Fic: Apsis, Chapter Six
Title: Apsis
Author: sarahetc
Rating: very light R, for strong language and violence
Setting: post-series, slightly AU
Word Count: 21,200
Disclaimer: Written for fun, not profit.
Summary: On the farthest planet from the galaxy's blue sun, Wash, Inara, and Simon take a job that forces them, and the rest of Serenity's crew, to confront the echoes of war.
Notes: Written for alligatorade who wanted genfic with a sympathetic Alliance character and a scene around the dinner table. Endless and most sincere thanks to zooey_glass04 and honu_girl for their fast, incisive betas. And more thanks after that to thunder_nari for organizing this best of all possible shindigs, and for letting me hijack her "mouse over for translation" idea. Mouse over for Chinese translations. Enjoy!
"Is that Serenity?" Simon looked up as a ship filled the sky above them and started to settle.
"Inara, what's this?" The Alliance Commander leaned close and raised his voice to be heard over the whine of the engines.
"A demonstration, I think," she shouted back. "They've repurposed this old ship!"
The Commander bellowed her words at the rest of the delegation. Inara looked back at Simon even as she started moving toward the nest of people that made up the delegation. Serenity landed mere feet away in a deafening roar.
Jayne, with Vera, stood at the top of the ramp, grinning the special smile he saved for impending violence. "Doc. 'Nara," he said cheerfully, thumbing the weapon's safety off and turning it toward them. "Captain told me to tell you to high tail it up to Headquarters while we clean up on this side of the job."
"What?!" Simon spluttered.
"Run on, now," Jayne answered, starting down the ramp. "Up that hill, into that building, and you ain't got to worry your pretty head about what happens down here. Knew you'd need us."
"Jayne," Inara hissed, moving to draw his attention away from the delegation. "I’m not sure you understand who these men are."
"Don't care none either."
"Start caring quickly!"
"All's I know," he continued, speaking now just too Inara, his voice carried away from the Alliance delegates by the icy wind, "is that Mal said that this is how it was gonna go down and that you would understand. I understand you got to have words and whatnot, but you shoulda had them before."
Inara made to move back toward Simon and the others when Jayne grabbed her by the arm, only tightening his grip when she didn't turn.
"You don't want to see this," he said, in an even lower voice. "And I think, if you want to see that Tancred fella again, you best move on it."
She shook him off roughly and seemed to pause for a moment, looking at the Alliance general and officer Traverton with pity. "Simon, we need to go. Now." She lifted her skirts, turned, and began to run toward headquarters.
Simon followed her immediately, giving Jayne one final confused look. Neither of them turned when they heard Jayne boom, "Now, y'all are going to get on this ship, or I will shoot your kneecaps and drag you on board. Sound good?"
Nor did they turn when they heard Zoe's voice over the ship's speakers. "Prisoners on Diyu! Who is your leader?"
//
"Plan's changed."
"I was starting to wonder." Wash quickly turned to try to locate Serenity with any of the other planetary cameras. He was just in time to catch Inara and Simon start their bolt toward Headquarters. He turned back to find Mal watching him more than the screens. "I see Inara and Simon are on their way up. Didn't know they missed you so badly."
"I put together a crew's like family," Mal said, playing along for the moment. "Touches the heart."
"That it does," Wash agreed. "Have you had the pleasure of meeting your contact, Zhou Tancred? Zhou, this is Captain Malcolm Reynolds."
"Captain. Glad to meet you." Tancred stepped forward and extended his hand. Mal looked at it blankly for a moment, before looking back up at Wash. Tancred then did the same.
"You're thinking it's a set up," Mal filled in. "At any rate, no need for the charade."
"Actually, I’m trying to figure out how it's not a set up." Wash backed up until he was resting against the Cortex console, dragging his hand slowly over the panel, easing the comm circuit back on so that Simon, at least, would hear what he was saying. "Because I know that's how you work, Mal. It's always brightest just before you crash into the sun."
Mal snorted and hooked his thumbs through his belt loops. "We'll be going now. It is, in fact, a set up. Sent Zoe and Jayne to get the Alliance hun dans. My job to round up you three and our man here."
