Ends with a Horse

Part 1a


Translations for Chinese and other non-English words in the glossary.

Rating: My stories are typically PG to PG-13 to occasional R. You will not find detailed descriptions of blood, gore, and sex, but you will find situations appropriate for mature readers, innuendo, implication, and (gasp) swear words. This story is rated PG-13, with a few R-ish scenes (language and mature topics).

I'd like to thank my wonderful beta readers, Bytemite and my sister, for taking the time to read this story and for their many helpful comments and suggestions. I would also like to thank TheAmazingDave for help with British slang expressions and usage. I want to thank the many regular readers here and at Fireflyfans for their comments, feedback, and encouragement—and for their patience! This story ended up being a lot longer than I had anticipated, and took longer to write than I imagined it would. (If you want to refresh on the events that led the characters to the place they are at the beginning of this story, the previous story is called What Begins with an Apple.) And I'd like to thank the participants in the ficwriters' forum, whose discussions over the summer jump-started this fic. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the next installment in this series. Now…it's actually not completely done—I'm still working on parts of it. But I decided it was close enough to begin posting…and you'll understand if I have to take a break from a regular posting schedule if I haven't managed to finish the next part by the time we catch up to it, right? :-) Okay, then. Here we go…


What begins with an apple…ends with a horse.


It was a painful necessity. Much as he might have liked to avoid it, Mal felt it was his duty to inform the crew about his realization. That evil, treacherous, double-crossing snake Saffron (the epithets came automatically at this point) was the saboteur who had planted timed explosive devices on Serenity's navigational equipment and booby-trapped them with a Qianxia detonator—a banned weapon. And she had done it twice.

The first time, the sabotage remained undiscovered until they were deep in space and the ensuing electrical meltdowns had left them without navigational or communication equipment, far off course and out of range of help. Jayne had been blown up by the detonator in the repair attempt, and only good luck and quick thinking had allowed them to recover and make their way to their destination.

This time, Kaylee had discovered the sabotage before they left the dockyard on Beaumonde, and Mal had defused the detonator and removed the explosives. Saffron was the saboteur, and he had not known. She had been aboard his ship for five days, flying the crew in circles, making them upset with themselves and each other, misdirecting their attention so that they failed to see what she was up to. She'd played them thoroughly, and she'd done it even though they were expecting it, when she'd done it to them before—twice—and they all knew she was up to no good.

"Saffron was the saboteur."

"And you just let her go." Zoe's tone was unforgiving.

Mal nodded.

"Told you we shoulda spaced her." Zoe had come close to murdering the 说谎 的 shuōhuǎng de 贱货的 潑婦 jiàn huò de pōfù while she was aboard, but Mal had stopped her. She couldn't understand why. Now, in light of Mal's realization, it seemed to her that this had been a grave mistake.

"That wouldn't do it, Zoe," Mal responded. "Spacing her wouldn'ta answered the questions."

"What questions?" Zoe waited a beat, but Mal didn't answer. "Did you even ask?" she demanded.

"She'd only have lied anyhow." Mal shifted uncomfortably under Zoe's glare. "Spacing her ain't the answer. Don't take care of the problem."

"Takes care of it pretty permanently, if you ask me."

"No, it don't," Mal insisted, countering Zoe's formidable look with one of his own. He weren't no slouch in the glaring department, neither. "Saffron ain't the problem."

Zoe's look spoke volumes, and he read it easily. It began with I can't believe you still got a soft spot for that 潑婦jian huo de pōfùand ended with Are you insane, sir? Or just stupid?

"A little of both, as you know perfectly well," Mal responded, "but I'm not wrong. Really," he reiterated, "it wouldn'ta helped, to have spaced her."

"Woulda helped plenty," Zoe retorted.

The whole crew was silently observing the unusual public disagreement between the Captain and his first mate. "You don't actually believe Saffron was acting on her own, do you?" Mal asked her rhetorically.

Zoe stood straight, almost like a soldier at attention.

"Think about it, Zoe. Those tools she had. Programmable fuse filaments. Security overrides. Access codes. She knew the plans for this boat by heart—knew where to hide her stuff, knew which access panel led to the crawl space, knew which systems to override, knew how to hack into the security."

"You think she had accomplices off-ship."

She absolutely had accomplices off-ship. "That's her protection. She disappears, they come after us."

"Have to track us down first, sir," Zoe interjected with some heat.

Mal gave Zoe a glare, and even some of the less astute crewmembers could tell what he meant by it.

"You think she planted a tracker on us," Zoe stated, and Mal nodded, folding his arms. "Where?"

