Ursa Major, Ursa Minor
folder
1 through F › Firefly
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
34
Views:
8,827
Reviews:
21
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
1
Category:
1 through F › Firefly
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
34
Views:
8,827
Reviews:
21
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
I do not own Firefly, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
On The Run
Chapter Ten:
Once again Serenity touched down on the Eavesdown docks to a boiling summer afternoon. By the early afternoon, Jayne finished loading the mule and how he managed to make everything fit was anyone’s guess—but Mal wasn’t complaining. In fact, he gave his merc a grin and slapped him genially on the shoulder.
“Good work. You’re gonna be the only one comin’ with me to get the coin seein’ as how the back seats are all used up.”
Jayne scrubbed a hand through his hair, making it stand up in a thousand different directions. “Why me? You sure you don’t want Zo goin’ with ya? I mean, she bein’ all second-in-command and whatnot.”
“I’m givin’ her the day off.”
Jayne shrugged and searched the pockets of his cargo shorts for his sunglasses. River—barefooted once again—snuck up behind the merc and goosed him in the most ticklish part of his ribs.
Jayne yelped manfully and turned to give her a piece of his mind—only to be interrupted by the sneaky woman sliding his previously borrowed sunglasses onto his nose.
“Gotcha,” River intoned.
“Gorram wu sheng woman!”
“Don’t get shot,” she warned, slapped his ass, and flounced off in the general direction of the engine room.
Mal would have been laughing had it not been for that slap on Jayne’s ass.
*
Badger was behaving a bit jumpier than usual—something that should have tipped Mal off right away that something had gone awry in this whole thieving business of theirs. Especially when he was still on the edge even after he handed over their coin.
“Where’s the girl?”
Jayne automatically drew his pistol and leveled it at the lowlife. “Best get that thought outta yer pea-brained head ‘fore I make it come out with a bit ‘o lead to yer rattlin’ brain pan.”
Badger’s goons barely had the time to draw their own weapons before Mal pulled his and Jayne grabbed another from Buddha knows where.
“I can shoot just as good with either hand. Wanna test me?”
Badger raised his hands and motioned for his hired muscle to disarm.
“Right,” said Mal, “why’re you so keen on my pilot all of a sudden?”
Badger slumped back into his usual chair and nervously picked at the lapel of his awful suit.
“Donna.”
“What’s yer gorram cousin gotta do with the girl?” Mal sneered.
“She waved me just before you lot arrived—said summat about an old bounty and how Blue Sun was still lookin’ for the chit and offerin’ up an impressive sum of cashy money. Told me to do what I wanted with the go se you stole from Whilton.”
Jayne grit his teeth and pulled both hammers on his pistols. “If’n yer sayin’ somethin’ important, I’d hurry it up a bit if I were you.”
Badger swallowed the uncomfortable lump in his throat. “She told Blue Sun where the girl was. What ship she was on, where she was headed, and who she was with.”
“Ta ma de,” Mal swore.
“Why you tellin’ us this?” Jayne asked,
Badger waved his hands neutrally and put on his best innocent face. “I don’t want nothin’ to do with Blue Sun. And as much as I would love to deny it, Captain Reynolds, you are my best source of income. I let the big corporation take you out and I don’t make no more of my own cashy money, dong ma?”
Mal holstered his piece and laid a hand on Jayne’s forearm to get him to do the same.
“Fine,” he said, “how much time we got?”
Badger fiddled with the gaudy flamingo pin on his lapel and gnawed on his lip. “Not much.”
*
River, having finally had the chance to catch Kaylee (who was still slightly peeved at her bao bei) alone and with no chance of being interrupted by Simon, was in the middle of telling her friend just how conflicting things were suddenly getting with Jayne when she felt the change in the air.
She stopped talking and tilted her head to listen.
“Aw, come on, River! You were just gettin’ to a good part!”
River snaked a hand around Kaylee’s mouth to shut her up and she listened harder. There was something tickling unpleasantly on the edge of her perception.
“Someone doesn’t belong…”
Kaylee pried River’s hand away. “Like what? We got a intruder?” she whispered harshly.
River shook her head negatively once, then stiffened. They were on their way. Untouchable by even the Alliance. Those who could ignore a stand down in order to get back what they created.
“Two by two, hands of blue…” River whispered.
*
Jayne suddenly picked up his pace—shouldering through the crowds of people like a juggernaut with Mal in his considerable wake. He only had Cassie and Boo with him and this felt like a Vera-type situation. He was unsettled, to say the least.
“Jayne, slow down—yer legs are too gorram long…” Mal snarked.
