This was written as a response to Firefly Friday prompt #196, "mountains."
Firefly and Serenity are copyrighted materials of Mutant Enemy, Universal Pictures and Twentieth-Century Fox. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No compensation has been received or will be accepted in connection with this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.
Natural Beauty
Despite its chilly climate, there was a kind of beauty to the mountains of St. Alban's. Kaylee lingered and looked, waiting until the last minute before making her trip back to the engine room. It was certainly different from the dry, dusty plains of Zephyr.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" came Simon's voice from behind her.
She sighed. "Yeah. I don't mind living in the black, but sometimes you just wanna see a sky, y'know?"
He stepped up beside her. "I know. I miss going to the mountains on..." he trailed off. "I miss mountains."
"You have mountains in the Core?"
"Of course. Nearly every planet has mountains, even if they're not all covered with snow. When we'd go to the White Chalet on Osiris, they'd make the snow if none had fallen naturally."
Startled, Kaylee glanced at him. "Why would anyone want to do that?"
"Skiing. Snowboarding. Some people just liked the experience of seeing something so beautiful."
"Beautiful," she repeated. "Y'know, I think there's something better about seeing it like this, all natural instead of made fake for the rich folk to enjoy."
"Most of the Core is designed around maximum livability. It usually works, but the price is sometimes...a loss of the original beauty." Simon sighed. "I didn't go skiing much. It just felt off, somehow, to look out and see snow when it was twenty-two degrees. Especially when it's combined with the best in modern conveniences and safety features."
"You didn't like all that?"
"Convenience can be nice," he admitted, "but there's something to be said for keeping things natural and original. Simplicity and lack of artifice can have a beauty all their own." He trailed off into silence, seeing something in her eyes and meeting them with his own. "I find...that I prefer that kind of beauty to the kind that's manufactured."
"Even if it's inconvenient?"
His eyes remained on hers. "It's not...the bottom of the barrel. Even if there's no other alternative, you still have to like that kind of beauty."
She dropped her eyes, not sure what to say.
"Kaylee, I..." he hesitated. "I'm sorry."
A sudden gust of wind swirled up into the cargo bay, causing them both to draw their coats closer to their bodies. She took the opportunity to look at the mountains again. They stood there in silence, the words seeming to echo in the still air.
The comm crackled to life, causing them both to jump. "All right, people," boomed Mal's voice. "Time to close it up. Kaylee, I need you in the engine room."
"Be there in a jiffy, Cap," she called out, turning toward the catwalk stairs. Taking the cue, Simon moved over to the door controls, scanning the panel to make sure he used the right sequence for properly sealing them against space.
"Simon." She stood on the catwalk, hesitating. He met her eyes again. "You ever noticed that mountains are prettier when you see 'em from a distance instead of close up?"
He nodded.
She returned the nod. "I just wanted to make sure." Then she continued up the catwalk.