roruna (roruna) wrote in roads_diverged, @ 2009-04-09 13:27:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | discworld, firefly, roruna:vimes/sybil, theme 01: crossover |
"Dragonfly", [Discworld/Firefly], Theme #1: Crossover
Title: Dragonfly
Author: roruna
Fandom: Discworld, Firefly
Characters: Vimes and the Watch mostly.
Warnings: Obscenely long fic. Just the prologue turned into 14 pages when I wasn't looking.
Theme: #1. Meta - Crossover
Rating: Er... PG-13 so far, may deviate to M in later chapters.
Summary: Sam Vimes, captain of the dragonfly class bulk transport ship, "The Watch" is just trying to get by in the 'Verse after the Unification War. He's got a crew made up of a fellow Browncoat (Carrot Ironfoundersson), two ex-coppers from his old police department in Ankh-Morpork, Dyton. (Nobby Nobbs and Detritus) and an engineer (Havelock Vetinari) who is very good friends with the Companion (Rosie Palm) renting Vimes' shuttle. Life in the 'Verse was complicated enough just making ends meet but when an old flame of Vimes' (Sybil Ramkin) turns up needing passage to Athens, Vimes is going to really miss the simple days when he just had to kiss Badger's arse for a job.
Everyone was in the bridge. Nobby was working in busy silence. When they’d first gotten the Watch, Nobby had been ordered to be the pilot because he’d flown the police helicopter in Ankh-Morpork and then there had been a very violent row once Nobby understood completely that a transport ship doesn’t work the same as a helicopter. It wasn’t that he hadn’t known. He knew but thought, well how different could it be? Then he encountered the maths involved and well… no one had ever seen Nobby Nobbs that angry before. It was really something to watch Nobby Nobbs, almost lifting off the ground with the power of his indignation and shouting obscenities at Vimes. Vimes had been so shocked that it took him two days before he could yell at Nobby back.
But some of Nobby’s righteous anger was derailed by the fact that he was actually pretty good at piloting and the maths, which while they didn’t come naturally, he got the hang of it quick enough. He was no
He clapped his hands like a school teacher. “So… We have a wrecked ship floating round
Detritus was the first to speak. “Dey’ll get suspicious if we don’t land on
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Miss Palm. It’s a big risk.” Rosie rolled her eyes. Vimes only got formal when he said something he thought she wasn’t going to like. “Why not? I’m just going to be flying. I’m not going to be cutting into that wreck.” Vimes nodded and spoke slowly. “Yes but if the Feds catch us, you can’t tell them you were flying the shuttle by accident. You’re a Companion. You’re supposed to be respectable.” Rosie put her hands on her hips and scowled. “I could always tell them that you forced me to do it. It’d be my word against yours and I am a Companion. But if it’s too risky for me, it’s too risky for my shuttle.” Vimes stared for awhile then growled. “Now just a godsdamn minute, that shuttle is my property and if—”
“And I’m renting it. I’ve always paid my rent on time and you’ve gotten no complaints from the neighbors.” She drew herself up and stepped right up to Vimes. “And if you ever think of threatening to evict me again, Samuel Vimes, there will be a Reckoning. Be told.” So much for being king of his castle, Vimes thought. He sighed and nodded. “Fine, I apologize. I wouldn’t dream of entering your shuttle in your absence.” Sarcasm oozed from every word but he meant what he said. He avoided Rosie’s shuttle at all costs and insisted that the rest of the crew did the same. Except Vetinari who sometimes got formal invitations to visit. Vimes tried not to speculate. He turned to Nobby. “Nobby, try to land the Watch some place out a decent way from any towns.” Nobby nodded absently. “O' course. Any particular time?” Vimes’ brow wrinkled. “Time?”
Nobby sighed loudly. “Time zones.” Nobby reminded him. “What time do you want it to be when we land?” Vimes blinked. “You can… Oh! Right. Er… night, definitely. Evening, if you can help it. I want it to still be dark when we get back with the goods.” Nobby nodded. “You got it.” Ok, so now there was a plan. “We’ll pack the vac suits into the shuttle now and Rosie you can detach when we get close. I don’t think they’ll ask why. If they do, well… you’re a Companion. That answers any questions they can think of. We’ll pick a rendezvous point and Carrot, Detritus and I will meet you there, dong mah?” Rosie nodded nonchalantly. “Shiny.”
