59) I've Been On The Brink
Mal glanced at Carolyn and then at River and Rick, the latter sitting beside the Reader in the observation area. Their idea, to be slightly separate from the rest of the crew, the better to observe and pick apart the behavior of the one true stranger on their boat. Simon had Emma at the end of the table, turned his chair slightly so he could feed her and still speak to everyone in the galley. Kaylee had taken a seat beside him.
Jayne had taken his usual chair; another reason Rick and River were in the little sitting area. Rick had said something about acting harmless and lulling people into a false sense of security. Jack and Carolyn sat between Mal and Kaylee while Jayne was on Mal's left.
They'd had a few days to come to grips with the fact that Jubal Early hadn't died a year (a year and change? two?) ago. Mal had half wondered if Rick would back off his flirtation with River now that he'd seen first-hand (without the distractions of a running battle and maze) how dangerous the slender Core woman could be. Okay, he'd half wondered and hoped, more than a little, that would be the case.
River was a grown woman, and as such could do as she pleased, but she was the closest thing he had to a daughter (until Jack came along) and no Bà ba in the 'verse would be best pleased to have a huge dangerous looking qīngwā qí de húndàn like Rick paying their daughter attention. Grown woman or not. Maybe if Rick were only twenty or so, young like River, and without the years of experience that made the big man so dangerous. Anyone could see that Rick was not a man who would tolerate any interference with his affairs (Mal shied away from the implications of that particular word). And that was completely ignoring his size and how deadly the man was. So, it wasn't as if the Captain could lay down the law about no romances between crew members or how such things brought nothing but trouble. Or even that Rick wasn't good enough for River.
He'd look like ten different kinds of hypocrite if he attempted the 'no romance' decree given Kaylee and Simon's ongoing relationship and his own slowly progressing connection with Carolyn. And he was pretty sure that Rick knew he wasn't good enough for River and so long as River didn't mind neither did Rick. And that put paid to any debate Mal might be able to pose on the matter.
So, he'd had hopes that perhaps Rick was the type of man who when confronted with a beautiful woman who was just as capable, just as dangerous and deadly (if not more so) than himself, lost all interest in any relationship beyond that of pals. Mal had run across more than a few men like that. Decent men generally, who just couldn't handle the idea of a woman being equally (if not more) dangerous and skilled than themselves. Somethin' about their ego gettin' bruised and malformed in the face of a female's supreme competence in areas they claimed as theirs. More fools they.
He'd seen fellas stumble around tripping over their tongues around Zoë, only to act as if they'd had ice water tossed over them when she proved how good she was in a fight. It happened to Kaylee too, over engines, not as often but now and then. Mal had half feared Simon would be one of those particularly idiotic types, but the Doc was perfectly happy that his nǚ péngyǒu (did not need that thought or the images accompanying it thank you) was a genius in her field. It probably helped that one, Simon was a genius in his, and two, the disciplines in which the two of them excelled barely overlapped except when Kaylee was repairing medical equipment. And then Simon couldn't sing her praises enough.
He hadn't had it happen with River yet. Mostly due to his Lil Albatross keeping to herself and hiding most, if not all, of her skills with weapons of various types. But also because River didn't seem to attract male attention in general. Or any attention really. She excelled at going unnoticed. He wasn't quite sure of why that was, maybe her training, maybe she went out of her way to blend in, to act the same as everyone else.
Genius that she was it probably didn't even strain her brain a bit.
And not that he didn't want for River to enjoy having a beau and some romance (of the hand holding type, nothing else) of her very own. She couldn't have enjoyed always feeling like a fifth wheel around Kaylee and Simon, since those two (once they got started) seemed determined to make up for lost time in the bedroom department. Which he was very determinedly not thinking of because that was just not something his mind could handle.
But he had been harboring some hopes that when River finally did show off just how dangerous she was that Rick would be one of those men who couldn't deal with that type of competition. Zoë had been put firmly in the friendzone when it happened to her, and Mal would be fairly happy if the same thing happened with River and Rick.
Mal would never consider himself an expert on the female of the species, though he did agree with Kipling that females were not to be underestimated. He did believe though, that being a male, he had considerable understanding of his own gender. He knew there were men out there, rare but they still existed, that found nothing more attractive than a woman who could match them in every way.
Wash had been one of the rare birds who wasn't very martially inclined but still thought Zoë was the best thing since sliced bread. 'Warrior Woman' he'd called her, in big capital letters like it was a title. Maybe to him it was. He'd made it perfectly clear to anyone who would listen how attractive he found Zoë's many qualities. Zoë and Wash made sense the same way Kaylee and Simon did. That was to say not at all until the discerning eye began to perceive the similarities.
