Disclaimer: I own nothing! I just like to borrow them all once in a while and rearrange the pieces.
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Chapter 4 – Playthings
Pandora - Desert
"Load up people. We got us cargo to fetch, money to earn."
Jayne Cobb lovingly cradled his gun against his side as he followed his Captain's orders. Zoe was loading the last packs and Mal was checking out the mule before they would make their run.
"Come on, people. There's crime to be done!"
Mumbling something under her breath Zoe straightened up only to be greeted by Jayne's glazed stare, as he stroked the barrel of his gun. The door was starting to open, accompanied by the hiss of the wind and fine spurts of pale golden sand whispering against Serenity's sides. Bracing against the winds that were now swirling about the loading dock, Zoe quickly put on a pair of goggles. Jayne was still entranced by his gun.
"Here, put these on. Sandstorms on Pandora ain't the likes you've seen before."
Nodding, Jayne plopped the glasses on under his woollen hat, which only made him look more ridiculous. Adjusting to having them on his face he noticed Mal standing by the doors, already fully geared up. The Captain had a happy smile on his face, while the sand-winds swirled the gold dust all around them.
Jayne had to tie a cloth over his mouth to speak; otherwise his mouth would fill with sand. Zoe too was looking in the direction of the Captain, shaking her head.
To get Zoe's attention Jayne shoved her in the side, which earned him a glare.
"What's he so happy about?"
Putting in navigations information into the mule, Zoe chuckled. "Captain thinks it's fun outrunning the sand clouds."
"Fun?" There was almost hysteria in Jayne's voice. "What gorram fong tzy would think this is fun?"
Zoe had no time to answer as Mal was walking back towards them, a smile of pure delight on his face, a twinkle in his goggled eyes.
Hopping into the mule, he waited for Zoe and Jayne to buckle down and started the engine.
"Wash, we are off. Expect us back in two hours." Not waiting for a reply, Malcolm Reynolds, the taciturn captain of Serenity let loose a carefree whoop and zoomed into the swirling wall of sand.
Mal would not swear on it, but he was pretty sure he had heard Jayne whisper something a bout a tsi gih fong tzy hway haise wo min. But then the sands were all he saw and he chased one cloud after another, all the while Zoe glared at him and Jayne swore up a storm of his own in the back.
Slowing down as they neared the town, Mal stopped the mule completely on the wide city square, next to the supplies store. Across from the store was a tavern, named rather whimsically Pandora's Box". Smirking at the sign, Mal gestured towards its door and the three of them headed in.
The tavern was somewhat empty, it being the middle of the day, and they picked themselves a nice place near the bar. Jayne gestured for three beers that were promptly delivered by the burly man behind the bar.
Taking a refreshing sip, still silent from their death ride, all three expelled satisfied breath, even though Mal was the only one who wore a smile.
"Now that was a fun ride!"
Zoe banged her teeth against her glass and winced at the sensation.
"If you say so, sir."
"What? You don't think that was fun?" He well knew only he liked Pandora's sands, but it reminded him of home and being a young boy, chasing dust storms on Shadow.
Jayne didn't answer; far too busy enjoying his beer as Zoe looked around the tavern, scoping the clientele and making sure her eye marked all possible trouble and definitely all the exits. The bartender regarded them with wary fascination, but for now contended himself with cleaning his glasses.
"I figure we pick up the cargo and make it to Persephone in a little over four weeks.
Zoe looked at Mal in surprise.
"You've got a stop-over in mind?" She knew what he was thinking, after years together she could almost read his thoughts, but it was her belief that it was always better to ask than to assume and so she asked.
Mal's calculating stare swept the empty space in front of him. "Haven's a little ways off the course, not so much as to make a big difference. Figured we could pay a visit to the Shepherd."
Jayne grinned, no matter why he smiled, it always looked lascivious, apparently he was in agreement with Mal. "Be good to rest a while." And he stalked off to the dartboards where young men were beginning to shout up a storm over bets.
Arching an eyebrow Zoe threw a sidelong glance at Mal. "Didn't think you have rest in mind, sir."
Mal nodded. "It's time for the preacher to tell me how is that a Shepherd who's lived at the abbey for so many years knows bout guns and battle tactics and has an ident card that gets Alliance officers scattering to do his bidding. It don't make any kind of sense."
Zoe was nodding, but at the same time, concern creased her brow. "I don't reckon the Shepherd'll tell you anything he don't want to."
Mal nodded, weariness suddenly profound in his eyes. "Don't reckon he'll want to." He hugged his mug with both hands, voice dropping low, almost rasping as if he'd been yelling all day, a weary man's voice. "I just gotta be convincing."
Zoe nodded. Then as if finding something of great interest on the far wall, she directed her gaze there. "Got a plan yet, sir?" She tried very hard to keep the teasing sarcasm out of her voice, but knew that she was failing.
Mal's eyebrows curled like angry little caterpillars and he bristled with indignation.
"I got a plan! Well, it's more like a plan to get a plan, but I'm workin' on that."
Zoe nodded with mock solemnity at the far wall, not daring to look at the captain. "Good luck with that, sir."
Mal's indignant exclamation was drowned out by Jayne's growl and a loud crack of a punch landing against someone's bone. Swearing and putting his beer on the bar, Mal headed for the brawl breaking out at the dart wall. Jayne looked like a miffed giant throwing bodies around as if they were weightless. Halfway there, Mal noticed that Zoe had not moved. Turning to look what was keeping her, he was surprised to see her still sitting, smiling blithely at the scene unfolding in front of them.
"Ain't ya goin' to help?"
