Tianshi
Warnings: AU Supernatural Story of Firefly what if, Zoe's niece who was an Angel with centuries of experience in a 12 year old body was there guiding them through throughout the Series and BDM. Warning there will be Corporal Punishment but it will be used sparingly. Wash will not die. I like him too damn much. All other Cannon plot points are subject to change. But I do like happy endings so keep that in mind. And the other shows are not technically crossovers they are just her previous lives none of the characters have interactions with the Firefly characters. See first chapter for 'crossovers.' shows.
Chapter 2
The next day after we set up the onboard Garden it was time to wake up, River. We took her to the Infirmary. It was just Simon, me Cap'n Mal, and Âyi. I was acting as his nurse. No one questioned this.
"Where did you learn this?"
"Big Logical brain like yours You'd Snap your Shit, if I told you."
"Izabella, do you need your mouth washed out with soap, or five swats and five minutes in the corner to remember not to swear?" Aunt Zoe asked sternly
"I grew up with Mama at a busy travel station you're never going to get me to stop swearing, without seriously abusing me, and you won't do that. I won't swear at fancy places, at a meal, in a church, in front of old people, or small children, Mama taught me manners."
Aunt Zoe and Cap'n mal started chuckling. "It's a start."
"Does this mean you won't swear in front of Book?" Cap'n Mal.
"He's old isn't he?" I asked. "But We're all equals we're all God's children putting on a collar don't mean anything but I won't swear in front of Nuns, not cause they're women of the cloth, but because they're vicious and crazy." Lizette had gone an all girl's Catholic School, prior to World War II. Now I couldn't heal her exactly, but I could teach her to meditate, and compensate for what was done to her, and I could give her the blessed necklace, that Rosa gave me to protect herself in the meantime. I put it on her.
"What are you doing?" Simon said.
"Trust me." I said.
"That from Rosa."
"Rosa, and some friends worked on it. It should keep her stable until I can teach her to keep others out of her brain."
Simon went to pull it off. "This is ridiculous."
Cap'n Mal sighed. "Don't, doc. She knows what she's talking about."
River woke up. "What? Simon….."
Simon walked over to her. "Mei-Mei, are you alright…did they….."
"I'm different than I was…..but I can keep the thoughts and feelings out." She looked at me. "You did something to me."
"It's the necklace, it's taking the place of your Limbic system."
"What are you talking about?" Simon asked.
"They removed my Limbic system, Simon."
"How do you know that?"
"The only way to explain everything."
"I'm just supposed to take that explanation?" Simon got upset.
"Dr. Tam, do you always question people who give you bad news?" I said. Âyi smacked the side of my leg. River giggled.
"You deserved that, Mei-Mei." She said.
"Da-Jei-Jei, you think so?" Big sister, older sister Jei-Jei.
"He's an adult and you're a child, you shouldn't speak to him like that." She said.
"Like you weren't were when you were my age."
"And I was ignored by my parents until they locked me up in Díyú, I'd have rather they just swatted me and washed my mouth out with soap, and loved me like your Aunt does. But Simon was the only one who loved me."
Simon quirked his Mouth and raised his eyebrow. "That mean the next time you misbehave, I can send you to the corner like a naughty little girl….."
"No, I am far too old to be punished like a little girl….."
"Well, Like My Mama always said, you're never too old to get a spanking….." Cap'n Mal said.
I decided to say something. "I think you'll find she had something else in mind when she said that, Cap'n Mal. Probably something more romantic involving your father…."
"Shenme!" What! He yelled.
I laughed. Aunt Zoe turned me sideways and smacked me on the backside five times. "Alright, Zhinu. I think you need a nap. Come on. You can talk to everyone at dinner time." It was about 1 in the afternoon.
"Do I have to?"
"You do." She was guiding me through the ship. "Either voluntarily or not. Voluntarily you sleep comfortably, and get no further punishment. Involuntarily. I try a variety of threats and if none of those work I turn you over me knee, and give you a spanking. Then you have to sit through dinner, with a sore Pigu, and you still have to go through whatever punishments I gave you for not taking a nap, before the spanking worked."
