This story is incomplete. More of the series will be posted as soon as its written. The rating will eventually go as high as NC-17. Feedback would be appreciated.

PART 1: BOOK CLUB

Kaylee brushed her hair out of her eyes as she walked into the galley from where she had been working on the reg couple in the engine room. The first thing she saw was River curled up on the couch reading from a handheld monitor.

“Watcha read’n?” Kaylee asked.

“A romance novel written by Judith Lightner.” River answered.

“Don’t think I’ve ever read that un.” Kaylee replied walking over to the table where Simon was eating a bowl of protein mush, and Jayne was cleaning a few of his guns.

“Its one of River’s favorite novels. Inara downloaded it from the Cortex for her.” Simon explained.

“Romance novels,” Jayne snorted in contempt.

“Oh I think they’re shiny. What’s it about?” Kaylee asked.

“Some gorram fool falls in love with another gorram fool and probably gets kilt in the end.” Jayne said as he oiled Vera’s barrel.

Ignoring Jayne, Simon answers, “As I remember a Companion from Londinium falls in love with one of the newest slaves that her guild house acquired. She rescues him and together they run away never to be heard from again.”

“Oh that’s so sweet! She gave up all that wealth and prestige for him.” Kaylee smiled at Simon and ignored the contemptible snort from Jayne.

“As I understand it the Guild still has a price on her head.” Inara says as she walks into the galley.

“You mean the story’s real?” Kaylee asked her.

“Oh yes. It happened nearly forty years ago. Ariedne Swann’s story is taught to all trainees warning them of what happens when we lose our objectivity. Judith Lightner was also a Companion, a friend to Ariedne, who wrote the novel, Swann in Flight, after she retired some twenty years after Ariedne and the slave disappeared. She was ostracized by the Guild for writing the novel.”

“That’s not right.” Kaylee said as she filled her bowl with the protein mush