Ain't that the gorram one-million-credit question. "Zoe, she spent the last four days planting screw-up devices of every description in every corner of this boat. She was prepped for this mission, very well-prepped." He paused before he delivered what he considered to be the real kicker. "She had Qianxia proximity detonators."

"Sir…"

"Qianxia proximity detonators, Zoe. Banned since before the war. Not nobody has access to that kinda 狗屎 gǒushǐ unless they're Alliance. Alliance military got stockpiles from before the war."

"Could get one from a private arms dealer," was Jayne's unexpected contribution.

Mal turned to face him. "You know something about it, Jayne? Private arms dealers sellin' Qianxia proximity detonators?"

"No, Mal. Not nothin' specific. Just know, from when I was runnin' with Marco. We used ta meet up with some of that kind of folk, from time to time. Some arms dealers ain't too particular about whether what they're sellin' is banned or nothin'."

"Saffron was married to that Alliance bio-weapons expert," Kaylee reminded them. "She might have insider—"

Zoe's knee-jerk reaction was swift. "That civilian-killing, city-destroying, 无用 wúyòng excuse for human being! Durran Haymer ain't nothin' more than an officially sanctioned terrorist."

"Durran Haymer is the Director of the Bioweapons Defense Institute," Inara supplied. "He was promoted to the directorship six years ago, shortly after the war. But before the war, he put in eight years as lab director, specializing in behavioral modifications research."

"You know him personal-like?" Mal inquired sharply, shifting his intense blue-eyed look to her face. The entire crew watched with concern. Mal and Inara had spent the last two weeks at odds, very seriously out-of-sorts with one another. The altercation that led to their blow-up had resounded throughout the ship, and the crew tensed with apprehension, fearing another storm. Still, most of the crewmembers were very well aware that the Captain and Inara had spent a good part of the previous night "reconciling"—if the raised voices coming from Inara's shuttle could be considered a measure of that. In any other couple, the love-bites visible on the necks and faces of both of them would have been a sure indication that they'd worked out their frustrations and differences with one another. But with the Captain and Inara, things were always complicated, and so, despite the obvious signs, the crew did not assume that they were back to smooth sailing. The potential for another explosion was still there.

"No, Mal," she answered, and some of the tension eased from his shoulders, a visible relaxation. "He was never my client, if that's what you're asking. But I had heard of him, even before the Lassiter job. Back when I was still at House Madrassa on Sihnon." Mal was still regarding her with an intense look. She wasn't entirely sure if it had more to do with the personal information she was revealing, or the information as it related to Saffron. "It was my business to know the backgrounds and antecedents of government officials and business leaders on the House Madrassa Client List," she explained, "the better to navigate the public events, soirees, and political salons, to which a Companion might be invited. I could do further research…"

"Thought Companions don't kiss and tell."

"I'm not saying I am at liberty to disclose confidential information, should I find any. But perhaps I can find out if the Guild does keep a confidential file on Durran Haymer. And given Saffron's association with him, it may be that I can find a record of her as well. Particularly if she also had any Guild training. Although Buddha knows under what alias she might have studied."

"Be useful to know more about Saffron's history with Haymer. Likely she worked contacts made through him, to get at the high tech and banned weapons." Mal unconsciously touched the place on the side of his jaw where Inara had marked him the previous night. "Worked 'em, slept with 'em. Hell, she's probably married to half the Alliance top brass, too. 她是公共汽車 Tā shì gōng gòng qì chē. Slept and conned her way into all kinds of confidential information, I don't doubt. And I'd hazard a guess she's had access to higher levels than I previously figured." There were murmurs of agreement. "She's a professional con. She enjoys workin' on her own, but I don't reckon she's in this game just for her own amusement. Somebody's payin' her, and that's somebody with high-security access."

"So she's workin' for the Alliance." Zoe looked to him to confirm her suspicions.

"Could be," Mal replied, "but…"

"I think she's working for Blue Sun," Ip interjected unexpectedly.

"What makes you think so?" Mal questioned sharply.

Ip glanced over at River, as if for reassurance, but her mind was elsewhere. "It was River's idea, actually. When it was my turn to escort her, River suggested that if she tried to...I dunno, do something, I should use one of the Blue Sun hand signals to—"

"There are Blue Sun hand signals?" Mal exclaimed.

"Well, sure. If you're in a meeting, and you need verification that the person you're talking to is authorized to hear information of a certain security clearance level, you—"

"You have a high-security clearance?"

"No, no, nothing like that, Captain. I have—or had—a rather low-level security clearance. But yes, I did handle some sensitive corporate information, and as such, I had a certain security clearance level. Which means I was given passwords and signals to identify my security clearance level to other Blue Sun employees."