"Alright, But will you stay with me until I fall asleep."
"Yes."
"And rub my back."
"Yes." We went into my room, and she ordered me into my sweats, that I could wear to dinner. Then I lay on my stomach, and she rubbed my back until I fell asleep.
Zoe sighed, and she looked at her niece asleep. She knew her niece had, had been born five times, and died four times. Lived four full lifetime before dying this last time. One of her sons was a distant direct ancestor of Mal's. and one daughter from another life was a distant ancestor of Inara's, and her Children from her second Life and stepchildren from her fourth life, the Tam's being descendants of her sister from her third life, and Book from the same woman as the Tam's but being descendent from the Woman's daughter who married Tanzanian Mathematician, and not her son who married an Indian Computer expert. Inara was the descendent of Izzie's 3rd life's own adopted daughter, a prominent Neurologist and Psychologist. Rosa had told her Izzie's entire detailed lives. She hurt for her niece. Rosa told her even though she had knowledge and experience, she still most of the time made decisions and thought like a 12 year old, unless there was a situation where her adult or angelic mind was needed. She would mostly think like a 12 year old who has the memories of an adult, even if she can't filter them through an adult's eyes. But the moment 'Beth' Izzy's true self, with her angelic presence, four fully integrated lifetimes of memories is needed and full scope of power is needed, a switch inside her will be flipped on and she'll be there. It was a few days until Izzie's Birthday. They had to stop at a local Moon to get River eh, Abby clothes. They picked her up a few outfits on Boros, pajamas, toothbrush, hairbrush underwear, and Kaylee, and Little Miss Izzie kept her brother from dressing her like she was still Izzie's age. But other than that. There wasn't much to do.
The Next Morning, I had been slightly grouchy, but had brightened up by my first class. I looked at his research on his Pad. "Dr. Charles Epps. The Math of the Brain huh?"
"He got further along studying using Math 500 years ago, then most neuroscientists have studying it in recent years. And is granddaughter built on his findings using Neurology and Psychology."
I wish I could tell him. I actually know a lot about both of their research the stuff that didn't go into their papers. I remember it all. I needed to talk to Aunt Zoe. I could name the footnotes at least tell him what to look up. At least up until the 2040s. But I needed to talk to Aunt Zoe. We did Math, English, and Chinese, Earth that was History, Interplanetary History, and Current Events. Then it was time for Lunch we had another Casserole but with fresh rolls, and real imitation butter, but made the difference. Kaylee, and River had Chocodrink with me, after lunch I asked Aunt Zoe.
"Âyi, can we tell the others the truth the full truth."
"I Spose we can."
"They're all family." I said.
"Yeah, I know. We'll tell them at dinner."
"I'm not exactly human." I said.
Jayne reached for his gun. "What 'xactly are ya?"
"I'm a Guide, an angelic human, who is reborn into human form with angelic powers, to guide those around her. And ascends to be reborn. He or She guides, heals and helps those around her, until they die or ascend." She lights up glowing angelically.
"My Lord." Book crosses himself.
Merciful Buddha." Inara said.
"Shenme" Simon said.
River sighed sadly. "The Alliance would have loved to get their hands on you."
"In my first life I could kill, as I was 100% human but as a guide, as an angel. I can't take a human life, unless it's in defense of someone I am supposed to protect, I can't even kill in defense of my own life. The first training exercise that began with violence I would die." I said. "If I was sent in to rescue you though I could have slaughtered the entire academy. Because the rule is not do Not Kill, its do not Murder. But Since I am harder to kill then a cockroach and come back when I do die, I can't kill in self-defense."
Jayne nodded. "Makes sense. SO how many lives you have?"
"This is my fifth. My First life is Elizabeth "Beth" Barrington, whenever I go into Angel Mode, Beth is who you're talking to. She was a Nurse in the army, she taught at a Wilderness high school at risk youth basically kids who drank, used drugs, ran with gangs were sent there to climb mountains, chop wood, and do the kind of chores, Mal did every day of his life growing, to keep them out of trouble."
