A Shadow Falls (1/1)
Title: A Shadow Falls
Author: chosenone
Words: 927
Category: Gen
Rating: PG
Summary: Sound and memory are inextricably connected. Written for ff_friday’s challenge; prompt “music.”
~*~
Inara had a surprise for the crew. After the meal, right before they’d usually start to shove away from the table and go about their separate business, she pulled a box out from under the table. Seems a particularly generous client bestowed a phonoplayer on her, complete with music chips. Recorded music was a luxury afforded only to the wealthiest on Alliance moons; out in the black it was hard to find a person who even knew what a phonoplayer looked like.
She put in the first chip and not even Jayne could hide the anticipatory shine in his eyes. When the first few notes hit the air, lively with a touch of whimsy, most of the crew couldn’t help but just close their eyes and listen. Instead of reveling in such a rare treat, Zoe cast a concerned look at Mal, who looked ill. He felt like someone had put a hole right through his middle, and he couldn’t stop himself from remembering.
~*~
There wasn’t a lot of free time to be had while the war was going on. The Independents were always outnumbered and spread mighty thin, which meant that sick leave and days off afforded to fancy-pants Alliance troops was usually wishful thinking to a Browncoat. However, there did always seem to be an unspoken rule about Christmas. One day during any given war when there was no fighting. A man could do pretty much whatever he wanted, provided it was within a ten-mile radius. Sometimes it meant women, sometimes sleep…but more often than not, it meant drinking with your buddies in the unit.
Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds leaned back in his chair and took a healthy swig out of his bottle of ale. He turned to laugh at his second-in-command, Zoe, who’d just unfortunately lost a round of the drinking game they were playing.
“Looks to me like tonight just ain’t your night,” Mal stated smugly.
“You don’t pay attention to what’s goin’ on and it’ll be your turn to suffer soon enough. Sir,” Zoe retorted.
Sure enough, next go around Mal came up short, which meant the third round of drinks was on him. Shaking his head, he set his chair down and stood up to go pay his penance. Waiting at the bar for his order, he glanced over at the corner where the local bar band was playing a fanciful dance tune. He allowed himself just a toe tap or two; he wasn’t much of a dancer.
The barkeep was just finishing up his order when a haggard-looking Independent burst into the bar, breathing heavily.
“Gorram Alliance broke the truce. Gone and launched a full-scale attack ‘n took out an entire planet. Lieutenant says we gotta go back to our posts asap in case they try to pull the same thing here.” After delivering his message, the boy, who looked barely old enough to join up in the first place, paused to catch his breath.
Mal, drinks forgotten, gave the youth a hard stare. “What planet, soldier?”
Everyone stopped in various stages of leaving to wait for the answer. The music screeched to a halt mid-note and the silence came on so quickly it was almost eerie.
“Report says Shadow. Says the rock’s still there, but that’s all it is now. Just a rock in the black.” With that, the boy turned and left the bar, running back to his station as fast as he could possibly go.
While waiting for the answer, Mal unconsciously grabbed the cross around his neck in one hand, steadying himself on the bar with the other. After it came, he was frozen. He stared blankly at the approximate spot where the boy had been standing, mouth slightly open.
Only Zoe seemed to understand what was going on. Everyone else, they were picking up their coats and pushing outside to man their posts. Zoe stood up and let them go, staring across the room at Mal at the bar. When most everyone else had gone, she walked up to him.
He seemed surprised to see her standing right in front of him. Mal cast a slightly mystified glance down at the cross in his hand and quickly let it go. It fell back against his chest in slow motion and he watched it, transfixed.
“Sir.”
“Yeah, Zoe?” He answered her like she was going to ask him the time or some other equally inane thing. He didn’t answer her like a man who’d just lost his home and all the family he had in the ‘verse.
“Sir, I’m so sorry. Ain’t nothing I can say to make it right.” Zoe never touched him. It just wasn’t the way things were between them. But after she spoke, she touched a hand to his forearm.
Mal’s breath caught, just once, at the contact. He rolled his eyes upward and seemed to be searching for some strength, some composure…maybe some understanding. It didn’t come.
“We need to go, sir. Lieutenant’s waiting.” There was a note of compassion buried in her steely composure. He responded to the implied order and moved with her to the door, needing with every ounce of him to make sure this planet would live to see tomorrow.
~*~
No one else noticed the look that passed between Mal and Zoe as the music played. They were caught up in their joy, in the bliss that music can bring a body. Zoe offered him her strength and understanding and he accepted it willingly. Then he closed his eyes and waited for the music to end.
