Chronicles of Riddick: Destiny

by actioneod

Book is three interwoven story lines (1) life of mercenaries that helped Riddick, (John's and daughter Dahl) and her alliance with lost Furyans; (2) degeneration and decline of Necromongers after Riddick left, their attempt at recovery, and (3) Riddick's rendezvous with his Furyan past. Story lines intertwine, and converge on a single planet with a final reckoning with Necromonger

Chronicles of Riddick: Destiny

By Leon Jackson Jr.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 - Colony

CHAPTER 2 - Destruction

CHAPTER 3 - Hunter

CHAPTER 4 - Necromongers

CHAPTER 5 - Mercenary

CHAPTER 6 - Hunted

CHAPTER 7 - Johns

CHAPTER 8 - Furyans

CHAPTER 9 - New Gamma

CHAPTER 10 - Capture

CHAPTER 11 - Search

CHAPTER 12 - Rebellion

CHAPTER 13 - Rescue

CHAPTER 14 - Assassin

CHAPTER 15 - Victory and Home

CHAPTER ONE - COLONY

Before the eventual discovery of hyperspace jump points and the perfection of single ship warp travel, the very early years of human space exploration and travel consisted of huge colony ships stacked with their human cargo traveling out into the cosmos in search of planets to call home. These colony ships, loaded in cold hibernation with select pioneering families and equipped with a limited Faster Than Light (FTL) capability, set out from earth and the surrounding solar system, heading out into the galaxy, determined to colonize many of the earth like worlds that were discovered in the prior century, resolved to make one their own. Only the most daring, purposeful, and pioneering families volunteered, as the cost, and available technology made the trips one way. Preplanned and researched to the greatest extent possible, based on the best science of planetary conditions, with little or no guarantees on planetary suitability on arrival, hundreds of human colonies set out from Earth.

As with most planets, the colonists never really knew what exact environmental conditions they would have to live with until they arrived on the planet. Much information can and was discovered through telescopic and drone exploration from afar about the oxygen levels, oceans, available land mass, and approximate gravity. The only planets that were chosen, more than met the basic criteria for human habitation, and survivability. But not all worlds were fit, and many planets proved to be uninhabitable and deadly to human life because of climate and weather extremes, exiting virulent virus or bacterial life deadly to human life. Existing plant and animal life forms were never considered a detriment as the colonist would domesticate, isolate, or eliminate as necessary. Some degree of terra-forming was expected and planned for. Only those existing life forms that were useable and necessary for human colonization would be spared extinction. They never expected to find a perfect substitute for Mother Earth, but would all they could to replicate their home world.

Because of the long-term nature of orbital, climate and weather patterns, critical information was sometimes not available before departure, and sometimes errors in data evaluation and calculation were made. The evaluation of Furya suitability criteria was the result of such a research mistake. Selected, only because it met basic habitability criteria due to mistakes in the data input and evaluation process. It should never have been approved for colonization by humans, but it was, and a colony selected it as their future home.

In a distant part of the galaxy, well outside of the more established corridors of human colonization, stood Furya, an over large planet with a land to ocean ratio like Earth. Colonized, by a particularly physical and mentally tough band of humans over one thousand years ago, it was one of the most inhospitable planets in the galaxy that could still support human life. With three times earth gravity, one small moon, it exhibited 20 hours of night for every six hours of daylight, and a 30-degree axis tilt. The night to day light ratio was caused by two other planets with orbits inside that Fury. Neither planet had any life, but their intersecting orbits caused staggered solar eclipses on Fury, preventing a normal day night ratio. Because of the orbital tilt, the climate and weather patterns varied wildly across the planet. Those environmental extremes combined with dinosaur sized predators and man-eating vegetation covering all habitable land masses and even larger sea creatures in the oceans, created an evolutionary crucible for human survival and adaptation.

As expected, their limited FTL capability enabled the colony ship to arrive with enough energy reserves and food to keep the families alive on the ship for the equivalent of one Earth year, but not enough resources and fuel to travel onward to another habitable planet or system. Unable to travel to other more distant, possibly habitable planets, they followed their plans and the colony ship discharged their human cargo onto the planet to start colonization despite the planets now visible and detectable extremes.

Communication and weather satellites were deployed into suitable orbits around the planet and all available resources and equipment were shuttled down to the initial colony landing area. The empty shell of the colony ship was under the control of their AI and placed into the highest orbit possible for visitation in the future when necessary. They were on their own and this was now their home

The planet wasted no time in welcoming the colonist to Fury. The combination of temperature extremes, hurricane winds, limited day light, and oversized predators took a toll on the humans striving to maintain their existence on the planet. During the first year of colonization, those humans too mentally and physically weak to survive died due to the demands placed on them individually and as a group. Leaving only the very strongest and smartest to survive and continue to populate the world. Those humans that survived early colonization had their descendant's physical and mental advancement accelerated and pushed to evolutionary extremes, not because of any human, artificial genetic intervention, but because of nature. All the colonist existed under extreme survival pressures, and nature took its course and endowed some individuals of each new generation with the physical and mental capabilities to survive and thrive on Furya. The original colony descendants evolved and survived, for over a millennium adapting to and matching the planets physical extremes creating the modern Furyan specimen.

The Furyans survived, eventually rejoining the greater galactic human civilization, but existed in relative obscurity until the arrival of the Necromongers.

CHAPTER TWO - DESTRUCTION

Twenty-five years ago, travelling through hyperspace the Necromongers space ships arrived at the prescribed jump point located well outside of the outer planets of the Furyan solar system. The hyperspace jump points, once located, served as the gateway portals to all solar systems throughout the galaxy. Every solar system has at least one portal, many have multiples jump points, always located beyond the primary sun's core gravity well, the number of jump points was dependent on the total gravitational mass of the system planets and their sun or suns. Once man-kind discovered the existence of these hyperspace jump points and learned how to use them, true, real time interstellar communication and travel between distant planets within the galaxy became a reality and the only mode of travel for galactic commerce, travel, exploration, and warfare.

The Furyan system hyperspace jump point began to open with the blurring of visible space around a spherical area, as the warp formed. Through this blurred volume of space, the Necromonger space ships passed through the event horizon in a staggered formation, bristling with weapons, armed and ready to fire. This Necromonger attack force, led by a young Lord Marshall, entered Furyan space for a singular reason, to find and destroy the Furyans as a human species. They came to Furya with orders to kill and destroy the Furyans as a race, leaving no one alive, whether child or adult.

The Necromongers held a deep and foundational belief in prophecy and occult predications, compelling the Lord Marshall, told by a sooth seer that his death could only come at the hands of a Furyan male, to order a pogrom against the Furyans. In order to ensure the prophecy was never fulfilled the Lord Marshall intended to remove forever, what he believed was the only threat and possibility of his death.

Standing in the command and control room on the main battle ship, the Lord Marshall turned and faced his squadron commanders, and gave them his perspective on their orders for the mission. Once we begin, show no Mercenary to the heretics. The Furyans are non-believers, and all of them, women and children as well, are to be killed. We will take no converts, they are heretics and this Furyan scourge is to be wiped out. Stating with emphasis that no one is be left alive. Do you understand me! The group of Necromonger commanders acknowledged his command in unison with bowed heads a collective "yes Lord Marshall".

As was their custom the Necromonger ships began their assault on Furya with a staggered bombardment from the sky, bombing the largest cities first, followed by carpet bombing of the smaller cities and towns as well. These initial attacks were followed by more directed strikes aimed at those areas where the initial attack survivors concentrated. The Furyans were defenseless against the Necromonger attack from space, having never created a space fleet or air force. The Furyans had only developed a very limited off world capability. The efforts of the Furyan population had always been directed toward their greatest threat, survival against the extremes of the planet, never toward war among themselves.

The Necromonger ships, bombing Furyan cities from above, were followed by the deployment of ground forces to attack and kill those Furyan men and women who had not died from the bombing campaign. During these ground battles, the Furyans could, at first, more than hold their own against the numerically superior Necromongers when the fire fights led to close-in small unit and hand-to-hand combat. In combat, the Furyans were assisted, and the Necromongers hampered, by the triple gravity of Furya. The heavy gravity of Furya had, over the Millennium given the Furyan men and women far superior muscular development resulting in much greater than normal human strength, speed, and endurance. No one Necromonger was equal to the weakest Furyan physically. In hand-to-hand combat one Furyan male could easily defeat and kill three or four Necromongers before being killed. However, the result of the Necromonger assault was never in doubt, as the Necromongers were too many in numbers, possessed superior weaponry, and were driven by a religious belief and zeal in obeying their Lord Marshall's commanded to kill all the Furyans.

It was nighttime on the second day of the Necromonger attack on Furya and a group of Furyans have crowded together in their small city town hall on a far side of the planet. A tall, muscular Furyan male with glittering eyes, a genetic characteristic of Furyan Alphas, asked the attendees for silence in a deep, resonant voice. Quickly the scattered conversations stopped as all heads turned toward their leader. He looked out over the crowd of Furyan men, women, and their families, noting the speckling of other Alphas, with their shinning eyes mixed in throughout.

We have received the reports and many of you have been in contact with relatives in areas of fighting, there is no doubt, our world is under attack. I have learned that they are called the Necromongers. Yet they have not targeted our location, but it will only be a matter of time before they discover us and start to attack us as well. They have not communicated any demands or requirement to surrender and we don't know why they have come to Furya and attacked us, but they are killing us and we must act fast. They have bombed every large city on Furya, unleashing every weapon at their disposal. From the limited reports, we have received I can tell you that the bombings are followed by use of their ground troops to ensure that they have killed anyone who has survived the bombings. No wounded have been left alive and they have taken no prisoners.

They mean to slaughter us and wipe us out as a people. What few security troops we have are fighting them on every front, and all clan families are resisting, fighting to the death, as the Necromongers are taking no prisoners. The reports indicate that they are killing our women and children along with our men. Those of our forces that meet them in hand-to-hand combat win at first, but for every five of them one of us kills, ten more take their place.

There are just too many of them, and it is clear they will prevail against us, and I come before you to ask that we do something that is antithetic to our very being as Furyans. We must do what we can to survive as a people, as we always have. We have some space capable ships here and we must take them, leave our world and try to escape to another planet.

He waits, to let what he has asked of them to sink into their subconscious mind. Furyans never give in or give up. That genetic characteristic had died out centuries ago. They always resist, and fight, until they can't physically or mentally fight anymore. It is that rugged, mental toughness, and determination that has enabled them to survive as a people on Furya, where all others would have died long ago. Although difficult to accept, the older, adult men and women realize that this situation is not one that they can win, or even survive. They understand that to have another generation of Furyans, as many of those women and children alive now must survive and must escape the Necromonger slaughter. With their silence, their leader, Lucas, can sense and physically feel their agreement with his request and tells them that he has a plan for their escape and survival, but they must act now to endure as a people. Lucas quickly outlines his ambitious escape plan and asks for their suggestions for changes and improvement.

Twelve space-capable Furyan ships slowly rose from the planets' surface spirally up in a direction diametrically opposite of the Necromongers attack on the major cities of Furya. Unknown to them, they were the last surviving Furyans other than stragglers being hunted down in the cities. These Furyans hoped to avoid detection as long as possible and create sufficient distance between them and the Necromongers to enable them to safely reach the outer edge of the Furyan solar system and the only available hyperspace portal before being overtaken and attacked.

With the Necromongers' focus on the cleanup of stragglers in the major Furyan cities the small contingent of Furyan ships passed through gaps in the detection sectors surrounding the planet. Necromonger inattention tips the odds of reaching the edge of space in favor of the Furyans. The ships stream unabated into outer space headed toward the hyperspace portal.

Inside the lead transport ship their leader knows how desperate their escape attempt is, and that in all likelihood the Necromongers will catch them before they can reach the jump point. Although he has not seen any of the Necromonger ships he knows that their space ships are built for war and should easily overtake and destroy all their simple space craft, once detected. He must buy more time to enable as many of their ships as possible to escape through the portal, but having no weapons on the ships the options are limited.

Desperation and luck serve as his inspiration and Lucas comes up with an idea, an idea that would please, and fit the mind set of any Furyan. From his desk in the ships command center he contacts the eleven other ship captains and explains his plan. Communicating via split video screen he asks the other captains which ships have the least women and children onboard and least valuable supplies. Through a quick count they determine that four of the ships have four or less families onboard, little or no supplies onboard and that his, the lead ship has only his family onboard, his wife, and son. The Alpha tells them that those four ships they have identified along with his ship, will drop back and engage the Necromongers to provide adequate time for the rest of the ships to open their distance, providing enough time to reach and pass through the hyperspace portal along with the escape pods. The Furyan captains knew without being told that there is only one way that their transport ships could "engage" the Necromonger ships, using their ships as battering rams in a suicide mission. He tells them that the families on each of the five ships will be jettisoned in their escape pods, in the direction of the portal, to be picked up by the other escaping ships once they have passed through.

Lucas, the Furyan Alpha, explains that their ramming attack should take the Necromongers completely by surprise and cause them to change their tactics. Lucas knows that trying to keep from being rammed requires a different mindset than just shooting at defenseless transport ships, and the Necromongers are not of that mindset. In order to react to the ramming Furyan ships the Necromongers are focused on avoiding the ramming spaceships they will not be able to target the colony ships or other transports. This tactic should cause enough confusion to give the other Furyan ships the time needed to reach the portal and complete their jump to safety.

He also explains that if possible, once the ship captains have set their ship's navigation controls onto a collision course with the Necromonger ship then they can also try to escape using their escape pods as well, but that the ultimate objective is to ram the Necromongers. They all know that option is not going to happen and that each of them will be on a suicide mission, but for a cause they would all gladly die for.

Inside the Necromonger ship a crewman sitting at a radar detection station turns to his watch captain and tells him that he has detected a flight of twelve ships on the far side of the planet heading toward the outer solar system. His comments, overheard by the Lord Marshall and before the watch captain can answer the crewman, the Lord Marshall comments to the Ship Commander.

Commander, how can this be, why were those ships not destroyed already in the initial attack? The ship Commander, taken aback by the unfolding events tells the Lord Marshall that those ships were from a part of the planet that was supposed to be uninhabitable and vacant of human life. The Lord Marshall yells at him, telling him that this whole planet is supposed to be uninhabitable.

Obviously, your early scouting reports were wrong. No matter, YOU, get off this ship and take three Dreadnaught class ships, catch them. Destroy them before they can reach the jump point, and ensure that every man, woman, and child is destroyed. Do not come back until all are dead and report back directly to me when done. In a raised voice he tells him, better that you do not return if you fail me.

The Necromonger Commander transferred over to the lead dreadnaught ship as quickly as possible with fear in his heart knowing that the transfer will give the Furyans more distance to overcome. The Lord Marshall would accept nothing less than a report that all the Furyans were dead.

Arriving onboard the lead Dreadnaught, he is met by the ships' captain who asks him what are his orders. He tells the captain to proceed at maximum speed and catch the fleeing Furyan ships, and when they catch them, destroy them all. He emphasizes the Lord Marshall's order to prevent the escape of any Furyans through the hyperspace portal, and his orders that they all be destroyed.

As the hours tick by the Necromonger Dreadnaughts continue to slowly gain on the fleeing Furyans. The Necromonger Commander, sitting in the command chair turns to face the ship's captain standing next to him. Tell me Captain why we have not caught them yet? At this speed, they will reach the jump point before we have a chance to destroy them. These are Dreadnaught class ships; can't they travel any faster? Have you forgotten what the Lord Marshall has commanded us to do?

Yes, Commander, I have not forgotten our orders. As every hour passes we are gaining on their position, and will reach them long before they reach the portal jump point. They will not get beyond this sun's gravity well before we can destroy them all.

Inside the lead Furyan ship the Furyan leader, Lucas is speaking with the other Furyan ship captains via video transmission. As our navigator calculated, even at full speed the Necromongers will overtake us just before we reach the gravity well and the hyperspace jump point. We should make ready to execute our plan, prepare to move those men, women, and children into the escape pods. It is critical that the escape pods are ejected as soon after the portal is open or they will not be able to reach it and pass through. They will be left, defenseless, to drift in space until destroyed at the leisure of the Necromongers.

