Take me out into the Black

Tell em I ain’t comin back

Burn the land and boil the sea

You can’t take the sky from me

(From the Ballad of Serenity)

I was picked up on Greenleaf like so many others. The people milled around me selling wares or their worldly possessions. Slaves were kept to the shadows but I knew they were there, along with the traders and the owners. Private auctions. The docks were a swarm with people of every walk of life, occupation and station of society. I was there for my own reasons. I needed a job and though the hailing board didn’t mention employment I found myself staring up at a battered Firefly class ship. I liked the looks of her. Malcolm Reynolds. The captain’s name struck a chord of memory that resonated with my father. I swung my sack over my shoulder and rubbed a sweaty hand over my dark blue tunic shirt; deep blue breeches met the dusty brown boots that covered my feet, they had seen better days. I took a deep breath and approached a tall man with light brown hair, blue eyes and a firm mouth that looked as if it was used to quirking quite often. He rubbed a hand behind his neck tugging on the red shirt he wore. A gun sat in a holster on his hip his tall brown boots matched his dusty brown coat.

“ Excuse me sir, would you be the captain?”

“Yes, miss. Captain Malcolm Reynolds of Serenity, and this is Zoë my first mate. Is there something I can do for you?” I glanced at the woman who stood by his side. She was tall with skin the color of coffee and cream her thick curly hair held off her face. She was beautiful but I sensed strength about her and felt she could deal with just about anything and keep a cool head.

“ Yes, sir. My name is Liara Hawke. I was hopin’ you were taking people on. If you’re not boarding passengers I can earn my keep. I have some flight experience and I was a galley cook aboard a vessel for about three years. I got out almost a month back and made my way here. Though I’ll be understanding if you don’t need pilot, what with Hob