SEEKING THE TRUTH PART3: Colors

The days following the Callvar City caper Serenity and her crew settled down into the routine, mundane chores of running a pirate vessel. Mal had warmed up a little to having Stella onboard his transport, Ok warmed up maybe wasn’t the right term, tolerated was more like his condition.

He’d decided he couldn’t just fling the girl off the boat, that wouldn’t sit well with his crew, but the truth was he didn’t need anybody. He didn’t need an extra hand…….but how to get rid of her? She had never asked for money or a cut of their thieving, she didn’t eat much and her bunk was one of the passenger compartments that had stuff stored in it already. She had a hammock strung up in there like Kaylee used sometime in the engine room so it wasn’t as if she were taking up a lot of space and no…… he couldn’t just ask her to leave. The one thing he did have on his side was time. He would find some kinda way to get her off his boat.

It was in the second week after the crews last robbery that Malcolm began noticing a change coming over the girl. She wasn’t trying to get on his good side anymore and she was becoming a little less friendly with the crew. Maybe she was becoming use to everyone or maybe she was just becoming rutting bored, who knew? She spent more time in her bunk and less time following Jayne or Kaylee around. She even missed a couple of sit down meals in the galley. Something was up and Mal could feel a change coming on.

A couple of days later they landed outside of a small town on Three Hills moon needing to re-supply and to just take a break from being out in the black. Kaylee, ZOE, Book and Wash had taken the MULE and went into town for supplies. Inara was in her shuttle, Jayne in his bunk and Simon and River about the ship somewhere. Mal took the time to stand in the cargo bay and look east at the hilltop terrain and just take in the view.

It was mid afternoon, the air was crisp with a slight south breeze. In a second he caught movement off a ways to his left. It was Stella, squatting on a bolder facing away from him. She looked lonely and for some reason he decided it was time to make peace. He strolled down the cargo ramp.

“ Beautiful isn’t it?”

Stella turned to see the captain approaching her.

“ Gorgeous.” She said looking back to the view. “Sometime I wonder why I did it all,” She paused looking back at him, “ You know the war.” Her gaze went back to the horizon. “ But you do what you gotta do.” She paused a second, “Mal, why do you hate me so much?” She stopped, “ I’ve tried to fit in. Become part of the crew but still……I’m fighting my past and I’m fighting you too.”

“Stella I….”

“Why can’t you see the colors? You only view things in black and white or should I say brown and purple.”

Malcolm wanted to say more but she stood up and walked off from him, disappearing behind the desert brush. He stood there a second then decide to follow. Just as he rounded the cover Malcolm felt a Sharp blow to the back of the head then all went into darkness.

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Malcolm Reynolds woke with a throbbing headache and the taste of dirt in his mouth. His eyes blinked, blurred then cleared. He glanced up to see Stella sitting on a rock ten steps away, the afternoon sun shining brightly on her.

“Ahh… you’re awake!“ She said, “I figured it’s time we had that talk you wanted in the shuttle.”

Mal looked to see that she had a revolver gripped tightly in her hand.

“ You were right about me I guess. Very good Mal! What?….. you and Serenity have this psychokinetic telepathy going on or something?” She stopped,” I didn’t just pick your ship…..and I didn’t just happen to meet up with Jayne. I saw him leave the ship and I followed him.”

“What?” Mal sat up. Hand going to the back of his aching head.

“Ya know I’ve had my share of killin, so I ain’t telling you nothing there. In the special forces that’s what we did.” She paused.

“ Went down on an ROP ops once. An Allied airfield. Hit the place right after dark when everyone was asleep. You should have seen it, fellas half asleep begging for their lives.” She paused.” The same fellas that had just hours before blown the hell outta families in the Delta Three valley, it was a sight.” She stopped and looked at him, “So yeah I’ve killed folk, many. It was war.”

“ Stella I…”

“ Just shut up and listen..!”

“ I came to Serenity looking for answers. Seeking the truth . I thought it would put me on the right path. A path I swore to follow till I got what I wanted.” Tears where starting to form in her eyes.

Just then she heard the sound of the MULE returning. She raised her gun, aiming it strait at the captains head.

“ You shouldn’t kill the captain.”

Stella turn to see River standing there.

“River?” It was the first time the girl had spoken to her directly.

In a second Simon joined his sister. His arms folded around his sibling for protection.

“ Stella what’s going on here!!?” Simon voiced concern.

Soon they were joined by Zoe, Kaylee and then Book.

“ Everybody stand back!! I didn’t want any of you to see this but……”

Zoe had her snub nose rifle trained on the girl.

“Stella put the gun down!!”

“ God I hate this.” Stella was really a mess. About to fall to pieces. “ Ya know Mal I’ve grown fond of your crew. You have some fine folk there.” Tears streamed from her eyes. “ Now stand up!” she screamed “ I want you looking at me when I put a bullet threw your chest.”

“Stella put the gun down!” Zoe said again.

“Zoe you can kill me, but my finger will still pull this trigger, even after.”

“ Your Brother. “ River spoke.

“ I’m not her brother!” Malcolm looked at the others.

“ No!” Stella voiced, “Tracy was! After I was release form prison I came home to find my brother was dead. Not from the war, but from trying to get the family off that ice cube they’ve lived on for twenty years. I listened to the tapes, they brought me here. I thought it would put me on the right path to finding his murderers, and it did.” She stopped.

“ He was only trying to do good….. And you shot him Mal. Killed a soldier that looked up to you to help get him out of the war. He’s dead cuz of you!”

“ Stella, Tracy killed himself!” Zoe told her.” I would have killed him myself if I’d had the chance.”

Stella stopped and looked at Zoe. “ Why?”

“ Because he shot my husband and took Kaylee hostage!”

Stella looked back at Mal.

“ That’s right. “ He said. “ We had a plan worked out but he wouldn’t listen.”

Book had been standing there the whole time.

“ Miss Stella, time to put the gun down.” He said.

She looked over at the preacher.

“Don’t think it will work without these.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a dozen bullets.

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ACT 2 GETTING OFF

Later in Serenity Malcolm was talking to Shepherd Book.

“ Didn’t think it was a good idea, someone sporting a BLOOD tat roaming around Serenity with a loaded weapon.” He told Mal. ’ I searched her bunk…..,emptied the pistol I found there,” He paused with a smile “It may have scared off any potential dates.”

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Late in the afternoon Malcolm Reynolds stood staring into the eyes of someone that forty minutes ago was ready to put a bullet through his body. He brought out a knife.

“ I’m gonna cut your binds.” He said looking at her. “ You were tied for your protection…..and mine.“

He pointed south. “ Towns a halve a mile that way.”

He stood looking into her beautiful eyes. Sad, but they would never tell of the horror the girl had seen.

“ You could kill me,” He said.

Stella looked beyond him at Zoe and Jayne standing in the bay doorway.“ But you’re a smart girl…. and I don’t think it’s the smart thing to do.”

She looked into Mal’s blue eyes.

“ I loved my brother…… Don’t think I’ll stop till my family is off that rock.”

Mal knew that to be true. His eyes pooling into hers.

“Well Stella, Serenity and the people aboard her are my family. I’ think you’ve seen that. If anything should happen to me….. They aren’t a forgiving bunch.”

A gust of wind blew her hair. Malcolm saw red there. Was she hurt? He put his hand up pulling the hair above her ear aside. It was a tattoo ! On her skull. A red panther with flames coming out from it’s claws. He pulled back and looked into her face

“ The war ain’t over Mal” she said lightly.

“ Don‘t think it ever will be for either of us.“ He said cutting her binds.

END