The Necromonger ships, at full throttle, continue to gain on the escaping Furyan ships, and close the distance gap and are finally within weapons range to start their attack on the Furyan ships.

Inside the Necromonger Command ship the Commander asks the ship captain. Are they within range yet captain? Are we ready to attack? They are near the jump point and must not open the portal. They must all be destroyed, or we can never return.

The Command Ship Captain tells the Commander that, our lead ships are within range now and ready to fire, and all our ships will be within range soon. The Commander quickly responds, then what are you waiting for, fire on them! The Captain hesitates to give the order and tells the Commander that four of the Furyan ships have turned. They are heading back toward our ships.

The Necromonger Commander, shouts at the captain, what are you talking about?

The ship Captain responds, telling him that four of the Furyan ships have turned back toward us, splitting up their formation and I believe trying to reverse course and pass us.

As the four Furyan ships turn-about and head toward the Necromonger ships, each jettison their escape pods containing those families and crewmen not needed to execute the diversion plan. At that moment, the Necromonger ship Captain tells the Commander that the four ships are set on collision courses with the Dreadnaughts, attempting to ram them.

The Necromonger Commander, yelling at the ship Captain. They don't carry any weapons capable of harming us, fire on them you fool. Destroy them before they can reach us.

The Dreadnaught Weapons Master yells fire and a barrage of weapons fire issues forth from the two lead Dreadnaughts, targeted at the four Furyan transports that turned back at them. The Furyan ships weave back and forth to minimize the direct laser fire on them, but still maintain a collision course. The dreadnaughts are forced to maneuver as well, and a cat and mouse game ensues as they adjust their battle formation to try to maximize their fire power but keep the Furyan space craft off a collision course with either of them.

Now that the Dreadnaughts have become preoccupied as planned, with immediate tactical maneuvers, the lead Furyan transports and escape pods are able to reach the Furyan system jump point and begin the process of opening the hyperspace portal.

The plan devised by Lucas has worked to perfection so far. The Furyans have been able to outwit and out maneuver the Necromongers and reach the vicinity of the hyperspace portal, now the most difficult aspect of the plan was to be executed.

The lead Furyan transport activates their warp controls and the edges of a circular section of space start to vibrate and wavier as a hyperspace connection is established with another jump point across and within the galaxy. As the connection is finally established, a worm hole tunnel is created between distant points in the galaxy. Before entering the portal, the ships can see through the connection and view the light of stars and solar systems located light years away. With the portal connection established the lead ship engages its engines and starts to pass through the portal opening, followed closely behind by the other ships and escape pods.

The Necromonger ships detect, and observe the portal opening, and connection with a distant jump point. The Necromonger Commander yells at the Dreadnaught Captain that the Furyans are getting away and that they must stop them as they observe the lead ship pass through the open portal. The Captain orders his lead ship to break off their engagement with the threatening transports, on a collision course with them, and change their targeting toward the Furyan ships headed through the portal.

As the Dreadnaughts begins to redirect its fire on the Furyan ships trying to pass through the portal, the other Furyan ships continued moving forward on a set collision course. The third Furyan ship to attempt passage through the portal takes multiple, direct hits causing explosions and fires to erupt within the ships interior hull, but with their engines still intact and at maximum thrust the ship continues its course through the portal. The damage done, the ships' passage through the tunnel is uneventful, but the ship explodes into multiple pieces as it exists on the other side of the portal.

With that success, the Dreadnaught turns to fire on the next Furyan ship attempting to pass through the portal but is unable to pivot in time before colliding with one of the Furyan ships still bent on its suicide run. The dreadnaught had tried to take an evasive turn to prevent the much smaller ship from colliding with it, but the laws of physics are immutable and must prevail. The prevailing speeds of each space ship preclude any substantial changes in position or momentum of either ship, resulting in the planned collision by the Furyan ship. It strikes the lead Dreadnaught off center, in the aft section of the ship, its speed and mass pushing it through the outer armor, into and through interior compartments, opening a hole in the opposite side of the vessel, ripping the dreadnaught into two uneven pieces hanging together by strands of internal structural metal. Laser deflecting and explosive deflecting armor provides scant protection against the shear mass of a space at full throttle. The dreadnaughts' armor and interior structure were never designed to protect against the force of a fellow space ship, even a much smaller ship, intent on occupying the same space at the same time. The collision results in a dissolution of the ships interior integrity, with multiple explosions that effectively destroy the dreadnaughts ability to operate as a war craft or in any other functional capacity. The first part of the Furyan plan is working, the Necromongers are down to just two ships, both still under suicide attack, with the other Furyan space ships continuing toward the jump point.

Watching as the Necromonger ship is broken in two partially connected pieces, destroyed by the suicidal Furyan vessel, the Necromonger Commander stands, mouth agape, stunned, taken completely by surprise. When told of his mission he had expected an easy clean up job, just catch the Furyans and destroy their ships with the superior firepower of the Dreadnaughts. He had heard of the Furyans reputation for ferocity in fighting, but never thought that would include intentional suicide with their space craft. He was in disbelief that they would care so little for their lives as to commit suicide in attacking them. He had of course, expected them to try and out run them to the jump point and in failing that, to flee in multiple directions out into open space, or to turn and fight. But never this craziness. He realizes, too late, that the four remaining Furyan ships headed toward them have no intention of trying to escape, but instead are intent on destroying themselves and the Necromongers by ramming the remaining dreadnaughts.

Although initially stunned the Necromonger Commander quickly regains his composure and directs the Captains of both ships to fire at will, with every weapon available, at the three advancing ships. This order is quickly followed by another, commanding them to launch smaller attack ships to target those Furyan ships that were still heading toward the hyperspace portal, as well as the ejected escape pods. His commands are met with actions, as both Necromonger ships begin a relentless barrage of weapons fire on the Furyan ships and the jettisoned escape pods.

The superior capabilities of the Necromonger ships becomes evident as they fire at and easily destroy one of the Furyan ships while simultaneously executing evasive maneuvers to prevent another ramming.

The Captain of the second Necromonger dreadnaught yells at his helmsman to continue evasive maneuvers to avoid colliding with the Furyan ship, but his commands are too late and on the Necromonger Command ship his Commander watches on an observation screen as in slow motion the second Furyan ship drives head-on, deep into the interior of the Necromonger ship. Breaking through the outside armored skin, and into the interior walls, causing internal explosions and structural collapse. The resulting shock and interior damages prevents the launch of smaller ships to carry forth the attack against the escape pods and other Furyan ships that had not passed through the portal.

The Commander also watches the ejection of an escape pod from the rear of the ramming ship just before striking the Necromonger ship, along with the simultaneous jettisoning of an escape pod from the Furyan leader's ship. The two escape pods, although on different initial trajectories, ignite their small engines, quickly reaching maximum thrust and head toward the hyperspace portal.

Inside the first pod are two families and in the second pod the Furyan leader's wife and son. All family members hold their heads back against their chair headrests and steady themselves in their seats to counter the effects of ship acceleration as the escape pod continues to charge toward the jump portal. Each of the family members are dressed in space suits even though each compartment was capable of sustaining life without the suits. The respective escape pod engine fire and the pods head directly toward the open jump portal.

As the Furyan ship cuts into the second Necromonger dreadnaught, the Necromonger commander yells for evasive maneuvers and sounds the collision alarms. As the two remaining Furyan space ships turn and head toward the last Necromonger ship. As they start to close on their intended targets the lead Necromonger ship fires on the Furyan space ship that was in the rear of the squadron, hitting the ship in multiple places causing fires and explosions to erupt throughout the ship. At the same time, the third and fourth Furyan ships crash into their intended target, the last Necromonger Dreadnaught, causing it to erupt and explode. But not before it unleashes its last barrage of weapons fire. The barrage includes laser fire, and missiles, aimed at the escape pods and the last of the Furyan ships. The last Furyan ship sustains one missile hit, with the nearby escape pod suffering damage from shrapnel and wreckage jettisoned from the missile strike. The ship can continue forward toward the open portal, but the escape pod is knocked off course and severely damaged, leaving it a broken jumble of wreckage now just drifting in space.

On seeing the last two Furyan ships strike into the last dreadnaught the Furyan leader knows that the escape plan has worked better than he had ever thought and that most of his people would escape the pogrom and live to see another day. But this knowledge is little solace to him as he witnessed the Necromongers attack and destroy the escape pod holding his family. He screamed no repeatedly, but no words come out of his mouth as he pounds his fist against the control panel, cursing the Necromongers. The Furyan Commander glares at his view screen with shinning eyes and targets the space ships' computer tracking and guidance system on the center of the Necromonger Command ship's mass. Ensuring that the engines are locked at full speed ahead the Furyan leader leaves the command room and heads toward the escape pod. He has set the ship controls so that the speed and momentum of the ship will continue a crash course with the last Necromonger dreadnaught, ensuring its complete and final destruction.

On reaching the aft section of the ship where the escape pods are located, Lucas quickly selects a space suit, dons the suit and turns to the escape pods. Opening the first pod he reaches, he straps himself in and initiates the escape sequence. As the Furyan spaceship continues its collision course toward the Necromonger ship the escape pod engines ignite and the pod separates from the dying ship with its small engines at full thrust and navigation course set to bring it to, and through the still open jump portal.

Inside his families' escape pod, the weapons damage, causing the internal structural collapse is catastrophic. The inside of the escape pod is all twisted metal, with all compartments open to space. All the escaping family members are dead with the exception of one small boy, who has suffered a head injury and is locked in place under twisted and broken walls. By this time the last of the eight escaping Furyan space ships along with several escape pods have passed through the jump point and transitioned across the galaxy putting them beyond the reach of any follow-on Necromonger searches. On the other side of the jump portal the Furyan ships start the process of closing the portal down to prevent the Necromongers from following them through the portal and across into another part of the cosmos.

The Necromonger Commander is told that the remaining Furyan transport ship is headed directly at them. He reacts and gives the order to fire all his weapons at the incoming Furyan space ship, but is unable to release any weapons due to the damage they have sustained internally. The Necromonger ship had been mortally hit in a number of vital places with explosions occurring throughout. The Necromonger ship was dead, just awaiting the final internal explosion to occur.

He realizes that the Furyans have won, and succeeded in their last-ditch effort to escape and survive the pogrom. Three Necromonger Dreadnaughts destroyed, four Furyan ships sacrificed, only one Furyan transport and four of the escape pod destroyed, leaving six Furyan ships safely through the portal heading toward another part of the galaxy, and one last Furyan transport ship on a collision course with the Necromonger Command ship.

The pod heads toward the still open jump point, on a direct course until it reaches and enters the portal. As the Furyan leader's escape pod emerges through the other end of the hyperspace connection the leader broadcasts an all clear signal and a Furyan ship dissolves the hyperspace connection, closing the portal.

On Furya the Necromongers continue with their destruction of the Furyan people. Attacking each city and town from the air, followed by the insertion of waves of shock troops. The ground forces all have simple orders, kill any and all Furyans, man, woman, or child, that they find. The onslaught is followed by teams of detectors that must declare the land clear of living Furyans before the troops can move into another area.

The Lord Marshall is informed that all contact has been lost with the Dreadnaughts and no other activity is observed or detected in the vicinity of the hyperspace portal. He commands a ship to go to the area, investigate, determine what has happened and report back directly to him.

The Necromonger ship arrives near the hyperspace portal and begins recording the amount and type of wreckage that is scattered throughout. The ship records the distributed debris of Necromonger dreadnaughts, Furyan transport ships, shattered escape pods, as well as the energy signature of a previously open hyperspace portal. The wreckage and damaged that they see in the volume of space surrounding the jump point is consistent with a climactic space battle and the total destruction of all involved.

The Necromonger observation ship returns to Furya and the Commander reports to the Lord Marshall. He tells him that all three Dreadnaughts have been destroyed, each broken into pieces by the Furyan ships that rammed each ship. He tells him that it is clear from viewing the wreckage that the Dreadnaughts were never fired upon with any weapons, projectile or laser, and that the Furyans used their transport ships to ram and destroy the Dreadnaughts. He also informs the Lord Marshall that the detectable tachyon energy levels indicate that the hyperspace portal had been opened and a connection made with another part of the galaxy. For how long, and whether any ships were able to pass through the portal could not be determined, and there is no way to know where any ships that may have passed through the portal could have gone. The Lord Marshall grunts his acknowledgment of the report and turns away to focus on the near completion of the pogrom on the planet.

After attacking the Furyans for ten days straight the Necromongers have completed their slaughter of all living Furyans, wiping out an entire culture and people. They have been efficient and ruthless in their systematic extermination of the Furyans. The Lord Marshall was satisfied that he has removed any threat to his future existence, notwithstanding the possible escape of the small band of Furyans earlier in the pogrom. The Necromonger forces return to their ships, pack up, and leave Furya as quickly as they came, mission accomplished, heretics destroyed, departing the system through the hyperspace portal for other worlds to conquer.

In the area surrounding the Furyan hyperspace portal the remains of the destroyed Furyan ships and Necromonger dreadnaughts drift together as a vast collection of burned out hulls, shattered ships, and drifting broken escape pods, a Saragossa Sea in space. Left as a debris marker for any future travelers transiting to the Furya jump point.

Two full day after the Necromongers have left, a circle in space begins to wavier and vibrate, indicating the opening of the hyperspace portal and a successful connection between jump points. On completion of the connection, a pirate space ship slowly exists the portal with all detection and scanning equipment running at maximum sensitivity levels. Their precaution in passing through the portal at minimum speed is rewarded, as they encounter the drifting debris field and can maneuver immediately to avoid contact with large and small pieces of structural metal and other space ship interior fragments.

They have come to this area as part of a tried and true salvage routine. Many years ago, they had found that following the travels of the Necromongers, arriving shortly after they have left a system or planet, enabled them to be the first to pick over the remains of the Necromonger conquests. The Necromongers always left a lot of valuable, salvable equipment and supplies behind after they had taken their quotas of converts. They had shown little to no interest in the material objects of the worlds they had left behind. So, like clockwork, the pirates arrived in the Furyan system two days after the Necromongers left to begin their search and salvage operations.

The pirate Captain commands his salvage crews to start checking each large ship wreckage for salvageable supplies and/or equipment. Each salvage crew departed the command ship in vehicles that had been structurally reinforced and ruggedized to work in hazardous debris areas. They start with an investigation of the Necromonger dreadnaughts, scanning the large pieces of ship debris for intact pieces of equipment that can be cut out and possibly resold. Because each of the dreadnaughts had the Furyan transports destructively embedded in their interiors they could scan both vessels at once, which cut down on the amount of time needed to exam them. The destruction that had occurred was total. Very few pieces of useable equipment were found within or outside of the wreckage, but they observed many bodies floating about in the debris field, bloated, broken, all with ruptured space suits. All dead because of explosive decompression due to exposure to true space, or as a result of injuries from internal ship explosions.

During an inspection of one damaged escape pod, the salvage crew detects the signs of life within a closed compartment. Miraculously, the weapons attack on the escape pod had resulted in the creation of a closed air pocket within the interior, twisted steel walls where two compartments formerly stood. Their scanning equipment indicated that there was a live human inside somewhere, along with the dead bodies of many others. Surprised that anyone could be alive, they start their break into the closed space with medical and other survival equipment standing by in case the individual requires emergency assistance.

The pirates cut through the metal wall with a construction laser and removed the cut pieces of the wreckage with hydraulic mechanical pry bars. Now that the closed-off room has been opened to space the available atmosphere starts to quickly dissipate. Looking in the hole the pirates can see the body of a small male Furyan boy. He is conscious and dressed in a survival space suit, with the helmet and faceplate open, gasping for air, trapped underneath twisted steel and broken furniture. As the air continues to dissipate, he closes the faceplate and waits patiently.

