BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - DRAMA

BELACGOD

Diplomatic Immunity, Part 3: Companionship
Friday, October 28, 2005

Serenity arrives on Osiris. More of the Academy's nefarious doings are uncovered. The crew meets a very unexpected guest.


CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 2517    RATING: 9    SERIES: FIREFLY

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon. Mainly because I haven't the courage to stick in a Mary Sue. Also because he is awesome. Will continue to live vicariously through Mal.

This is Chapter 3 of the story that began here:

http://www.fireflyfans.net/bluesun.aspx?bid=5474 and continued here: http://www.fireflyfans.net/bluesun.aspx?bid=5523

and is a continuation of Our Co-Pilot Tam, which can be found here:

http://www.fireflyfans.net/bluesun.aspx?bid=5386

It would be very shiny if anyone could tell me how to stick in actual links. Also italics. (Bellona, that gorram yellow key ain't showing up)

*************************************

“White is close. Closer. Time and space are one,” River said. “I see it. It's here. You're grey,” she continued, pointing to Mal as he sat in the pilot's chair, guiding Serenity carefully through Osiris's upper atmosphere, eager to avoid Alliance attention despite Inara's reassurances. “Simon is white. Other people are here too. Some of them have faces. I don't. We're at a place...a good place. But we can't stay. Everything is too white. It will all have to change. Become grey. Or green. Or red. It's misty again, very misty. I don't know what—Ai ya!” she collapsed on the bridge. Mal got on the com. “Paging Doctor Tam, we have a minor situation on the bridge. Paging Doctor Tam--” “They don't want me to know,” River said, eyes clenched shut, curling up into a ball on the bridge. “Don't want me to see. But I can. My eyes closed, not even looking, I can see. I beat them before. I know my way around them. Not too hard. Know what they're thinking. Not too smart. Too much mist, everything's white...No. Blue. Should be blue. Two by two. But we killed them! Can't kill the mist. It's all around me...inside me...” Her hands began to rake at her head. “Lao-tyen boo,” Mal said, leaping from the chair and kneeling by her. “Fahng sheen, you're on Serenity, it'll be all right.” Simon burst through the door as River spoke again. “They're taking it away...I'll stop them! I know how...you hold onto something, anything, until they're gone...can get it all back...too much mist, all white, we're too close...” The ship lurched. Simon rushed to River's side, next to Mal. “I'll take care of her,” he said. “I think you may need to fly the ship.” “Take good care of her,” Mal warned, retaking the pilot's seat. “She's been like this all trip, on and off. And it's getting worse.” Simon gathered River into his arms, whispering “I'm Simon, I'm here. Come on, everything will be all right.” He lifted her up off the floor. “You're Simon. You're Mal. I'm River,” River said, shaking her head as if to clear away fog. “But what if I forget?” “Tell me how she's doing when you know,” Mal said, beginning to concentrate on flying again. Simon, supporting River, guided her from the bridge and through the kitchen. She continued to speak, clutching him tightly. “You're all white, shining white, not like the mist. Don't let me forget! Out of phase. Be out of phase. That's how to escape. One, two, three, four, five, six...” She was not counting their steps, Simon noticed, as her count was just a little too fast. She continued to count as they made their way down the stairs and into the infirmary. “Twenty-eight,twenty-nine...” she said, then opened her eyes and looked around. “It's okay, they're gone.” “What happened?” Simon asked. “Do you know what you mean, by the mist, and things being white?” After a pause, River spoke more clearly. “I don't remember.” “You don't remember what?” Simon asked confused. “Don't remember what you said?” “No,” said River, tapping her foot on the floor. “I just don't remember.” *********************************************

