, as Wash just said, she's a Spectre. Spectre's work for the council and operate above the law; too top notch to be looking around for us small time thieves."

"Which means" Zoe cut in, understanding where the captain was going, "that whatever she's doing out here ain't got anything to do with us or our River."

"Right," Mal affirmed. "But just in case," He turned to face River. "I want you out of sight until they've gone. Dong ma, little River?"

River nodded from her chair, "Out of sight and out of mind, Captain Daddy."

"What about that operative? He seemed to be a pretty 'top notch' himself, and he was looking for the crazy girl. And besides, this Shepard was Alliance before she was a Spectre" Jayne countered.

"Good point, Jayne. You can be in charge of minding little albatross in case these Alliance folk get a hankering to ask questions and poke around. When her and Wash finish up in here, I want you and her to head on down to your bunk and wait this whole thing out."

"Why's it gotta be me?" Jayne protested, not liking the turn of events. "Get her brother to look after her, he's better at it."

"Simon's gonna be plenty busy tendin' to whatever it is that needs tendin' over on the Alliance ship. Which reminds me: Zoe," he said turning towards his first mate, "I need you to go get the doc ready for action, and tell him not to worry about River none. She'll be looked after." Mal turned his gaze to Jayne and give him one of his ever effective 'I'm not asking, I'm telling' looks, ending the argument.

"Done, sir" Zoe replied heading out the door, while Jayne scowled at the floor.

"Well, I think that's everything. Time to go meet some folk." he finished, heading down to the cargo bay with the intent to not try and cause trouble like he was prone to do with any members of the Alliance military that he came across.

"'Spectre Shepard'" Wash repeated after he'd gone, still amazed. "I don't care how long we've known you're a Reader, it's never getting old. Hey River…what am I thinking about right now?" he asked leaning forward eagerly.

Jayne rolled his eyes. This day seemed getting blacker by the minute. First, he couldn't find the whetstone he used to sharpen his knives, then they get boarded by the Alliance, and now he has to be confined in his bunk for lord knows how long…with the crazy girl.

"C'mon and hurry up, moonbrain. I don't want to stand here all gorram day while you and the little man screw around."

River ignored the scowling mercenary and gave Wash a kind smile. "You're wondering how long it will be until dinner, and hoping it's Zoe's turn to cook because you're craving wife soup."

"That's so shiny."

***

Lieutenant Commander R. Shepard stood in her quarters reading the files on her cortex screen. She had been looking up the history of Serenity's Captain when she came upon a list of known associates. Two names in particular stood out due to the very large sum of credits attached to their wanted bulletins. The reason for their bounty was listed as classified, available only to high ranking government officials and Alliance operatives.

Shepard ignored the restrictions on the warrants as she pressed her palm against the screen.

Ah, the perks of being a Spectre. She thought before her blood ran cold

River Elizabeth Tam

Born: 2500

Capital City, Osiris

Reader

Alliance trained in: weaponry, hand to hand combat, stealth, and espionage.

WARNING

Subject is highly unpredictable, elusive, and extremely dangerous.

Wanted by Blue Sun Corporation and Alliance Organization, Code name: Cerberus

Cerberus.

A horde of bad memories came flooding back at her. Memories of Akuze: the thresher maws destroying the peaceful colony, the faces of her fellow soldiers as they were dragged to their deaths. She remembers crawling out of the Mako to higher ground, her face bloody from the sharp, metal parts that cut into her just below the eye. There would always be a scar. She remembers Corporal Toombs shooting that scientist before putting the gun to his own head. "The vids say you were the sole survivor…who am I to argue?"

She turned the monitor off, her hands shaking as she fumbles for the switch.

A deep breath and she's composed. For now. There are things that need to be done and they need to be done with a clear head. Another deep breath and she's out the door, hoping no one will notice how she turned a whiter shade of pale.

"Shepard, I really think you should sit down."

She reapplied pressure to the wound at her side as she made her way towards the firefly, while a concerned lieutenant tried to keep up with her quick strides.

"Relax, Kaidan" She said as she gave looked back at him with weary smile. "I'm fine. I'll sit down after I meet with this Captain Reynolds."

"Sorry commander." Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko replied, feeling somewhat embarrassed. "You know how I worry."

"I do" Shepard said, her voice much softer than before. She slowed her steps as they came upon the exit ramp, and turned so they stood face to face. Then she reached out and put a gentle hand on his arm.

"And I'm grateful for it; you saved my life back there." She let out a short laugh, "Again."

Regulations be damned, she thought. At the end of the day, it's nice to know that someone cares.

Kaidan took her hand off of his arm and put it back at her side, but not before gently caressing her palm with his thumb.

"Anytime, Remy." He gave her a small smile.

"Remy?" Shepard raised an eybrow, amused. "A bit informal for your superior officer, I think." She said with a playful glint in her eyes.

"You can court martial me later."

"Oh, I wasn't complaining. Now c'mon, we got some outlaws to meet."

***