The pirates reach the body, remove the metal beams that have trapped him underneath, and lift the small boy up and take him off the broken ship. Brought back onto their salvage ship, still conscious, he is placed in a bed, given a quick medical scan and found to be in good health despite being trapped on the ship for two days with a head injury. During the scan, the medical attendant does note that the boy was wearing goggles underneath his space helmet, and after removing them realizes they are protection for his eyes' night vision and leaves them on. After being administered a fluid drip, he falls into a deep, but restful sleep.

After sleeping for a long period, the boy awakens. The room had been left dark for his comfort and on awakening he opens his eyes, blinks and sees clearly. He touches his forehead, noticing that his goggles are missing, looks to the stand next to the bed and retrieves his goggles and places them back on his head, but not over his eyes. He decides to get up from the bed and removes the IV from his arm, and gets out of the bed. Standing next to the bed, he looks around the small room and finds his clothes in a neat pile on a chair sitting next to the in-wall closet. After removing his medical garb, he dresses and continues his search of the various desk draws until he finds a small surgical blade that he can use as a weapon, slipping it into his pant pocket.

The pirates who had him under remote observation, see that he has awakened and dressed himself, enter the room to tell him that they will take him to their boss at this time, never observing that he had taken a surgical blade with him.

As the two pirates open the door and enter the room, they switch on the room lights temporarily blinding the boy with the bright lights. He quickly pulls down his goggles and stands facing them, goggles on with no fear or other emotion showing on his face. One of the pirates starts to place his hand on the boy's arm and he snatches away and tries to pull away from the pirate. The pirates are surprised at his strength and both must wrestle with him in order to get him under control. After struggling for a short while they can finally grab both his arms, pulling them behind his back, with one of the pirates getting hit in his nose for their efforts.

The two men walk him, with his arms pinned behind him, forward through the ships' passageways to the pirate ship command room and present him to the pirate Chief. There he stands, a ten-year-old Furyan male youth, barely half their size, but already possessing twice their strength. The pirate Chief sits, a large black, muscular male, surrounded by a group of seven other pirates standing to his left and right sides. Held in front of the pirate Chief with his arms pinned back, the boy continues to struggle against his larger handlers, but is let go after a signal from the Chief. The Chief gives a signal and the room lights are dimmed. He stares at the boy, asks him to lift his goggles so that he can see his eyes. The boy does as commanded, lifts his black goggles and lets the assembled pirates see his shinning, backlit Furyan eyes. On seeing his eyes one of the pirates calls out "Furyan" and states that the boy is a Furyan and that he had heard of that unique mutation that certain Furyan men and women had that enabled them to see in pure darkness.

The Pirate Chief nods his head and asks, "what should we do with you?" The boy makes no comment, and the Chief then asks him what his name is and he says he doesn't remember. The pirate Chief then tells him to come closer so that he can get a better look at him. As the young Furyan steps forward, in one smooth motion he reaches into his back pocket, leaving his hand in place until he is within arm's reach of the Commander. As the Pirate Chief continues to focus on his eyes the boy, using his right hand, pulls the small surgical blade from his back pocket and attempts to cut the pirate's throat with a right to left slashing motion. As quick as the boy is, the pirate chief was on guard, jerking back his head and throat while reaching for the boy's arm. The Chief grabs his hands, but not before he receives a shallow cut across his left cheek. The other pirates, watching the boys attempt at cutting their Chief and his reaction, smile but make no motion to interfere. A small trickle of blood starts to drip from the cut and the Chief smiles and starts to laugh as he holds the boy's hands apart and in the air. After laughing loud and long he says, staring at the young Furyan, I see that you have the Furyan hand speed, the Furyan eyes, and you have the Furyan spirit as well. Laughing he says, we can always use a man with your spirit in my crew. Since you don't remember your name, from this moment on you will have a new life and new name with us, you will be called Riddick.

Twenty-five years later, Riddick is looking between large red/green leaves at a large male Cronker as it hunts.

CHAPTER THREE – THE HUNTER

Near sunset, in a dense forest on a medium size world in the outer rim of the galaxy, a shadowy picture of Riddick's face, partially obscured by thick red/green foliage peaks through a small opening as he watches the planets top predator as it hunts. Riddick is wearing his goggles to protect his eyes from the setting sun, quietly waiting as the sun slowly sets bringing on the long night. The planet is one of the few worlds where the days are much shorter than the long nights, which suits Riddick's visual acuities perfectly.

Riddick lifts his goggles up onto his forehead and slowly parts the large overlapping leaves to obtain a better view with his enhanced night vision, of the predator, a Mer-cat, as it stocks a herd of herbivores. The small herd consists of one very large horned male Cronker. The animal was over fifteen feet in height at its shoulders, with a large deer shaped head over one meter in length, two large flat beaks that served as plates for grinding their grass and wood bark diet, and two, two-meter-high spiral horns with multiple smaller spirals branching off the main horn.

The head sloped down to a thick neck, and six tentacle arms and six large muscular hoofed legs. The Cronkers were some of the largest herbivores in the known universe, and were capable of leaping over twenty feet in a single bound when fleeing. The adult males and females, because of their size and ferocity had no natural enemies. Their mode of foraging, typical of most herbivores, consisted of walking into any large, thick growth of foliage, eating all vegetation within reach of their tentacles and then moving onto a new patch.

The large male was slowing grazing inside a large patch of vegetation at the back of a small herd of four adult females and six to eight younger Cronkers. The Mer-cat kept a watchful eye on the large male as it tracked the movement of its intended prey, the younger, smaller, and more vulnerable juvenile Cronkers. The Mer-cat stocking them was larger than an old-earth tiger, but built on the basic anatomical foundation as all other land animals on the planet, six legs, and six tentacle arms. Typical of all predators, its legs and tentacles ended in claws and a mouth with twin beaks shaped for slicing and cutting flesh rather than grinding. Although the Mer-cat was larger than an old earth tiger, its size and strength would not enable it to consider physically attacking a full-grown male Cronker. Adult Cronkers were only attacked if they showed clear signs of injury, and then only in desperation. Like all predators, the Mer-cat was here looking for an easy kill, hoping that one of the young would stray away from the herd or fall back as the herd moved onto other grazing areas.

Riddick, downwind of the Mer-cat, slowly moved back from the opening, bringing him further to the rear of the herd, and the predator. As sometimes happens, the swirling winds of the planet shifted, radically changing direction, bringing Riddick's scent to the Mer-cat and the herd of Cronkers, as well as the scent of the Mer-Cat to the Cronkers. On detection of the offending scents the Cronker reaction was instantaneous as they bugled in unified fear and started to bolt away, running and leaping in the opposite direction from the perceived danger represented by the predators' smells.

The Mer-cat's response is the opposite. Detecting the wind shift, the Mer-cat knew it was detected and that it had lost any chance of catching any of the young Cronkers. In stampeding away, they would get so far away he would not get close to them again this night. But, on detecting Riddick's scent the Mer-cat turns his head around toward the direction of the new smell and tries to locate Riddick's position to face this new, unknown, threat or opportunity.

Riddick stands dressed in Cronker leather, with a large wooden bow over his left shoulder and a large machete-like blade in his right hand, also realizes that the wind has shifted and he has been detected as he sees the Cronkers leaping away. His motionless, glittering eyes also see the Mer-cat lift its head and look back in his direction with an open mouth and bared beaks, not yet turning his body to align with this new target. A trio of tentacles above the Mer-cats head serving as scent glands weave back and forth smelling the winds for this new, unusual scent, ensuring that he is indeed facing the origination of the smell.

Riddick slowly starts to draw his bow, pulling the draw string back he takes aim at the Mer-cat. The Mer-cat, like all vertebrate animal life on the planet had two hearts, the smaller of the two located in the neck area near the brain, and the second, larger, in the lower abdomen, necessary to power and oxygenate the six legs. He knows that he will get only one shot before the Mer-cat will be on top of him, and he must hit one of the hearts to have any chance of surviving.

The Mer-cat has tried to get a bead on Riddick since first detecting his scent. Slowly turning his body in the direction of Riddick's scent, his scent glands waving back and forth, trying to catch the free-floating molecules of Riddick's body drifting on the wind in his direction. Although more dependent on his sense of smell the Mer-cat finally catches a glimpse of Riddick, and his body's muscles instinctively start to contract, coiling in anticipation of the launch, short sprint, and attack.

The Mer-Cat, preparing its steel hard muscles for the enviable launch, crouches down, coiling his six legs and shoulder muscles. Riddick, still partially hidden by the thick foliage, had brought his bow around his body into position and begins to draw back on the bow, aiming the arrow at the Mer-Cats secondary heart located in the lower abdomen. Riddick, knowing that the predator was going to attack soon, aimed at what he thought would be the future position of the Mer-Cat, not where the Mer-Cat was currently poised.

Timing the predators attack, Riddick releases the arrow before the Mer-Cat moves. Releasing the arrow, he quickly moves out of hiding into the clearing to face the creature. The Mer-Cat leaps in the direction that Riddick had expected, but the Mer-cat's reflexes are such that, on seeing the arrow in flight headed toward him, it pivots in mid-stride and dodges the arrow and whips its body around to re-launch its attack.

Riddick knows that he can't out run the six-legged animal, and doesn't have time to get in another shot with his bow. He drops his bow, moves out of the thick foliage and into the open area, setting himself for the onslaught of the Mer-cat. Riddick, muscles coiled, does the unexpected and surprises the Mer-cat, he charges toward the Mer-cat. The Mer-cat's instincts and actions ground into its DNA, are based on prey trying to flee its' onslaught, not attack it. Riddick launches himself at the Mer-cat, directly into the path of the big male animal, catching him temporarily off guard and not in the correct position for Riddick's attack.

They collide like two battering rams. Riddick's tactic is successful, leading with his blade, slamming himself directly into the chest of the Mer-cat, he bypasses the outstretched clawed tentacles as they whip over and around his body. He grunts from the collision and almost loses his breath. His tactic has worked and he has avoided a direct hit from the clawing tentacles, but has suffered a direct hit from the collision and multiple shallow scratches, visible as six parallel red lines cut through his clothes, across his chest and back. Riddick's attack has also brought him face-to-face with the beaked mouth, snapping open and shut trying to rend his flesh, but with his blade inside the Mer-Cat's lower abdomen, into the secondary heart. With his body in between the tentacle claws he places his head to the side of the snapping beak, Riddick wraps his left arm around the massive head, while removing his first thrust in the secondary heart and attempting a thrust into the Mer-cat's neck area, with the blade in his right hand. Blue blood spurts outward, from Riddick's two successful deep knife thrusts, covering his body from his legs to chest.

The Mer-cat, unable to gain a suitable grip on Riddick with his tentacles, and suffering from the two heart wounds, jerks its head up and down, and back and forth, shaking Riddick off and onto the ground. Riddick twists and kicks back, as he falls to the ground, rolls backward and turns standing erect in a fighting stanch with his bloody blade held up and ready. The Mer-cat, bleeding and stunned from Riddick's knife thrusts and kick, quickly recovers, loudly hisses his challenge to Riddick and coils, preparing to attack again. Riddick stands tall with a single, blooded blade in his right hand facing the Mer-cat, tentacle arms waving back and forth slashing the air, rearing up, standing on its hind four legs, gushing blood running down the right side of its neck, chest, and abdomen area.

Riddick breathes hard, preparing for the charge, with his left-hand motioning for the Mer-cat to come and get him. The Mer-Cat doesn't care or understand the gesture but takes Riddick's motion as an invitation to attack, leaping forward in a single bound at Riddick with all six of his tentacles outstretched.

Riddick decides again to do the unexpected, once again rushing at the Mer-cat instead of trying to avoid the assault. He dives under the charging Mer-cat's tentacles and slides between the kicking legs, striking upward with one knife thrust. Hitting the previous knife wound again, more blue blood gushes downward onto Riddick's face and chest, as the previous wound opens wider and the animal's momentum carries him past and over Riddick. Riddick executes a back flip as he emerges from underneath the animal, turns to face the Mer-cat as the Mer-cat turns as well, but starts to slow, stop, and eventually drop to the ground, still gushing blue blood from the twin, fatal wounds that Riddick has caused.

Riddick, stands over the blood covered body of the Mer-Cat, breathing hard, catching his breath. When he had decided to go out hunting that day it was not for a Mer-Cat, but here he stood looking down at an animal that was always killed with high powered rifles, never by a single man with just a knife blade.

Two men standing outside in an ally next to an old building in a run-down part of town, staring down at a tarp covered platform. The heavier of the two, a burly man, looks at Riddick and asks him what he must show him. Riddick looks at the man, saying nothing to him. In one smooth motion Riddick steps, back and pulls away the wide, black tarp, revealing the body of a large male Mer-cat. The burly man steps back, exclaiming dam and whistles as he walks around the animal and tells Riddick that it is the largest Mer-cat he has ever seen and that he first thought that Riddick had two of them, not just one under the tarp, as he has never seen one so large.

Riddick tells him that it ought to be worth a lot more than usual. The big merchant says yes under his breath and continues to walk around the carcass and stare. After taking a few more steps around the Mer-Cat he tells Riddick that there have been some Mercenaries coming around asking about him.

His interest piqued, Riddick simply says Mercs you say? The merchant doesn't answer him directly and changes the subject, stating he doesn't see any blast holes in the hide, just two puncture wounds.

Riddick tells him that's because there are none. Looking skeptically at Riddick he asks if all he used was a knife, as he doesn't see any other wounds other than two knife stabs. Shaking his head in disbelief, the merchant states that it would probably be best if those Mercenaries didn't catch up with Riddick.

Later that night Riddick prepares for bed in his small hunting lodge, slowly changing out of his clothes inside a large room with a fire place. As he removes his shirt, the scares and muscle from a life time of running and fighting are visible on Riddick's chest and back.

CHAPTER FOUR – NECROMONGERS The infinite blackness silhouettes a squadron of six space ships moving forward in the void with a billion stars in the background. Stationed outside the hyperspace jump point leading to New Gamma, the Necromonger six ship squadron awaits the opening of the portal. The ships are all that remain of the once formidable and feared Necromongers. They had lost over seventy percent of their former populace due to an internal biological epidemic, and several battles with various human planetary space fleets. Now they were on the run, with little or no thoughts of reaching the Underverse, trying desperately to find a place safe for them to hide, heal, and restore their former glory.

The Necromongers had been the most feared scourge in human space. Attacking planetary systems at will, killing or converting whole populations, they ravaged complete systems where ever their travelled. Few planetary systems had the space fleet and resources to withstand their assaults. But during the short reign of Riddick as Lord Marshall he passed on a mutated virus, harmless to Furyans and humans but deadly to those converted into the Necromonger faith. The virus, harmless to normal humans, became a wasting disease to in humans when undergoing the Necromonger transition, and to those that had already undergone the transition.

The virus was not man-made, just a nature mutation, that did not affect the daily life or survival of normal humans. The disease was lethal for those humans possessing the virus when they underwent the Necromonger transition, as well those that had already undergone the process. The virus was deadly, with an eighty percent lethality rate. Humans that were transitioning became ill immediately, their blood system shutting down followed by complete internal organ failure. Individuals would die within days after attempting the transition. Those that had already undergone the transition before being exposed to the virus took longer to exhibit symptoms, and die from exposure, months, but the lethality rate was just as high.

The virus was transmitted through respiratory inhalation and by touch, and extremely contagious. The Necromongers first became aware of the disease during the reign of Riddick when their new converts from the planet Darma, became ill and started to die soon after their conversion. None of their scientists were able to discover a cure and by the time they understood how it was transmitted, many other Necromongers had been exposed and had transmitted the virus via personnel transfers to other ships within the Necromonger fleet. By that time Riddick had left the Necromongers, tricked into fruitless search for his lost home world, Furya.

It was much too late, the damage had been done, the virus spread to almost every ship in the Necromonger fleet. The new Lord Marshal, Vaako had personally given the order for each infected ship to remove the risk of exposure through self-destruction or internal poisoning with gas. The Command Ship and those five other ships that were declared clean of the virus were all that was left of the once mighty Necromongers.

They were militarily incapable of imposing their will and faith onto new human worlds. They needed time and a place to recover, and rebuild their forces and population. They could not do that in space ships traveling from planet to planet. Their recovery demanded the resources available only on a planet. Where they could hide, find a cure for the disease, grow a clone army and then begin their planet by planet attack and conversion again.

