Zoe looked back at the girl, who was not exactly clean. She looked like she’d been left outside to tend for herself for weeks.

“No.” said Jayne with a upset glare.

“Did someone say girl?” said Wash who chimed in from the cockpit comm.

“No.” Jayne said again, angrier then before.

“We’ll drop her on Ta Chi Station, she can be taken to an orphanage from there.” Mal said with a concerned glare at the short girl. Shepard Book watched quietly from his vantage point smiling slightly as he thought about what Mal had done.

“No.” Jayne said with a concerned glare. “Captain we can’t be taken on anymore charity cases.”

“What are you aboard for again?” Mal asked as he looked over to see the girl hiding behind a crate. The incident on Ariel still fresh in his mind, Jayne backed down faster then usual. River and Kaylee entered together, with River guiding Kaylee as if she was going to see a new pet.

“I’m smart, is why, and cap, I don’t think this is a smart idea. We already got one to many lil’ girls run around fiddlin’ with stuff as it is.” Jayne said with a shake of his head, he walked off, not wishing to debate it any further.

“Hi sweet thing what’s your name.” Said Kaylee in a baby like manner. The little girl smiled at her but still remained refused to move. She took the girl by the hand and let her out. “Come on now, it’ll be alright.” Kaylee said as River and approached her from behind.

“Infantile banter is not effective with this subject.” River said bending over and looking intently between the crate and Kaylee at the new guest. “I feel sick.” River said shortly and backed away towards the stairs.

“She was virtually tied up like a dog back there, I couldn’t just leave her. When our

'friends' showed up, they tossed the money and started shooting, this one grabbed the money and hightailed it. ” Mal said as the Doctor entered wondering what the commotion was about. He had just finished a rather exhaustive inventory of supplies and hear Jayne’s outburst.

“Was she mistreated?” He said sur