In Inara's shuttle, Kaylee sat on the couch while Inara made the final adjustments to her hair. “So what's this one like?” Kaylee asked. Inara paused to readjust a hair pin. “I don't know,” she said. “He's not one of my usual clients.” “Old, young, good-looking...?” “Older,” Inara said, “But not too old. And very respectful. He's engaged other Companions before, and the network has nothing but good to say about him. He's a widower—his wife died a year or two ago, and he didn't begin contracting us until after that. Good man.” “No boils?” Kaylee asked, laughing. Inara joined her laughter. “No boils,” she said. “Speaking privately, I'll tell you he's actually quite attractive. Here,” she said, “I can get his picture for you.” Holding her hair in place, she made her way to the com screen and turned it on, then shifted through a few functions. “There he is,” she said finally. Kaylee got up and moved to stand behind Inara. The client was tall, clean-shaven, with close-cropped black hair and a hard face, high, strong cheekbones and lines around his mouth. He looked between forty and sixty, and wore a very expensive-looking vested suit. Kaylee frowned. “He does look nice. Are you sure he isn't famous? I think I've seen him before.” “No, no, no,” Inara said. “Not unless you followed Osiris politics a fair bit closer than any of the rest of this crew.” “Simon might know,” Kaylee said. A knock came on the shuttle door, and Zoe entered. “Captain wants to know when you'll be ready,” she said, “As we've got the landing coordinates nearly in sight.” “Tell him I'll be ready when he is,” Inara said. “By the way, you look wonderful,” Zoe added. Inara gave a little bow. “Sheh sheh, Zoe. You look well yourself.” “Not like you,” Zoe replied. “You look...radiant.” “We are sharp blades both,” Inara said, “though made for different targets. I haven't seen you much since...since I left Serenity,” she continued, holding out her hands. “Please, come and visit more often, as you did before the Miranda shi-da.” Zoe clasped Inara's hands. “I've been meaning to, but it's been one gos se thing after another for months now, and things ain't looking like they'll quiet down any time soon.” She sighed. “When it's not one thing, it's another. River's going crazy again. Poor girl.” “Was that the 'situation' on the bridge?” Inara asked, concerned. “Is she all right?” Kaylee added. Zoe shook her head. “Damned if I know. Simon's giving her some kind of shot. I swear, that man has a bottomless supply of sedatives.” “With this crew, that makes a certain amount of sense,” Inara replied. “I'm going to see how she is,” Kaylee said, getting up and rushing out.

**********************************************

River was resting when Kaylee entered the infirmary. Simon was washing something in the sink. Kaylee crept daintily over to River's side, gazing down at her. Everything seemed fine—she was sleeping normally, with even a peaceful look on her face. “It's sad,” Kaylee said to herself. “She ain't going to get better, is she?” “Oh,” Simon said, startled. “I didn't see you come in.” Finishing the washing, he walked over to the main infirmary bed. “I don't think so,” he said sadly. “Tyen-sah duh uh-muo. She's better now than she was. Not so violent.” “What happened on the bridge?” Kaylee asked, hugging Simon tightly. “She started talking about everything being white, and misty, and how someone was taking something away and she had to hold onto something and escape,” Simon said. “Simon...” Kaylee replied, “She was talking about the Academy. Wasn't she?” Simon began to speak, then closed his mouth and stared down at River, then at Kaylee. “You're right,” he began. “I ought to have seen it. There was a lot of filler--She said a lot of other things that didn't make any sense.” “I don't think she says anything that doesn't make sense,” Kaylee said. “Not to her. It's like she's speaking a different language.” Looking back up at Simon, she asked “She was getting better before. Maybe there's something on Osiris that...triggers this kind of reaction.” “Tyen shiao duh,” Simon said. “We're from Osiris. Of course!” He looked around for anything to write with. “It explains everything...River's been getting worse all trip, as we get closer. Keeps talking about white fog causing her pain. And her letters from the Academy, getting wierder and wierder—Kaylee, they weren't just driving her insane, they were implanting psychological blocks!” “Psychological blocks?” Kaylee asked. Simon continued at the speed of thought. “To prevent her from escaping. If she thought about home, it hurt. If she tried to go home, it hurt more.” Simon gasped for an appropriate curse, then pressed on grimly. “I will take those scientists apart with my bare hands and feed them to each other like the REAVERS they are!” His fists clenched, then unclenched, his body shaking with rage. Kaylee held him tightly, gazing down at River with tears in her eyes. “Will she—be like this for all the time we're on Osiris?” she asked. “Psych blocks can be taken out,” Simon said. “But not in two days.” Bitterly, he added, “It doesn't matter. We won't have access to that kind of medical equipment, nor cause to come back here again.” He looked regretfully down at River, then back to Kaylee. “Will you watch her for a moment? I've got to go tell Mal the bad news. He deserves to know too.” Kaylee nodded, reaching down to squeeze River's hand. Simon bent to kiss River's brow, then Kaylee's lips, then made his way upstairs toward the bridge. He passed by the crew bunks, barely noticing them, and stepped onto the bridge. Mal turned to give him a brief glance. “She all right?” he asked. “As much as she can be?” Simon looked down, coming to stand beside him. “I think they put a psychological block on her.” “A what?” Mal asked. “A psych block. She can't think about home, or be there, without feeling pain. That's the mist she was talking about. And it gets worse the closer she gets.” Simon gritted his teeth. “I had to make her sleep again. Ai ya, hwah leh, I am tired of having to do that.” “Can that be fixed?” Mal asked, bringing Serenity into a gentle descent. “A skilled specialist could--” “How much's it cost?” “A hospital could do it for ten thousand credits,” Simon said, “But that's too dangerous. A good private specialist...hmm...It'd run you about twice that...twenty thousand.” “I know how I'm spending my share of the loot, then,” Mal said. “Find me a good doctor and we'll do it before we lift off.” “Tyen shiao-duh, Mal,” Simon said. “Wasn't kidding when I said I loved her,” Mal replied. “It hurts, holding her, knowing it ain't doing any good and she don't know you're even there. There ain't a hell special enough for them as did that to her.” “I...didn't think you were kidding,” said Simon. “Hey,” he added, looking out the front windows. “I know this area! This is the Five Hills, near where River and I grew up. Who's Inara's client? I might know him.” Mal shrugged. “I never ask, she never tells. Never tells me at least. You could go ask her, leave me alone with my murderous thoughts.” “Could I stay and be murderous with you?” Simon asked. “As I have a feeling we both want to murder the same people.” “Just remember,” Mal replied, “I'm the Captain, I get the first blow.” Simon wasn't sure whether he was joking or not.