New Gamma was that suitable planet. It was sufficiently remote, located well outside of the normal commerce and trading sectors of the human galaxy, with enough nature resources, and very little indigenous population to contend with.

The Lord Marshal surrounded on three sides in front of a table, by his few remaining Necromonger Commanders, discusses their plans for New Gamma. He tells them that the planet is in a remote system, difficult to reach, but perfect for their plans. It is a place where they will stay, planet bound to recover and rebuild. It is perfect for their next phase of regeneration.

We must preserve and rebuild our life as Necromongers. This disease has almost destroyed us and we must find a cure. The existing population is small, natural resources and available land are abundant, and we will have the time and seclusion needed to regain our magnificence as a people.

Our first step is to take over the planet, minimizing infrastructure destruction, and establish a base for research and development. Once we have transitioned from our ships to the planet we will complete development of the clone army for protection and future battles once we find a cure. Surrounded by his chief military advisors standing around a 3D map of the solar system that depicts the interstellar and world defenses they will have to defeat, he explains that this system has a single portal and we can control entry into the system by leaving a couple of ships to guard it. There is very little traffic into this system and we should have few visitors or difficulties with those that may come here.

The Necromonger command ship starts the process and a circular void in space begins to take form as the connection with another part of the human galaxy is begun. As the connection is completed the Necromongers can see the stars of their new destination, they begin to move forward and activate their warp drive enabling them to safely transition through the portal.

Existing through the portal the Necromonger squadron proceeds toward the single inhabited planet in the four-planet system, leaving three smaller destroyer class ships to guard the portal.

Although not as formable as they once were, the Necromongers possessed more than sufficient manpower and fire power to take over the planet, New Gamma and expected little if any resistance.

New Gamma had been specifically selected by the Necromongers because of its isolated location and the difficulty in reaching the system from other inhabited worlds. That isolation would serve the Necromongers well if their plans for recovery and rejuvenation were to take form and succeed.

Inside the Necromonger primary command ship the Lord Marshall is meeting with his inner staff, telling his generals and scientist that if they are to serve as "THE" human religion and eventually reach the Underverse, they need to find a cure for the plague that hit them and replenish their ranks. He tells them that many have died from the Necromonger-plague since their last conquest and they have been unable to maintain their population. They are here at New Gamma to rebuild and then continue their quest for the Underverse.

The Lord Marshall pivots away from the group of advisors and walks toward a private side room, motioning for the scientist alone to follow him. Closing the door behind him as the scientist enters, the Lord Marshall turns to the chief scientist and asks what have you done to cure the disease? Why don't we have a cure? We can't survive as Necromongers if no cure is found and we continue to die from this Necromonger-phage. It continues to deplete our ranks, tens of thousands have already died and thousands continue dying every day.

He asks him how the cloning project is going and whether it will work as a possible solution to their problem? We have dwindled down to our core, forced to use clones to fight as our soldiers. The chief scientist starts to give an answer, but is cut off by the High Marshall, find an answer or we will all die. The scientist, with a look of failure on his face, tells the Lord Marshall that the clones are only a temporary fix at best. That their cloning process, like all others, results in copies that lack the full mental and physical capabilities of the original and have at most a four-year life span. He tells him that they have created clones of many different subjects and the best so for are those of the former Lord Marshall, Riddick. We were able to obtain samples of his genetic material when he was here and used that to create his cones. Most of their fighting men are Riddick clones and serve them well. They are good, but even his clones do not possess his raw strength and vitality.

The Lord Marshal asks to see one of the clones. The scientist speaks into a small transceiver and asks one of his minions to bring in one of the clones. He turns back toward the Lord Marshal and continues to speak with him regarding the abilities and limitations of the clones. We have created clones from several of our strongest Necromongers and none have demonstrated the strength and power of the Riddick clones. The Lord Marshall asks why are the Riddick clones so much better? We believe that it is because his base genetic material, his Furyan ancestry, is superior to that of the other subjects and has been capable of withstanding the coning process better than any others tested. We have created a few squads of shock troops from his genome material, which should serve well as the first wave to attack New Gamma. They are fast, strong, obedient, following any and all orders without question. Their limitations are few. They are of course being limited to a four-year life span, are not as strong, fast, or

intelligent as the original, and do not possess his night vision abilities.

A knock at the door and the guard standing outside ushers in one of the experimental clones into the room. The clone is dressed in a standard Necromonger military uniform without a helmet. It is a clone of Riddick, same height, and build, standing at attention, but without his shiny night vision eyes. The high marshal asks whether he has been tested and how has he been tested. The scientist tells him that he has passed every test they have devised and will follow instructions as told. He tells the Lord Marshal that the clones are better, faster, and stronger than all of their other men, and will make great Necromongers for the short time that they are active.

The Lord Marshal stares at the clone, directs him to remove his shirt, scanning every inch of his muscular body, and wonders how much of the original Riddick's abilities the clones possessed? Riddick was a force of nature, whose combination of speed, strength, fighting skills, and sheer animal ferocity was unmatched by any other man he had ever known. As confident as he was in his own capabilities, in his mind he harbored secret doubts as to whether even he could defeat Riddick, or even one of his clones in a fight, realizing that they could and should be excellent fighters for them and serve their purposes well.

Inside the gleaming Command ship the latest Lord Marshall, slowly, carefully, moves around the outer edge of the circular pit, face-to-face with a man, identical to Riddick in every way except his eyes. Both men were bare to their waist, no shoes, clothed only in shorts. Lacking the Furyan night vision that Riddick possessed, the man worn no goggles and had normal eyes. He was a clone, created from cells collected from Riddick when he was the Necromonger Lord Marshall. The new Lord Marshal and his opponent each carried a short blade, trying to gain any edge before attacking. The battle was to the death and one wrong move could be their last.

Both men move in synchronous motion, shifting and adjusting their steps and movements as they stalked each other in the circular and pit. The Riddick clone makes the first move stepping forward with a knife thrust with his right hand, holding back the second blade in his left hand. The Lord Marshall had expected the attack, stood his ground, slashing downward on the thrusting right arm, leaving a deep, long gash on the top of his forearm. The wound is deep enough to cut tendons and cause the clone to drop his knife, leaving him only with the left-hand knife to face the Lord Marshall.

The Lord Marshall was being careful, he knew that the clone of Riddick did not have the strength, speed, or ferocity of the original, but was still more deadly than any other Necromonger he had faced. He was there, in the pit, only to prove to himself and all other Necromongers, that he was the most powerful Necromonger alive, that not even the Riddick clones could beat him. Having drawn first blood, he knew that victory would be his. The Lord Marshall would take his time and extend the length of the fight so that clone's arm would have time to bleed, slowly sapping his strength and energy. He had won many fights as a Necromonger in this manner, and was reluctant to change his ways.

The clone rubbed his right forearm with the back of his left hand hoping to slow the flow of blood dripping down his arm. He could feel the effects of blood loss as he moved back and forth and around the sand pit maintaining his guard against the expected attack of the Lord Marshall. Around and around the Lord Marshall moved, feinting attacks but never actually contacting with the clone. The clone did not realize until too late that the continued movement and feigned attacks were all part of a larger plan to wear him down to the point where he was too weak to pose a viable threat to the Lord Marshall. Discovering this, the clone knew that he had to attack now if he had any chance of surviving this fight. Lifting his right arm, the clone shakes his forearm toward the Lord Marshall's face hoping to blind the Lord Marshall with his blood, or at least to distract him with the splatter of blood from his blood and sweat soaked forearm. The Lord Marshall was taken aback temporarily by the splatter of blood, but not blinded, nor really distracted. He simply stood his ground, setting his feet in place, awaiting the enviable charge by the clone. The clone, almost on que attacked under the splatter of his own blood, moving forward with a left to right slashing motion, aimed at opening the Lord Marshall's lower abdomen. The Lord Marshall, expecting an attack stepped backward just enough to let the slash pass close to his stomach by no more than one centimeter as it crossed his body. Prepared, he quickly stepped back toward the clone and thrust his knife into the exposed left side of the clone, the knife passing between his ribs and into his heart.

The clone was stunned by the deceptive ease of the Lord Marshall's counterattack, and the resulting knife thrust to his heart. Thrusting his knife into the clone's heart the Lord Marshall steps back leaving the knife buried to the hilt in the close's chest. The clone, in the last throes of death, remains standing for a few additional seconds then falls, his body twisting onto his right side as he hits the ground, finally dead.

The Lord Marshall surrounded by his inner core of supplicants accepts an offered container of water and his knife, retrieved from the clone, still dripping wet with his blood. The Lord Marshall places it back into the scabbard, letting the wet blood air dry in place as he had done many times in the past.

The Lord Marshall took a deep breath and turned to his chief scientist. These Riddick clones will make good shock troops and should serve us well until you can find a cure. The scientist agreed, stating that it was his hope and intent to create a usable replacement army until he could develop a cure for the Necro virus that had ravaged their ranks and driven them to the point of near extinction. The Lord Marshall tells him that they are heading toward a world where he will have the time and privacy to work on a cure.

The Lord Marshal dismisses his entourage and turns to his chief scientist telling him to push forward with the cloning program and create enough clones to serve as an army until they can find a cure for the disease and replenish their ranks. New Gamma will serve as their initial testing ground for the clones. We will see how they function in the real world against a real enemy and not in a laboratory. Ready the shock troops and be prepared to have them lead the invasion of New Gamma. Once we have taken control of New Gamma you can continue the program and create the army that we will need when we attack other worlds.

CHAPTER FIVE – MERCENARY

Johns is standing behind his office desk, dressed in a dull green, casual, semi-military garb, looking at a hologram of the galaxy, speaking with one of his lead Mercenaries, Oz, when Dahl enters into the room. Both Dahl and Oz are dressed in the same dull green, casual, semi-military outfit as Johns, which serves as a uniform for all the mercenaries that work for him. At first, she looks at Johns then shifts her gaze over to Oz and asks them what's up? Johns acknowledging her with a head nod, he continues to talk, now explaining to both that he has received some information regarding the whereabouts of three criminals that had recently escaped from death row in a sector prison. He adjusts the hologram to hi-light the prison location on the planet and tells them that the escaped criminals are a particularly vicious lot. He explains that the three men had been captured after going on a rape and killing spree at an estate of the most powerful political family on the planet. That the three killed almost every member of two families for no reason other than they just are psychotic and enjoy hurting people. They were not drunk or high, no drugs involved. They were not even aware of who they had attacked until after they had been captured and went to trial.

Do you remember, there was a very small, private wedding ceremony which the three were able to crash, posing as part of the security detail. Somehow, they got the jump on the real security teams, killed them and from that point on were in charge. They tortured all, husbands, wives, children and raped both men and women, before killing them. In addition to killing the family members they also killed or severely wounded all other staff members except two that escaped the initial carnage. Those two staff members alerted the police, who were able to catch them in the act of torturing those that they had not already killed. They were easily caught right afterward because they were as dumb as they were vicious.

Dahl tells him that she remembers the case, but asks why this is such a big deal now, horrible events such as this have happened before, many times, and these guys were caught and went to jail.

Johns tells her that she knows how the game works, both families had members in the very top echelons of government and business, and they want to see justice done, especially for themselves. They had an open and shut case at trial and were sentenced to die. While waiting on death row, somehow, they were able to trick and over power their guards, escape the prison and get ship to get off-world. The remaining family members have the clout and money to set the high bounty, which makes them worthwhile to bring back, alive if possible, dead if not.

Johns tells them that the information has been on the mercenary net for some time, but no one has any idea where to find them. He tells them he has a hunch where they could have gone to and if they are located in the area he suspects then it presents a business opportunity they should take advantage of as well. Bringing them in will help us stay in the fore-front of this business and remain as the go-to company for private and public retrievals.

This area I am thinking of is one of the most remote in the galaxy, has only one jump portal in the solar system and one habitable planet, New Gamma. It is well off the path of normal trade, and visitor routes because in order to get there it requires at least three jumps from most other habitable systems.

No other Mercs are looking at the planet, New Gamma, only because it does take a lot of resources in order to make out to the system and there have been no indications that they went that direction. Dahl, asks him if they are just going on a wild goose chase because of his hunch? Johns smiles at her and tells her no, I got word from a contact I have that they may be there.

The planet, New Gamma, although habitable, possess nature resources, but nothing special that would hi-lite them. Good weather, nothing special about their wildlife, vegetation, nature wonders, or very limited civilization, and there is only one space port. In short, the type of ideal place to hide out. Johns tells them that he already had plans to set up a Mercenary staging base to use in that sector, so they would have some equipment and supplies when hunting the next criminal trying to hide in the solar system. As it happens, the contact I am buying the land from is the same person who alerted me to their possible presence on the planet, hoping to get a higher price from me on the land equal to the value of the information. So, going to New Gamma will allow us to put a stage area in place and possibly pickup three very bad guys worth a lot of money and political goodwill, more than paying for the trip out there. New gamma is pretty far away and at first look is the perfect place for anyone running from the law who need to hide out. We would be smart to take this job.

Johns tells Dahl that he has asked Oz to take a team there, set up the future base for them, and while he is at it, bring the three bastards back to justice. They have a bounty on them dead or alive, ten times if alive. The remaining family members want to see them die. The reward should be enough to more than pay for the trip and make a very nice profit.

Dahl tells Johns that she wants to lead the team instead of Oz. That she has not been out on a pickup in a long while and needs to do this in order to help stay sharp. Johns looks at Oz, seeking his opinion. Oz tells Johns that he could stay and work on the Burly case and that this would probably be a good one for Dahl to get back in the saddle on, and that with a good team these three won't be much trouble.

Johns tells Dahl that she knows he doesn't like it, but won't fight her on this case and to go ahead and get a team together. Dahl, tells him, thanks boss, turns and starts walking out of the room to begin the preparations for the mission, leaving Oz standing in front of Johns.

Dahl, has selected a Mercenary team composed of members she has worked with in the past on different missions. She is looking forward to working the Mercenary crew as the team requires very little instruction or direction on her part, and can accomplish their preparatory tasks within a two-day period. The ship she selects, is outfitted with fuel, food, ammunition, and miscellaneous extras that just might be needed to get the job done. With the crew standing by Dahl has one last task to take care of before boarding for departure.

Dahl is in a living room, squatting down in front of two twin, ten-year old children, a boy, Dax, and girl, Elrena. Both are large for their age, and possess an uncanny physical and mental awareness beyond their years. She is explaining to them that she will be gone for a few weeks on a mission but will be back before they start to miss her. Dax asks her what kind of mission, and can they go with her. She tells them that it is a routine pickup mission and that she and her team is just going to set up a staging area for their company and pick up some escaped criminals and bring them back. Elrena asks her if it is dangerous. Dahl tells her that it is not going to be dangerous and that there is nothing to worry about, it is a very simple job.

Dax, asks if it so simple, why can't he go? She looks at the boy and tells him that even though it is not a dangerous mission he is not ready yet, and when he is ready he will know, and that is when she will take him with her. Dax starts to protest and tells her that he is ready, he knows that he is ready. Dahl smiles, just kisses both on the forehead, says good bye, be good, and walks to Johns office for a final briefing before boarding the space craft.

One hour later, Dahl is standing next to the pilot in the forward section of the space craft, speaking to Johns on the hyper-space radio, as they prepare to lift off into space. She tells Johns to look after Dax and Elrena, and that she will be back in no time. Johns acknowledges her communication and tells her that everything will be fine, he will take care of the children and make sure that she and her crew all stay safe. With the roar of the engines in the background, Dahl hangs up the radio microphone, and tells the pilot to get them up and off planet.

On the fourth day of the travel in a remote sector of the galaxy a wavering circle of space vibrates back and forth as a twelve-dimensional tear in space opens, displaying a worm hole connection between two distant points in the galaxy. Through this connection a single space ship slowly emerges carrying with it the same ship velocity, direction, and momentum that it had when entering the other side of the worm hole. As the ship completes the third and final hyperspace jump and emerges from the shimmering edges of the portal, the crew begins the necessary diagnostic checks to ensure that nothing unexpected has occurred during the hyperspace transit.

