for your consideration in first story thread
**
“So James,” Malcolm Reynolds said as the rest of his crew settled into their apartments. “Why are you doing this?”
“What, taking you in,” I responded, “or do you mean running this place?”
“A little bit of both I suppose,” the former rebel replied, and I smiled.
“Because, very much like you I am an unrepentant rebel,” I answered. “Someone who needs to be able to do their own thing while still being able to earn a living. This isn’t the worst job I’ve ever had, in fact if anything it’s the best I’ve ever had.” Mal nodded to that, settling slightly in his chair as I rose and stepped over to my fridge. “You want something to drink?”
“No, thanks though,” he replied as I set aside a soda for me before pouring a glass of water for each of the two girls in the adjoining room. “Any idea why we ended up here though, I mean,” he continued raising his hands and kind of waved at Rei and River who were still staring at each other, “her explanation leaves a bit to be desired, but it was fairly straight forward. Do you have anything to add to that.”
I set the two solo cups with water in them between the two girls while I thought about the question, “I imagine part of the reason you ended up here is that the system saw that your people, especially River, need some psychological assistance, just like everyone else here.”
“Really,” Mal’s eyes quirked. “Yourself included?”
“Of course,” I answered. “I just lost my mother and dealt with her estate, because of that I’m fighting fits of depression since I had to do it without the help of my siblings, in fact even having to fight them in some respects. You’ll find here in the next couple of days that Misato and the rest of her crew have all kinds of issues, including Rei.”
“But we’re a fairly stable group,” Mal said looking rather indignant at the suggestion that him and his crew needed any kind of psychological help.
“Mal, you just finished bluffing your way through a Reaver blockade both ways, lost your best friend and pilot as well as all the contacts that you had in your universe. Zoe lost her husband, Wash and Book both died, and River had to fight her way through the chasing Reavers causing a bloodbath. If you don’t think for one second that doing these things didn’t cause you issues, then I have some bottom land and a bridge in Arizona to sell you.” The look the captain shot me caused me to grin. “Exactly,” I replied, “now I haven’t started seeing to counseling for the others, but I know we all need it, and I need to find one as well as half a dozen other things including enrolling the kids in school. Also, I have to get everyone to the point they can blend in, which is a whole new kind of fun for me, so I’m going to be stressed all to hell.”
“I hadn’t thought about that,” Mal said, “any suggestions on how we should do that?”
“Start with taking a couple of weeks of vacation to wind down and decompress,” I said to him. “Get to know Inara again, let Kaylee and Simon get together like they intend to, unwind and enjoy the beach. Things may go back to the way they were, they might improve, you might be stuck here. If it’s the last we’ll try and find a way for you guys to survive and make a living here. It will be rather easy if your ship shows up.”
“Why is that?” he asked.
“Do you realize how much various governments would pay for the ability your ship has to move from surface to orbit and back,” I told him. “I’m sure that this or any government would love to pay you a goodly amount to ferry stuff back and forth to orbit, maybe even out to the moon and Mars.”
**
“So James,” Malcolm Reynolds said as the rest of his crew settled into their apartments. “Why are you doing this?”
“What, taking you in,” I responded, “or do you mean running this place?”
“A little bit of both I suppose,” the former rebel replied, and I smiled.
“Because, very much like you I am an unrepentant rebel,” I answered. “Someone who needs to be able to do their own thing while still being able to earn a living. This isn’t the worst job I’ve ever had, in fact if anything it’s the best I’ve ever had.” Mal nodded to that, settling slightly in his chair as I rose and stepped over to my fridge. “You want something to drink?”
“No, thanks though,” he replied as I set aside a soda for me before pouring a glass of water for each of the two girls in the adjoining room. “Any idea why we ended up here though, I mean,” he continued raising his hands and kind of waved at Rei and River who were still staring at each other, “her explanation leaves a bit to be desired, but it was fairly straight forward. Do you have anything to add to that.”
I set the two solo cups with water in them between the two girls while I thought about the question, “I imagine part of the reason you ended up here is that the system saw that your people, especially River, need some psychological assistance, just like everyone else here.”
“Really,” Mal’s eyes quirked. “Yourself included?”
“Of course,” I answered. “I just lost my mother and dealt with her estate, because of that I’m fighting fits of depression since I had to do it without the help of my siblings, in fact even having to fight them in some respects. You’ll find here in the next couple of days that Misato and the rest of her crew have all kinds of issues, including Rei.”
“But we’re a fairly stable group,” Mal said looking rather indignant at the suggestion that him and his crew needed any kind of psychological help.
“Mal, you just finished bluffing your way through a Reaver blockade both ways, lost your best friend and pilot as well as all the contacts that you had in your universe. Zoe lost her husband, Wash and Book both died, and River had to fight her way through the chasing Reavers causing a bloodbath. If you don’t think for one second that doing these things didn’t cause you issues, then I have some bottom land and a bridge in Arizona to sell you.” The look the captain shot me caused me to grin. “Exactly,” I replied, “now I haven’t started seeing to counseling for the others, but I know we all need it, and I need to find one as well as half a dozen other things including enrolling the kids in school. Also, I have to get everyone to the point they can blend in, which is a whole new kind of fun for me, so I’m going to be stressed all to hell.”
“I hadn’t thought about that,” Mal said, “any suggestions on how we should do that?”
“Start with taking a couple of weeks of vacation to wind down and decompress,” I said to him. “Get to know Inara again, let Kaylee and Simon get together like they intend to, unwind and enjoy the beach. Things may go back to the way they were, they might improve, you might be stuck here. If it’s the last we’ll try and find a way for you guys to survive and make a living here. It will be rather easy if your ship shows up.”
“Why is that?” he asked.
“Do you realize how much various governments would pay for the ability your ship has to move from surface to orbit and back,” I told him. “I’m sure that this or any government would love to pay you a goodly amount to ferry stuff back and forth to orbit, maybe even out to the moon and Mars.”
Wolf wins every fight but the one where he dies, fangs locked around the throat of his opponent.
Currently writing BROBd
Currently writing BROBd