A Nice Enough Planet
Hi. I'm new to the fandom, although I've been a fan of the show since it's airing.
Title: A Nice Enough Planet
Author: knightshade
Rating: PG
Summary: Appearances can be deceiving. Zoe knows that as well as anyone.
Disclaimer: I don't own them, Joss does.
For the Appearances Vs. Reality Challenge
“Well, it looked like a nice enough planet,” Wash said, regarding the blue-green globe that was quickly retreating below them.
Zoe stared past her husband’s head out into the depths of space behind him. “You know what they say about appearances, dear.” It may have looked like a nice planet, but Kaylee was scouring the engine room looking for damage, and Mal and Jayne were picking lead out of the cargo bay. She knew she should join them, help clean up the mess, but right now she wanted to take a few moments for herself. Whenever possible, she joined Wash in the cockpit after any particular unpleasantness had passed. There was nothing she liked better, and set her on a more even keel, than to watch her man in his element. And flying Serenity safely away from whatever trouble they found themselves in, was definitely his element.
The planet certainly hadn’t lived up to its billing. Not that Zoe was surprised. Hardly anything out here did. She was starting to realize that there was no point whatsoever in relying on appearances. Appearances could damn well get them all killed.
It had always been so, it had just taken her a while to really soak up that lesson. She had seen the apples, exploding in the mouths of the unsuspecting. She had seen the brown coats that carried Alliance spies. She had learned that in war, it was her job to see through appearances. It was her job to see the reality behind them. And it was often that way in civilian life too. Being basically outlaws, they met people of the most unsavory kind. There were plenty of folks out there who used deception to get by. Hell, even Reavers looked like human beings.
But what had surprised her, what had taken her completely unaware was how negative appearances could be just as wrong. After the war, she had assumed that if she always looked for the worst in a thing, she would never be taken unaware. How wrong she had been. Take this very ship. She had thought Mal was soft in the head to even consider it. Serenity was an ugly, rusting shit bucket of a ship that Zoe had been sure was going to become her floating coffin. That may well yet be the case, but for now, Serenity had saved their asses too many times to worry about how she looked. In fact, her appearances were as often as not an advantage. Everyone underestimated her. Maybe that’s what Mal had seen. Or maybe since he had given up so completely on everything at the time, he was able to see her full potential. Maybe it was the lack of believing in anything that allowed him to escape being fooled.
“What do you say I stir things up a bit, do a barrel roll?” Wash asked, clearly excited by their harrowing escape.
His gleefulness was catching and she couldn’t contain her smile. “Husband, unless you’re proposing to make dinner, I think there’s been enough stirring for one day. How bout you just flight straight and level until everyone’s nerves have settled down some,” she said in her best scolding, first officer voice. But she loved this side of him, the playful, enthusiastic joker who couldn’t be fazed by anything for long. She was charmed despite herself. And her was the second biggest example of where her gut had failed her. When Mal had suggested hiring Wash as their pilot, Zoe had been less than thrilled. He had just seemed odd in his Hawaiian shirts and that God-awful mustache. He was a joke, a parody, and she wasn’t even sure he really knew how to fly. She had half expected him to turn out to be a con. But the Captain had put his foot down and decided Wash was the one. Thank God he did. Zoe never would have gotten to know her husband if he hadn’t. It made her sick to her stomach to think of how, in that moment, she could have easily written off her love forever.
It was like that with some of the other members of the crew too. Inara was not the sort of person that Zoe went out of her way to befriend. She had expected that Inara thought herself above everyone else. But Zoe respected the fact that when necessary, she was willing to get right into the fray with them. Kaylee too. She had pegged Simon and River as nothing but trouble, but they had shown they were willing to be part of the crew. And of course, there was certainly more to Book, they just hadn’t figured out what yet.
At least she’d been right about Jayne. He was pretty much a rock dumb mercenary. Sometimes people were what they appeared to be. But at least sometimes they weren’t. Sometimes folks went and surprised you. Zoe had started out this journey prepared to trust no one but Mal, and look where she was now. She had a whole crew of people she could trust. They might look like a ragged bunch of two bit thieves, but in reality they were as true a family as Zoe had ever known.
