Set #43 Lyric Prompt: And When I Die… for writers_muses
Malcolm Reynolds
Firefly/Serenity
995 Words
Before Firefly after Mal is released from an Alliance POW camp.
Some strong language - but work safe
I don’t know why I had to come back. No, that ain’t true. I knew I had to come back home to see it with my own eyes. Didn’t want to see no vid sent out neatly scrubbed by the damned Alliance, I needed to see Shadow. “Mr. Reynolds,” I snapped to attention, too many years in the war made me snap to when I heard an officer’s voice.
“Yes sir.” Didn’t seem to matter that I was just workin’ on the man’s crew to get enough money to get back home, I still stood straight as I could since I was still recoverin’ from my last friendly reminder that I’d been on the losin’ side at the prison camp before I’d been set free.
“I ain’t no sir, Malcolm,” the old man said with a dark chuckle. His name was Hayden Philips, his long hair was shot with steely grey and hung in dred locks down to his waist. His skin was as wrinkled as a walnut shell and just about the same color too. He was a good sort, had picked me up with barely a question asked when I’d hit the dock yards lookin’ for a way home. Since I’d been on board, I’d found out that he’d run supplies to the Independents durin’ the war, and had been lucky enough not to get caught. Had to envy a man who had his own piece of the Black and the freedom he had to go where he wanted and such. “I’m just a man who owns a spaceship. We’re about to go into orbit. Wanted to see if you’d changed your mind about goin’ down there son. Ain’t fit for man nor beast no more.”
“I know,” I felt my heart stop like it was bein’ pinched tween the fingers of a giant. I swear I had to concentrate to make it start to beatin’ again. “I just have to go home. I have to see.”
Hayden placed his plate sized hand on my shoulder. Don’t know how the man managed to walk about his boat, let alone fit in the little cockpit. “Milly’s got the shuttle ready for you. You sure you’ll be ok down there alone? I don’t like the idea of flyin’ off and leavin’ you down there Malcolm.”
“Can’t ask you to stay here while I have my look see, sir.” I just could ask the man to give up a good payin’ job to babysit me. “It’s enough that y’all are comin’ back to get me on your way back.”
“Well you are takin’ one of my shuttles Malcolm. Those cost too many creds.” Hayden slapped me on the back, leavin’ a fresh bruise to mix with the ones that were startin’ to fade now after the weeks I’d been “free.” I was amazed that the man was lettin’ me take one of his shuttles when I’d only been part of his crew for such a short time. But Hayden said he and Milly, his wife, knew when they was around people they could trust, and I was one of them.
/////////////////
I’d been steelin’ myself for what I was goin’ to see. I couldn’t afford to waste too much fuel. I had enough for a quick landin’ and enough to get back into atmo. Not enough to be durin’ large circuits of the planet that I’d been born and raised on. I set the navigation computer to find the land that had belonged to my kin for a good five generations. Land that was now mine, but would never be fallow again unless the Alliance decided to let the terraformers come back. Weren’t never goin’ to happen though. Shadow had been destroyed as a message to us uppity no good Independents. They would never give us our home back.
It was nothing but black. Only difference tween the earth and the sky was the stars were twinklin’ in the black. I hovered over where my ranch should have been, finally settin’ the shuttle down when its landin’ beacon got was makin’ my ears ring. Took me nearly an hour to gear up enough to step down onto the charred soil. The ground was hard, smooth as lava in some places where the bombs had melted the sand and rocks. Usin’ the stars for guides since there weren’t nothin’ else, I slowly walked towards where my momma’s house had been where I fell to my knees, ignorin’ the sharp edges of rock that cut into my skin as I threw up until there was nothing left and cried for all that each and every person on Shadow had lost. I cried for the Independents. I cried for my family and kin. I cried for the people I didn't know until my eyes went dry as my soul.
The radiation meter on my wrist started vibratin’ tellin’ me that I had to head back to the shuttle. I reached down and flicked a pebble with my fingers, watchin’ as it skated cross my home like a rock on the waterin’ hole that had been vaporized a few miles away. I pushed up and took one last look at what was left of Shadow before gettin’ back on the shuttle and shot myself up with radiation meds as I sank into the bunk to wait for Hayden to come back.
I was never goin’ to forgive god for this. I’d always believed that the Almighty would take care of us. I even held a glimmer of hope when we’d managed to live through Serenity, but now that I’d seen my home. I knew that there was no Almighty. I hated god as much as I hated the ruttin’ Alliance. There would be no forgiveness. Ever.
