A/N A silly little short that amused me... and allowed me to reference a character I don't very often get to.
This story is set post-Ariel and pre-BDM, and is dedicated to Timbergirl, since she is an awesome reviewer, and I can't ever reply to her messages as she's forgotten her password. ;)
Absolution
River Tam had an eidetic memory (one of the reasons so many fields came so easily to her).
Once an idea got into her head, it did not readily get out again.
She had managed to read much of Book's broken eponym (before he confiscated it and told her not to fix it), and spent some time revolving the paradoxical creed through her mind.
It's not about making sense. It's about believing in something, and letting that belief be real enough to change your life. You don't fix faith, River. It fixes you.
Serenity was not living up to its name; the ship was badly in need of repair. Guilt now writhed where resentment had corroded.
Linear formulae were not working - perhaps a bendier approach would suffice since the knife had not?
The girl reviewed the events since she had crawled out of the box, then implemented them into the Book's algorithm.
The output was clear.
"River!"
"Tā mā bāzi!"
"What the ruttin' hell are you doin'?"
River prised her lips from Jayne's and put her feet back on the ground. Jayne didn't so much sit down as fall into a chair, with a dazed look on his face.
"Jayne Cobb betrayed the Tams, star date 2518.33. The Synoptic Gospels indicate Judas marked Jesus for punishment with a kiss. From this sacrifice, healing was wrought and salvation arose... I was completing the algorithm."
"Uh, River – Judas kissed Jesus on the cheek," Book pointed out, sounding scandalised.
Wash's eyes were glassy with shock: "And I'm pretty sure neither of them used tongue..."
fin
Glossary
Tā mā bāzi - F*** me!