++++++
The trip to
Not for the first time, Vimes wondered what it must be like to be involved with someone that he knew didn’t remotely belong to him. Falling in love with a Companion had to be pure agony. Vimes wouldn’t wish that on anyone. How could Vetinari stand it? Was he in love with her? He must be though he didn’t look it. Vimes couldn’t imagine spending so much time with a woman he was attracted to without either falling in love with her or despising her. Of course it was possible that they were just friends but he doubted it. The rest of the crew was pretty sure that Vetinari was one of Rosie’s regular clients and neither Rosie nor Vetinari did much to disprove that assumption. They just smiled faintly and shrugged.
Except for Sybil, the other passengers kept themselves to themselves. Sometimes Vimes could hear Sally practicing her cello. He didn’t have any idea what Knock got up to in his room. But even Sybil didn’t interfere very much. She sat next to Vimes during meals but unless Vimes asked her to join him anywhere, she just went back to her room. Or sometimes she’d go into the cargo bay to check that safe of hers but it was never for more than a few minutes. He never even saw her open it. The trip was really going very slow. Once Carrot and Detritus had moved three vacuum suits into Rosie’s shuttle there wasn’t much for them to do. They spent most of their time… well, patrolling was probably the best word for it. They had all been coppers once and walking a beat had been part of the job and since the Watch was their home, it made sense to patrol it.
Well, it didn’t since all the dangers had lately come from the outside but old habits die hard. Vimes spent most of the trip either in his office… It still amazed him how much paperwork he accumulated even as a crook. Or if there was no one in the galley, he and Sybil would reminisce. It was nice. It was always nice to talk about old times with someone who’d been there too. The complicated bits never needed explaining and while reminiscing with other Browncoats always meant that eventually someone would tell a funny story about someone that died, reminiscing with Sybil… “I thought about sending you a wave… after you left.” Vimes patted Sybil’s hand. “Why didn’t you?” She laughed. “I think that would have made me look too eager, don’t you think? Besides, traditionally, the man is supposed to call the woman after a night of…”
Vimes nodded sheepishly. “They’re supposed to but they rarely do. You don’t seem upset that I didn’t call you though.” Sybil shrugged. “It was war, Sam. You probably wouldn’t have gotten my message if I had sent one and vice versa.” Vimes nodded. “So it was just… one of those things.” Sybil smiled. “You sound disappointed.” Vimes coughed and shook his head. “What? No. We’re better off really. It probably wouldn’t have worked. In those days, I just wanted to keep an eye on my lads and go home.” Vimes had been so sure in those days, that there wasn’t a power in the ‘Verse that could keep him away from Ankh-Morpork for long. Even now, he sometimes caught himself saying ‘back home’. It just made him angry now. He’d refused to talk about ‘back home’ during the war and now that it was over, he got homesick. He cleared his throat. “And I’m sure that nothing would make you leave Londinum for good. At least not if you were going to end up on Dyton.”
Sybil nodded uncertainly. “Londinum’s nothing special.” She said quietly. “But it’s home, right?” Vimes asked. Sybil nodded. “How long are you going to be in
Vimes almost asked what she meant exactly but he remembered a little phrase of Carrot’s. “Personal isn’t the same as important.” He used to say it rather often before and during the war. Actually, Vimes hadn’t heard Carrot say that since the war ended. Had he mentioned that to Sybil when he was recovering? He must have. He was amazed that Sybil remembered it. “As in… personal isn’t the same as important?” Vimes asked. Sybil nodded. “Yes, exactly.” Vimes sat back feeling embarrassed. “Do you… want to tell me about?” He asked weakly. Sybil was still staring at her hands. She shook her head. “No.” She said, not firmly but with finality. But Vimes was still listening like a copper so even if the door had been slammed in his face, coppers had ways of deal with that. But a loud crackle of static from the intercom interrupted him. Nobby’s voice announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, we will begin our descent to