TITLE: "ONE JUST MAN"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

FANDOM: "FIREFLY"

PAIRING: Simon. River. Book. Zoe. Mal.

RATING: PG-13.

STATUS: SEQUEL to "WE NEED A PLAN"

ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.

FEEDBACK: Welcomed.

EMAIL: AlisonMDobell@aol.com

WEBSITE: http://carlajane.50megs.com/Ali00.html

SUMMARY: "Wheels within wheels, not so much setting

the future in motion as grinding it down into a dust so fine

it can never hold its' true shape again. But there are things

other than strength. Grace that transcends beauty and heroes

born out of more than the diversity between pain, fear and hope."

The usual disclaimers apply. The characters and 'Firefly'

are the property and gift of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.

No infringement of copyright is intended.

"ONE JUST MAN"

"Firefly" story

Written by Alison M. DOBELL

* * * * *

Such a cryptic message but what did it mean? Inara Serra stared at the screen. She had completed her last appointment when the blinking light had caught her eye. She noticed the incoming message was in privacy mode. So. Text only. Not unusual but rare enough to begin sounding a muted alarm. The wave signature was definitely Serenity's but the content surprised her. Inara blinked back her confusion then stared in stunned silence as she slowly made sense of the words.

The Companion caught her breath and took a closer look. Ever since the Anglo-Sino Accord had been signed under Unification the official languages of the Core and all the planets under its' hegemony had been Chinese and English. But this, this was neither. Inara only knew the tongue because of her profession. Multilingual, her talents covered many areas of expertise. The Spanish flowed through her mind in an elegant haunting tapestry, the words of the ancient Spanish mystic brought an ache to her heart. Yet, beyond the undeniable romantic flourish and flattery was a code, it had to be. It was the only thing