Core group
Captain Shyla Kramer: Early 40s, redhead, blue eyes. (Rene Russo) No-nonsense, to the point, and vocally anti-Alliance, Shyla’s a veteran of the Alliance’s space fleet. She captained the Harbinger before it fell into Independent hands – she’s the one who recruited Connolly, Earhart, and Fang to help her get her hands on the ship during a skirmish 18 months into the war while most of the crew was planetside on a resupply run. There’s a price on her head – mutiny, traitor, freedom fighter, bitch, staunch ally, loyal-unto-death friend; all these labels apply to her. Nika’s relationship with her is something of a mentor-friend one. Shyla’s the first captain she stayed with – before that, she flew with whoever could use her. When she was recruited to help steal the Harbinger, she opted to remain with the crew through the end of the war. Her loyalty (Even nine years later) to this group of people is as deep as that to her twin: She will do anything they need if they come calling, even if it means walking away from everything else in her life. Nika’s heard off and on from Kramer, they’ve crossed paths and shared a few drinks. Nika’s taken some jobs in the past several years flying things for Shyla, but she hasn’t been drawn into the resistance. (Until now, of course)
XO Brian Connolly: Mid-20s, sandy brown hair, brown eyes. (Andy Whitfield) Friendly, smart, a soldier who spent the first year of the war in the Alliance with Shyla Kramer, defected when she did. He will tend to be fiercely loyal to those he calls his own – Kramer and Nika herself are the ones that he’ll drop everything for if they need him. Unlike a lot of the mercenaries out there, he’s still dedicated to the Cause. Not the Browncoat cause, per se, but the cause of any group dealing with bastards – he, like Kramer, went on to be part of the Resistance. He and Nika would best be termed “friends with benefits” – they are not in love, but whenever they chance to meet (a few times a year), a hotel room is usually utilized for a good number of hours (or even days, if they’ve got the time). He’s a good shot, a fine horseman, enjoys a good stiff drink or three, and barroom brawls are a good way to pass the time if you’ve nothing else to do.
Pilot Nika Earhart: Self!
Engineer Hank Garron: Grizzled, crotchety, around 50 with graying dark hair and brown eyes, he knows engines like the back of his hand. (Castulo Guerra) He can tell you what’s wrong with one from two blocks away. He is Rina, only older and more experienced, and well…. Uglier. Doesn’t much care who he flies for, so long as the pay is good, the food and liquor available, and the fights fun. He’s a good man to have in your corner, but he can also be a danger – highest bidder COULD buy him. Nika has no idea what he’s done with himself since the war.
Engineer Pei-Ling Fang: Early 30s, dark brown hair, brown eyes. She’s not as good an engineer as Garron (or Rina), but she has a love of mechanical gadgets that has served her well in her capacity as engineer. She’s got a good eye for bargains, she likes to cobble together bits and pieces of things to create new ones. She’s one of the jack-of-all-trades types, too. She can do a little piloting, a little cooking, a little trading, a little soldiering, a little of this and that. People tend to like her, she’s personable, good looking, doesn’t mind being the ‘face’ of a crew. She’s also a practitioner of acupuncture and a masseuse, which is something she’s VERY good at. She’s put it to use to get information out of people before on behalf of the crew. She’s just an all-around nice person, similar to Kaylee with a dash of Zoey.
Weaponmaster Yu-shin Harrington: She is the tiniest little kicking-est ass-iest woman that Nika has ever met in her life. She could be anywhere from 25 to 50 years old, dark hair, dark eyes. She’s clearly not of pureblood descent, but who is anymore? Yu-shin knows weapons like some women know chocolate. Any weapon, from blades to guns to freakin’ nunchaka to ship-sized cannons, it is the gear that turns this woman on. She can talk weapons with someone like Jayne for DAYS, debating the merits of this or that weapon or ammunition, etc. She’s quick of wit, always ready for a laugh – using humor to hide anything she might feel. She’s loyal to a fault, but if you break that trust, woe to you. She’s a killer and has no compunction about it. After the war, Nika knows for sure she went into the arms dealing business. She’s heard some things here and there, but she’s not made contact with the woman since they split.
Medic Jason Fraiser: He is a walking, talking stereotype. Perhaps 19 years old, blond hair, blue eyes, he is a complete idealist. The Alliance is dead wrong, but Jason didn’t join because of that – he joined because good people were getting hurt. Alliance and Independent alike, but the Independents were in desperate need of good medics. So on board he came, with all his wide-eyed naivete and his innocent heart, both of which were quickly shattered when he came on board nine months before the end of the war. In spite of it all, however, he managed to rally his optimism and continue to believe in the Cause. After the war, so far as Nika knows, he stuck with Kramer.