It was during this routine check that the stowaway was found, a small ten-year old boy discovered hiding inside a large empty storage locker. The Mercenary crew member who discovered the boy called Dahl over the ships inter-com system, telling her that they had found a stowaway onboard. Dahl first asked if they had the stowaway under control and received an affirmative from the Mercenary crew member. Dahl then told him to bring the stowaway to her in the command room.

The boy, named Dax, was brought to the space ships command room by a large Mercenary, who guided the boy through the passageways of the ship and presented him to the Mercenary leader, Dahl. Dahl had set her face for the confrontation with the unknown intruder, but lost her composure when Dax and the Mercenary crewmember entered the room. Dahl had expected to see a grown man or women and was at first shocked, then angry to see her son. The first words out of her mouth were, Dax, what have you done? And why have you done this? Dax, looked at her and said, you said that I could come with you when I was ready and that I would know when that was. I am ready, so here I am. Dahl asks him how did he survive for the four days they had been traveling in and out of hyperspace? Dax told her that he stayed in the large storage bin most of the time, and would get out to use the bathroom and get food. The Mercenary guard standing next Dax, stood smiling and asked Dahl what should they do now? She tells him that there is not much that they can do now. It has taken four full days of hyperspace travel and jumps to get here and they must get planet side in order to refuel and refurbish before they could return him to home base. They can't just turn around and take him back home. Dahl looks at Dax, and asks him if he really wants to be a Mercenary? Dax grins and states that he does. Dahl looks at Dax with a look of resignation and then at the Mercenary guard, and tells him to get Dax a bunk and put him to work so that he can at least earn his keep while he is onboard. Dax, stares back at his mother, blinks three times, shifting his vision back and forth between his day and night vision, his eyes shining between each transition, smiles and follows the Mercenary guard out of the command center.

Dahl, sitting at her desk, stares at the blank video screen as it shimmers while connecting through hyperspace with John's headquarter office. Johns comes into view with a worried and tired look on his face. He speaks first, telling her that they have been trying to contact them for four days now, as they have been unable to find Dax, looking everywhere. Dahl tells him, she knows, that Dax has been found, and that he had stowed away onboard and they just found him. Johns asks her if he is ok and whether she is coming back now. Dahl tells him that she wanted to come back and return Dax, but they can't. New Gamma is so far outside the normal shipping and travel lanes that we don't have enough fuel to make it back right now. They have to go down to the planet in order to refuel and refurbish before they can return.

Johns doesn't like the situation but agrees with her assessment. He tells her to be sure that she keeps Dax out of harms' way and return safely with him, and that as far as he is concerned the mission is secondary to their safe return. That she can call off the mission, just set up the staging area and return. She acknowledges his concern and promises to do everything within her power to keep Dax safe. After asking how her daughter is doing, Dahl agrees to contact Johns, via hyper-space radio, each and every day at a set time until the mission is over. Johns tells her copy that and signs off, disconnecting their hyperspace transmission. Dahl sits in the command room thinking about how she will have to modify her previous mission plan of action, now that she has to include Dax's safety in that planning.

The trip from the jump portal, at the outer edge of the New Gamma solar system, into orbit around the planet takes the better part of four full standard days. A faster craft could have made it in under three days, but the mercenary craft was built for criminal retrievals not speed. The system distance delays were followed with further, hours long delays, once they reached the New gamma orbit, as the required verbal and administrative requests are made and approved before permission is granted to land at the New Gamma space port.

During this four-day travel time Dax was always within reach of Dahl. He ate every meal with her, and stood by Dahl's side when they were in the command center while briefing the Mercenary teams and discussing the tactics and strategy, they planned to use to corner, capture and return the three criminals.

Dahl had decided that the best course of action was to keep him busy and at her side so that he was not in the way of the crew, and could not cause any trouble within the ship, being in her eye sight at all times. The only exception to this continuous close contact between them was when Dax was allowed to take firearms training with the other Mercenary. He was given a chance to fire various weapons in the Mercenary simulation trainer with the rest of the crew. Dax was able to demonstrate that he possessed extra-ordinary hand eye coordination and was a natural at firing the hand-held weapons, competing against even the most experienced Mercenary in the training sessions.

After landing at New Gamma's single space port, the Mercenary crews' operations went into an automatic mode, with each crew member performing their role as part of a well-oiled machine, with the exception of Dax. Having never been part of a Mercenary operation, he was quickly overwhelmed with the synchronous action of the crew as they go about performing their tasks. Standing in Dahl's shadow as directed by her, he constantly bombards Dahl with questions on why the crew was taking this action or performing that task. Throughout all of his questioning she kept her composure and answered all of his questions as thoroughly as possible in hopes that being next to her he could and would watch and learn how a typical Mercenary operation was executed. Most of the crew had known Dax since he was born and had observed long ago his advanced mental and physical capabilities in many areas as he was growing up. He was inquisitive, a fast learner, a smart worker, and his desire to learn the Mercenary craft was welcomed and seen as a sign of respect and admiration by the crew.

During the first week, the team began the setup of a new base of operations, while at the same time made contact with the local informants. As Johns had made previous contact with local merchants in negotiating in advance the purchase of the land and building, Dahl's acquisition of the property was quick and smooth. The building would suit them well in the future, serving as a valuable rendezvous point for criminal pickups in this remote section of the galaxy. The off load, setup, and storage of small arms, ammunition, and other miscellaneous Mercenary supplies and equipment went smoothly and without any difficulties.

Dax, followed behind his mother and other Mercenaries at different times, watched, asked questions, and absorbed information like an old-Earth sea sponge. Dahl could see that he was a natural for Mercenary work and realized that he would be ready soon enough to go on an actual mission within a few years. He would have the smarts, physical attributes, and temperament to operate as a good Mercenary, if he continued grow and develop at this rate. But, the mother in her was still not sold on him becoming a Mercenary even though it was the family business. Time would tell.

The whereabouts of the three escaped criminals was easily obtained for the agreed upon advanced fee and a few smaller fees spread to some of the local criminal element, as the three men made little effort to hide their presents or who they were. They had assumed, incorrectly, that escaping to this remote section of the galaxy was sufficient to keep them away from the arms of justice and that most of the others here were hiding from the law as well. As dumb as they had demonstrated, the mercenaries wondered how they had been able to escape from the prison and get off world, making it all of the way here to New gamma.

If their crime had been less heinous or committed against a poorer family, they would have been correct in their assessment. The cost to retrieve them would have been too high and they would not have been worth the effort, However, as always in human history, wealth has the ability to purchase greater justice, and the families they ravaged were both wealthy and politically connected. The criminals never really understood how badly the authorities wanted them back and how much was offered for their return, dead or alive. The fact that much more was offered for them alive should have been a signal. If, they had made the simplest inquiry on the value of their bounty, they would have been shocked, and alerted, as to how much trouble they were really in, and how much the families they affected would pay to bring them in. As it was, the three decided to stay in a local, rundown, hotel room until they could figure out what their next move should be, little realizing that the next move would not be theirs to make.

Piecing together information from multiple informants, Dahls' team had tracked the men down to two adjoining rooms inside the hotel, located on the hotels' second floor. Knowing that the criminals have nothing to lose and assuming they would go out with a fight rather than be taken alive, the Mercenaries took their preparations seriously and proceeded with caution. Dahl ensured that they followed all of their standard mission protocols and backup procedures. She wanted to be sure that nothing was left to chance with these three criminals. She also wanted to take the opportunity to show Dax how Mercenaries should operate, and that they were not just a bunch of badge wearing enforcers out on an armed mission, killing criminals. She took the family business seriously, was a top professional, and wanted to pass her experience and expertise onto her son.

Having completed the staging area setup Dahls' team begins the second more hazardous phase of their mission, safely capturing the three criminals for return.

Outside, in an alleyway next to the rundown hotel, Dahl is silently giving hand signals to her Mercenary team as they advance toward the buildings back and side exits. Previously she had taken one of her more reliable crew members, Bates, aside and gave him exacting instructions regarding Dax. Bates was the best sniper within her crew, excepting her, and possessed a calm, stable disposition and manner. She tells him where Dax should be positioned and what Bates could and could not allow him to do during the raid. Bates, tells her that he understands her completely and that he will not place him in any position of danger and that nothing will happen to Dax while under his care.

Initially she had not intended to arm Dax, but relented as she wanted him to feel that he was a legitimate part of the team and so gave in and provided him with a personal weapon. Dahl gives two pieces of standard mercenary equipment, a small caliber hand pistol, and a para-shield. Dahl knew that with Bates following her instructions and protecting him, that Dax would not be physically near enough any part of the pickup to be in the line of fire and should only be able to see the criminals after they were tied and shackled. She wanted him to feel as if he was part of the mission without really being involved and especially not in any danger.

Dax was armed with his own personal knife in a leg sheath that he had brought with him when stowing away on the ship, the small caliber hand gun that Dahl had given to him, and the Para-shield.

The para-shield was a unique defensive weapon that revolutionized close in, squad level combat. Sleek in design, the Para-shield was a short metal rod, 5 centimeters (cm) in diameter and 30 centimeters (cm) long, capable of creating, when activated, an elliptical shaped electronic force field, vertically one point five meters and point five meters horizontally, that would deflect any and all high energy particles and matter traveling faster than 75 meters per second (MPS). When activated, the rod produced, and served as the handle for a shiny, black, oblong shield, that would block any matter moving at a high speed, including light, but allow matter moving at less than 75 MPS to pass through it. Essentially blocking bullets and other energy particles, but allowing a sword stroke, knife thrust, or even a punch to pass through its surface. The use of the para-shield in war forced ground forces to relearn and use more hand-to-hand tactics than previously employed in combat. When facing troops armed with para-shields the only effective manner of killing them was through close in, hand-to-hand combat.

Dax had shown a high level of proficiency and comfortability with all weapons while in the trainer, but had a particular aptitude with the sniper rifle. Secretly, Dahl was pleased that he had demonstrated many of the same skills and abilities that she possessed as a sniper, but had not let him know her feelings.

Standing next to, but slightly behind Bates, Dax tries to watch as Dahl directs each man into a tactical position designed to eliminate any avenues of escape for the criminals inside the building. Watching her every move, he unconsciously absorbs everything about her leadership techniques and how mercenary operate. This is his first job with an actual mercenary team and he is eager to prove his abilities and worth if ever given the chance. Dahl tells Bates that she wants him to be the sniper and that he and Dax need to take position on the roof top of the adjoining building and be prepared to shoot any criminal that is able to escape them from inside the hotel.

Positioned next to, and slightly behind Bates, Dax practices drawing, first his hand pistol from its holster, then activating the Para-shield on and off. Bates, stationed behind his sniper rife setup, tells Dax that the Para-shield and the hand pistol are his weapons of last resort. That if he has to use the pistol that he ensures that he shoots to kill, never to wound. And, if the situation dictates use of the Para-shield, he should be running in the opposite direction keeping the shield in between him and any perceived danger.

Inside the hotel room, one criminal is lounging on a couch with a male whore sitting next to him rubbing his shoulders and kissing his neck. A second criminal is sitting at a table across the room, cleaning one gun, with several other weapons on the table in various states of cleaning and refresh. The third criminal can be heard through the closed flimsy door of an adjacent room, having loud sex with a second whore, female, inside the room.

Since arriving on New Gamma all three criminals had slipped into a comfortable routine, drinking and whoring around to pass their days totally unaware of the circumstance and situation that lead the mercenaries to New Gamma and that was quietly unfolding outside their hotel room.

Having positioned part of her team around the outside of the hotel, Dahl moved the remaining crew inside to the shabby lobby facing the front desk and next to the staircase. Dahl locks eyes with the hotel clerk standing rigidly behind the heavy wooden counter, and signals, with a mock throat slash that he is not to try and contact the criminals in any manner, which he acknowledges by stepping away from the telephone on the desk and the switch board behind him. He realizes that his best bet is to not get involved and just lean up against the wall with his hands crossed over his chest. Dahl had sent one of her men over to the hotel earlier in the day to speak with him and he had got the message not to give the criminals any notice of what they were going to do, but she wanted to make sure he stayed aware. He was going to get paid, so it was worth his while to not get involved.

Dahl stays in charge of the situation and directs one of her men to stay at the front desk for backup against the off chance that one of the criminals were to slip past them and come down the stairs, and to ensure that no other guests or arrivals come upstairs until they have apprehended the three escapees. She directs her other inside men upstairs, follows them up the stairs and silently positions them to either side of the door readying for a pre-scan and then a forced entry into the room.

Outside the hotel, Dax has been left stationed with Bates, well behind the perimeter of mercenaries surrounding the hotel, and out of the way of any action, in a sniper's spot on the rooftop of the adjoining building. He, along with Bates has a perfect view of the outside of the criminals' hotel room single window and the attached fire escape. The two sits quietly, waiting and watching the hotel window.

Using just hand gestures Dahl signals the lead mercenary to start his slow scans of the interior of the room from outside the front door and walls, providing a localized infrared monitor display of the heat sources located inside. The monitor displays the heat signature of one man sitting at the desk and two others on the couch intertwined. As the mercenary continued scanning along the wall outside of the bedroom the infrared display shows two more bodies intertwined in a horizontal position on a bed.

This time the lead mercenary signals to Dahl and the team that three people are in the common room area and two others are inside the bedroom. She acknowledges his information by repeating his hand signal back to him. All of the criminals seem to be occupied in some fashion and are not expecting any outside interruptions, which is an ideal scenario for them.

Now, with an accurate location and body count, Dahl signals the team of mercenaries to proceed with their plan of attack. The lead mercenary starts by first tracing the door outline, applying an explosive foam all around the door edge, that when ignited would blow the door inward and create a momentary shock wave. That initial shock wave will be followed by two blue-light flash-bang grenades, thrown by the lead mercenary, and forced entry of the three remaining mercenaries and Dahl. Dahl and the Mercenary team have concluded that the twin concussions should provide a sufficient blast to render anyone inside unconscious or at least into a state of confusion that capture should be relatively easy. In addition, Dahl's team would present an overwhelming force to those recently stunned and should easily take the criminals down. Although taking more time and effort than just killing them, capture of the Mercenary was worth ten times as much. The very rich families that had set the bounties wanted them alive before they were to be eventually killed. Death through the justice system served the families desire for revenge as well making a law and order political statement.

Dahl realized and understood all of the reasons, and that just killing them and presenting the dead bodies obviously would not satisfy them as much, as the families wanted to see the show of their death would create. After all, Dahl and her team were mercenaries, this was business and a ten-fold reward increase is what they wanted and came to get.

Dahl, placed her two largest mercenaries in the lead positions, ready to toss flash bang grenades as they enter into the room. With the Mercenary positioned correctly, and protective headgear on, Dahl gives the go ahead for ignition with a five-finger count down for the explosive charges.

Inside the room the criminals are taken completely by surprise when they hear the loud explosion, see the explosive flash along the door edge, the door buckle, start to break, and fall inward onto the floor, followed by the first and successive flashes and shock waves. The criminal at the table, demonstrating an extraordinary presence of mind and reflexes, maintains his grip on his gun as he falls back, away from the table after the door falls inside. Before the door can hit the floor, two flash-bang grenades are tossed into the room and explode, with the blue light stunning all inside. The man and his male whore previously sitting on the couch are both knocked off the couch and unconscious by the consecutive blasts and lay sprawled on the floor. The second criminal at the table, stunned by both the door explosion and stun grenades, was knocked from his chair and is laying on the floor with his gun frozen in his hand. Before he can even attempt to think about getting to his feet or rolling over with the weapon, the mercenaries rush into the room with each carrying an activated para-shield. Seeing the weapon in the hand of the closest criminal laying on the ground, the lead mercenary rushes over to his position and steps on his gun hand pinning it and him to the floor, tells him not so fast and strikes him across the head with the lower edge of the para-shield, knocking him unconscious.

This first part of the operation is over within four seconds and two mercenaries start to tie up the unconscious criminals with thick plastic ties. The rest of Dahls team breaks down the adjoining bedroom door and toss in two blue-light flash-bang grenades.