Author: chosenone
Words: 927
Category: Gen
Rating: PG
Summary: Sound and memory are inextricably connected. Written for ff_friday’s challenge; prompt “music.”
~*~
Inara had a surprise for the crew. After the meal, right before they’d usually start to shove away from the table and go about their separate business, she pulled a box out from under the table. Seems a particularly generous client bestowed a phonoplayer on her, complete with music chips. Recorded music was a luxury afforded only to the wealthiest on Alliance moons; out in the black it was hard to find a person who even knew what a phonoplayer looked like.
She put in the first chip and not even Jayne could hide the anticipatory shine in his eyes. When the first few notes hit the air, lively with a touch of whimsy, most of the crew couldn’t help but just close their eyes and listen. Instead of reveling in such a rare treat, Zoe cast a concerned look at Mal, who looked ill. He felt like someone had put a hole right through his middle, and he couldn’t stop himself from remembering.
~*~
There wasn’t a lot of free time to be had while the war was going on. The Independents were always outnumbered and spread mighty thin, which meant that sick leave and days off afforded to fancy-pants Alliance troops was usually wishful thinking to a Browncoat. However, there did always seem to be an unspoken rule about Christmas. One day during any given war when there was no fighting. A man could do pretty much whatever he wanted, provided it was within a ten-mile radius. Sometimes it meant women, sometimes sleep…but more often than not, it meant drinking with your buddies in the unit.
Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds leaned back in his chair and took a healthy swig out of his bottle of ale. He turned to laugh at his second-in-command, Zoe, who’d just unfortunately lost a round of the drinking game they were playing.
“Looks to me like tonight just ain’t your night,” Mal stated smugly.
“You don’t pay attention to what’s goin’ on and it’ll be your turn to suffer soon enough. Sir,” Zoe retorted.
Sure enough, next go around Mal came up short, which meant the third round of drinks was on him. Shaking his head, he set his chair down and stood up to go pay his penance. Waiting at the bar for his order, he glanced over at the corner where the local bar band was playing a fanciful dance tune. He allowed himself just a toe tap or two; he wasn’t much of a dancer.
The barkeep was just finishing up his order when a haggard-looking Independent burst into the bar, breathing heavily.
“Gorram Alliance broke the truce. Gone and launched a full-scale attack ‘n took out an entire planet. Lieutenant says we gotta go back to our posts asap in case they try to pull the same thing here.” After delivering his message, the boy, who looked barely old enough to join up in the first place, paused to catch his breath.
Mal, drinks forgotten, gave the youth a hard stare. “What planet, soldier?”
Everyone stopped in various stages of leaving to wait for the answer. The music screeched to a halt mid-note and the silence came on so quickly it was almost eerie.
“Report says Shadow. Says the rock’s still there, but that’s all it is now. Just a rock in the black.” With that, the boy turned and left the bar, running back to his station as fast as he could possibly go.
While waiting for the answer, Mal unconsciously grabbed the cross around his neck in one hand, steadying himself on the bar with the other. After it came, he was frozen. He stared blankly at the approximate spot where the boy had been standing, mouth slightly open.
Only Zoe seemed to understand what was going on. Everyone else, they were picking up their coats and pushing outside to man their posts. Zoe stood up and let them go, staring across the room at Mal at the bar. When most everyone else had gone, she walked up to him.
He seemed surprised to see her standing right in front of him. Mal cast a slightly mystified glance down at the cross in his hand and quickly let it go. It fell back against his chest in slow motion and he watched it, transfixed.
“Sir.”
“Yeah, Zoe?” He answered her like she was going to ask him the time or some other equally inane thing. He didn’t answer her like a man who’d just lost his home and all the family he had in the ‘verse.
“Sir, I’m so sorry. Ain’t nothing I can say to make it right.” Zoe never touched him. It just wasn’t the way things were between them. But after she spoke, she touched a hand to his forearm.
Mal’s breath caught, just once, at the contact. He rolled his eyes upward and seemed to be searching for some strength, some composure…maybe some understanding. It didn’t come.
“We need to go, sir. Lieutenant’s waiting.” There was a note of compassion buried in her steely composure. He responded to the implied order and moved with her to the door, needing with every ounce of him to make sure this planet would live to see tomorrow.
~*~
No one else noticed the look that passed between Mal and Zoe as the music played. They were caught up in their joy, in the bliss that music can bring a body. Zoe offered him her strength and understanding and he accepted it willingly. Then he closed his eyes and waited for the music to end.