Mal Nodded. "Hard work never hurt nobody, I never got in no trouble 'til I left my Mama's house, so I suppose it makes sense, once I stopped doing those chores, I got in trouble." He laughed.
Kaylee joined in. "My Mama and daddy a small bit of land themselves, and I didn't get in hardly any trouble 'til I left the farm too, 'less you count over boys…."
"I died young protecting' students from a rockslide next life, was in the past, from where I died, about 100 years, I was livin' in a Gentleman's family, my name was Lizette, I was educated by Nuns, and I was already a Guide in this life. I went to war they knew I couldn't kill except in defense of others, but I could spy and gain information, I met a Pilot named Charles "Bear" Barrington, he was Sly because I couldn't bear children, and Sly people were considered sinners or sick back then we decided to marry, we adopted two children, Babette, and Theo. Babette married a musician, and Theo, was actually Beth's father. Beth's Brother, Oliver Barrington is Kaylee's Mother's many time great-grandfather."
Kaylee gasped. "My grandmama's maiden name before she married my Granddaddy was Barrington."
"I died in a car crash. And my next life was Elicipet Margaret Epps, My parents Were Mathematicians Dr. Charles Epps, and Dr. Amita Ramanujan and my daughter was Anika Eppes, a prominent Neurologist and psychologist, I was a public school teacher, despite being high educated, and was killed in gang violence. I adopted Anika from the same part of the world, My Mother's family was from. She was a distant relative. So technically she was related by Blood. She was my mother's second cousin Rajesh's illegitimate daughter, he was engaged and had an affair, and the woman died in childbirth, and I agreed to adopt the child, she is also Inara's direct Ancestor. From 500 years ago."
"I find all these relationships strange." Simon said.
"All of you are related to someone who is related to one of my past lives, either by blood or adoption. Except Zoe. Because she is related to my current self. Book is related to Elicipet younger sister, Lauren, so are Simon and River. Book is descendent from her daughter Margo who married a Tanzanian Mathematician, and Simon and River are Descendent from her son Donovan and an Indian Computer expert. Their ancestor was a popular medical journalist who went by Dr. Vince Tam. Which is how they got their surname. Jayne and Uncle Ace are descendants of two of my Stepchildren, and Cap'n is a Descendent of My only son Malcolm Adam Reynolds, from my last life, with Robert Reynolds, a Widowed Rancher, with five children who I all but adopted. Jayne is descended from my stepdaughter Margaret, and Wash is Descendent from My stepson Micah, Which makes perfect sense since his middle name was Isaac which is Hebrew for him who laughs."
Jayne nodded. "My Mama's proper name is Margaret but everyone calls her Margie. I guess we all is family, now huh, Mal."
Mal sighed. "I guess, so Jayne."
"What happened in your last life?"
"Robert was completely devoted to his wife, Millicent, but had five young children all under 8, who needed a mother. I was 22. And had just gradated a female college, this was back in the 1870s, I didn't have the right to vote, or own property but my family was wealthy and owned a lot of land. If they lived now they would probably own more than one moon."
"Wow." Cap'n Mal said.
"Robert was a friend of the family, he was only four years older than me, Millie had been a friend of mine, we had gotten to talking at my graduation party about his problem, I knew I couldn't bear children, we were friends, I remembered my other lives, I remembered being with bear, so I offered to marry him. Angels can't get pregnant, and there were plenty of men in town I could have relationship with if I needed one. But this man needed a mother for his children more than he needed a wife. Eventually we came to care for each other very much and we adopted Malcolm Adam, naming him after our fathers, as I still couldn't bear children."
"So you can't have children?"
"No."
"Surely there's something Modern medicine can do." Simon said.
"Simon, Even though I appear to develop normally, my body doesn't produce any eggs. So even though I Menstruate, I cannot produce children. The menstruation is just to regulate the hormones, and keep my bones strong."
"So this is Beth we're talking to now?" Inara asked.