They had hoped to catch the third criminal still in the act of sex when the first explosive went off, but his timing was ahead of the explosions.

In the bedroom the third criminal, standing next to the bed, had just finished having sex with the whore, got up from the bed and started to pull on his pants. As was his habit, after pants he reaches for his weapon, a small side automatic pistol when he hears the boom from the explosive charge in the next room, followed by the bang-bang of the concussion grenades and entry of the mercenaries in the outer room. He reacts instantly, and grabs the whore sitting on the edge of the bed next to him, by both arms and shoves her toward the door instinctively knowing the mercenaries would be coming through it soon. With just pants on and the pistol he takes two steps toward the open window and jumps through it rolling onto the metal grate landing of the attached fire escape.

Twisted around and shoved into the door, the whore screams out, but is silenced when the door is slammed into the back of her head as it falls into the room. The mercenaries in continuing their criminal roundup had knocked down the second door, but caused it to land on top of the now unconscious whore. The Mercenary team is slowed in their room entry, having to step around the door instead of on it because of the cocked door position, laying at an angle on top of the women. Their delay in room entry enables the last criminal to successfully escape from the room and start his descent down the fire escape.

The mercenaries stationed outside of the hotel were on full alert having heard the report of the explosive charges set off by the team inside the hotel. They waited to hear the all clear signal or to see if any criminals attempt to make it out of the inside round up.

Located on the roof top of the adjoining building, Bates and Dax have taken up prone shooting and spotting positions and await the emergence of any potential targets. After hearing the initial explosion Dax sits up from his prone position and asks Bates what was happening and what should they do now. Bates, smiling, tells Dax, that sound indicates that the pickup operation has started and that there was nothing for them to do but their job, which was to wait, remain alert, and be prepared to take down any criminals that were trying to escape from the inside of the hotel. Bates reminds Dax that he is acting as his spotter and that he needs to stay positioned with his binoculars focused on the outside of the room so he can see anyone trying to escape through the windows.

Dax asks Bates if he is shooting to kill and Bates tells him no. He has armed the sniper rifle with rubber bullets that expand into a six-square inch cross section on impact and deliver a decisive blow to whatever part of the body they hit. Bates tells him that getting hit with each rubber bullet is like taking a punch from the end of a baseball bat and that if any of the criminals attempt to run and come out of the window then he will shoot him with rubber bullets until the criminal is too stunned to resist. Dax asks him why not just shoot to kill, would that not be easier? Bates tells him that this whole operation is based on business decisions and that the criminals are worth ten times as much alive as they are dead. But, Bates also tells him that if any of the other Mercenary's lives were in danger he would not hesitate to shoot to kill to prevent that loss.

No sooner than he finishes explaining to Dax, they see the third criminal emerge from the open window and start down the outside fire escape. Bates and Dax hear Dahl's voice come in over their radio ear pieces that one has escaped through the window and that the other two have been captured. Bates answers with a short, "sniper one copy", and goes silent. Instinctively, on seeing the criminal come through the window Bates and Dax start to track his every move as he jumps from rung to rung down the fire escape. As the criminal completes his third rung downward Bates fires and is hit in the right shoulder by the rubber bullet, is spun around, and then hears the shock wave of the bullet that just hit him. With a now, numb and useless right arm he continues hopping down the ladder rungs onto the next floor landing and Bates fires a second time and he is hit again, this time in his right upper chest area. The shot slams him back against the outside wall of the building and he momentarily passes out but is able to clear his with head by shaking it violently side-to-side.

Dax, lying next to Bates, is in awe as he watches Bates slowly breathe in and out, coolly and methodically loading and firing each round. Dax watches Bates and then looks down to see the results of each shot. Observing that the shots have had exactly the effect that Bates had said they would. The criminal is so stunned that he never even looks up to see where the shots are coming from.

Now near the last rung, the criminal continues to struggle and finally jumps down to the ground, only to be hit with a final round directly in the middle of his stomach. The shot hits with enough impact that the criminal doubles over in pain and starts to vomit up his last meal.

The two mercenaries stationed at the side and back exists of the building run over to the criminal. With weapons drawn and pointed at him, the first Mercenary to reach him remains in the cover position as the second mercenary now casually walks over, removes his gun, pushes him flat onto the ground to the side of his vomit, and starts to tie him up. Binding his hands and feet together with plastic restraint ties, they report to Dahl that the last criminal has been successfully captured alive. Dahl receives their report and tells her entire crew that the pickup phase is complete and to start the pack up and transport phase. The men and women of her crew hustle the criminals into their waiting trucks, chaining them into prepared slots within the vehicles, and ready themselves for transport back to the staging area.

On hearing Dahl give the all clear, Dax and Bates breakdown their sniper position and leave to meet Dahl inside the hotel lobby where she is in the process of settling the tab for damages to the hotel room. Dax can hardly contain himself, still excited from watching and being a part of the pickup operation. Dahl smiles on seeing him, and asks, so, now you are a real Mercenary? Dax just smiles and says yes, and that next time he wants to shoot the sniper rifle like Bates. Dahl, tells him there is a lot more to learn before he can handle that job, but that he will get there one day.

The Mercenary team completed the pickup operation like clockwork, and were in the process of confining the criminals inside their vehicles for transport to their new staging base when the space port sirens started to wail. Dahl directs them to continue on to the base and start all preps for departure from New Gamma. The sirens were used to broadcast a warning alerting the general populous of impeding threats or other dangerous natural events such as hurricanes, and she would need to contact the spaceport headquarters in order to get more details.

Once the Mercenary vehicles reached their new remote staging area they began the process of transferring the confined criminals, breaking down and restoring equipment in preparation for their departure from the planet. While in the midst of securing their equipment and the prisoners, they hear the city sirens start to blare again. Dahl immediately decides to contact the spaceport command center in order to get an information update on any threats or problems that are occurring that might interfere with their safe departure from the planet.

Calling the spaceport command center, Dahl hears the bad news, the warning is for a man-made threat. The planets long-range sensors have detected the lead ships of a squadron of Necromongers coming through the solar systems single jump portal and on their way to the planet. The command center is trying to warn their populous to leave the spaceport and get out into the unpopulated areas of the planet until the Necromonger threat is over. The planet has no real defenses against the type of threat the Necromongers pose and will be an easy target for them to conquer.

Dahl realizes that once the Necromongers arrive and start their attack there will be no safe place available in the city and that they don't really have any chance of escaping pass the Necromongers to reach the systems' single hyperspace portal. She knows they will have to take what they can and leave the city for a more desolate area to hide out in until the Necromongers leave.

She decides to contact Johns and let him know what is happening and what they plan to do. Using their base communication equipment Dahl establishes hyperspace contact with Johns, with Dax standing by her side.

On contact she tells him, Boss, it is getting pretty bad down here. The good news is that we have been able to do what we came to do, set up a new remote base, and have captured the three criminals that were loose. We have them locked up and preparing them for transport off world. But we have a major problem.

Johns asks what is it, I was looking forward to your return and seeing my grandson again.

Dahl tells him, well, that isn't going to happen right now. The Necromongers have been detected, are coming into this system and will reach the planet within the next day or two. I don't know, maybe we can try to slip past them, but even if we could, the little ship we have doesn't have the legs to make it to the next nearest system without going through the hyperspace portal.

Johns, yelling, no, don't try it. They will catch you in no time. On every planet, they have ever overtaken they set up a blockade specifically designed to capture single space craft trying to leave off world, and will no doubt have ships stationed around the systems jump point.

Well Boss, what other options do we have? We can't fight them.

Johns tells her that he didn't say to fight them. Go underground, hide. Leave the city and get to any unpopulated area as fast as possible. The Necromongers get their recruits from the most populated areas, they don't waste time picking up stragglers in the rural areas. They will come planet side, send out their troops, capture or kill everyone they come in contact with. Those few that they don't find are left on the planets when they leave, moving onto another system. Once they have replenished their ranks they move on.

Dahl tells him, I don't know boss, all of the latest reports on the Necromongers indicate that they are on the run, looking for a place to set up shop. They have lost a lot of their acolyte's due to disease and federation attacks. This is a nice secluded planet pretty far away from all other systems. What if they want to set up shop here, stay here awhile in order to recover and rebuild their numbers?

Johns tells her that it doesn't matter, you can't fight them and have to hide. Get out of that city now. You don't want to be anywhere near the cities when they come planet side. The Necromongers won't spend any troops on small towns as they don't have a large enough population to make it worth their effort.

Copy that boss.

He relays back to her that he understands their situation and asks how the boy is.

She tells him that he is fine, that Johns would be proud of him and that he has performed well as part of the Mercenary team, and that she will keep him by her side at all times. Dax stands a little taller on hearing his mothers' comments, with his chest out for his grandfather to see.

Johns tells her and Dax to be safe, that he doesn't want to lose her, or Dax. He then looks directly at Dax and tells him to look after his mother.

Dahl tells him not to worry and that she is in good hands, protected by Dax.

Johns tells her that he will try to send help and get her and Dax out of there, and to sign off now or the Necromongers will track this transmission and find you. Johns tells her to take what they need and go as quickly as possible.

Dahl signs off with a short goodbye and turns to her Mercenary crew. She tells them that the Necromongers are coming and that they are leaving the space port via ground vehicles as soon as possible. She emphasizes that they should take everything they can, extra fuel, supplies, arms, ammunition, and get into their vehicles.

CHAPTER SIX – HUNTED

Inside the space ship, a group of five male and one female mercenaries, Tombs, Tyrel, Vic, Zen, Baxter, Cloie, each dressed in ragged, rough clothes, with visible weapons, knives and guns situated about their bodies, sit around a table and listen to their leader, Tombs, provide details on their plan to find and capture Riddick once they land on the planet.

A large man black man, Tyrel, with a deep bass voice asks Tombs about the value of the "live" bounty that has been placed on Riddick's head. Are you sure that we must capture and that we can't just waste him and bring back the body?

Tombs tells him no, that is why you got them stun lances. You can bring down a bull with one hit from those. Tyrel, I know this Riddick. But this is the largest bounty ever put out, but it is only good if he is captured ALIVE and fit. The bounty is worth nothing if he is not alive and capable of fighting after capture. It doesn't mean we can't rough him up some and I will, cause I still owe him.

One heavy set, but muscular man named Baxter, protests the conditions of capture. What the fuck do you mean alive and fit? Do you know who this is? Riddick has killed almost every mercenary who has ever tried to bring him in. The government dropped all of his past bounties because no Mercenary was willing to even attempt to find and kill him after what happened on planet Desota. Hell, he killed twelve of fifteen mercenaries, one by one in less than four days. The other three got away only because he let them live. He captured them and let them go as a warning to anyone else that would even think about coming for him. And you expect the six of us to take him alive.

Look Baxter, I have been hunting Riddick longer than any other Mercenary alive and I have had him twice before, but each time he got lucky and got away. Oh, I know him and his ways. The last lead we got says he has been laying low, holed up in an outpost town beyond the space port. A guy like him can't hide. We'll find him, stun him into submission, and bring him back hog tied.

Look, anybody willing to pay ten times the going rate for someone like Riddick must have something really devious planned for him. So, we are the least of his worries. It is our big payday, so put your big boy panties on and man up!

The spaceship glides into a smooth landing at the space port, and Tombs and his fellow Mercenary get out of the ship and head to the location given by their paid informant.

All six Mercenary are standing off to the side of the bar entrance with the sound of old earth soft piano music coming from inside. Tombs turns to his Mercs, grinds out his cigarette and starts to talk to them in a low voice.

Are you ready? Two of the men, Baxter and Tyrel, pull back their long coats and display their guns and slap jacks, while the other three, Vic, Cloie, and Zen, snap their collapsible stun lances out to full length and gesture that they are ready to go. Tombs steps into the bar and stops at the bar entrance. Vic tells the others that Riddick is done for and there is no way he is getting past them.

From inside of the bar the bartender and a few patrons who can see Tombs enter first followed by his five Mercs, their long coats partially concealing their weapons, instantly know something is about to happen and that there will be trouble. As they walk in the Bartender asks what can I get you gentlemen?

Tombs tells him, whisky for all of us. The other two bar patrons standing at the end of the bar realize what may be happening, finish their drinks and get up and leave. Instead of all six mercenaries stopping at the bar, the second Mercenary stepping inside continues toward the back door of the bar. The third and fourth stand next to Tombs' left and right side waiting for the last two Mercs to come in.

Riddick, although located at a back table, covered in shadows, can see the Mercenaries come in and position themselves. He is not wearing his goggles over his eyes as it is dark enough in the room for his eyes to function well, so he leaves them lodged over his forehead. He continues to drink at his beer, but it is clear to him that they are all are Mercenaries from their size, clothing, and the way they carry themselves. If he had any doubts, the presence of Tombs with the other men removed those. Riddick doesn't move other than to reach down and check his knife in its leg sheath.

A few of the other bar patrons, not as familiar with mercenaries, still realize that there is going to be trouble, want no part of it and decide to leave the bar as well.

The bar is now empty of customers other than the Bartender, Riddick, and the mercenaries. Tombs looks around the bar and sees Riddick and smiles. He walks over to Riddick's table followed by Tyrel and Baxter.

Tombs tells Riddick, it has been a long time since Crematoria. Can I sit down? Without waiting for an answer from Riddick Tombs sits down. Riddick just stares at him and smiles, not saying a word. Riddick looks at his drink and back to Tombs.

Riddick asks Tombs, you got a better crew than last time? Tombs' smile fades when hearing Riddick mention his past failures. Riddick asks Tombs if the bounty is large enough to cover their funerals?

Before Tombs can answer, Riddick kicks the round table with his right foot, up into Tombs' face knocking him out cold, with his body tumbling back into Baxter who was standing to Tombs' right side. Riddick steps forward to face Tyrel with his drawn blade. Tyrel pulls out his gun and slap jack, trying to hit Riddick with the slap jack across his head. Riddick ducks underneath the slap jack and comes up with a gutting cut with his knife. Tyrell is in total shock from the puncture and body slice, falling backward with his mouth and eyes wide open. Gutted and dead before he hits the floor.

Baxter pushes Tombs unconscious body off of him and rises to face Riddick with his knife in his right hand and the slapjack in his left. He takes a sideways stroke with his knife followed by a downward strike with the slapjack. Riddick bends backward avoiding the knife wipe and uses his returning forward momentum to meet the slapjack strike on his right forearm. Riddick lets the slapjack strike slide down his arm enabling him to twist Baxter's left arm down and under, locked in place with his right arm. Trapped, Baxter is unable to stop the double left-hand punches to his stomach, followed by an overhead hammer strike to his head, buckling his knees and knocking him unconscious.

Three Mercenary down and out in less than a twenty-second-time period. Taken aback by the swift and ferocious attack, the two men guarding the front and back doors start to come over and assist their fallen comrades. Each snapping their stun lances out to full length.

Vic is the first to reach him and tries to impale Riddick with his lance, continually stabbing at Riddick to maintain some distance between them, hoping to keep Riddick outside the reach of his fists and away from body contact while still trying to stun him with the point of the lance.

Vic continues reaching out with the lance, with Riddick dodging left and right, keeping the staff away from his body. After several unsuccessful attempts, Vic finally succeeds and Riddick is hit with the lance tip, producing electrical sparks where it contacts Riddick's' skin under his shirt. Riddick is hit with an electrical shock that would easily put down a normal man, but only produces a loud grunt from Riddick as he shrugs off the electrical discharge and remains standing.

Vic is now visibly scarred because he knows that Riddick was hit full on with the lance but didn't go down as he should have. His first thought is that his stab was deflected somehow by his clothes or that the charge was a partial discharge. But he knows that neither scenario is true. Riddick was hit full on with a complete discharge. The weapon had been recently tested and was in perfect working condition. Riddick was just that strong.