*******************************************

Serenity had landed on the estate's landing field, and the cargo bay doors lay open. In the bay, the crew stood, lined up ready to meet Inara's client. Part of the crew—Kaylee was watching the still-unconscious River and Wash was dead. Mal and Simon stood together near Inara, while Zoe and Jayne sat on the blown-off lid of the chest, reassembling one of Jayne's guns and talking earnestly in low voices. “Fellow's late,” Mal said in a low voice. “He'll come,” Inara replied, adjusting her resplendent gold-and-red robe. “We arrived a little early.” “This guy ain't that Carter Lang wang bao dahn Alexandra was talking about, is he?” Mal asked. “No,” Inara said sharply. “Lang has been blacklisted since before the War.” “Just thought you might--” “Not everyone shares your suicidal method of infiltration, Mal,” Inara replied. “That him?” Zoe asked, pointing out the doors. A covered black float truck was approaching. As the crew watched, it drove up the ramp and into the bay, and came to rest just inside the airlock. The driver, a young military-looking man in a smart grey suit, stepped out of the front and strode to the back door, which he opened. From the back of the floater stepped a grave-looking older man, wearing a suit similar to that he had worn in his application to Inara. He stepped aside as the driver shut the door, and found Inara with his gaze. Then, his eyes swept Serenity's cargo bay, coming to rest at last on Simon. “My son,” Gabriel Tam said. “You've brought back my son.”

COMMENTS

Friday, October 28, 2005 9:08 PM

NUTLUCK


Yep who I thought it was. Keep writing and i'll keep reading.

Saturday, October 29, 2005 3:27 AM

REGINAROADIE


I knew it. I fuckin' knew it. Oh this is turning out to be my fave series so far (next to mine, of course).

Please post the next chapter. I'm chomping at the bit to read it.

Saturday, October 29, 2005 6:35 AM

AMDOBELL


Ouch, Gabriel Tam! How bad can it get? Poor River, poor Simon. Just as well you can pick your friends. Ali D :~)
You can't take the sky from me

Saturday, October 29, 2005 9:53 AM

BIZZRAT


THATS THE SHIT IM TALKIN ABOUT! Man your a good writer! my favorit series. Please keep writiing, I LOVE IT!

Saturday, October 29, 2005 10:42 AM

BELLONA


ok, italics: put at the start of the bit you want italic-ised and at the end. same for bold and underline only b and u. if only i'd said that first...

gabriel tam: FRICKIN' HELL!!! dontcha just love it when you're thinkin' "it's gonna be him, it's gonna be him" an' then it is? loved the bit where mal gets all murderous over river. sweet!

b


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