But that wasn't the same as being a gun toting, knife handling, able to beat someone to a pulp with one hand behind his back type who thought a woman able to do the same thing was the best sort of shiny ever. Rough and ignorant as Rick seemed to be, for all that he was intelligent (River wouldn't give him the time of day if he didn't have a good brain in his skull), Mal hadn't figured on him being one of those really rare, one in a hundred thousand, type of men.
But from the way Rick had looked at River when she'd finished Early… you'd have thought the girl hung the moon and stars. Mal had found himself a little uncomfortable at the openly admiring (and lustful) expression on Rick's face as he watched River clean her blades on Early's clothing.
He'd half expected to walk in on them on the bridge, having sex or making out, not that he had any room to talk with the way Rick had walked in on Mal and Carolyn (even if they were only kissing). But so far, the two (and he was willing to bet a bag of plat on this fact) most dangerous people on the boat had never been caught in a kiss. Sitting closely, yes. Dancing, yes (much as it boggled the mind, but Carolyn wouldn't make something like that up). And looking suspiciously as if they had been kissing now and then, yes. But caught in the act, no.
There was something to be said for sensitive ears and being a Reader Mal guessed. And after seeing Rick's face as the huge man stared at the delicate looking woman with a streak of blood over her cheek, Mal had (however reluctantly) relinquished his hope that Rick would friendzone River.
He looked at Bea, blue lock of hair dipping over one cheekbone, "We've had a few days to absorb everything that's happened. And it's plain to see that you're still planning to convince me to join your little group of Independents," Mal set down his mug. "So why don't you tell me just what's different about this time around? The Browncoats were defeated, the Dust Devils hunted down and killed or imprisoned most of 'em, and anyone who dislikes the Alliance has been scattered to the wind."
Bea shook her head, "That's just it. The New Resistance outfits are popping up all over the 'verse, we've got money, we're organized."
"Organized," Mal wasn't sure he liked the sound of that.
"We've got groups on just about every planet, even the Core," Bea nodded. "People are joining us, wanting to see the Alliance broken down, wanting someone to pay for Miranda."
"Uh huh," Jack, of all people, openly skeptical as shook her head. "What do you think is gonna happen? Alliance'll see all these Browncoats and just give in?"
"No, I expect we'll have to fight to make ourselves heard," Bea shook her head. "We lost the last war. We won't lose this one."
"Where is the money coming from," Simon asked in his elegant voice. Bea startled, staring at him, and Mal guessed she really hadn't heard Simon talk much or she wouldn't have been so shocked about a Core accent on a Browncoat boat.
"Donations," She shrugged, eyeing him a bit distrustfully. "From all over."
"I see," Simon shook his head and gave his attention back to Emma. That alone had a shiver of unease run up Mal's spine. Doc never asked questions for nothing.
Mal looked past Bea and saw River with her portable cortex, typing and moving things across the screen, "How is the money donated?" She inquired as if she was asking about the weather.
"How's that your business," Bea bristled at the sound of yet another Core voice and Mal frowned.
"If she's askin', it's because she's got reason. Simon an' River, they don't ask questions for nothing," He told her flatly. He didn't like the Core much himself but being a guest on his boat (and an unwanted one at that) he wouldn't have Bea insult his crew. "They're my crew. Proven themselves more than a few times. And no more fond of the Alliance than I am. So answer the question."
"We've got accounts, drop points for credit chits and cash all over," She answered reluctantly, and River's typing increased in speed.
"Is there any attempt to launder it before it's put into the Resistance accounts?" Simon inquired after a glance at his sister.
"Launder..." The girl looked almost insulted. "We're Browncoats, not criminals."
"I think you'll find that the Alliance considers the two terms interchangeable," Simon replied with a calm shake of his head.
"Short sighted," River was murmuring. Rick had one hand on her back, rubbing up and down her spine in what Mal suspected was a fairly soothing motion. Good. At least the man seemed to realize River could get in her own head too much. "The advantage of guerilla warfare is the lack of targets. Mobile forces never caught in one place. No permanent strongholds, only temporary positions."
"She's right," Mal nodded. "The one place the Alliance knew the Independent movement started got bombed back to a Black Rock. Every man, woman, child and beast on Shadow, dead, gone, like they never were." Carolyn's hand brushed over his as she got up to get more tea and he took it for the comfort it was meant.
"How could the Alliance even know about us," Bea shook her head. "There's no way."
Oh, the girl was deep in denial. Mal might almost feel sorry for her if she hadn't brought down a world of trouble on him and his. He was spared the effort of responding when Rick drawled sarcastically, "Like you weren't followed? No way? Not possible?" He stood and helped River up with a courtesy that looked both out of place and strangely comfortable on his burly frame, bringing her over to the table. "Little girl, you've got a lot to learn about covert operations."