Wash didn't know what to say. Zhou had left out crucial information, and it was obvious the situation was not at all has he'd read it. He tried reminding himself that none of it was his responsibility but the view down the barrel of Mal's gun lent a different perspective.
"Anytime in the next right now would be good." Mal was starting to sound impatient.
"Are we doing the broadcast? I have this connection engineered to back out a broadwave. Everything's ready to go."
"Yes," Tancred said.
"You're not in charge here anymore, Colonel." Mal's voice went icy. "Or whatever the hell they call you now."
Wash looked back and forth between Mal and Tancred, then to the screens where Simon was taking time to seal the front door shut behind him.
"I need to close the connection," Wash said, stalling for time.
"Nonsense," Mal said. "Them as is left will need all the help they can draw to them. If you've got the Cortex piping out anything other than backchat, someone will see to it."
Wash frowned at Mal, now thoroughly perplexed. But before he could say anything, Mal had unholstered his weapon and was pointing it at Tancred.
"Now. Move!"
Wash set his jaw, but started toward the door, which in turn, made Tancred move. Anyone else with a gun to their chest would have shown some stress reaction. Tancred's only emotion seemed to be disappointment. Mal shuffled them out of the control room, not bothering to pull the door behind him, just as Inara and Simon shoved their way through the door on the opposite wall, the one that led from the corridor.
"Doc! Inara." Mal smiled at them but didn't take his gun from Tancred.
"Who turned off the doors?" Simon panted, before he noticed the weapon.
"I did." Wash moved away from Mal and Tancred toward the center of the room.
"Zhou? What's going on?" Inara started forward but Mal barked at her.
"Inara. Stay where you are."
She stopped. Simon straightened up. Wash continued to move slowly toward the center of the room, forming the top point of a triangle between two couples.
"How are my citizens? My settlers?" Tancred spoke softly, but still with dignity.
"Cold," Simon started, while Mal said, "Don't you mind none."
It was as Mal pulled a face at Simon for interrupting him that Wash reached under his sweater and unholstered the sidearm he'd taken from Zoe. He raised it slowly, but steadily at Mal. Inara's gasp forced focus from Mal to Wash.
"Not necessary, Major." Tancred lifted a quelling hand.
"No, I think it is." Wash said. "Just what in the hell is going on here, Mal."
"You tell me, Major." Mal spat the final word.
"As we understood it, we're using our particular skills to set up a revolution. I run the wires, Inara distracts the delegates. Simon, I guess, he's doctoring, or rallying. Or both."
"That was the plan. We changed it. Found out that our sky full of Browncoat ships greatly outnumbers what the Alliance brought. Thought we might even the score. Right, Tancred? Even? That's a nice idea."
"Mal, you can't be serious." Inara started forward again, but Mal didn't hesitate to turn the gun toward her momentarily. She stopped again, only a step ahead of where she had been while Mal turned his aim back to Tancred.
"Put down that gun, Wash."
"Ain't one for believing in the mission, Mal, but you are not going to shoot Zhou," Wash protested.
"That a fact?"
"It is."
"You think on all the history between us, Wash. Which one of us do you think's gonna lower his weapon first?"
There was a beat of heavy silence as Mal and Wash glowered at one another, the history between them something ugly and divisive as it never had been before.
"At least let him lead his men, Mal. Even if you decide to go fully fucking nuts and execute that Alliance delegation, let Tancred lead his men."
Mal looked like he was considering the suggestion for a moment. He tilted his head and took a few steps toward Inara. Tancred stayed stoically where he was, hands clasped behind his back. Simon swallowed audibly. When Mal was several feet from Tancred, toward Inara, well into the center of the room, Wash tentatively lowered his gun. As soon as the barrel was pointed at the floor, Mal pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Tancred in the chest. He dropped immediately to the floor.
"Cao ni zu zong shi ba dai!" Wash roared raised his weapon again.
Mal looked pleased with himself at first, then glowered down the barrel of his gun at Wash, matching his expression.