-------------
-knightshade
July 22, 2004
Title: A Nice Enough Planet
Author: knightshade
Rating: PG
Summary: Appearances can be deceiving. Zoe knows that as well as anyone.
Disclaimer: I don't own them, Joss does.
For the Appearances Vs. Reality Challenge
“Well, it looked like a nice enough planet,” Wash said, regarding the blue-green globe that was quickly retreating below them.
Zoe stared past her husband’s head out into the depths of space behind him. “You know what they say about appearances, dear.” It may have looked like a nice planet, but Kaylee was scouring the engine room looking for damage, and Mal and Jayne were picking lead out of the cargo bay. She knew she should join them, help clean up the mess, but right now she wanted to take a few moments for herself. Whenever possible, she joined Wash in the cockpit after any particular unpleasantness had passed. There was nothing she liked better, and set her on a more even keel, than to watch her man in his element. And flying Serenity safely away from whatever trouble they found themselves in, was definitely his element.
The planet certainly hadn’t lived up to its billing. Not that Zoe was surprised. Hardly anything out here did. She was starting to realize that there was no point whatsoever in relying on appearances. Appearances could damn well get them all killed.
It had always been so, it had just taken her a while to really soak up that lesson. She had seen the apples, exploding in the mouths of the unsuspecting. She had seen the brown coats that carried Alliance spies. She had learned that in war, it was her job to see through appearances. It was her job to see the reality behind them. And it was often that way in civilian life too. Being basically outlaws, they met people of the most unsavory kind. There were plenty of folks out there who used deception to get by. Hell, even Reavers looked like human beings.
But what had surprised her, what had taken her completely unaware was how negative appearances could be just as wrong. After the war, she had assumed that if she always looked for the worst in a thing, she would never be taken unaware. How wrong she had been. Take this very ship. She had thought Mal was soft in the head to even consider it. Serenity was an ugly, rusting shit bucket of a ship that Zoe had been sure was going to become her floating coffin. That may well yet be the case, but for now, Serenity had saved their asses too many times to worry about how she looked. In fact, her appearances were as often as not an advantage. Everyone underestimated her. Maybe that’s what Mal had seen. Or maybe since he had given up so completely on everything at the time, he was able to see her full potential. Maybe it was the lack of believing in anything that allowed him to escape being fooled.
“What do you say I stir things up a bit, do a barrel roll?” Wash asked, clearly excited by their harrowing escape.
His gleefulness was catching and she couldn’t contain her smile. “Husband, unless you’re proposing to make dinner, I think there’s been enough stirring for one day. How bout you just flight straight and level until everyone’s nerves have settled down some,” she said in her best scolding, first officer voice. But she loved this side of him, the playful, enthusiastic joker who couldn’t be fazed by anything for long. She was charmed despite herself. And her was the second biggest example of where her gut had failed her. When Mal had suggested hiring Wash as their pilot, Zoe had been less than thrilled. He had just seemed odd in his Hawaiian shirts and that God-awful mustache. He was a joke, a parody, and she wasn’t even sure he really knew how to fly. She had half expected him to turn out to be a con. But the Captain had put his foot down and decided Wash was the one. Thank God he did. Zoe never would have gotten to know her husband if he hadn’t. It made her sick to her stomach to think of how, in that moment, she could have easily written off her love forever.
It was like that with some of the other members of the crew too. Inara was not the sort of person that Zoe went out of her way to befriend. She had expected that Inara thought herself above everyone else. But Zoe respected the fact that when necessary, she was willing to get right into the fray with them. Kaylee too. She had pegged Simon and River as nothing but trouble, but they had shown they were willing to be part of the crew. And of course, there was certainly more to Book, they just hadn’t figured out what yet.
At least she’d been right about Jayne. He was pretty much a rock dumb mercenary. Sometimes people were what they appeared to be. But at least sometimes they weren’t. Sometimes folks went and surprised you. Zoe had started out this journey prepared to trust no one but Mal, and look where she was now. She had a whole crew of people she could trust. They might look like a ragged bunch of two bit thieves, but in reality they were as true a family as Zoe had ever known.
-------------
-knightshade
July 22, 2004