"Would have thought once that no one could connect Serenity to our places of refuge," River murmured sadly. "Haven is a graveyard now." She turned the cortex and pointed to the screen. "Marked coins, lightly irradiated so they are easily tracked," She explained in her quiet voice. "Credit chits carry their own identification."
"If I were you, I'd get on the cortex and send out alerts to every one of those little outposts you've got," Mal suggested. "And tell them to scatter. Tell 'em to pool whatever money they've got, find someone to launder it, and get off world."
"She could use the cortex in the spare shuttle," Carolyn suggested.
Bea's face had grown pale at the implications, and she hurried to the shuttle as if lives depended on it. Which they did.
River shook her head and leaned against Rick and her voice emerged clipped and cold, "Do you know what the biggest advantage is for enemies of the Alliance? The Alliance wears uniforms. We operate in concert. If you want to hurt us, you know where to strike. They can't do much damage, haphazard and weak as they are but at least they know where to aim their attack. Not like that for us. The Browncoats are all scattered, scurrying around, no rhyme or reason...tough to predict." Mal did his best to conceal his alarm over that little quote, hopefully Rick, Carolyn and Jack would think River was imitating some Purplebelly she'd heard talking.
Rick sighed, "The one advantage they had, and they gave it up, didn't even know they were giving it up." He rolled his eyes, "Who's dumb enough to take money to use for a rebellion, or at the very least an illegal operation, and doesn't make sure it's clean first?"
"Idealists," Simon smiled slightly. Kaylee looked at him and he shrugged as he burped Emma. "I'd be willing to bet that most of them aren't criminals. Lower classes, marginalized populations, no voice in their government most likely. Idealistic people rarely think of all the ugly details realists concern themselves with."
"There weren't anyone with enough know how to make the money safe to use?" Kaylee wondered thoughtfully and Jack shook her head.
"Bet they found themselves surrounded by all those nice honest folks and figured they'd get thrown out on their ear if they suggested something like laundering the money," She shrugged. "If they're smart, they'll grab whatever cash they've got and buy a ton of things that are easy to sell later."
"When have the Browncoats ever been lucky," Mal sighed.
Rick looked towards the spare shuttle and River's eyes followed his, "Sounds like she's gotten through to the closest cells on a live wave, and she's messaging the rest."
"Hopefully they'll get out without a massacre," Simon set Emma down in her basket and passed her over to Kaylee so his girlfriend could coo over the baby.
Mal looked at Jayne, "While we've got you. What the hell were you thinkin'? Trackin' us down?"
"Mal if you'd seen the pile of cash they gave me," Jayne shook his head. "'Nough to pay my Ma's taxes an' have enough left to keep her fed until the sheep are ready for shearing."
"Jayne…gorramit…" Mal groaned.
"Man with the girl's name always got stupid when the money was too good," River commented quietly.
"I'd hoped you'd gotten over that little…flaw," The Captain grimaced. "Jayne, you and I had a talk about you choosin' money over crew once. You recall that?"
"Mal, it ain't like that," Jayne shook his head. "You know how I am; I hate hidin' like you were aimin' to do. I figured they were gonna track you down anyway, might as well make enough money to take care of Ma and the ranch. Better me than someone else. Least I could do it quiet. And I knew I wouldn't tell anyone else, wouldn't let drop where you might be. If it was me tracking you it wasn't someone weren't friendly to Serenity."
Mal scrubbed his face over his hands with a groan, "Jayne you ain't hearin' me."
"Hell Mal, I missed it here," Jayne protested. "Only place ever felt like home 'sides Ma's place."
He looked at Carolyn who sat down with her mug of tea and a fresh pot that she set on a trivet in the center of the table after freshening his cup. "I don't have an opinion Captain," She squeezed his shoulder as she adjusted her chair. "But it seems like you've got some time to make a decision."
Mal nodded as Bea came back into the galley, her shoulders tight. "We'll work on findin' a place that's safe to set down."
He glanced at River and thought as clearly as he could that he needed her to keep an eye on Bea in particular. Jayne was greedy and stupid, except when he had occasional flashes of smarts. But he was predictable. Bea was the unknown. And she was way too gung-ho about the 'New Resistance' to just take his 'no' lying down.
Author's Note: So poor Mal, unlike the majority of the male species, Riddick likes when someone is an equal, and Mal's hopes are dashed. Bea is from the comics and a lot of the dialogue in conversations between her and Mal were lifted from them. If you've read the comics set after the BDM you'll recognize bits and pieces of dialogue and plot. But as I've mentioned before, I'm cherrypicking.
Chinese Translations:
Bà ba (Dad, pops, daddy)
qīngwā qí de húndàn (frog riding bastard)
nǚ péngyǒu (girlfriend)