"Kind of like a secret handshake." Everybody looked at Jayne, who continued, "Like in them secret agent spy shows on the cortex. The one guy uses the secret handshake, then they all know he's really the secret agent, an' it's okay, they don't have to shoot 'im." Jayne was amazed that none of the others knew this. "Don't none of y'all never watch nothin' on the cortex?" He rolled his eyes.

"So what did you do?" Mal queried, ignoring Jayne's rhetorical question.

"Well, she tried to get to me…like she tried to get to everybody, Captain," Ip continued. "So I flashed the 'Blue Sun Employee—Blue Level Security Access' hand sign—"

"How's that go?" Jayne asked, all curious.

"It's like—" Ip began openly, before stopping himself. He tried to glare briefly at Jayne, who glared back with interest. "Never mind. She stopped in her tracks, and gave the countersign."

"So what does that mean?" Mal asked.

"Well, Blue is one of the lower levels. Corporate confidential. It would give you access to proprietary and non-public information, but don't go thinking that it's a top secret clearance or something. The secret military projects, corporate security—heck, even the personnel office—all have their own secret signs that I don't even know."

"So she works for Blue Sun?"

"Yes. Well, or maybe she used to. Or she learned the sign from someone. I didn't do a password challenge, because I don't know what's current myself. They change it every month. So I guess I don't really know for sure."

There was silence for a moment. "What did she say, after the sign?" the Captain inquired.

"Nothing. She didn't say a word after that. Just proceeded to the shower, and back, without further incident."

"他妈的 Tāmādē," the Captain swore under his breath. Blue Level, Blue Sun, Blue Hands. There was altogether too much blue in all this for his liking. Too much Blue—sounded like something River would say. A cold feeling settled into his stomach at the thought that Saffron might have been working with Blue Sun somehow, or perhaps even Blue Sun's secret operatives, the Blue Hands.

He turned toward Ip. "Why didn't you tell me about this right away?"

"I tried, Captain. Several times. You cut me off, you told me to mind my own business, you said—"

"Aw, never mind." Mal recognized that he had been his own worst enemy in this regard. He'd dismissed out of hand the notion that Ip might be effective against Saffron, and had told the man in so many words to shut up and keep out of the way. Still, this evidence that Saffron had aught to do with Blue Sun was mighty disturbing, to say the least. Alliance weren't the only people with deep pockets, access to private information, and the unscrupulousness to use it against him. Ip had once told him that Blue Sun Marketing kept a record of everything he bought, through their rewards program—every navsat, every protein packet, every gorram piece of toilet paper and dental floss. What might they do with that knowledge, combined with Saffron's spying, if she was working for them? He turned toward the other person who had known about Ip's little stunt.

"You see this, River?" Zoe beat him to the question. River seemed to be particularly sensitive to Blue Sun's touch: she seemed to know instinctively when Blue Sun's operatives were involved, and most of Serenity's crew was quite convinced that she could read minds. River had also been the one person aboard who had most effectively stood in Saffron's way, and was least swayed by her subversions. Surely River would have known, if Saffron were working with the Blue Hands? "What do you know about this stunt?"

"There may be in the cup
A spider steeped, and one may drink, depart,
And yet partake no venom."

"What the ruttin' 地狱 dìyù is that s'posed ta—?" Jayne began, but River continued speaking, cutting him off.

"A sad tale's best for winter." Her earnest gaze took in Mal and Inara.

"Ummm…" was Mal's decidedly un-profound contribution to the conversation. River's speech had him flummoxed, and considering how many cryptic word puzzles she'd tossed his way lately, that was sayin' something. A glance at Zoe told him that she didn't get the bit about the spider, neither. He looked around, to see if anyone else had fared better than he had with the puzzle. Blank expressions, for the most part—except Inara, who appeared to have a notion about what River meant, but she was still chewin' it over.

"Why? Is it winter?" Jayne asked the room in general.

"Sure as the spinning of worlds it's winter somewhere in the 'Verse," Mal answered, rolling his eyes a bit as he allowed himself to be side-tracked. "Ain't no season in space, and won't be 'til we land on a world."

"Well said, Hermione."

Mal gave River a strange look. Had she just called him Hermione?

River was nodding at him. "She's Leontes," she clarified, indicating Inara.

"Wait a minute. Who's Hermione?" Jayne asked, half a beat behind. "She just call the Cap 'Hermione'?"

"She thought her pond was fished by her next neighbour." River's gaze was now fixed upon Inara.

"He's Hermione?" Jayne pointed at Mal. "That's a girl's name. What—?"

"I have drunk, and seen the spider."

Simon had his mouth open like he did when he was about to stand on his hind legs and pontificate; Kaylee was looking a mite creepified about the spider; Ip was speechless for a change; Inara appeared to be still workin' it through; and Zoe's impassive expression told Mal that she was getting mighty fed up with this 废话 fèihuà, and was itching to step in and bring the conversation back on track. So he did. "River, this ain't on topic. What's this all got to do with Saffron?"