Vic, now in desperation, tries to stab repeatedly at Riddick, more to keep him away than to actually subdue him. Moving past Vic's ineffective stabs, Riddick is able to step within the guard of the lance and deliver a cutting slash to the mercenary's neck, cutting deep across multiple veins. As soon as he is cut Vic drops his lance and reaches upward with both hands trying to stop the bleeding, but the damage is done. Riddick has cut across too many arties, more than Vic can stop with his hands and he continues to bleed from his wounds. Seeing Vic's death struggle Riddick turns away to face the last two mercenaries, leaving Vic to bleed out.

As he turns Riddick senses the presence of the other two remaining mercenaries, Zen, trying to sneak up behind him and Cloie facing him straight on. Before Riddick is fully turned around Zen stabs forward with his lance at Riddick's upper back but Riddick bends backward, with the lance going over his head. Riddick follows through with his momentum and executes an overhead back kick to Zen's face and then stabs him, with his back facing the Mercenary, and his knife pushed backward between his arm. Never looking at him, just knowing where the mercenary's body would be at as he falls forward from the overhead kick. Cloie, trying to give her fellow Merc a chance at subduing Riddick waits too long to press her attack. When challenged by her Riddick easily blocks her repeated jabs with the lance. He finally knocks it aside and steps within her guard and hits her punches her across the face knocking her out.

Riddick breathes in hard and makes his way over to Tombs, squats down, lifts and holds his head up, slapping him twice across the face to wake him up, grabbing his collar, pulling his face up to his so he could talk with him. Riddick tells Tombs, that he is shaky as always, and that you know the last team that came in had enough on them to cover their burial. You got that much on you?

Riddick shakes him for an answer. Tombs just stares up into Riddick's face, barely conscious, and tells him that

Yea, I got it. Riddick asks him. Why are you here? I thought the government gave up trying to bring me in. What is the bounty now?

Tombs tells him, through a bloody mouth and broken nose, ten million credits.

Riddick laughing, asks him who is going to pay that much for me? Who wants me dead that badly? Tombs tells him, not dead, only alive, nothing for you dead.

Riddick is taken aback by that news. So, who would want me alive instead of dead? Tombs tells him, another Mercenary, pausing, JOHNS.

Riddick is stunned, thinking that his last encounter with Johns would have been his last. Riddick has a flash back to his last encounter with Johns' Mercenary crew. Pictures form in his mind of Johns, Dahl, of some of the others that died long ago on that desert planet.

Riddick, not believing Tombs, grabs his head tighter and places his blade up against his neck. Riddick tells him to stop lying and that Johns and he cleared up their business over ten years ago.

Tombs yells its Johns, the information is on all the Mercenary wires, check it out.

Riddick hits tombs across the head again, knocking him out and leaves the bar telling the Bartender that Tombs has got money on him to cover the mess and burial.

CHAPTER SEVEN – JOHNS

Inside of Riddick's spaceship he sits in the pilot's seat, sets the controls for a hyperspace jump and begins the process to open a portal, thinking back to his last encounter with Johns' and Box Boys' two Mercenary teams on Desota, the Devil's planet. Pictures of Johns yelling at him, him killing Box Boy, making love with Dahl, his feral dog, the serpents, spool through his mind's eye as he blankly stares out into space.

With blue patchy clouds in the sky overhead, Riddick is sitting on a building rooftop across the street from, and overlooking Johns' Mercenary headquarters. Located to the side of Johns building entrance, Riddick watches, while eating a piece of fruit and drinking from a bottle, the comings and goings of various mercenaries in and out of the building through his goggles. He notes that his location has no guard facing him, only at the front entrance, with all cameras pointing down and around all sides of the building.

Johns' headquarter building is non-descript, dull in color, three floors in height, with a large fenced-in area surrounding the back of the building. No other multi-floor buildings in the area other the one Riddick is situated on top of. Looking through a pair of binoculars he takes notice, sighting in on each device, of the cameras and other detection equipment surrounding Johns building, as well as the mercenaries standing guard inside and outside. The positioning of the guards and cameras lead him to the one possible point of entry that would get him inside unseen.

He waits patiently until dark before making his move to enter Johns' headquarters. Removing his goggles, he stands looking over the edge of the building observing the two mercenary guards standing watch outside the right side of the building. He watches as they move back and forth covering the distance of the side and back of the building, complementing the two other guards on the left side of the building. They are the last watch section on duty that night and won't be relieved until daylight, and Riddick knows that once past them he has free access to that part of the building.

Riddick moves across the roof toward the back section of the building and begins to scale down the backside of the building with a coil of rope tossed over his shoulder. On reaching the ground he pauses to see the position and direction of the guards across the street next to the Johns headquarters building. He watches as the two separates with the smaller of the two men continuing to walk toward the back of that building, his flash light pointed in front of him. The larger guard remained at the forward corner of the building awaiting the return of his companion.

As the guard walks past the left back corner of the building, Riddick takes that opportunity to slide within the shadows from across the street on an intercept course with the guard. As the guard sweeps his flash light back and forth in front of his path he hears the click of something falling in an unlit area behind the building, but ahead of his position. Hearing the sound, he does his job and decides to investigate the noise, not knowing that Riddick has used an old trick to redirect his attention in a direction opposite to his intercept path. Riddick simply tossed a small pebble over the head of the guard and off to the side of the guard's routine patrol path. In the dark of night, the guard could not see and had no real reason believe that a pebble was being tossed over his head. He only hears the click of the pebble as it hits the hard ground outside of his lighted vision, but well within his hearing range. The natural tendency is to move over to the area and try and see what has caused the sound, which is exactly what Riddick wanted him to do.

As the guard moved into the back area of the building with his focus on the ground Riddick quietly slips up behind the guard and hits him across the back of his head and neck with a downward chopping blow. As the guard starts to fall backward unconscious, Riddick catches and supports his body, lowering him down to the ground all in one smooth motion. He next tapes across his mouth and hog ties the guards' hands to his ankles and sets his body in an open area, partly in shadow, away from the corner of the building. The guards' position is such that the body would be partially visible to the other guard as he reaches the corner of the building. Riddick was using the guard partially visible body as bait in his trap.

After setting the body down Riddick returns to the corner of the building and waits for the other guard to arrive. After ten minutes Riddick can hear the second guard quietly calling out the name of the first guard and see his portions of his flash light as it sweeps back and forth. As the guard reaches the corner of the building Riddick hears his outcry of the guards' name as he sees the body in the open area beyond the corner. On seeing the body, the guard starts to run toward the second guard not bothering to look behind himself as he passes the corner of the building. As he reaches the body, bending over to better see what has happened, the guard starts to call on the radio when Riddick attacks him. Riddick reaches around his head and grabs his mouth with his left hand to keep him from yelling out or speaking into his radio, and punches him in the right kidney with his right fist. In shock from the kidney punch, Riddick spins the guard around and straight punches him in the stomach, bending him over, followed by a right fist upper cut to the jaw that straightens his body up and knocks him out. As the guard starts to fall Riddick steps to the side giving him an unobstructed path to the ground.

Riddick ties the hands and feet of the second guard in a similar fashion as the first, securely attaching both bodies to the bottom end of the climbing rope he had coiled over his shoulder. Uncoiling the rest of the rope Riddick reaches a tri-hook attached to the front end of the rope, which he starts to spin in a circular motion around and around with his right arm. Releasing the rope at the right moment, the tri-hook disappears into the dark sky toward the top of the building. Catching on the top edge of the building Riddick checks to ensure the tri-hook is set firmly and can support his ascension to the top. With the tri-hook set he begins the semi-vertical walk up the side of the building, never looking back to check on the condition of the guards until he reaches and crawls over the top edge. He turns back toward the edge and grasps the rope and starts to pull upward, lifting, first one guard then the second, together tied to the end of the rope. Riddick strains as he lifts both men in a hand over hand fashion until the hog-tied bodies reach the edge of the building where he can flip them over the edge and onto the roof top. Ensuring that both are still securely tied, he leaves them tied together pushed up against the wall of the small rooftop storage locker. He then moves over to the storage locker door, breaks the door lock, and proceeds down the steps to the lower building floors. Riddick reminds himself to let John's people know about the guards tied up on the rooftop, as the two guards are the last shift for the night their disappearance won't be noticed until early the next morning, and no one will think to look on the roof for them.

Inside Johns' office Riddick is standing in the dark, next to a large cushioned chair, facing John's desk, to the left side of the entry door, waiting for Johns to come into his office. Johns enters the office, flipping on the light switch, followed closely by a young girl whom he motions to sit in a chair facing the desk. The young girl is only ten years of age but looks as large as a twelve-year old. The girl is tall, slender, brown hair, and does not sit, but stands quietly. As Johns turns around he notices that the girl has not set down and then sees the reason why. Riddick, standing in the shadows on the opposite side of the room, smiles at Johns and the young girl. Johns is surprised, but not too surprised to find Riddick waiting for him. He initially starts to reach for his hand weapon in the desk, but quickly realizes how futile a jester that would be and how dangerous it would be as well, and moves his hand away from the desk.

Riddick simply says, that's a smart move.

Johns, with a small smile says, why am I not shocked to find you here.

Riddick responds, before I forget, if your people are stilling looking for the two guards, I left them up on the roof.

Johns asks, are they dead?

Riddick tells him, no, just a little tied up. Riddick tells him that he thought they had concluded all of their business years ago. He asks, was I wrong?

Johns tells him that with him there is always unfinished business and that they had moved on and wanted nothing further to do with him. But he had other concerns now.

Riddick asks him what does that got to do with him? Yelling at him, SO, why the bounty?

Johns stares at Riddick for a short while and tells him, because I need your help to do something I can't do without you and the bounty was the quickest way to find you.

Riddick smiles, trying to figure out what could that be, asking Johns, what something is it that your mercenaries can't handle.

Johns asks him if he remembers the Necromongers?

Riddick exclaims Necromongers?

Johns tells him that the Necromongers have fell on hard times. Most of their people have either died because of a Necromonger-phage disease or been killed in battle against the federation and they are on the run. They can't continue their religious conquest, unless they can find a cure and then replenish their ranks. They are still a formidable force but the federation isn't hunting them anymore and is waiting for them to just die out. They have got some kind of disease that doesn't affect humans, only them. It may have been something you left them with.

Riddick asks Johns, so, what has that got to do with me!

Johns tells him that they had got word that the Necromongers have entered the New Gamma system, have set up a blockade, and been trying to take over the one inhabitable planet there in order to hide out, and find a cure.

Riddick just stares at Johns saying nothing.

Johns sighs and tell him that Dahl was leading a Mercenary team, picking up three criminals on New Gamma and is still trapped there. That their communication has been cut off and they have not heard from her in over three months. I hope and pray that she hasn't been, but I think she may have been captured by them, the Necromongers.

Riddick just says, she is tough, (pauses) a very special woman, but it isn't like you have never lost part of your crew before? Why is this my problem?

Johns tells him that he has got some mercenaries willing to go in, but none have ever gone up against the Necromongers. Nobody other you, has ever really beat them. Close to tears, Johns tells Riddick, I need your help to get her back. He stares directly at Riddick, and they lock eyes. You didn't know, Dahl is my daughter and I can't lose her, as you know I have already lost my son.

Riddick shows his surprise at hearing that Dahl was his daughter with a wry smile.

Johns, still facing Riddick, motions for the girl to come stand next to him. The girl walks slowly over to Johns and turns to face Riddick, who stares at her with his glittering eyes.

Johns stares down at the girl and tells Riddick, a daughter shouldn't grow up without a mother or father. Johns whispers into the girls' ear, she stares at Riddick and slowly blinks, her eyes change from normal day vision to night vision, revealing shinning eyes similar to Riddick's. The young girl stares at Riddick with her glittering eyes for a few seconds and then blinks again, shifting back to her day vision.

Riddick stands stunned, realizing that the girl is old enough to be his and that his Furyan genetic disposition for backlit eyes has been passed on into this child. That the girl's vision is enhanced, better than his, as she doesn't require goggles and can control her night vision at will. This young girl is his daughter, a result of his onetime sexual encounter with Dahl.

Johns, staring directly at Riddick, tells him that this young girl has a twin brother, your son, who is with Dahl. We have been doing fine without you, but the girl and boy need their mother. The girl just stands next to Johns and stares at Riddick with her eyes blinking, shifting back and forth between her day and night vision.

Johns and Riddick's daughter stand staring at Riddick as he thinks about all he has been told, saying nothing, stunned into silence for the first time in his life.

Over the next week Riddick works with Johns and his crew to modify one of Johns many space craft for travel to New Gamma. In planning the rescue mission Riddick is able to convince Johns that it is a mission that he should go on by himself. He doesn't need any help once he gets on the planet and that any men that Johns sends with him will be a hindrance and just slow him down. He tells Johns that none of them have fought against the Necromongers or know them like he does. Any of John's men that accompany him will not make it back from New Gamma and he does not want their blood on his hands.

Riddick describes the special modifications he wants made to the space craft that should enable him to out maneuver and bypass the expected Necromonger patrols surrounding the New Gamma jump portal and orbiting New Gamma.

He knew their ways, having been one of them. Because of his prior reign as the Necromonger High Marshall, Riddick was aware of the Necromongers' standing procedures, and protective practices. He was well aware of all their military defensive protocols and how best to skirt and evade them. He had been successful once before, inserting himself into the Necromongers' headquarters after leaving Crematorium many years ago.

Johns, had never cared for Riddick because he held him responsible for his son's death, and liked him even less when he discovered that he was the father of Dahl's children, his grandchildren. He loved his grandchildren and Dahl more than life itself, but never wanted to see Riddick again. But, he had no choice now, Riddick was the only person in the universe who could succeed against the Necromongers and return them safely. Johns' love for Dahl and his grandson was so much greater than his dislike for Riddick that he found himself doing everything he could to assist Riddick.

All of his companies' considerable resources were at Riddick's disposal. He was giving Riddick his fastest space craft with additional ordnance and weapons inserted into and onto the vessel.

CHAPTER EIGHT – FURYANS

Dahl, after cutting off her video transmission to Johns, knew the decision was clear. They have to move out away from the space port and into the country side as quickly as possible. Dahl's biggest fear is that the Necromongers have selected this planet as a new home base and would remain here for years not the one or two weeks that was typical in their past. Regardless, they have to hide from the Necromongers.

Dahl gathers her crew together and tells them the bad news that the Necromongers have entered into the system and are on their way to the planet. She tells them that she is not sure if they will do what they normally do, attack, capture some converts and leave, or if they plan to stay on the planet for an extended period of time. Regardless, they must avoid contact with them and get away from the space port and any cities or towns. Their safest course of action is to hide out for as long as possible because they can't fight the Necromongers and win, and their ship doesn't have the ability to travel to another system without using the jump point, which the Necromongers have control over.

She tells them that she has just received word that the Necromongers have a scout force already orbiting the planet and that some of their advance forces have landed at different places within the space port. It is not the main force contingent, just some shock troops that would be used to gather battle intelligence and to attack specific locations throughout the city. They will know when the primary attack forces have arrived because the Necromongers will begin with a bombing campaign followed by a massive wave of ground troops and transport vessels. The troops will capture or kill any person they find. Men, women, children, it doesn't matter to them. They will pack everyone that they don't kill into the transport ships and take them back for eventual conversion. The Necromongers force their captives to submit to conversion to the Necromonger faith or die. No other choices.

So, unless some of you want to become Necromongers, we are leaving, taking as much supplies, fuel, and weapons as we can carry. With her son standing next to her, facing all of her other Mercenaries, she tells them to grab their gear and to get moving. The Necromongers are coming this way and we don't want to be here.

One of her Mercenary asks her, what do we do with the prisoners? Dahl tells him to keep them chained for now, we will take them with us. We can always unchain them later, let them go and use them as decoys for the Necromongers if necessary.

The three criminals turn and look at each other with scared, quizzical looks, not wanting to be left to the Necromongers.

The Necromongers began their attack on New Gamma sooner than expected, not giving Dahl and her mercenary crew enough time to get outside the city before the prep bombing started. Trapped inside a building basement Dahl and her Mercenary crew are sitting around a few tables listening to the sounds of the Necromongers fight being waged against the local populous. The criminals sit quietly, tied up with plastic cuffs and tape over their mouths. All can hear aircraft flying overhead, gunfire, and explosions outside ricocheting between building walls.