"Is this all about Serenity Valley?" Wash asked tightly.
"You can be damn sure it ain't no little piece of it!"
Inara dropped to her knees and crawled toward Zhou, around whom a pool of dark red blood was slowly spreading. Simon was right behind her. When Mal held out a foot to block her way, she brought her fist down on it hard, making him yelp. Simon dashed forward and, while Mal was smarting, pushed his gun arm up and out of the way to duck under it. He pushed Tancred over on his back, where his eyes stared lifelessly at the ceiling. Blood oozed steadily from a wound over his heart nearly the size of a fist.
"There's nothing I can do," Simon said. No one was paying any attention to him.
"Drop that weapon!" Mal shouted as loud as Wash had.
"Zhou?" Inara's voice sounded thick. "Oh, fozu…."
Wash's hand had started to shake. He was turning an ugly shade of red, holding his breath, jaw clenched, trigger finger tense. "I should kill you where you stand."
At this Simon stood again, and looked like he realized what he'd done when he'd walked between their standoff.
"Do it then. Stop all this pissing and moaning and do it already."
Wash dropped his arm, looking stricken, and defeated. "Shang di, I hate you." He stared at Tancred. Inara looked up at him, tears spilling over her cheeks. The pool of blood had expanded to the point it was seeping into her dress at the knees.
"Good," Mal said sharply. "Inara, get up. We're getting out of here." He holstered his gun and gestured at Wash until he did the same.
Wash moved toward Simon and Inara. Inara had one hand in Simon's as he was reaching down to assist her up. The other she was using to cover her face. Her shoulders were tense, but not shaking. Wash squatted and passed his hand over Tancred's face, closing the dead man's eyes. "Inara, come on." He said after a moment.
Simon tugged her hand gently and she stood.
"Where to now, Captain?" Wash violently jammed the gun back in the holster under his sweater, then pulled it down to hide the weapon.
"Out the door, back down to the field, 'less Zoe's brought the ship up to us."
Wash stomped toward the door leaving the others behind. "Does it sound like there's a spaceship outside?"
Chapter Five | Chapter Seven
Author: sarahetc
Rating: very light R, for strong language and violence
Setting: post-series, slightly AU
Word Count: 21,200
Disclaimer: Written for fun, not profit.
Summary: On the farthest planet from the galaxy's blue sun, Wash, Inara, and Simon take a job that forces them, and the rest of Serenity's crew, to confront the echoes of war.
Notes: Written for alligatorade who wanted genfic with a sympathetic Alliance character and a scene around the dinner table. Endless and most sincere thanks to zooey_glass04 and honu_girl for their fast, incisive betas. And more thanks after that to thunder_nari for organizing this best of all possible shindigs, and for letting me hijack her "mouse over for translation" idea. Mouse over for Chinese translations. Enjoy!
"Is that Serenity?" Simon looked up as a ship filled the sky above them and started to settle.
"Inara, what's this?" The Alliance Commander leaned close and raised his voice to be heard over the whine of the engines.
"A demonstration, I think," she shouted back. "They've repurposed this old ship!"
The Commander bellowed her words at the rest of the delegation. Inara looked back at Simon even as she started moving toward the nest of people that made up the delegation. Serenity landed mere feet away in a deafening roar.
Jayne, with Vera, stood at the top of the ramp, grinning the special smile he saved for impending violence. "Doc. 'Nara," he said cheerfully, thumbing the weapon's safety off and turning it toward them. "Captain told me to tell you to high tail it up to Headquarters while we clean up on this side of the job."
"What?!" Simon spluttered.
"Run on, now," Jayne answered, starting down the ramp. "Up that hill, into that building, and you ain't got to worry your pretty head about what happens down here. Knew you'd need us."
"Jayne," Inara hissed, moving to draw his attention away from the delegation. "I’m not sure you understand who these men are."
"Don't care none either."
"Start caring quickly!"
"All's I know," he continued, speaking now just too Inara, his voice carried away from the Alliance delegates by the icy wind, "is that Mal said that this is how it was gonna go down and that you would understand. I understand you got to have words and whatnot, but you shoulda had them before."
