Blue Sun Room FICTION - GENERAL

ONE MAN’S TRASH (08) Part (03)

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Zoe and Mal encounter some Purplebellies in a bar.

CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 3632    RATING: 10.0 (PG13)    SERIES: FIREFLY

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ONE MAN’S TRASH (08)

Part (03)

Follows . Precedes .

The series so far:

Zoe and Mal encounter some Purplebellies in a bar.

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Zoe and Mal sat at a table in the dimly lit Freight and Salvage bar. It was still broad daylight outside, but the place was quiet and dingy inside, busy enough but not too busy, a good place for a meet. Mal sat nursing the same drink he’d ordered when they first arrived, making it last, because they were on the job and they certainly didn’t have the coin to waste. Zoe sipped her seltzer water with lemon and scanned the bar for the hundredth time. Monty’s friend was supposed to show up an hour ago, and she didn’t have high hopes anymore.

“Reckon he’s not comin’, sir,” Zoe said, with just a hint of question in her voice.

Mal looked morosely down into his glass and swirled the contents. “Reckon he’s not. Monty seemed confident of his man. Monty’s never let me down.”

“I’m sure Monty’s good, sir,” Zoe replied. “But didn’t he get pinched last time he was on Beylix?”

“You’re right, Zoe,” Mal recollected.

“Could be his contact ain’t no good no more.”

“Reckon you’

Comments
Thursday, 06 October 2011 15:39
That was nice. SURPRISINGLY nice. And yeah, it just figures that they used Reavers as a source of propaganda about atrocities both sides were doing. >_> In fact, I was thinking of exploring that a little myself.

Now we see where the Operative comes in.
ZOESMOM
Thursday, 06 October 2011 16:11
I am glad they didn't end up fighting the "purplebellies" -- that's been done before.

Nice closing line, is it an example of "in vino veritas"?
Thursday, 06 October 2011 18:42
I mean, not the writing, your writing is always good, I mean expecting all this bitterness and anger and a fight, and then it becoming something affirming and humanizing instead.
Thursday, 06 October 2011 19:20
No, I get it. :-) The bar scene was the first scene of this story that I wrote. In fact, I wrote it before I even knew which story it belonged in. I just loved Guildsister's premise (Zoe and Mal meet up with some Purplebellies in a bar--and don't have a barfight), and wanted to re-cast it with my own twist. :-)
ZoesMom--I suppose it is. Mainly, though, I was tired of reading fics where the characters imbibe improbable amounts of alcohol and then proceed to behave as if it hasn't affected them at all. ;-)
Thursday, 06 October 2011 21:57
I was particulary taken with the dialogue between Mal, Zoe and the former purplebellies in the bar. Also liked how at the end of it Mal had figured that the Reavers had caused a lot of horrific injuries on both sides which were then blamed on each other. As for Ip that man is too naive for his own, or anyone else's good. Passing on private information to his Operative friend made me go cold. I don't know whether to vent him into the atmo or just staple his lips together until the poor man gets a clue. Great writing, Ali D :~)
"You can't take the sky from me!"
Thursday, 06 October 2011 23:59
Hmm so Mal going to go to war with Blue Sun now for a little payback? Still waiting on that other shoe to drop.
Friday, 07 October 2011 14:00
AliD: "As for Ip that man is too naive for his own, or anyone else's good. Passing on private information to his Operative friend made me go cold." Oh, good. That's what I was aiming for. Ip's naivete is both his strength and his great weakness. The Operative is an expert at exploiting others' weaknesses for his own ends. Ip has trouble seeing anything but good in people. This can be an asset, but right now it sure doesn't look that way, does it? As usual, your observations are very astute!

Nutluck: I think Mal understands the cost of going to war all too well: he's already paid the price of defeat. This won't stop him from putting the facts together and trying to understand just who it is that's caused such suffering. He may have a very different form of payback in mind. And do keep in mind that 2 ton metal spike-covered shoe--because it's still looming ominously in the offing, ready to drop. Of course things won't go smooth here on Beylix. It's Mal we're talking about, after all ;-)
Saturday, 08 October 2011 01:46
Ebfiddler…..WOW!

Excellent story arc you have here my friend. It runs smooth and flows like a summer stream. Mal and his crew not getting paid yet? I’m sure that will be causing more than a little trouble once certain members of his team find out. I’m looking for that particular issue to become resolved, one way or another, rather quickly.

Jayne meeting up with Janice. I always did like that girl and besides, if I remember correctly she went back upstairs with his jacket…might she be returning it to him on Beylix?

Mal finding himself, along with Zoe, in an Alliance friendly bar during “Serenity Day”! Reflections of the past came to me, “ I didn’t come looking fore a fight! I always seen to find one though.” I was ready for blood & teeth to come flying out during that little bar interlude, but you put a twit on that really had me smiling…..I certainly enjoyed it.

Great work….looking forward to more.

BPZ
Monday, 10 October 2011 23:49
Withdraws... getting bad... been 4 days...
Tuesday, 11 October 2011 04:13
Thank you, BPZ, glad you enjoyed this chapter. It sure was fun bringing Janice back into the picture. Just you wait and see what's in store for Jayne on Beylix. And that's the fun of writing a bar scene like that...ya build it up so everyone expects blood and teeth flying out and all that, and then ya sit them down so they can find out they have more in common than not. We're not done with the consequences of that encounter.

Poor Nutluck...hang on...next chapter will be posted tomorrow (or later today, depending on your timezone). I'm drawing it out, because I need the time to work out the revisions on story #9.

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