Firefly: "Out From Shadows"
Monday, March 20, 2006
Episode eight of my second season of Firefly: A surprising plea for help sends Mal home to Shadow, where he must reconcile the damages done by his war-shattered self.
CATEGORY: FICTION TIMES READ: 4149 RATING: 9.0 (G) SERIES: FIREFLY
Firefly: "Out From Shadows"
Disclaimer: If I weren't just a poor college student and could finance the series myself, I would, but I can't. So all I can do is just play around in Joss Whedon's 'verse. Also, I don't know a lick of Chinese so I haven't bothered to put the translations because they're probably horribly wrong. If it were Japanese or Latin, well, that'd be another story...
Episode eight of my second season of Firefly: A surprising plea for help sends Mal home to Shadow, where he must reconcile the damages done by his war-shattered self.
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Captain Malcolm Reynolds's boots clicked on the steel catwalk of Serenity's cargo bay. Somehow it didn't feel right under his feet, not after they replaced it from the sand cat crash. There was a little more give to the mesh than before, and it felt too much to Mal like he was walking on air. Hence, the need for his harder-than-normal bootfalls. He needed to be certain that something was there under his feet.
His heavy footfalls became muffled the moment he stepped onto the rugs and fabrics that lined Inara Serra's shuttle. The Companion was seated in front of her active screen, which gave Mal a slight cause for alarm. She hadn't said anything about taking clients on this little trip. His jaw clenched involuntarily, but he managed to mask it as he took in a deep breath.
"We're on course for the Demeter moon," Mal told her without preamble, and had a slight, juvenial enjoyment at watching her jump.
"What have I told you about coming into my shuttle without my permission?" sighed Inara as she shut off her screen.
"Want it alphabetically or chronologically?" smirked Mal, leaning against the nearest bulkhead to his right. Unfortunately for him, the motion jarred one of Inara's delicately placed tapestries, and a fold of it fell into his face. It wasn't so much the soft, almost watery texture that bothered him, so much as the great, red tassel that was bumping against his brow. Like a cat with a ball of yarn
(Comments to follow when I have a spare few minutes to read. School sucks! ;) )
I like the fact that you used Niska as a B plot line. So many fics focus on him as a major character so it's refreshing to see him just slipped in.
A nice Mal/Inara moment at the end and River and Kyo are progressing well in a way that feels completely natural.
Thanks for posting so quickly.
Taya
I like the idea that Mal came back to Shadow for a spell after the war ended, but couldn't stay. I'm sure it's a common occurence for many ex-soldiers. The people back home remain very much as they were, and no matter how they try, they expect that the ones who have left will come back the same as well. It's tragic, really, and Mal, Megan, and Annie are lucky that they were able to finally accept each other for who they are now , instead of continuing to live in the past.
Oh, goody, The Return of Niska! He's just one of those villains that you love to hate. And you're right, it was a cute idea that he would resell the property to Meg. I didn't pick up on that until you mentioned it in the Notes, though. Good to know that he doesn't hold the sister accountable for what he feels her brother owes him. I did feel kinda sorry for Liu, though. Oh well...
Please do write the meetings. Wartime Mal was a barrel of laughs, at least until Serenity Valley. Kyo, God, he would've been what, seventeen? Yikes. And Zoe? When I hear the words "a hundred klicks", well, that is one tale of heroic derring-do that absolutely must be written! :)
Wonderful job. Don't worry about posting too fast. There were a couple of extremely minor typos, but it wasn't a big deal at all. I'm a spelling and grammar Nazi, and two or three mistakes in the course of a several-thousand word story is nothing to be worried about. If you are concerned, beta readers are excellent resources.
Kyo is one of the rare original characters that I actually look forward to reading. He's great.
Mal's backstory, while not what I personally imagine for him, is very plausible and this was a lovely moment of reconciliation for him, a beautiful point for the episode to focus on.
Especially well done: the contrast of Mal and his different aspects of cowardice when it comes to women. Unable to tell Inara that he loves her, unable to tell Annie that he didn't love her enough to stay. Seems he's learned a little bit there, I loved the ending!
A great episode, especially the inflections of humor, the entire theme of stories from the past in so many variations.
And Niska. Huh.
Much looking forward to the next one!
What I have read impresses me NO end. I look forward to future installments. Thank you.
Definitely looking forward to the next installment.
As usual, you've woven a wonderful story and I can't wait for more!
I'm working on the meetings of Mal/Zoe and Mal/Kyo, so that'll be flying out next.
Never fear, Saffron will make her return. I've got an episode for her, but it needs polishing because of Saffron's well-thoughtout deviousness.
Yeah, I'm in college and I write. You can tell which aspect of my life I choose to focus my energies on, haha.
good work, keep on flyin
-Jared
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