Inara made to move back toward Simon and the others when Jayne grabbed her by the arm, only tightening his grip when she didn't turn.
"You don't want to see this," he said, in an even lower voice. "And I think, if you want to see that Tancred fella again, you best move on it."
She shook him off roughly and seemed to pause for a moment, looking at the Alliance general and officer Traverton with pity. "Simon, we need to go. Now." She lifted her skirts, turned, and began to run toward headquarters.
Simon followed her immediately, giving Jayne one final confused look. Neither of them turned when they heard Jayne boom, "Now, y'all are going to get on this ship, or I will shoot your kneecaps and drag you on board. Sound good?"
Nor did they turn when they heard Zoe's voice over the ship's speakers. "Prisoners on Diyu! Who is your leader?"
//
"Plan's changed."
"I was starting to wonder." Wash quickly turned to try to locate Serenity with any of the other planetary cameras. He was just in time to catch Inara and Simon start their bolt toward Headquarters. He turned back to find Mal watching him more than the screens. "I see Inara and Simon are on their way up. Didn't know they missed you so badly."
"I put together a crew's like family," Mal said, playing along for the moment. "Touches the heart."
"That it does," Wash agreed. "Have you had the pleasure of meeting your contact, Zhou Tancred? Zhou, this is Captain Malcolm Reynolds."
"Captain. Glad to meet you." Tancred stepped forward and extended his hand. Mal looked at it blankly for a moment, before looking back up at Wash. Tancred then did the same.
"You're thinking it's a set up," Mal filled in. "At any rate, no need for the charade."
"Actually, I’m trying to figure out how it's not a set up." Wash backed up until he was resting against the Cortex console, dragging his hand slowly over the panel, easing the comm circuit back on so that Simon, at least, would hear what he was saying. "Because I know that's how you work, Mal. It's always brightest just before you crash into the sun."
Mal snorted and hooked his thumbs through his belt loops. "We'll be going now. It is, in fact, a set up. Sent Zoe and Jayne to get the Alliance hun dans. My job to round up you three and our man here."
Wash didn't know what to say. Zhou had left out crucial information, and it was obvious the situation was not at all has he'd read it. He tried reminding himself that none of it was his responsibility but the view down the barrel of Mal's gun lent a different perspective.
"Anytime in the next right now would be good." Mal was starting to sound impatient.
"Are we doing the broadcast? I have this connection engineered to back out a broadwave. Everything's ready to go."
"Yes," Tancred said.
"You're not in charge here anymore, Colonel." Mal's voice went icy. "Or whatever the hell they call you now."
Wash looked back and forth between Mal and Tancred, then to the screens where Simon was taking time to seal the front door shut behind him.
"I need to close the connection," Wash said, stalling for time.
"Nonsense," Mal said. "Them as is left will need all the help they can draw to them. If you've got the Cortex piping out anything other than backchat, someone will see to it."
Wash frowned at Mal, now thoroughly perplexed. But before he could say anything, Mal had unholstered his weapon and was pointing it at Tancred.
"Now. Move!"
Wash set his jaw, but started toward the door, which in turn, made Tancred move. Anyone else with a gun to their chest would have shown some stress reaction. Tancred's only emotion seemed to be disappointment. Mal shuffled them out of the control room, not bothering to pull the door behind him, just as Inara and Simon shoved their way through the door on the opposite wall, the one that led from the corridor.
"Doc! Inara." Mal smiled at them but didn't take his gun from Tancred.
"Who turned off the doors?" Simon panted, before he noticed the weapon.
"I did." Wash moved away from Mal and Tancred toward the center of the room.
"Zhou? What's going on?" Inara started forward but Mal barked at her.
"Inara. Stay where you are."
She stopped. Simon straightened up. Wash continued to move slowly toward the center of the room, forming the top point of a triangle between two couples.
"How are my citizens? My settlers?" Tancred spoke softly, but still with dignity.
"Cold," Simon started, while Mal said, "Don't you mind none."