"Yes, for the most part I haven't tapped into her completely." I said. "Beth lives in all my lives. Through all of me. Lizette, Licy, Lizzy, and Izzie. All of them have Beth inside of them. Even when she's not active, she forms part of their personality. And the personalities of my parents. My Lizzie's father would have left family ranch, joined the navy and never come home. He stayed remarried, and had two more children Adam, and Grace. The Tam's are also related through Grace. Your contacts Mingo and Fancy are actually descendent from the strangest man In Beth's Hometown Kirk Gleason, and his Wife Lulu, they ended up having twins Harrison and Han Gleason they are descended from Han."
"Good to know, anything else."
"Badger is descended is a distant relative of the Barclay's, well, we have common ancestor, about 500 years ago, but that's how closely related we are. During World War II, when Lizette and Bear did their Spy World there was a British Spy who looked just like Badger, called Badger Barclay likely it's where Badger is getting his name from, he's a direct ancestor of Nana's and Badgers, but after that line's diverge. Sides Badger's last name is Prescott, not Barclay."
"Do you know Badger's legal name?" Aunt Zoe asked.
"James Oliver Prescott III, his parents call him Jamie, He was called Scotty in school. Where he boxed and played rugby and Football." Football here was soccer. American football no longer existed. "He was expelled from Dyton University for running a bookie operation."
Cap'n Mal snorts. "Figures."
"Do you have anything else you want to them?" Aunt Zoe asked.
"Well, I made Simon a list of references to lookup. But they're all dated before the 2040s. But they're names of resources Licy's Father and daughter used in their research. That wasn't necessary in the footnotes. Or was in the footnotes, but the footnotes didn't survive the time." She handed him a handwritten list. Everything was in English and Chinese.
"I had to practice my Chinese Letters, anyway, I wrote them out in Chinese…." I said. He read through the five pages. Then looked back at her with a smile.
"You did a very good job." He said. "There are a few mistakes, but only on the harder characters, and you wrote them in English too, so I have the Information I need."
"Thank you."
We finished dinner, and I played Weiqi. Which is so much harder than Chess, My Mama taught me. She won of course and then she began tutoring me to play better. At 8:45, the adults except Simon and Kaylee who were on the couch talking, were playing cards, and me and River were still playing Weiqi. When Aunt Zoe looked at her Watch.
"Alright girls, time to put the game aside. Izzie needs to take her shower and start getting ready for bed….."
"But Âyi…." River hit me. "Ow, River hit me."
Simon sighed. "River do you need to go to bed now."
"No. Simon."
"Then apologize, to Izzie, and put the game away."
"But she deserved it."
"That's not your decision, Mei-Mei, unless you're minding her, and Zoe gives you permission to Discipline her physically. Now I think you need to go to your room and think about your behavior. Here put the game on the side table here."
We had bought the side table about week earlier, well bought, it came with the new kitchen table. Âyi made sure I got showered and dressed and fed and watered Jack, and tucked me in and rubbed my back until I fell asleep. Clutching my Stuffed Triceratops, Topper. That Uncle Ace gave me when he married Aunt Zoe. I woke up the next morning and River was in my room.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Sorry about last night. I just well….I see a lot of myself in you…..and…."
"You're projecting, but you're only 16, River, they're not going to see it as parental they're going to see as a bigger kid picking on a smaller kid and if you don't knock it off, someone Âyi, or Cap'n Mal, is gonna blister your Pigu."
"Simon threatened me last night. He said if I didn't behave myself, he was going to do what Mother and Father should have done a long time ago, and give me a good paddling. Father used to paddle him but never bothered with me."
"I think your parents knew from a very early age the Alliance plans for you, and didn't want to get attached." I said.
She nodded resigned. "Most likely. I'm glad I had Simon, and now I have everyone here."
"I'm here for you, Da Jei-Jei" Big sister. Kaylee was older sister which was Jei-Jei. Technically Kaylee was Da Jei-Jei, which meant big sister but it also meant oldest sister. But I already called Kaylee Jei-Jei. Which she noted.
