The Treasure of Lei Fong Wu -- Chapter Forty-One
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
The Emperor speaks, Jayne keeps his eyes out for ice zombies, and Inara enjoys some good clean fun.
CATEGORY: FICTION TIMES READ: 4074 RATING: 9.0 (G) SERIES: FIREFLY
The Treasure of Lei Fong Wu
Chapter Forty-One
When the exploration party returned Master Lei bid them all to assemble in the lounge to hear the Map’s pronouncement, and its direction. Though it was all business, the result of several month’s work, everyone was in a festive mood. Book put on a large pot of coffee and another of tea, and Kaylee broke out the popcorn. Even Inara came out of her shuttle for the occasion – a rare occasion this past week – leaving only River absent. She was strapped down in the infirmary under heavy sedation, so she was close at hand.
The more jovial attitude was welcome after the last few hours on Hecate. The dead world strangely beckoned. The crew could not help but to stare out of the viewports at the desolation outside. Ostensibly, they were in a busy downtown of a frontier world, a commercial and cultural center for the entire planet. Only there were no people, no movement, no sky, no wind, no rain, no noises at all. Within sight of the ship more than forty frozen corpses could be seen. The whole world was one big, dark, spooky forest, it seemed, a constant and depressing reminder of man’s mortality.
“Are we ready?” Johnny asked. “Everyone here?”
“Close enough,” agreed the General. “I think Yang is in the can. He’ll catch up. I’ll go ahead and start.” He placed the Map in the center of the round table and activated it. An air of expectation filled the room.
“Greetings, honorable descendents,” the holoimage of Emperor Lei said, bowing first toward Master Lei, then to the General and lastly to the Prince. “I trust you have succeeded with the final portion of the quest? Or do you report failure?”
“We have, Your Imperial Majesty,” agreed Master Lei, bowing in return. “We have the motto you seek.”
“What is it, then?” the hologram asked serenely.
“Res dura, et regni novitas me talia cogunt moliri, et late fines custode tuer,” Master Lei said respectfully. The hologram wavered as the Map’s computer accessed the concealed data. Then the Emperor s
Where is the treasure? Where is the treasure??
P.S.: thank you for writing mal like i think he is educated at least a lil bit, though i think you paint him even more educated then i imagined (He knows Latin?!..hell i have trouble with spanish sometimes and its my second languga!)... you should have Inara catch him in the act of resiting poetry just for the hell of it!.
Sir John...ny? You're skirting cheap punnery. Watch your step.
易
弯
曲
First, Inara: I do like to write her as if she has a past . . . without revealing her "big secret" (which I don't know, so don't ask). I do see her as sheltered from some aspects of life, way too knowlegable in others. She is functionally a priestess, and has the ability to minister from others, but that does not mean that she doesn't suffer from spiritual crises of her own from time to time -- like the first time she kills a man. The Inara arc is not done, yet, and stay tuned to see how she further develops.
Mal's Edumacation: I've always seen Mal as someone with more education than he lets on. While little is known about his origin, save he grew up fatherless on a ranch on Shadow, almost nothing is known about the exact circumstances of his youth. My interpretation is that his mother's ranch was prosperous and that Mal was brought up as a kind of yeoman frontier nobility. His social attitudes seem to reflect a more classical education, something I believe he is trying to hide in his present circumstance. I don't think he's necessarily ashamed of it, but he likes it when people underestimate him, and he has this penchant for intellectual slumming. Don't get me wrong -- he's no PHD -- but I can easily see him studying (or being forced to study) Virgil, Homer, Ssu Ma Chen, the Bible, etc.
As far as the Latin goes, it isn't that Mal knows Latin -- he knows and recognizes it from the Prince, first and foremost. It is a subtle reflection of his own internal justifications for joining the Independents, a little sub-text that works well into his "Am I a Browncoat?" arc. Perhaps it was too subtle, but I like the effect.
And yes, the damn treasure is coming. But I do so enjoy building up the suspense. Cruel of me, I know . . .
StA
You can't take the sky from me
I wonder though if its my vantage point of a few more years than most of your readers? With maturity comes a different perspective and a greater appreciation for ones own mortality. Thus I can empathize with Inara and understand Book's desire to leave a past life and persue the way of the 'cloth'.
P.S. I know it's in keeping with the twisted physics of the `verse, but something in me still shudders at the whole "bullets don't work in vacuum" cliche. They do, they work fine unless they're designed to tumble and don't have an atmosphere to bite into. For those who don't already know, bullets carry their own oxidizer. In fact, it's actually harder to design any kind of cased that _doesn't_ work without oxygen than one that will. Caseless rounds might be different, but I can't imagine a round of any particular velocity being able to function without it's own oxidizer mixed in with the propellant. As I said, good nod to show physics, but the show's physics make me twitchy.
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