Zoe's smile grew a little wider, a naughty twinkle settling in her eyes. "I like to watch." Watching Mal's eyebrows climbed off his face, she added a respectfully mocking: "Sir."
"Fine!" Unable to process her words, he harrumphed in exasperation.
Mal's face twisted into an annoyed grimace and turning on his heel, he proceeded to stalk towards the pile of bodies Jane was stacking up against the wall.
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Pandora – Serenity's Cockpit
Kaylee was sitting in the cockpit, watching the sandstorm through the window. She liked the way the fine sand was buffeted in the air from here to there, like tiny golden glitter. She watched the golden dust swirl in fanciful little hurricanes within the wind, each making their own little universe.
"Like myriads of falling stars."
Kaylee almost jumped at River's voice. "Hey, River. You bored too?" Above all things in the world, Kaylee hated to be locked up in the ship when they were visiting a planet she'd never been to before. After all, she had gone on this journey to see the 'verse. And when Serenity wasn't flying and there wasn't anything that needed fixing, Kaylee grew restless. River sat next to her and laid her head on Kaylee's shoulder.
"Meteorological phenomenon resulting from convection currents generated by constant elevated temperature of the ground. Don't know why they're in such a hurry. The world will end no matter their little dance. And they'd still be where they were."
Kaylee's indulgent smile fell and she looked at River with concern.
"World will end? What are you talking about?"
But River wasn't paying attention. She sat up straight and tilted her head towards the hallway. "Simon broke another cup. Clay shards falling. Pretty purple cup. I like purple."
Kaylee's brain is unable to keep up with River. "What are you talking about River?"
River casts a disparaging glance towards Kaylee, but smiles nonetheless. "Sandstorm and Simon is clumsy."
Still baffled, Kaylee does not pursue, as she knows that it is absolutely futile for her to try to dig out meaning from River when she speaks in her riddles. River is already distracted and going towards Wash's dinosaurs, balanced precariously on the edge of his console.
"Wanna play?" River's face is eager and flushed and Kaylee cannot say no.
"Sure, what d'ya wanna play with those? Sides, won't Wash be mad? He's a might attached to those things." But Kaylee's only reply is River's chuckle of merry derision.
"Toys are to be played with. Otherwise they're not toys." River's patient voice came from behind the curtain of her hair as she set out the dinosaurs in a circle in front of Kaylee.
Kaylee nodded in understanding, it made sense. Waiting for some sort of explanation, Kaylee looked expectantly at River, who was watching the dinosaurs intensely.
"What do we do now sweetie?"
River answered her with a confused pout. "They're dinosaurs. Eat, sleep and fight. Win and you eat, sleep and fight. Lose and…that's it."
Kaylee smiled gently at River. "That's true. Still, I'm sure in-between they did fun things, like discovering new places and finding new food to eat. You know, like people do?"
She watches River contemplate that statement with great care, as if Kaylee has just imparted a great pearl of wisdom. After several moments, River scrunched up her nose and shook her head. "Nope. Brainpan not equipped with sufficient grey matter for a complex thought process."
Oblivious to Kaylee's confused face, River picked up a brontosaurus and stared intently at its head, having considered it for a moment, she thrust it towards Kaylee, who took it. "You'll like this one. His name is Anatole."
Unsure what to do with it; Kaylee sat it down in front of her. "Well, I think Anatole would like to go on a trip an' discover new worlds. 'Cause you know, he's never been away from his own world and..."
But she hadn't the time to finish as River ripped the brontosaurus out of her hands with a rather loud and angry yell. "Brainpan not equipped with sufficient grey matter!"
She looked so disgruntled, Kaylee smiled apologetically. "It's all right, sweetie. What do you think he'd like to do?" The question seemed to only deepen River's concern.
"He doesn't want. Doesn't know how to want. Eat, sleep, and fight. That's his world." She rubs the belly of the plastic toy, a heart wrenchingly sombre gesture.
Kaylee reaches out to take another toy, this one has wings, for the first time she notes that they have definite expressions, these toys and she puts the bird down quickly, suddenly aware of the coldly predatory glint of it's plastic eyes.
"That's sad, River. Maybe he can be a special dinosaur. An Explorer!"
But River is moving away from Kaylee, scooting back towards the console, carefully setting Anatole the Brontosaurus where he was before. She sighs, the sound is full of resolve and weariness.
"No. Don't! He might believe you…But he'll still be a dinosaur. Don't trick him." She finished in soft, breathy notes, voice low and mournful, Kaylee's heart lurches and River's vulnerability.
She want to reach out and cradle the girl, but as if the softness was never there, River's eyes flash black steel at her and turning away she runs into the bowels of the ship.
Drawing her arms around herself, as if to brace herself against the cold left by River's eyes, Kaylee gets lost in her thoughts. And that is how Wash finds her, curled on the floor with his dinosaurs spread out in front of her. Silently he helps Kaylee put them back around his console and, sitting to flip a switch here and there he lets her have her moment of peace. Her sad brown eyes find his and she smiles gratitude. Almost out the door, she pauses to look back at him.
"You think it'll ever be clearer for her? You know, like in her brain? Think she'll ever be…You know at peace?" Her voice cracks a little. Her eyes, devoid of their usual light are startlingly sombre and unsettling to Wash. He'd do anything to put the light back. Only thing is, he hasn't got the answers.
"I hope so." That's all he's got.
Sometimes hope is all any of them get. Sometimes it's enough. Sometimes…
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Chinese Translation:
Fong Tzy – Crazy PersonTsi Gih Fong Tzy Hway Haise Wo Min – Psychotic Lunatic Who Will Kill Us All