"It is a bawdy planet."

"Don't see the relevance, River." His puzzlement was giving way to impatience.

"Where's the bawdy planet?" Jayne asked, his interest piqued. "Ya mean the one where Inara's Training House is at?"

"Okay. How's about we get back to the point. Which is—"

"Can we go there?" Jayne was still a few beats behind.

"Jaaa—yne!" Zoe's voice carried a warning, as did her look. Cut the chatter. Cap'n's trying to make a point here.

The silent message flew by Jayne's head, unnoticed. "I'd like ta spend a few days on a bawdy planet. Or, hell, a whole week—"

"A snapper-up of unconsidered trifles." This time, River's gaze was directed at Jayne, and it diverted his stream-of-conscious.

"哎呀 Āiyā," he grinned, "Crazy's even startin' to make sense. 'Cause I love trifle. Snap it up any time. 'Specially when the fruit and spongecakes been soaked in whisky or rum. I remember—"

"Jayne, your mouth is runnin'."

"We have been
deceived in thy integrity, deceived
in that which seems so,"
River thundered dramatically, startling them all. She fixed Jayne with a stare, and into the silence she declaimed with vivid intensity,
"You lie, you lie:
I say thou liest, Camillo, and I hate thee."

"Uh…is Camillo another one a' Saffron's names?" Jayne asked, in an odd voice.

Mal gave him a sharp look. Jayne gulped. 啊Ǎ, the man looked nervous. Or…guilty. Huh. What was goin' on with—?

"She's a liar," River addressed the Captain, drawing his attention. "A liar and a thief. Feels no remorse."

"I ain't a girl," Jayne objected faintly, but luckily for him, his words were drowned out as everyone else chimed in with their approval of River's sentiment and their own assessments of Saffron.

"不悔恨的 潑婦 Bùhuǐhènde pōfù," Simon remarked.

"Lying 狐狸精 húli jīng," Inara snarled.

"贱货泼妇 Jiàn huò pōfù," Zoe contributed.

"She's the 所有的妓女的母亲在地狱 suǒyǒu de jìnǚ de mǔqīn zài dìyù." Kaylee spoke with surprising vehemence.

"She's all that," Mal agreed. "She's a professional con, and there ain't a one of us what was able to see through all her nefarious 屁話 pìhuà. Fact is, despite there bein' eight of us on this boat on the look-out for her and her evil ways, the only thing I'm sure of is that she pulled a fast one on us again. We gotta go over the whole boat, inside and out, every room, every system—"

"Ya think she managed to plant some kinda screw-up device, despite all our watching?" Jayne asked.

"It's a dead certainty."

"Thought we found a bunch of those things already."

"We found half a dozen, and a few more she had stashed but not yet deployed. What I'm wondering is how many we missed." And how much it's gonna hurt when we find out, he added privately. "Only question is, how many, what kind, and where did she plant them? We gotta go over Serenity with a fine-tooth comb."

"Ya mean a fine toothbrush," corrected Jayne.

"I said fine-tooth comb."

"I heard what ya said, Mal, I ain't deaf. But any 傻瓜 shǎguā knows you don't comb your teeth. Ya brush 'em. Ain't never heard of no one combing their teeth."

Mal shook his head. "Right, people. Let's get to work. Comb, or—" looking pointedly at Jayne, "brush the ship for gifts left by Saffron."

. . .

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.

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glossary

说谎 的 shuōhuǎng de [lying]

贱货的 潑婦 jiàn huò de pōfù [floozy]

潑婦jian huo de pōfù[cheap floozy]

狗屎 gǒushǐ [shit]

无用 wúyòng [worthless]

她是公共汽車 Tā shì gōng gòng qì chē [She's a slut (lit., "She's a public bus," i.e. "She gets around, and everyone has had a ride")]

他妈的 Tāmādē [Damn]

地狱 dìyù [hell]

废话 fèihuà [nonsense]

哎呀 Āiyā [Damn]

啊Ǎ [Eh]

不悔恨的 潑婦 Bùhuǐhènde pōfù [Remorseless harridan]

狐狸精 húli jīng [vixen, bitch (lit., "fox spirit")]

贱货泼妇 Jiàn huò pōfù [Cheap floozy]

所有的妓女的母亲在地狱 suǒyǒu de jìnǚ de mǔqīn zài dìyù [mother of all the whores in hell]

屁話 pìhuà [nonsense]

傻瓜 shǎguā [idiot]


A/N: A nice, long opening chapter for you. I invite you to leave your comments and review the story. Thanks!