It was as Mal pulled a face at Simon for interrupting him that Wash reached under his sweater and unholstered the sidearm he'd taken from Zoe. He raised it slowly, but steadily at Mal. Inara's gasp forced focus from Mal to Wash.
"Not necessary, Major." Tancred lifted a quelling hand.
"No, I think it is." Wash said. "Just what in the hell is going on here, Mal."
"You tell me, Major." Mal spat the final word.
"As we understood it, we're using our particular skills to set up a revolution. I run the wires, Inara distracts the delegates. Simon, I guess, he's doctoring, or rallying. Or both."
"That was the plan. We changed it. Found out that our sky full of Browncoat ships greatly outnumbers what the Alliance brought. Thought we might even the score. Right, Tancred? Even? That's a nice idea."
"Mal, you can't be serious." Inara started forward again, but Mal didn't hesitate to turn the gun toward her momentarily. She stopped again, only a step ahead of where she had been while Mal turned his aim back to Tancred.
"Put down that gun, Wash."
"Ain't one for believing in the mission, Mal, but you are not going to shoot Zhou," Wash protested.
"That a fact?"
"It is."
"You think on all the history between us, Wash. Which one of us do you think's gonna lower his weapon first?"
There was a beat of heavy silence as Mal and Wash glowered at one another, the history between them something ugly and divisive as it never had been before.
"At least let him lead his men, Mal. Even if you decide to go fully fucking nuts and execute that Alliance delegation, let Tancred lead his men."
Mal looked like he was considering the suggestion for a moment. He tilted his head and took a few steps toward Inara. Tancred stayed stoically where he was, hands clasped behind his back. Simon swallowed audibly. When Mal was several feet from Tancred, toward Inara, well into the center of the room, Wash tentatively lowered his gun. As soon as the barrel was pointed at the floor, Mal pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Tancred in the chest. He dropped immediately to the floor.
"Cao ni zu zong shi ba dai!" Wash roared raised his weapon again.
Mal looked pleased with himself at first, then glowered down the barrel of his gun at Wash, matching his expression.
"Is this all about Serenity Valley?" Wash asked tightly.
"You can be damn sure it ain't no little piece of it!"
Inara dropped to her knees and crawled toward Zhou, around whom a pool of dark red blood was slowly spreading. Simon was right behind her. When Mal held out a foot to block her way, she brought her fist down on it hard, making him yelp. Simon dashed forward and, while Mal was smarting, pushed his gun arm up and out of the way to duck under it. He pushed Tancred over on his back, where his eyes stared lifelessly at the ceiling. Blood oozed steadily from a wound over his heart nearly the size of a fist.
"There's nothing I can do," Simon said. No one was paying any attention to him.
"Drop that weapon!" Mal shouted as loud as Wash had.
"Zhou?" Inara's voice sounded thick. "Oh, fozu…."
Wash's hand had started to shake. He was turning an ugly shade of red, holding his breath, jaw clenched, trigger finger tense. "I should kill you where you stand."
At this Simon stood again, and looked like he realized what he'd done when he'd walked between their standoff.
"Do it then. Stop all this pissing and moaning and do it already."
Wash dropped his arm, looking stricken, and defeated. "Shang di, I hate you." He stared at Tancred. Inara looked up at him, tears spilling over her cheeks. The pool of blood had expanded to the point it was seeping into her dress at the knees.
"Good," Mal said sharply. "Inara, get up. We're getting out of here." He holstered his gun and gestured at Wash until he did the same.
Wash moved toward Simon and Inara. Inara had one hand in Simon's as he was reaching down to assist her up. The other she was using to cover her face. Her shoulders were tense, but not shaking. Wash squatted and passed his hand over Tancred's face, closing the dead man's eyes. "Inara, come on." He said after a moment.
Simon tugged her hand gently and she stood.
"Where to now, Captain?" Wash violently jammed the gun back in the holster under his sweater, then pulled it down to hide the weapon.
"Out the door, back down to the field, 'less Zoe's brought the ship up to us."
Wash stomped toward the door leaving the others behind. "Does it sound like there's a spaceship outside?"
Chapter Five | Chapter Seven