“We need to get the fuck outta the Core, Mal—and fast…”
Mal started to jog and reined in his surprise at hearing Jayne curse in English. “Any ideas on where to go, Jayne?”
The larger man glanced briefly over his shoulder at the captain. “Kerry. It’s pretty far out on the Rim.”
Mal thought it over as they all but ran into the hold of Serenity. “Ain’t yer folks from Kerry?” he asked as he closed the airlock.
“Yeah.”
Mal hit the com. “River, we need out of the world, ma shong.”
Apparently, his pilot had already been thinking just that as the engine had fired up just after her name had finished echoing through the tiny ship.
Before Jayne could rush off to wherever the hell he was going, Mal snagged the bigger man by the elbow. “Hang on a second there, Jayne.”
“Wave on Kerry don’t work too good, Mal—so the folks are gonna get a big gorram surprise with the load of us dropping in the backyard.”
Mal removed his hand. “That ain’t why… Jayne…”
For once, Jayne was able to read between the lines. He looked his captain in the eye and sighed. “I don’t want her to go through this shit again, Mal. I done had it up to my ears with seein’ her hurtin’.”
Mal kept Jayne’s steady gaze and thought back to the man he used to be—the dirty, crude mercenary who only thought of himself when he first joined up. The man that stood before him was a clean (still shaved even), decent, big damn hero. Mal had been so busy looking for flaws in Jayne’s character as of late that he completely missed the shiny bits.
Jayne was definitely looking out for everyone now.
That glimmer of friendship that had always been a dwindling light in the background came to life as Mal realized this. He nodded and clapped Jayne on the shoulder.
“Come on, you di, we gotta go tell the rest what’s goin’ on.”
Jayne seemed to sag with relief. Then he tensed again when the Mandarin had time to really sink in. “’Little brother?’ Damn, how much of an old crusty soldier are ya?”
Mal glared at Jayne good-naturedly and amended his friendly thoughts. Big damn hero, he may be, but Mal still didn’t want Jayne anywhere near his pilot in any romantic or lustful situation. That girl was like a daughter to him. Hell, she didn’t call him “Captain Daddy” for nothing.
TBC
Translations:
Wu sheng: Noiseless
Ta ma de: Fuck me
Dong ma: Understand
Bao bei: Sweetheart
Ma shong: Right away/now
You di: Younger brother (going on my assumption that Jayne is younger than Mal—not Adam’s age)
Once again Serenity touched down on the Eavesdown docks to a boiling summer afternoon. By the early afternoon, Jayne finished loading the mule and how he managed to make everything fit was anyone’s guess—but Mal wasn’t complaining. In fact, he gave his merc a grin and slapped him genially on the shoulder.
“Good work. You’re gonna be the only one comin’ with me to get the coin seein’ as how the back seats are all used up.”
Jayne scrubbed a hand through his hair, making it stand up in a thousand different directions. “Why me? You sure you don’t want Zo goin’ with ya? I mean, she bein’ all second-in-command and whatnot.”
“I’m givin’ her the day off.”
Jayne shrugged and searched the pockets of his cargo shorts for his sunglasses. River—barefooted once again—snuck up behind the merc and goosed him in the most ticklish part of his ribs.
Jayne yelped manfully and turned to give her a piece of his mind—only to be interrupted by the sneaky woman sliding his previously borrowed sunglasses onto his nose.
“Gotcha,” River intoned.
“Gorram wu sheng woman!”
“Don’t get shot,” she warned, slapped his ass, and flounced off in the general direction of the engine room.
Mal would have been laughing had it not been for that slap on Jayne’s ass.
*
Badger was behaving a bit jumpier than usual—something that should have tipped Mal off right away that something had gone awry in this whole thieving business of theirs. Especially when he was still on the edge even after he handed over their coin.
“Where’s the girl?”
Jayne automatically drew his pistol and leveled it at the lowlife. “Best get that thought outta yer pea-brained head ‘fore I make it come out with a bit ‘o lead to yer rattlin’ brain pan.”
Badger’s goons barely had the time to draw their own weapons before Mal pulled his and Jayne grabbed another from Buddha knows where.
“I can shoot just as good with either hand. Wanna test me?”
Badger raised his hands and motioned for his hired muscle to disarm.
“Right,” said Mal, “why’re you so keen on my pilot all of a sudden?”
Badger slumped back into his usual chair and nervously picked at the lapel of his awful suit.
“Donna.”
“What’s yer gorram cousin gotta do with the girl?” Mal sneered.
