Was re-watching Safe for the umpteenth time (gotta love the big damn heroes right?), and was again reminded of the tension between Mal and Simon. I always get this image that Mal wishes Simon was his little brother just so he could beat the snot out of him. Anyway, after a night of sleeping on it, this was the result.

Hwin dahn – jerk Hundan – asshole/bastard Baichi – idiot

Advice From Space

Mal leaned back in the chair communing with the black as he considered the changes in his crew. Maybe the black would understand, that or he would come to his senses and space the lot of them. It was only what that prissy hwin dahn of a doctor deserved after all. Kid might not be a coward, but he definitely wasn’t deserving of the title of a man either. Even months later, Mal found that he could work himself into a blood boiling rage at the memory of the húndàn bargaining with little Kaylee's life. If it had been Jayne, Zoe, or even Wash, he might be able to forgive Simon for it, but it wasn't. It was the one person on his ship who could be called truly innocent and even though he'd saved her life, Mal doubted he'd ever truly forgive him for the act. The boy still acted on events without getting all the facts or even considering the consequences. Oh, he had balls enough when something dear to him was threatened, but Mal wasn't sure if he had principles, or if he even grasped the concept of principles. He thought Simon had understood him during their talk on the bridge after the fed had been killed. Hell, he didn't think there was any way to more plainly speak the fact that he always did what honor dictated, that he believed in the code he lived by. Might be easier to shoot a man you don't like in the back, but unless one of his crew's lives depended on it, Malcolm Reynolds would always tell him to turn the hell around first. You owed that to someone whose life you took. He'd killed enough men without looking in their eyes during the war. There was always that possibility that while you stared into their soul before pulling the trigger that something might change and you'd escape the confrontation with a little less blood on your hands. Mal admired how Simon had managed to rescue River though. The boy had learned a lot about a side of life that he'd never even dreamed existed in a very short time. But Mal still felt that he'd missed the bigger picture. Sure, he'd gotten River out and, by a miracle, even managed to make sure she was safe for the foreseeable future. Yet, Mal had never seen him consider or lament all the children who were still in the hands of the monsters that had tortured River. For Simon, he and his sister were the center of the universe; everyone else's trials were miniscule in comparison. Mal wondered if that were part of River's problems. Kid seemed so open to everything else at times. Perhaps those times when her crazy babble didn't have a connection to the ship or the crew, it was related to those still suffering what she had escaped. He shuddered at the thought that maybe she had managed to forge bonds with any others held by the "Hands of Blue" which frightened her so. If that were the case, Mal doubted that any drugs or treatments her brother found would ever make her sane. As much as she felt, it was only a matter of time before the guilt started eating her. Although, if she were lucid at all when that happened, hopefully she'd have the sense to come to him or Zoe. No one else on this ship could ever hope to commiserate with her on the injustice of walking away while others paid the ultimate price. Even Simon couldn't begin to understand that. Sure, he bemoaned his lot in life at having to live on the Rim in a transport ship when he clearly deserved all that the Core had to offer. Mal almost wished he could be around for the day that Simon realized the loss of everything – but, well, that was suicidal really. Mal would be dead or in an Alliance prison himself before he willingly let anything happen to River. She was an innocent, just like Kaylee. That and he could never face Kaylee if he let River get taken without giving his all. Maybe he should let Simon know what Jayne had planned after all. It would be entertaining as hell to watch the self-important little boy go up against the mercenary in the heat of anger. If it wouldn't split his crew apart, Mal would be truly tempted to let the whole Ariel thing slip. Simon and Jayne, those two sure did their damnedest to tear his crew apart without realizing it. Even the Shepherd with his morality didn't question Mal's authority as much as those two. Although he understood them both, he did his best to ensure that he didn't underestimate what they were capable of. He'd made a mistake with Jayne on Ariel, thought that the baichi would realize that any fed would easily come up with a plan to put the reward in their own pocket before giving it to someone like him. Him or Zoe, they'd think twice about it – figure they had a back-up plan. But all you had to do was look at Jayne and you knew that what you saw was all there was to deal with. Man like that, it was obvious he wasn't looking to share the money with someone, so all you had to do was pinch him too. Hell, he'd find a way to space both of them if he didn't need to doctor to look after his sister. Jayne had his uses too, but Mal figured there would be a reckoning coming with the merc in the future. Mal wasn't going to underestimate him again, and well, not many men enjoyed taking orders from someone who'd seen them beg for their life. Would need to tell Zoe soon, she couldn't watch his back effectively if she didn't know where the bullets would come from. Hell, maybe River would figure it all out her own self and take care of that problem for him. The image of River taking revenge on Jayne brought a smile to his face. The black definitely held the answers to his problems. Give everyone enough time and space and they'd generally hang themselves for you. The Jayne and Simon problems would be resolved in time. As long as it didn't hurt his crew or ship, he could wait for it.