Firefly/Serenity
995 Words
Before Firefly after Mal is released from an Alliance POW camp.
Some strong language - but work safe
I don’t know why I had to come back. No, that ain’t true. I knew I had to come back home to see it with my own eyes. Didn’t want to see no vid sent out neatly scrubbed by the damned Alliance, I needed to see Shadow. “Mr. Reynolds,” I snapped to attention, too many years in the war made me snap to when I heard an officer’s voice.
“Yes sir.” Didn’t seem to matter that I was just workin’ on the man’s crew to get enough money to get back home, I still stood straight as I could since I was still recoverin’ from my last friendly reminder that I’d been on the losin’ side at the prison camp before I’d been set free.
“I ain’t no sir, Malcolm,” the old man said with a dark chuckle. His name was Hayden Philips, his long hair was shot with steely grey and hung in dred locks down to his waist. His skin was as wrinkled as a walnut shell and just about the same color too. He was a good sort, had picked me up with barely a question asked when I’d hit the dock yards lookin’ for a way home. Since I’d been on board, I’d found out that he’d run supplies to the Independents durin’ the war, and had been lucky enough not to get caught. Had to envy a man who had his own piece of the Black and the freedom he had to go where he wanted and such. “I’m just a man who owns a spaceship. We’re about to go into orbit. Wanted to see if you’d changed your mind about goin’ down there son. Ain’t fit for man nor beast no more.”
“I know,” I felt my heart stop like it was bein’ pinched tween the fingers of a giant. I swear I had to concentrate to make it start to beatin’ again. “I just have to go home. I have to see.”
Hayden placed his plate sized hand on my shoulder. Don’t know how the man managed to walk about his boat, let alone fit in the little cockpit. “Milly’s got the shuttle ready for you. You sure you’ll be ok down there alone? I don’t like the idea of flyin’ off and leavin’ you down there Malcolm.”
“Can’t ask you to stay here while I have my look see, sir.” I just could ask the man to give up a good payin’ job to babysit me. “It’s enough that y’all are comin’ back to get me on your way back.”
“Well you are takin’ one of my shuttles Malcolm. Those cost too many creds.” Hayden slapped me on the back, leavin’ a fresh bruise to mix with the ones that were startin’ to fade now after the weeks I’d been “free.” I was amazed that the man was lettin’ me take one of his shuttles when I’d only been part of his crew for such a short time. But Hayden said he and Milly, his wife, knew when they was around people they could trust, and I was one of them.
/////////////////
I’d been steelin’ myself for what I was goin’ to see. I couldn’t afford to waste too much fuel. I had enough for a quick landin’ and enough to get back into atmo. Not enough to be durin’ large circuits of the planet that I’d been born and raised on. I set the navigation computer to find the land that had belonged to my kin for a good five generations. Land that was now mine, but would never be fallow again unless the Alliance decided to let the terraformers come back. Weren’t never goin’ to happen though. Shadow had been destroyed as a message to us uppity no good Independents. They would never give us our home back.
It was nothing but black. Only difference tween the earth and the sky was the stars were twinklin’ in the black. I hovered over where my ranch should have been, finally settin’ the shuttle down when its landin’ beacon got was makin’ my ears ring. Took me nearly an hour to gear up enough to step down onto the charred soil. The ground was hard, smooth as lava in some places where the bombs had melted the sand and rocks. Usin’ the stars for guides since there weren’t nothin’ else, I slowly walked towards where my momma’s house had been where I fell to my knees, ignorin’ the sharp edges of rock that cut into my skin as I threw up until there was nothing left and cried for all that each and every person on Shadow had lost. I cried for the Independents. I cried for my family and kin. I cried for the people I didn't know until my eyes went dry as my soul.
The radiation meter on my wrist started vibratin’ tellin’ me that I had to head back to the shuttle. I reached down and flicked a pebble with my fingers, watchin’ as it skated cross my home like a rock on the waterin’ hole that had been vaporized a few miles away. I pushed up and took one last look at what was left of Shadow before gettin’ back on the shuttle and shot myself up with radiation meds as I sank into the bunk to wait for Hayden to come back.
I was never goin’ to forgive god for this. I’d always believed that the Almighty would take care of us. I even held a glimmer of hope when we’d managed to live through Serenity, but now that I’d seen my home. I knew that there was no Almighty. I hated god as much as I hated the ruttin’ Alliance. There would be no forgiveness. Ever.