Bullets n’ Prayers

Part -1: The Preacher

********************************************************************************* The Setup,

Malcolm Reynolds and the crew of Serenity have been notified by their contact ( Badger) that he has become aware of a spy operating within his organization ( see the Bruce Pluto story arc “Battle Scars” for details). Not only does Badger know that an associate of his is working for another crime boss, or maybe even the Alliance, but he also now knows who it is…….

This puts a bit of a different twist on Mal and his crews return trip back to Persephone. Mal’s been offered another job by the bowler hat wearing crime boss. A job that at first he was reluctant to take. But, just as many of Malcolm’s jobs begin, after some thought while resting in his bunk, he has worked it from every angle and decided that it could become very profitable. He accepted Badger’s offer and now the crew of the little transport ( after stops on Jiangyin & St.Aldans ) find themselves on the planet of Greenleaf for a stay of about a week. There are certain difficulties to the job though…..but Mal seems to have worked them out….it’s just that it might not be to some of his crews satisfaction. Of course when has that ever stopped the Serenity captain from doing what he wants to do? Read on for the details……

The Preacher *********************************************************************************

The man certainly felt uneasy walking through the town this way. It wasn’t that he had any shame in himself, or that his purpose wasn’t for the better good, at least for some people. What it may have been was that splash of guilt that had settled into his soul. Guilt that spoke to the very dark reaches of his mind, guilt that told him he shouldn’t be doing this.

Folk in this shabby town were friendly. At least towards him, and he knew that in the end all would work out well. At least that was the plan. But even these thoughts had him question if what he were doing was right.

For one thing, this wasn’t really the shabby town he’d first considered it to be when they had landed here two days before. “Marshal” was a town , small in population but big in heart. It was located on the planet of Greenleaf and although there were many towns on this world which had more citizens, Greenleaf’s farming community couldn’t support a bigger population other than it’s six thousand souls.

That wasn’t to say that it’s towns folk lived in squalor…….. hardly. Marshal was a town with definite Alliance influence. Although the streets were still made of dirt, and the buildings on main street , at times were sparse with lengths of space between, the town was clean as a whistle, organized and several of the building had fresh coats of paint.

Even with this, although the man in the collar walking down the didn’t seem out of place, he still felt as such.

“ Mornin preacher.” Some nice lady spoke to him as he passed within three feet of her and her child.

“ Good morning.” He returned………yet he thought to himself that it will be a good morning the day they flew off this planet.

“ Hello rev- nice day!” Again another bright and cheery town member greeted him.

“ Yes…” He said, “…..and I hope we have many more.”

He made his way to the local general store and went inside.

“ Howdy there Sir.” The store clerk acknowledged as he entered.

“ And a howdy back to you.” He said.

“ What can I get for you this morning?”

“ Well I was thinking of eggs……and milk.” He paused, “ But really it seems I haven’t enough money to get all that I want from your place of business.”

The man looked over at him.

“ Well don’t you just worry about it preacher!” He stopped, “ You go ahead and make a list. I’ll see to it that Gabe, my stock boy, finds it, bags it, and delivers it to your living quarters in the church.”

The preacher looked at the man.

“ My thanks sir.”

“ Oh you just never mind that. Been a while since we’ve had a holy man in these parts. Kinda good to see a fellow in a collar walking around these roads. Makes people remember what’s truly important in this verse.”

“-------Yeah------” The preacher thought to himself. “-------Like helping the crew you just flew into town with get ready to rob the place----?”

The mysterious preacher knew he were only doing this to help out Mal and Serenity. He had been told that if this job went well, the crew of that little Firefly transport may be able to exist out in the black for six months.

“ Well, you know it’s only for a short period of time, until the permanent preacher gets here.” He lied. Well, he thought that maybe it wasn’t a lie. Hell, it might work out to be the truth. There was another holy man scheduled to arrive in town in the next couple of weeks. Maybe that was why the town had been so receptive when HE had arrived. They were already eager for a preacher when he showed up. He had explained that he wouldn’t be in Marshal long. That this was just a stop over on his way back to Persephone ………which was the truth. But all the townsfolk care about was that there was a holy man now among them again.

“ Well sir,” the reverend paused, “ I don’t have a pencil, and I’m afraid that I wouldn’t be able to carry everything on my list back to the church if I were able to make one.”

The store clerk looked over at the man.

“ Preacher don’t worry about it. I’ll send Gabe over to your place in thirty minutes to fetch your list, then he’ll come back, fill the order and return with your supplies.” The store clerk smiled.

“ All I ask is that come holy day, when you’re up on your pulpit you make mention of prayers for my poor sick niece Serbella. She has the croup and could use divine influence.” He requested.

The preacher shook the clerk’s hand and told him. “ Your niece sir is in my thoughts right now.” He then made an exit headed back towards the church.

The preacher met with the same friendly greetings from other townsfolk all the way back. This disturbed him for what he was doing. He considered waving Mal and telling him he couldn’t do it, but seeing that the captain had lost his faith in the Almighty, and in most of humanity for that matter, he assumed his words would fall upon deaf ears….and he were correct in that assumption.

Just outside the church doors another lady approached the tall man. She offered him a plate of sweet smelling, steamed fig pie.

“ For you reverend.” She spoke, holding the desert up to him.

“ Thank you ma’am.” He said looking into her eyes.

“ Sir, could you happen to mention to the community prayers for my little nephew come church day? He broke his ankle last week and my sister, his mother, would certainly appreciate any holy influence that she might gain for the boy?” She asked of the preacher man.

“ Ma’am, it’s as good as done.” He smiled at the lady. She patted his broad chest, next to his heart.”

“Oh!” She stated as she felt something hard beneath his dark vest.

“ Just my bible ma’am.” He explained. Her face calmed and she looked at him.

“ Thank you so much Reverend Cobb! It is such a blessing to have you here!” She finished.

“ The blessings are all mine.” Jayne said as he turned towards the doors. Thankful that the lady hadn’t realized that she’d actually touched a Colt, Peacemaker, model 135.

Samuel J. Cobb, new and temporary reverend of the township of Marshal, on the planet Greenleaf, enter the wide doors to the house of worship.

End Part 1