“She waved me just before you lot arrived—said summat about an old bounty and how Blue Sun was still lookin’ for the chit and offerin’ up an impressive sum of cashy money. Told me to do what I wanted with the go se you stole from Whilton.”
Jayne grit his teeth and pulled both hammers on his pistols. “If’n yer sayin’ somethin’ important, I’d hurry it up a bit if I were you.”
Badger swallowed the uncomfortable lump in his throat. “She told Blue Sun where the girl was. What ship she was on, where she was headed, and who she was with.”
“Ta ma de,” Mal swore.
“Why you tellin’ us this?” Jayne asked,
Badger waved his hands neutrally and put on his best innocent face. “I don’t want nothin’ to do with Blue Sun. And as much as I would love to deny it, Captain Reynolds, you are my best source of income. I let the big corporation take you out and I don’t make no more of my own cashy money, dong ma?”
Mal holstered his piece and laid a hand on Jayne’s forearm to get him to do the same.
“Fine,” he said, “how much time we got?”
Badger fiddled with the gaudy flamingo pin on his lapel and gnawed on his lip. “Not much.”
*
River, having finally had the chance to catch Kaylee (who was still slightly peeved at her bao bei) alone and with no chance of being interrupted by Simon, was in the middle of telling her friend just how conflicting things were suddenly getting with Jayne when she felt the change in the air.
She stopped talking and tilted her head to listen.
“Aw, come on, River! You were just gettin’ to a good part!”
River snaked a hand around Kaylee’s mouth to shut her up and she listened harder. There was something tickling unpleasantly on the edge of her perception.
“Someone doesn’t belong…”
Kaylee pried River’s hand away. “Like what? We got a intruder?” she whispered harshly.
River shook her head negatively once, then stiffened. They were on their way. Untouchable by even the Alliance. Those who could ignore a stand down in order to get back what they created.
“Two by two, hands of blue…” River whispered.
*
Jayne suddenly picked up his pace—shouldering through the crowds of people like a juggernaut with Mal in his considerable wake. He only had Cassie and Boo with him and this felt like a Vera-type situation. He was unsettled, to say the least.
“Jayne, slow down—yer legs are too gorram long…” Mal snarked.
“We need to get the fuck outta the Core, Mal—and fast…”
Mal started to jog and reined in his surprise at hearing Jayne curse in English. “Any ideas on where to go, Jayne?”
The larger man glanced briefly over his shoulder at the captain. “Kerry. It’s pretty far out on the Rim.”
Mal thought it over as they all but ran into the hold of Serenity. “Ain’t yer folks from Kerry?” he asked as he closed the airlock.
“Yeah.”
Mal hit the com. “River, we need out of the world, ma shong.”
Apparently, his pilot had already been thinking just that as the engine had fired up just after her name had finished echoing through the tiny ship.
Before Jayne could rush off to wherever the hell he was going, Mal snagged the bigger man by the elbow. “Hang on a second there, Jayne.”
“Wave on Kerry don’t work too good, Mal—so the folks are gonna get a big gorram surprise with the load of us dropping in the backyard.”
Mal removed his hand. “That ain’t why… Jayne…”
For once, Jayne was able to read between the lines. He looked his captain in the eye and sighed. “I don’t want her to go through this shit again, Mal. I done had it up to my ears with seein’ her hurtin’.”
Mal kept Jayne’s steady gaze and thought back to the man he used to be—the dirty, crude mercenary who only thought of himself when he first joined up. The man that stood before him was a clean (still shaved even), decent, big damn hero. Mal had been so busy looking for flaws in Jayne’s character as of late that he completely missed the shiny bits.
Jayne was definitely looking out for everyone now.
That glimmer of friendship that had always been a dwindling light in the background came to life as Mal realized this. He nodded and clapped Jayne on the shoulder.
“Come on, you di, we gotta go tell the rest what’s goin’ on.”
Jayne seemed to sag with relief. Then he tensed again when the Mandarin had time to really sink in. “’Little brother?’ Damn, how much of an old crusty soldier are ya?”
Mal glared at Jayne good-naturedly and amended his friendly thoughts. Big damn hero, he may be, but Mal still didn’t want Jayne anywhere near his pilot in any romantic or lustful situation. That girl was like a daughter to him. Hell, she didn’t call him “Captain Daddy” for nothing.
TBC
Translations:
Wu sheng: Noiseless
Ta ma de: Fuck me
Dong ma: Understand
Bao bei: Sweetheart
Ma shong: Right away/now
You di: Younger brother (going on my assumption that Jayne is younger than Mal—not Adam’s age)