What Happened to Hoban Washburn (spoilers)

POSTED BY: operative
UPDATED: Monday, December 18, 2006 02:20
VIEWED: 11645
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OPERATIVE

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 12:15 PM

Hello Browncoat Sympatizers,

Of course I cannot use a name because I do not exist. I am another operative of the Parliament, yet one who is not unsympathetic to your cause. I have been working my contacts to find out what happened in the recent skirmish prior to the now infamous broadcast of the Alliance's secret about Miranda. The following account covers what was happening around the ship Serenity while its crew battled the reavers inside.
After the crew hastily fled the reavers into the building to complete their mission, the reavers followed them inside without even entering Serenity or leaving any guards. The Alliance ship followed them in hot on their heels, but decided to wait outside as per orders from the operative.
Once they established control outside the building, they went into Serenity to see if anyone was there and found the pilot staked through the seat with a big wooden bolt. He had regained consciousness again but was in very serious condition. The large bolt had crashed through a lung and destroyed it and the hydrostatic shock that had knocked him unconscious had nearly killed him.
The captain of the Alliance destroyer had him cryo'ed to take back to a core world hospital for repairs so he could be used for questioning. When the operative's behavior started becoming dubious, the captain decided to not bother mentioning his prisoner.
As it turns out, the captain was not exactly the career Alliance servant he appeared. He was in the secret employ of Blue Sun, who want to get their hands on River Tam even more than Parliament does. He was there to watch the operative and get River from him if he could. As the operative commanded all the Alliance forces on the scene, the captain found himself unable to gather River in, but he was able to keep his prisoner a secret.
After the crew emerged from the building, they and the operative assumed that reavers had taken the pilot's body. The captain had by that time withdrawn his crewmen as the admiral's marines secured the scene. As of this writing no one outside of Blue Sun is aware of their possession of Hoban Washburn. The Alliance captain and his ship and crew were mysteriously reported missing and are presumed also to be reaver victims.
I was able to find out that Washburn recovered fully from his injuries and is now healthy enough to be questioned by Blue Sun. From what I've heard of their information gathering techniques, I would suggest that someone mount a rescue operation soon. It is said that no one keeps secrets from Blue Sun.
My motives for revealing this are not any great sympathy for the Browncoat cause. I am loyal to the Alliance. My charge is to investigate the extent to which Blue Sun has infiltrated our ranks and what their agenda might be. River Tam is of little use to us now, but one of those members of Parliament whose minds she was exposed to was a top Blue Sun plant. She may hold within her damaged mind more than Parliament's secrets. I need to know why Blue Sun wants her even worse than we do, and who else in the Alliance's highest ranks is in their pockets.

GERSHOM

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 12:27 PM

I will say this only once...

'E's dead, 'E's passed on! This pilot is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If Reivers hadn't nailed 'im to the seat 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-PILOT!!

'Nuff said, get over it!

(with sympathies to Monty Python) BTW do you seriously think Zoe didn't notice that the body she buried wasn't Wash??? Duh!

"Every heist, he's gotta start yelling my name..."

PYREFX

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 12:34 PM

sure he's dead... but it's nice to think about. i mean, come on, Wash the Ninja Pilot! how cool would that be?

"I call her Vera."

WILDHEAVENFARM

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 12:59 PM

Dude, come up for air.

If you want to ressurect him, do it in a schmaltzy fic like the rest of us.

Mary
Always a beast, never a burden.

BUCKTHORN42

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 2:36 PM

Yeah.... Wash's death was in the same line as Darth Maul's death in SW: Ep I. I'd heard that Lucas didn't want the fans to think that there was *any* chance of Darth Maul coming back, so having Obi Wan cut him in half and fling his body down a shaft was the death chosen to get that point across. I would think that the manner in which Whedon had Wash killed was the same thing. He knew, of course, how attached people were to Wash and would desperately cling to hope that he 'somehow' survived. So his death had to be decisive, unquestionable. I think he did that admirably.

OPERATIVE

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 10:21 PM

Although the bolt did destroy one lung and shatter several ribs, the injury was severe but survivable. There was no body, no burial, and no grave. There were simply memorials on small round bases, so no one was buried there. If there was a body when they returned to the ship, they would have buried it, wouldn't they? And they would have placed the memorial there with the grave. They believe he was taken by the reavers.
He is now a prisoner of Blue Sun.

DREAMTROVE

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 11:01 PM

I'd like to see Hoban as an undead warrior of the mutant plague people. A freakish twist on that planet can turn the dead back to life for a zombie run at eating the living. Wash was always a funny guy, I'm sure he can be a goofball corpse.

MAJINBUU

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 11:27 PM

Personally, I find the operative's story compelling. Not simply as a "oh, I wish it were true" kind of thing, but it points to several lingering issues. Such as, the mysterious absence of the 2-by-2 in the operative's mission, and the fact that the Reavers landed and burst into Mr. Universe's pad hot on the BDH's heals, but the alliance didn't enter until much later.

I say, "Good story telling!"

LOGGERHEAD

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 11:33 PM

Wash is coming back as Zoe's love-bot.

ECGORDON

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 11:49 PM

I was just as upset as anyone about Wash's death the first time I saw Serenity, but I have moved on from that and can accept Joss' decision about what to do with his characters. If Wash returns in any way other than a flashback, dream sequence and/or hallucination, that is when I will take my leave of the 'verse.

wo men ren ran zai fei xing.

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