The Nightmare Series - Preface

A brief synopsis of "Firefly" (the show these originated from), so that these stories actually make some sense…

Five hundred years in the future there's a whole new frontier in a brand new universe, and the crew of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity are eager to stake a claim on the action. They'll take any job, legal or illegal, to keep fuel in the tanks and food on the table. But things get a bit more complicated after they take on a passenger wanted by the new totalitarian Alliance regime. Now they find themselves on the run, desperate to steer clear of Alliance ships and the flesh-eating Reavers who live on the fringes of space.

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The Characters

Malcolm Reynolds: Captain of the Firefly class ship Serenity. He was formerly a Sergeant for the Independent Army who fought for, well, independence from the Alliance regime. He is one of the few survivors of the battle at Serenity Valley, the final conflict of the war, and by far the bloodiest. Once a firm believer in God, he’s turned his back on his faith, disillusioned by the surrender of his side to the Alliance. Though rough on the outside, he’s a man who deeply cares for the people around him, and acts much as a father figure to his crew, as well as commander.

Zoe Alleyne Washburn: Second in Command on Serenity, she fought with Mal during the war, including at the Battle of Serenity Valley. Once career military, now married to a fellow crew member. She is a multi-faceted character...one minute a warrior, the next a wife longing to have a child, etc. She is a rock to the crew, one that will go to any lengths to protect them, much like Mal.

Jayne Cobb: Mercenary. Rude, crude, oversexed, greedy, with an over inflated sense of self. But behind the brash exterior, he’s (mostly) loyal to the crew...as long as he keeps getting paid. During the show he’s often made out to be fairly stupid. But many fans think that’s more an act, and that he’s really a lot smarter than he seems, he just hides it to keep folks at a disadvantage. (He’s my favorite character, by the way, as he’s very Marine-like in some ways.)

Hoban Washburn: Pilot. He’s also married to Zoe, much to Mal’s dismay. He’s a joker, but when called upon to get the crew out of a tight scrape, he’s all business. Might have served in the War for Independence, but that’s never been confirmed, nor has what side he might have fought for. He’s often jealous of his wife’s friendship with Mal, thinking that she sometimes is a little too willing to blindly go where he leads, but loves her too much to take her away from him.

Kaylee Frye: Engineer. Always has a sweet and sunny disposition (sometimes to the utmost annoyance of the rest of the crew), and refuses to see the bad in anyone until it all but slaps her in the face. She’s a genius with machines, unlucky in love, and abysmal with firearms. She’s known to keep “her” ship up in the air in the unlikeliest of circumstances, and has lovingly decorated the common areas to make it welcoming to everyone. She’s in love with Simon, who I will introduce later.

Inara Serra: Licensed Companion. In a time where prostitution is legal, she’s in the Guild that provides the finest. She came to Serenity under mysterious circumstances which we were never made privy to, and rents one of the shuttles. Because the Guild that she’s a member of is considered in high standing, she lends an air of respectability to their operation. (She is also highly annoying, and my least favorite character.) She and Mal are in love with each other, but both are too proud to admit it, providing the “Undeclared Sexual Tension” on the show.

Shepherd Derrial Book: Preacher. Another character with a mysterious past, hinted to in the show, but never revealed. Most fans think that he had some ties with the Alliance in a previous incarnation as he seems to know just a little too much about everything. (Confirmed later in "A Shepherd's Tale".) Annoys Mal with his sermons (though Mal will generally respect his advice), and eventually becomes a good friend to Jayne of all people.

Simon Tam: Doctor. He came to the ship by chance, carting mysterious cargo, which ended up being his sister in a cryogenic state. He gave up everything…money, career, family, in order to save her from a mysterious “Academy”, when she revealed in a code only he recognized that she and the other “students” were being severely mistreated. Everything he does, he does to try and make her better. Though aware of Kaylee’s feelings for him, he’s so wrapped up in his sister that he doesn’t act on it. The fact that he’s also socially stunted doesn’t help the matter any either.

River Tam: Genius, nutty as a fruitcake, and Simon’s sister. She’s an escapee from The Academy, which seems to have been a front for an experimental operation to turn intuitive children with extremely high IQs into super soldiers of a sort, by rewiring their brains and motor functions. She and her brother are now fugitives from the law, and pursued by a number of bounty hunters and assassins.

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The Stories

These were written about seven years ago, and published on FireflyFans.net.  The premise of this series is fairly dark, as it explores the possible nightmares that this crew might have experienced at one time or another.

As the show ended before the backgrounds of any of the characters could really be explored, any referrals to their past are strictly of my own imagination. As this is considered a “Space Western”, some of the dialogue is of a more colloquial style, and I kept it as true to the characters as possible.

The usual fanfic disclaimer: These characters are not mine (though I wish Jayne was), and I'm making no $$$ off of these.

OK, now that you’ve read all this, on with the stories, which are posted in the order they were written.

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