"Kaylee or Maybe Inara is Da-Jei-Jei, I'm Jei-Jei"
"Inara is a Gūmā…." I said. Kaylee is Da Jei-Jei, You're Jei-Jei, and Aunt Zoe is Âyi." Aunt, Big sister, older sister, Auntie.
"For you, not for me."
"Kaylee is Jei-Jei, Inara is Da Jei-Jei, you are Mei-Mei, Zoe is Lao Bahn Niang…." Big Boss lady. For her it fits I suppose. Âyi is really the one running things. Even if Cap'n Mal thinks he is. We both get showered and dressed. We'll be on Beaumonde, by 10. We'll get some stuff for my Birthday tomorrow, and the name of a meeting place, for Uni-day. I hate Unification Day. Makes me feel is if my daddy died for no reason. We go out to the kitchen, Book and Kaylee are serving breakfast.
Kaylee stands. "Alright River it's your turn to set the table, Izzie you'll be clearing and doing the dishes with Shepherd Book."
"Okay…." Breakfast was a lively as ever, and then Book and I did the dishes. "Can I ask you about your sister, I mean your Previous self's sister and her children?"
"Of course, I was a public school teacher, and I of course couldn't have children. I was married to Woman from a War torn country who was the victim of War crimes who having trouble getting citizenship the traditional way. By marrying me she automatically became a citizen. After being raped and tortured she had little interest in Sex. But she liked me, and she liked Anika. My daughter. She was from The Sudan, her name was Rayna. She like me was unable to have children. She went back to school, and got a degree in Psychology and helped trauma victims, especially young children who'd been sexually abused. We were married for twenty years, we never together sexually but had a very emotionally intimate relationship. My sister Lauren was married to a Man named Reeve Fleinhardt who we had known since we were children, her son Donovan married a computer programmer named Anusha Agrawal, and her daughter married a Mathematician named George Semzaba. George is your ancestor, they had two children, Lucas and Georgia, Georgia their daughter, is your ancestor, she married a man named Christopher Williamson."
"Georgia Williamson, is My Grandmother's name." He said.
"Good to know. I know you weren't always a Shepherd." He startled. "I don't need to know what you were. But you do need to know that you're forgiven for your sins." She makes the sign of the cross on his forehead. "That he loves you, like he loves all his children, and when you come home to him, you'll be welcomes with open arms."
Book whispers. "Thank you, Izabella.'
"You're Welcome, Henry." He startles again. "I'm an Angel, Shepherd, you think he whispers what I need to know when I need to know it. No one else needs to know as far as their concerned your still Shepherd Derrial Book."
"Xie-Xei, Izabella."
"Bú Kéqí" You're Welcome. We finished doing this dishes. Then he helped me practice more Chinese letters, and then it was time to land on Beaumonde. Inara went to take a client, we went around to get me presents. I thought about it and I knew what I wanted I told Âyi, and she laughed. She told me to stay with Kaylee, and River, who took me to the Puppet show, and a kind of dance, dance revolution type Competition. I won my age group, but River won overall. I won, ballerina teddy bear, River won a 50 credit gift card to Madam Trudeau's Dance customs and equipment. River insisted we go. So we went and she managed to buy some tape, two pairs of toe shoes. Then we went somewhere else and got the rest of River's clothes, I named My Bear Miss Patty. The one and original. When we got home we had a full fried chicken, mashed potatoes, with gravy, corn on the cob and homemade biscuits slathered in real butter. Real lemonade, and Chocolate Cake. Kaylee and Âyi made it, and it was delicious and everyone had some. I got some gifts. I got a new Kiddex from Âyi, and Uncle Ace, My old one went would go to River, and a new Encyclopedia and dictionary from Simon and River, a very nice knife from Jayne. a nice dress from Inara, a nice book that told the stories behind the bible stories in a nice kid friendly way from Book, A Couple sets of multi-colored Coveralls, from Kaylee, And from Mal a Book, a Journal of some kind used. I opened it and read it.
