Browncoats

Introduction

Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me.

Take me out to the black
Tell them I ain't comin' back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me.

Leave the men where they lay
They'll never see another day
Lost my soul, lost my dream
You can't take the sky from me.

I feel the black reaching out
I hear its song without a doubt
I still hear and I still see
That you can't take the sky from me.

Lost my love, lost my land
Lost the last place I could stand
There's no place I can be
Since I've found Serenity

And you can't take the sky from me.

***

Author's Note:  Like the show, I plan on occasionally throwing in some Mandarin.  Also, like the show, I will not be translating it.  This is for two reasons.  One, because I do not, in fact, speak Mandarin, and the usage might be slightly off; and two, because it's not necessary.  I will hint through context what is being said, or if I don't, it's nothing more or less than an expletive. You're welcome to type them into Google translate, but it's really not necessary. Please don't worry your pretty little bonnets about it. 

Also, some of the the dialogue, and the above song lyrics, are taken directly from the television series.  It's not because I'm lazy, I promise!  I just wanted to pull in some of what I really love about the crew of Serenity.  Leave me comments, let me know what you think!  I've wanted a firefly/academy fanfic for so long, and I got tired of waiting.  Thanks for reading!  Enjoy!

***

"After the Earth was used up, we found a new solar system and hundreds of new Earths were terraformed and colonized. The central planets formed the Alliance and decided all the planets had to join under their rule. There was some disagreement on that point. After the War, many of the Independents who had fought and lost drifted to the edges of the system, far from Alliance control. Out here, people struggled to get by with the most basic technologies; a ship would bring you work, a gun would help you keep it. A captain's goal was simple: find a crew, find a job, keep flying."

Captain Washburne's voice cuts out and Professor Tam continues.

"After Miranda, the secrets of the Alliance were out, and a massive campaign began trying to discredit all that had been revealed. The crew of the Serenity were erased from all records, and the Alliance tried to make it seem as though we'd never existed. But society had been changed. Human rights organizations began popping up in every major city of the core, and demands were made for researching a way to reverse the effects the drugs had on the Reavers. People had questions, and when the Alliance couldn't supply them with believable answers, they turned to the ones who'd been fighting the system all along. The Browncoats were reborn, and through the somewhat unorthodox leadership of Captains Reynolds and Washburne, the Academy was founded. You, our first graduating class, are the elite. You not only seek reform in the governance of the Central Planets, but in the very way people are treated throughout the system in it's entirety. As graduates of the Academy, you follow rules that supersede the law of the land. Our rules are few, but they define who we are."

Professor Tam steps away from the podium and his sister, who won't let us call her anything except River, takes his place.

"While the Alliance would have others believe that you're all traitors, we know better." She taps her temple and smiles. "I know better. You're all here, together, because you believe in the idea that people can be good, and that it is your duty to do what you can to aid those in the system that have been victims of a corrupt government." She takes a moment to make eye contact with every graduate seated before her and then nods once to herself. "What are the rules that we live by?"