Keeping The Fire: Chapter 1
Title: Keeping The Fire
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Meishan Waves
Rating: G this chapter.
Summary: An alternate universe retelling of Firefly, where the Big Damn Heroes pick up passengers on Serenity, knowing that Simon Tam had rescued his sister from unknown "tortures" done by the Alliance, when the people who helped Simon get River out ask Mal to help them finish the job, and how that change affects the characters we all know and love.
Malcolm Reynolds stood on the bridge of his ship, staring down at the wave in front of him. The woman on the screen wasn’t anyone he had anticipated seeing again, unless it was on a broadwave. “Meishan Connolly,” he said, leaning back with amusement. “Never thought I’d be talking to you again. What can I do for you?”
“Sarge,” Meishan said, with a cocksure grin and a little salute, and a nod to his first mate, standing beside him. “Zo’.”
“Meishan.” Zoe answered, with some real warmth in her voice, much to the surprise of her husband, sitting in the pilot’s seat.
“Got a job needs a transport ship, Sarge, thought of you and yours right off.” Meishan said, with a sparkle in her brown eyes that worried the two who knew her.
“Did you now?” Mal asked, not letting his concern show. He knew what Meishan had gotten into after the war, and as they spoke, he was heading on a salvage mission, not legal, but fair pay without terrorism. Meishan was pretty far up in the Hóng Yǔ Syndicate, which was a thorn in the Alliance’s side Mal had no notions of poking. “I thought we had discussed before that some kinds of business we ain’t interested in.”
“This is different, Sarge.” Meishan said, tenting her fingers. “We’re rescuing a girl being experimented on and tortured. There’s no destruction or killing planned. S’all being financed and carried out by her brother -- straight-up high class Core, him. We can get ‘em to the border, we were thinking Albion or Persephone, but you know we don’t leave the Core, and a lot of people don’t like us having this job, they rather see something that has more of an...effect.” She sighed. "Most of my people, they just want to get her out and let him on his own. Me, I don't see escaping the wolves and then leaving the sheep for the coyotes."
Mal was listening, though he didn’t really want to be. He tried his hardest to leave the war and sides behind, but torturing girls, well that was something he didn’t hold with, whether it was slavers or the Alliance. “And what, exactly, would we be doing in this job of yours, Meishan?”
Meishan shrugged. “You’d be picking up the brother and sister, and taking ‘em out as far in the Rim as is habitable. Depending how damaged the girl is when we get her out, she may be in cryo, so she can recover from all the hún dàns did to her. He’s enough credits to make it worthwhile.”
Mal looked at Zoe. He didn’t normally pass up a job, especially one that had credits passing into his hand as payment right away, or near enough to it that there was more risk of getting shot than not getting paid. This however, was different, and he didn’t want his grudges, morals, and the fact that someone he served with was asking, to be the only factors in the decision. The slight inclination of Zoe's head, though, was enough to keep him from worrying overmuch.
“We’ll take it. We’ve a job that will be taking us to Persephone in a few days time, so I conjure we could take on some passengers, give us some cover, an’ give your Core-friend a lift, but if my merc so much as smells explosive powder...” He gave the former corporal a dark look. “But you know no one steps on my boat, I don’t meet ‘em, and I don’t hold with slave traders, so if she’s in cryo, she better be awake and willing by the time we get where they’re going, or we’ll toss your Core boy in the airlock, fair?”
“Xiè xie, Sarge.” Meishan said with a little laugh, and a little wave to Zoe. “Zoe.”
“Meishan.” Zoe said with a nod.
Malcolm Reynolds turned, shaking his head and wondered what, exactly he was signing up for.
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Meishan Waves
Rating: G this chapter.
Summary: An alternate universe retelling of Firefly, where the Big Damn Heroes pick up passengers on Serenity, knowing that Simon Tam had rescued his sister from unknown "tortures" done by the Alliance, when the people who helped Simon get River out ask Mal to help them finish the job, and how that change affects the characters we all know and love.
Malcolm Reynolds stood on the bridge of his ship, staring down at the wave in front of him. The woman on the screen wasn’t anyone he had anticipated seeing again, unless it was on a broadwave. “Meishan Connolly,” he said, leaning back with amusement. “Never thought I’d be talking to you again. What can I do for you?”
“Sarge,” Meishan said, with a cocksure grin and a little salute, and a nod to his first mate, standing beside him. “Zo’.”
“Meishan.” Zoe answered, with some real warmth in her voice, much to the surprise of her husband, sitting in the pilot’s seat.
“Got a job needs a transport ship, Sarge, thought of you and yours right off.” Meishan said, with a sparkle in her brown eyes that worried the two who knew her.
“Did you now?” Mal asked, not letting his concern show. He knew what Meishan had gotten into after the war, and as they spoke, he was heading on a salvage mission, not legal, but fair pay without terrorism. Meishan was pretty far up in the Hóng Yǔ Syndicate, which was a thorn in the Alliance’s side Mal had no notions of poking. “I thought we had discussed before that some kinds of business we ain’t interested in.”
“This is different, Sarge.” Meishan said, tenting her fingers. “We’re rescuing a girl being experimented on and tortured. There’s no destruction or killing planned. S’all being financed and carried out by her brother -- straight-up high class Core, him. We can get ‘em to the border, we were thinking Albion or Persephone, but you know we don’t leave the Core, and a lot of people don’t like us having this job, they rather see something that has more of an...effect.” She sighed. "Most of my people, they just want to get her out and let him on his own. Me, I don't see escaping the wolves and then leaving the sheep for the coyotes."
Mal was listening, though he didn’t really want to be. He tried his hardest to leave the war and sides behind, but torturing girls, well that was something he didn’t hold with, whether it was slavers or the Alliance. “And what, exactly, would we be doing in this job of yours, Meishan?”
Meishan shrugged. “You’d be picking up the brother and sister, and taking ‘em out as far in the Rim as is habitable. Depending how damaged the girl is when we get her out, she may be in cryo, so she can recover from all the hún dàns did to her. He’s enough credits to make it worthwhile.”
Mal looked at Zoe. He didn’t normally pass up a job, especially one that had credits passing into his hand as payment right away, or near enough to it that there was more risk of getting shot than not getting paid. This however, was different, and he didn’t want his grudges, morals, and the fact that someone he served with was asking, to be the only factors in the decision. The slight inclination of Zoe's head, though, was enough to keep him from worrying overmuch.
“We’ll take it. We’ve a job that will be taking us to Persephone in a few days time, so I conjure we could take on some passengers, give us some cover, an’ give your Core-friend a lift, but if my merc so much as smells explosive powder...” He gave the former corporal a dark look. “But you know no one steps on my boat, I don’t meet ‘em, and I don’t hold with slave traders, so if she’s in cryo, she better be awake and willing by the time we get where they’re going, or we’ll toss your Core boy in the airlock, fair?”
“Xiè xie, Sarge.” Meishan said with a little laugh, and a little wave to Zoe. “Zoe.”
“Meishan.” Zoe said with a nod.
Malcolm Reynolds turned, shaking his head and wondered what, exactly he was signing up for.