Ficlet: Big Damned Heroes

[vilakins]

For last week's b7friday beginning words ("I swear I didn't put those...") challenge, 300 words set in season 3.

Big Damned Heroes

"I swear I didn't put those up!" Sarit said quickly.

She wished she'd never stopped to admire the posters now, but really, she hadn't been able to help it. There was that classic Blake one, all white splodges on a starry background which resolved themselves into a face if you looked at them the right way. They'd been appearing for months, put up as fast as they were ripped down, but this one was new: the Liberator--aloof, alien, and elegant, and in front Blake, his chin and gun raised, and behind him, his five crew. Seven of them altogether if you counted the Liberator, and it sounded so much better if you did.

And she'd been standing there, grinning like an idiot, when the shadow of a trooper fell across the wall.

"No, I suppose you didn’t," said the filtered voice. "You wouldn't have hung around afterwards, would you?"

Sarit shook her head, probably too quickly; would it look like a lie?

"But you were smiling."

"Oh. Was I?" She thought fast. "Well, it's a bit silly really, isn't it, that they're fighting off alien ships with little curly handguns." Of course she couldn't tell if that had gone down well. It made troopers so much more frightening, not being able to see their faces through that blank, shiny surface. She put out an arm and leaned on the wall, trying to look casual.

"So you don't think they're heroes?"

Of course I bloody well do; everyone I know does. "No." It came out too quiet and hoarse to sound quite right.

"Pity. Because I was there, you see. And if they hadn't called us in and held the line till we got there, the jellies would've won." The trooper nodded as he walked away. "They're heroes to me."

Comments

[azdak.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I love this! You hit my biggest narrative kink right on the head with that trooper ("They're heroes to me"). And I love "Jellies" for the Andromendans; it's perfect.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Soldiers always give their enemies nicknames. :-)

[jacteest.livejournal.com]

I keep forgetting that they teamed up with the Feds against the jellies. Just surprised that the Federation would not cover up the fact that they were holding the fort until help arrived.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

They probably tried to, but too many troopers would have seen the Liberator. In this story, anyway.

[san-valentine.livejournal.com]

Nice little ficlet

*applauds*

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

Thank you, you are good!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thank you!