Disclaimer- All the characters and such below belong to Joss Whedon, except for my own character Noah Star.

"My new what?!" exclaimed the Captain. Noah rolled her eyes and sighed, she hated explaining things, being a Reader you got used to communicating images and such mind to mind. She was opening her mouth to explain when she heard Kaylee from above them. "She’s a new passenger Cap’n." She said, "Booked her myself. Captain Mal meet Noah Star." Everyone gathered turned to look back at her. Noah waved a hand. "Hi." The Captain grunted, obviously not satisfied with Kaylee’s answer. "Well then mei-mei, would you care to explain why this girl just took down two men without breakin’ a sweat?!" His voice rose as he talked and Noah winced. Her sensitive ears did not enjoy loud noises very much In the middle of everything the muscled man standing beside Mal and looking just as confused spoke up. "In’t Noah a boys name?" he asked, looking confused. Then he smirked, Noah glared at him. She sighed and lowered her hood. "I can assure you that I’m female." She said, regaining her trademark poise as the two men and women goggled. Noah had always been called a creature of perfection, with creamy white skin, jade green eyes, long brown hair, and a slim figure to top it all off. She found it usually tended to incline people to think of her as a harmless female, too delicate for anything resembling physical labor. It was convenient for Noah, because it caused them to let down their guard and let her get close for the kill. A jumble of words came out of the unnamed man’s mouth as he stared at her, which was beginning to annoy Noah. Above she heard Kaylee laugh. "Noah meet Jayne." She said, Noah curved her full pouty lips upwards into a smile. She started walking forward briskly and as she passed Jayne she said, "Isn’t Jayne a girl’s name?" Jayne’s face went beet red and he turned around with a coarse retort, but Noah had disappeared into the bowels of the ship.

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She had found Kaylee and they were laughing about it in the engine room when the Captain found her. "I need to talk to you." He said, rather rudely, making a grab for her arm and missing. Noah gave him a cold look. "Fine." She said, she followed him through the corridor into a room that contained the eating and cooking area. The Captain leaned back on a table and crossed his arms. "I seem to recall that you never got around to answerin’ my question about who you are earlier." He said, Noah smiled to herself, he was perceptive. "And I want an explanation here and now." Noah wondered if she would get away with saying that she was a dancer on the way to a job on Persephone, which was her usual coverup. But something about this man made her honest. "I’m an assassin on my way too Persephone on a job." She said, it was the truth, Alan Gates was a rich man, who had built his fortune on the backs of others. The pay on the job was the best Noah had come upon in her career. Plus it made her feel good to help the oppressed. She wasn’t that heartless. Captain Mal was taken aback. "Well at least you’re telling th’ truth." He said, “But if you hurt any one of my crew and you’ll wish your Ma never met your Pa." "She didn’t, she got pregnant through insemination." Noah couldn’t resist, she watched in amusement as his face clouded over, "But I get your point and will abide by your rules while I’m aboard. As long as you don’t interfere with my plans." Captain Mal smiled. "Fine. Now since your on my boat you’ve got ta do your fair share of chores. You’re making dinner tonight." He left without giving Noah a chance to protest. She smiled and shook her head. She walked into the kitchen space and rifled through the cupboards gathering the ingredients she’d need. She removed her steel-knuckled gloves and proceeded to make supper.

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"Nourishment. Needed for a human body to function." said a dreamy voice, Noah looked up from where she was stirring the pot to meet the dark eyes of a pale wispy teenage girl. Immediately something about her set Noah on her guard. The girl smiled. "Walls, surrounded, no way out." Noah blinked and went back to looking at the stew. "River? Where are y-oh there you are. I’d thought you’d run off again." The voice was clipped, with no slurring of the words usual to the speech of people on the Rim. "Came to see the Pretty." said the girl, obviously named River. "I’m sorry, was she bothering you?" asked a polite voice, Noah looked up again, to see a man who greatly resembled the girl looking at her inquiringly. "No." She said, the man blinked. "Who are you?" he asked. "Noah Star, the Captain has graciously agreed to transport me too Persephone." She said, calmly stirring the stew, the young man raised his eyebrows. "That’s odd. Why are you going to Persephone?" Obviously the Captain hadn’t shared any of her information with his crew, which Noah appreciated, so she decided to go with her normal alibi. "I was hired as a dancer in the Three Moon’s Company, which is stationed in Persephone." "Used to dance." said River, the young man leaned close across the counter, intrigued. "Who are you?" Noah asked, even though she already knew from skimming his thoughts that he was Simon Tam, River was his sister, and that they were fugitives against the Alliance. However the Alliance and Noah had never been on the best of terms so she would not be the one to turn them in. Simon smiled and extended a hand for her to shake. "I’m Simon, and this is my sister River." She shook his hand, just as Kaylee walked in. "What smells so good?" she asked, stopping in her tracks when she saw Simon holding Noah’s hand, Noah, curious, probed her mind receiving an overwhelming feeling of hurt and betrayal. "I see you an’ Simon have met?" she said, Simon dropped Noah’s hand quickly. Noah searched for something with which to change the topic, luckily she didn’t have too, since the rest of the crew all came barging in. "Where’s my grub?" demanded Jayne, seating himself at the table, along with the others. "Jayne, be nice." scolded the Captain in a voice that was both reproving and sarcastic. Noah served them all bowls of the stew, which must have smelled wonderful from the hungry looks all around the table. "Dig in." She said. And they did.