"Trauma"
Mal leaned back, yawning hugely, as he stretched out in his chair. The summer sun danced through the shadows of the tree he relaxed under, a slight breeze waving the foliage above. He took a sip of his beer, and yawned again.
"Captain Reynolds?" Mal looked up under lazy eyelids. He nodded to the speaker, the wizened-looking Dumbeldore.
"Bumblebee! What can I do for you?" He asked, not bothering to get up. The headmaster twinkled slightly with a small chuckle.
"I had heard that you knew some Latin, Captain." Mal shrugged slightly.
"My mama taught me. Figured it would be somethin' to brag about someday."
"So you can understand it?" The captain nodded, pulling a pair of
sunglasses that had migrated down below his nose back over his eyes.
"Most part. Just seems to stick with you." The aging headmaster walked over, and produced a scroll. He handed it to Mal, who opened it carelessly and skimmed through.
"This manuscript appears to be written in a dialect of that language. A
very obscure one, as a matter of fact. My expertise, alas, does not extend to ancient languages quite so far as in other fields." Mal squinted.
"... Symbols seem a mite diff'rent. Still looks like basic form though. Why would you have any trouble with it?" Dumbledore smiled self-deprecatingly.
"As I said, it is not my expertise. We speak spells in Latin, of course, but they have lost their context with the original language. Such things happen over several centuries, naturally."
"Albus... We've been sitting here on our pee gous for nigh over a month. Your hospitality is appreciated, but men like me don't fancy a life of handout and paperwork. This have to do with our next job?" Mal asked critically. Dumbledore nodded.
"It does." Mal's eyes narrowed.
"Your assasin coming along too?" Dumbledore shook his head.
"He has suffered as much tragedy as you in his own life. Of a different nature, but no less painful." Mal held Dumbledore's gaze. Secretly, the headmaster was impressed by the sheer tenacity Captain Reynolds possessed. And also, by his recklessness in the pursuit of
saving his family or doing the right thing-Admittedly, seldom doing both at the same time, but still.
"He ain't suffered near enough," Mal intoned coldly. "Not for what he's done." Dumbledore nodded.
"Perhaps... However, he is needed on these missions. He saved your life I do believe, last time?" Mal grit his teeth and resisted the urge to pull his gun on the old wizard. He clenched his right hand and tried to not imagine how it would feel to choke the life out of this manipulative, insensitive old hwoon dahn.
"It will not happen again," he hissed. "Now, got job for us or not?"
Dumbledore's twinkling paused, before resuming as he handed over a second set of scrolls. He turned away to walk back to the castle, the tall gray towers framed by blue sky.
"The parchment contains all the relevant information. If you have any questions, feel free to ask." Mal got up and turned away, walking back towards Serenity, sitting near Hagrid's hut on the main school grounds. Dumbledore followed the captain's progress for a moment, before turning and resuming his lonely trek to Hogwarts.
"Plotting"
"From what we can deduce, its part of a religious temple-type structure found on Osiris," River spoke clearly and calmly to the rest of the crew seated around the table that night. Inara looked over at Mal, seemingly for permission, before she added:
"It was uncovered, buried under several tons of dirt near the site of the first colony," the Companion stated. Mal frowned.
"So, what-Did aliens build it?" Jayne asked, stupefied. River shrugged.
"Unknown. It is made of a material unlike any previously catalogued. It has many similarities to francium and other, high-density elements, but remains stable. It also appears to share many qualities with a superconductor."
"Super-what?" Asked Jayne. Kaylee stepped in.
"It's something that channels and enhances the energy of an electrical current, thanks to… Uh… What's it called again?"
"The Meissner effect," River explained. "This element has revolutionized our understanding of physics, and could have numerous applications."
"Such as?" Mal asked. River looked at him flatly.
"Experiments reveal that the material can be converted to a more unstable form… Which can enhance the energy output of virtually anything. Reactors, engines, sensors-"
"Weapons?" Jayne asked, understanding that part at least after 'enhances'. River nodded.
"By at least one hundred times. Anyone with possession of this technology would be assured dominance in any future contest, whether it be economics or warfare."
"Then we can't let the Alliance figure out how to use it," Mal said practically. "They're already on the ropes-Revolution's brewing. Something like this could keep them in power and hurt a lot of folks."
"Voldemort would want it, too," Harry said quietly. Zoe nodded grimly.
"What's the plan, sir?" Mal pointed down at a map provided by Dumbledore, of the facility they'd been tasked with infiltrating.
"We'll use the invisibility cloaks to sneak in, here, here, and here. It'll be myself, Zoe, Jayne, and River. Kaylee, you'll monitor activity in the surrounding area. Inara, you and Simon keep ready in case things go south. And Harry? Be ready to fly in so that we can put the thing in the harness and reel it in. In and out in thirty minutes, tops." Mal frowned.
"The operative'll be with us again this time. I don't have to tell you what that means."
"Keep our other eyes on him," River suggested. Everyone gave her a blank look. She taped the back of her head.
"Eyes. Back of head."
55 more to go…
Sorry for the short update. Longer one up next! Stay tuned!