Dear Izzie, My name is Mac. And I served with your Athair. Your daddy loved you very much You and Your mother was all Órian,, He saved everyone's life in the Unit multiple times, and I'm Sorry he not only missed the very beginning of your life, but the rest of it, because he had to save our lives, and send us back to our children, it seems to very unfair. But He will never be forgotten he saved lives, and he allowed me to go home, meet my wife, have children, make peace with my brother, and watch him marry and have children, and see my father again before he died. I have him to thank for that. And I thank you for your sacrifice." She knew that his unit called him Golden because of his gold hair, but his family actually called him Golden because his personality was like a Golden Retriever.
Dear Izzie, was always the life of any room, he was in playing his flute, or laughing at some practical joke he'd set up that had just gone off. He was taken too soon from us. It's so tragic. That I spent so much time with him and you so little….."
"Cap'n Mal how did you get this?"
"Well, I mailed them the Journal, most of 'em lived on Dyton in the Scottish Settlement, a few lived on Persephone and a new more scattered 'round the rim and border, non-further in then Persephone though."
I got up and went to hug him, and started crying. He hugged me. "Shh, huh now…."
"My Third life was the only one where I got both my parents. My first life, My daddy died when I was seven, in my second life, My Pére was a widower, and My stepmother was a very unpleasant social climber, My fourth life My Pa was a widower, and this life so was My Mama."
The Next day was twentieth Uni-day, which I've found is just a day off from school and work so kids can sit around in their pajamas, download stuff on the cortex and marathon, and adults can get drunk. So While Me, Kaylee, and River binge watched the new episodic Comedy. In the Black. About a Female Starship Captain of a Salvage ship, and her madcap crew. Gaea Holden, is the Captain of the Starship Javelin. It was like watching The I Love Lucy or Bewitched Version of the Serenity crew. But it was a good show. Episodic shows, were released in full seasons. They filmed one episode after another over several weeks or months, just like a theatrical movie, and just like a theatrical movie, released the entire season over the cortex on the same day. But unlike Movies episodic shows were relatively inexpensive unless you were a very intelligent hacker like myself or River, and then they were free. We were eating chips, and drinking a powdered juice drink mix, that tasted very similar to Hawaiian Punch not quite but just as artificial tasting. It had some overpowering Mango or Guava the original didn't. The chips were good though, roasted Onion and garlic. Cap'n Mal, Âyi, and Jayne went and waited for a man to talk to them, while they had a quiet drink, in a pro-alliance bar, on Uni-day.
Rosa came to see me. She told me the truth. About Niska, about the medicine, and the people who need it. I immediately went to the Captain. He sighed and decided to turn down Niska, then he contacted the police chief, and offered his services to protect the shipment. As soon as he mentioned Niska. The Sheriff took him up on the offer, he wouldn't be able to pay them as much as Niska, but they'd get paid. I kept My Angelic eyes on them during the train ride. They didn't need to pretend to be something they weren't. Jayne protected the medicine in the room, Mal from nearby, and Âyi swept the train for threats. While I kept a look overhead, in case I saw anything, and River was hacked into the video feeds as well. We both had direct links to the Cap'n, Jayne and Âyi. About Halfway through the train ride, big bulky gorilla types came busting through the roof. Cap'n Mal hit with the shock stick, Kaylee came up with, they were still twitching. Then threw them off the train. They made it to the sheriff's office and made the drop off, they made it back to the ship. This big hulking guy came along.
"Malcolm Reynolds."
"Yes."
"You Should not have turned Niska down and then went against him."
"I didn't want to get mixed up in Niska's business, it's too rich for my blood, but I had no idea this job had anything to do with him. I never met the man. If I knew I wouldn't be here, I want nothing to do with him."
"Doesn't matter you have made an enemy of Niska today." Cap'n Mal pushes him into the Ship's engine.
I looked at him then I looked everyone else. They looked far less shocked. "Should You have done that?"
"Don't know, not gonna cry over it, he was here to send a message might have taken a piece of me to make sure the message stuck. Like all my parts where they are. Let's get off this Gorram cursed rock, and go somewhere else."