Dahl explains that they will start to leave the basement within the next few minutes, and to take one last look around before they go as they won't be back.

Dahl separates her mercenary team into four groups, each in an armored vehicle loaded with weapons, ammo, and other supplies. They have divided up the supplies and ammo as evenly as possible so that the loss of any one vehicle won't cause them to lose a significant amount of supplies or ammo. Heading out, Dahl takes station, along with Dax, in the lead vehicle, staying in contact with the other vehicles through a secure communication channel.

Even though their communications are secure and the Necromongers won't be able to break their code and understand what is being said, they could still detect the signal and zero in on their location using that information, so contact consists of short bursts of coded words.

As they begin their departure they notice many other civilian ground vehicles loaded and heading outbound from the city as well. The traffic is slower than normal but not as heavy as they would expect. Dahl surmises that many of the inhabitants aren't aware of how the Necromongers operate, because if they did, everyone would be trying to leave the city.

Driving through the city, they have tried to select a route that will take them out, away from the center of the city without travelling along any of the main corridors of traffic. Taking back roads where ever possible.

They had been travelling for over thirty minutes, making frequent turns and stops, weaving back and forth, but always in a direction that would take them out of the city. Stopping frequently to check cross roads, as well as the civil defense scanner, they hear the space port broadcast that Necromonger troops have landed in different areas of the city and begun fighting with the local police and some residents. Some have been killed, but most have been taken as captives for later conversion.

Passing through a back-alley street they come into contact with one of the Necromongers advance scout teams. The Necromongers had set up an impromptu road block and ambush, they were using to stop individuals from leaving and redirect traffic back into the center areas of the city. They had placed additional, hidden shooters in the single-story buildings along the sides of the road that would provide additional lines of fire if there was armed resistance to the roadblock. The Necromongers looked like cookie cutter soldiers, all dressed in the same uniforms, carrying the same weapons, and all the same size.

As the Mercenary convoy turns left onto a small side street the driver can see the make shift road block fifty meters ahead, with helmeted troops, rifles drawn, standing on both sides of the wood and wire barricade. They also take notice, as they drive forward, of the Necromonger troops located inside the doorways of the buildings on both sides of the street.

Dahl, speaking to her teams via radio, tells them to keep moving forward, they will run through the road block, and to return fire as best they can. If we can make it pass this check point there is nothing else preventing us from existing the city, giving us a good chance of reaching some of the backroads leading out to less populated areas. Dahl shouts into the radio to for her vehicles to stay in line and on guard. Out.

On Dahls signal, the driver of the lead vehicle revs up the truck engine, wheels screeching, tries to reach maximum speed pointed directly at the barricade, with no intent to stop. With Dahl and Dax standing besides, and behind him in the cab of the truck, they prepare to ram through the lite barricade.

The Necromonger troops had spotted the convoy of trucks as they turned onto their street and waited to see if they would turn as directed, back toward the center of the city or continue forward toward them. Other vehicles that had come in that direction earlier in the day had all stopped and then turned as expected, but hearing the trucks engine rev up and seeing the screeching tires, they realized that these vehicles had no intention of turning as directed.

The leader of the Necromonger troops gives the signal to open fire on the vehicles as they start to speed toward the barricade. Those troops stationed directly in front begin firing on the vehicles, shooting in an up and down pattern at the front of the vehicles, hitting the windshield and metal grill. Although all of their weapons fire hit the truck it proves to be ineffective. Their rounds bounce off the slotted metal grill covering the windshield and the overlapping para-shields that Dahl had placed in the front of the vehicle. The para-shield performed better than solid metal plates at the front of the truck grill, deflecting all of the rounds shot at the truck. The only damage sustained by the first two vehicles is a loss of their front head lights. The sides of the vehicles, each with a para-shield attached, prove to be equally strong and stopped all of the small arms fire from those Necromonger troops located at either side of the street. The use of para-shields hung over the most vulnerable sides of the truck was not expected and worked well in providing critical protection for them.

The lead truck never slows and hits the road block at full speed, crashing into and through the tangled wood and razor wire barricade, with Necromonger small arms and weapons fire striking on the side of the vehicle. As the second vehicle begins to pass through the broken barricade and hail of bullets, the mercenaries hear the loud explosion of a sonic shaped charge weapon coming from the direction of the third vehicle. Dahl, on hearing the explosion and unable to see the third vehicle, radios back to find out what has happened. The lead Mercenary in the last vehicle tells her that the Necromongers used some type of sonic shaped charge weapon, that hit the third vehicle on the right side and blew it up. He tells her that the truck has been stopped, laying on its left side, just in front of the barricade, has a large hole in the right side with flames coming out of the top, side, and back of the truck. Nobody is moving inside, and he doesn't believe that anybody is alive inside.

He tells Dahl that right now they can't drive past the vehicle on either side. The only way to follow would be for one of the other trucks to back up and push the third vehicle out of the way so they can pass. The last truck leader tells Dahl they need to hurry as he is sure that the Necromongers probably have another sonic shaped charge weapon aiming at them right now.

Dahl radios back that they should stop where they are at and immediately get out and away from the trucks as soon as possible and that they were on their way back to help them. In order to provide cover for the last truck, Dahl's commands the first and second truck teams, less Dax, who she orders to stay in the vehicle, to get out and provide covering fire for the last truck on both sides of the street.

The three Mercenary in the last truck pile out of the vehicles with their weapons drawn, dragging the three criminals, still tied up and connected together with securing wire, after them. In stepping out of the vehicle they come under fire and immediately return fire in that direction and look for any place where they can take cover from Necromonger cross fire. Coming out of their vehicle on the right side, they start to run toward the still burning, tipped over vehicle, to hide behind.

Their effort is helped by Mercs from the first two vehicles, who have gotten out of their vehicles and are providing covering fire for them on both sides of the street. With all of the last vehicle personnel crouching down as low as they can behind the vehicle, the lead mercenary is in radio contact with Dahl requesting a concentration of fire on his unprotected right side.

Dahl and the second vehicle team shift their fire power focus onto the Necromongers on the right side of the street. Their initial point of aims is on the one Necromonger attempting to fire a sonic shaped charge weapon. While in the act of aiming the weapon he is hit, almost simultaneously by gunfire from three different Mercenaries. The fire fight with the four remaining Necromongers on the right side is short, as the Mercenaries from the two front trucks concentrate their fire power on them, one at a time, killing them, one by one, in rapid succession. But not before the Necromongers are able to shoot all three of the still chained prisoners and one of the last vehicle Mercenary, leaving them with only two alive from that truck's original six occupants.

While focusing their efforts against those Necromongers on the right side of the vehicles, those on the left side were able to shift their positions and setup for another sonic shaped charge shot. As the last Necromongers on the right side is killed, the Mercenaries' attention is jerked around and brought back into focus when the sonic shaped charge weapon hits the last truck, penetrating the left side and causing that vehicle to explode from the inside similar to the previous truck, leaving the truck a burning husk.

Luckily for the Dahl's mercenaries no one was in the vehicle at that time, and the two remaining Mercs survive, still safely crouched down behind the already tipped third vehicle.

As the Necromongers began to set up their tripod for the sonic weapon the other troops on the left side of the street used the action and confusion of the ongoing fire fight on the right side of the street as a distraction and opportunity to shift their positions and move into close proximity to the Mercenaries.

Now the Mercenary are down to two vehicles, with only a total of eight members left, including Dahl and Dax. As they turn their attention to the other Necromongers firing from their left side, they again try to concentrate their fire power on the three trying to set up another sonic shaped charge weapon. Having shifted their positions, five of the Necromongers were able to move forward and around the downed truck to directly confront the Mercenary close in combat. The first Necromonger to face them, carrying a large gun, is shot at point blank range and starts to drop to the ground, but the second Necromonger is able to push the body forward and into the Mercenary's position providing cover for him as he attacks with his hand weapon. He shoots the Mercenary in the right shoulder, spinning him around, then shoots him in the left shoulder, spinning him in the opposite direction, finishing the Mercenary off with a stab in the back as his back turns toward him.

Two of the three Necromongers continue their rush against the remaining Mercenary from the first vehicle. One is shot in the middle of the chest by one of the mercenaries, as he rushes forward in a berserker rage, dropping him immediately in his tracks. Defending themselves against the berserker distracts Dahl and the and the second Necromonger is able to close within a one-meter distance and attempts to stab Dahl with a short sword. Dahl is barely able to block the first thrust with her hand gun which causes her to stumble, pressed by the attacking Necromonger. Within stabbing range, the Necromonger continues to stab at Dahl's mid-section, but is unable to find an opening. Stepping back Dahl continues to deflect the Necromongers' furious assault using her forearms to block his every move. As the Necromonger attempts an overhead stroke Dahl stumbles and falls back, using her left arm to steady herself above the ground. The Necromonger sees this as an opening and tries to execute a double handed overhead killing stroke. Dahl uses her low position, twists her body around 180 degrees and uses her leg to sweep the Necromongers legs and flip him to the ground. Dahl continues her twist and rotates into a crouching position facing the Necromonger who is attempting to recover. Before he can get back to his feet he is shot from the side by one of the other mercenaries. As the Necromongers' body rolls over from the shot his helmet comes off and his face is exposed, revealing Riddick's face. Both Dahl and the Mercenary recognize the face and Dal yells out Riddick' name thinking at first that it is actually Riddick laying in front of her. Both step over the body to exam the face. As they move forward to the body they don't see the last Necromonger who has snuck around the front of the first vehicle and is coming up behind their position unseen.

The Necromonger sees them approach and bend over the body and starts to take aim at them, shooting the Mercenary twice in the back before any are aware that he is even behind them. Bending over the body looking at Riddick's face Dahl hears the first shot come from behind her and she starts to turn around toward the direction of the shot.

After shooting the first Mercenary the Necromonger quickly shifts his aim over toward Dahl as she starts to turn around and starts to pull his trigger at her still turning body. Before Dahl and the other Mercenary can fully turn around to face the last Necromonger, a shot rings out and the Necromonger stands frozen, stunned, hands still in a shooting position. A second shot follows the first and the Necromonger starts falling forward from the second shot in his back. As he falls to the ground Dahl and the remaining Mercenary can see Dax standing behind the fallen Necromonger, holding the just fired pistol in his hands.

Previously, at the beginning of the fire fight Dahl had told Dax, in her most stringent voice, to stay down and hidden between seats until the fire fight was completed. What she asks him to do was what any mother would tell their child to do, but was impossible for a young male, with Furyan blood lines, to do. As the fight raged around him in the vehicle he did not think about what she had told him, as he had to see what was going on. He cautiously lifted his head to see what was occurring during the battle. He watched as both Necromongers and Mercenary fired at each other, adjusting their positions, killing with no Mercy asked or given.

Not being engaged in the fire fight he was the only person that noticed as a single Necromonger slowly moved around the front of his vehicle, staying low and hidden from the mercenaries the Necromonger shifted his position to come up and around the back of Dahl and the other mercenary.

As he observed the Necromonger move around the front of the truck, he realized that if the Necromonger succeeded he would be able to shoot his mother and other Mercenary in the back, giving them no chance to defend themselves. He decides he has to act and looks for any available weapon that he can use. Taking out the handgun that his mother had given to him for an emergency he quietly opens the front door and steps out behind the Necromonger who is taking aim at the Mercenary. He cocks the weapon and takes aim, centering his aim at the back of the Necromonger as the Necromonger fires his first two shots at the Mercenary.

Although he has never fired a weapon at another human Dax knows that he has to act and takes aim. Dax is unable to prevent the first Mercenary from being shot in the back and killed, but fires a single shot into the Necromongers back before he can turn his fire on his mother. The timing of the shot is such that the Necromonger, while taking aim at Dahl, is unable to fire his weapon before being hit in the back. The shot kills the Necromonger instantly, with the impact of the round stunning him but leaving him standing. Dax, not knowing that his first shot was lethal fires a second round which causes the Necromongers' helmet to come off as he pitches forward onto the ground, rolling over.

Dahl, seeing Dax holding the just fired handgun, quickly steps over to him, placing her hand over the weapon taking it from Dax. She realizes that he has just saved their lives and has had to kill another human being for the first time. She draws him to herself and holds him tightly, trying to calm him, softly telling him, it is alright thank you, over and over again.

Dahl releases Dax and turns her attention back to the dead Necromonger with Riddick's face. As she turns toward the first body she notices that the Necromonger that Dax killed lost his helmet as well and has the Riddick's face also, but not his eyes. She opens the eyes of the other Necromonger and notes that both have regular eyes. In a flash, she realizes that they are clones of Riddick and that they have been fighting his clones which explains the size, strength, and speed that they had exhibited during the fight. They were not as strong or fast as the real Riddick, but had a lot of his capabilities. Typical of clones, none had the full physical or mental capabilities of the original, but the clones of a man like Riddick would still be stronger than almost all other men.

This fire fight was brief, but intense. The Mercenary were lucky that they had only run into a checkpoint and not a full blown road block. The Necromonger had set up, and manned the check point to redirect traffic back toward the center of the city. The number of Necromongers stationed at the checkpoint was a small contingent of troops, enough they felt to serve as an obstacle and intimidation to the city populous.

As the Mercenary began their post fire fight clean up, they quickly gathered up any serviceable weapons and ammunition they could use and loaded them in the two remaining vehicles and prepared to drive away, finally leaving the city and the coming Necromonger attack and invasion.

The two Mercenary vehicles continue their drive out of the city on a four lane back road, with the small skyline of the space port in their rearview mirrors. Once out and away from the populated areas of the city, seated in the passenger seat of the truck, Dahl reflects on the events of the past few days with her Mercenary team, the Riddick clones, and her young son, now a seasoned, blooded Mercenary. While Dax seats in the trucks middle row of seats holding the weapon, he used to kill the Necromonger and save their lives, he thinks little of the dangers they just survived, only of the adventure that he experienced.

They continue driving, noting the change in scenery as they get further and further from the city, the landscape changing from a small urban area to a more wooden environment. A few hours into their escape their travel on the four lane road comes to a fork diving the road into two, two-lane roads. Dahl directs her driver to continue down the left branch of the road and the two vehicles continue forward on their path, trying to get as far from the city as they possibly can.

Driving along the empty roads, they see no other towns, houses, or vehicles travelling in either direction. Dahl suspects that by this time what little population exists on the planet has got the warnings about the Necromonger invasion and are avoiding the cities as well.

They continue driving, stopping only to refuel and hours pass. The driver turns toward Dahl and tells her, it is starting to get dark, we don't have any overhead lights, there is no moon on this planet, and neither of these two vehicles have working front lights. Where do you want me to pull over?

Dahl tells him to just keep driving.

He tells her, I can barely see right now and won't be able to see at all in a few minutes.

Dahl, looking back at her son, and then back to the driver, just follow his directions and we will be alright. Her son moves forward in his seat and next to the driver, and blinks his eyes, bringing his night vision into focus. With his night vision in play the road and surrounding area are perfectly clear to him and provide an easy map to follow.

Dax tells the driver to continue straight for another three kilometers and then start to veer left. The driver says ok and follows his directions, placing his and everyone's lives in the young man's enhanced view of the surroundings.

Dahl reaches up and pulls radio receiver down and opens a communication channel to the second vehicle. I know that neither of us have front lights, but we have a way forward, so keep driving. Just follow behind us using our tail lights to guide you. Do you copy in the back?

The second vehicle drivers respond, copy, loud and clear and the vehicles continue driving into the pitch black of night.

As night time fades into daylight the vehicles pullover again to change drivers, refuel, and finally give young Dax a chance to sleep. He had remained awake all night guiding the trucks along dark roads as they travelled along.

Mid-morning on the second day the lead driver sees the distant outline of scattered buildings across the skyline. Dahl tells them that there will most likely be a roadblock somewhere ahead before they actually reach any of the buildings, so they should be prepared, load up and check their weapons.

Continuing down the road the driver sees a roadblock ahead consisting of two large bull dozers. The dozers have their blades down and placed side by side, stretching across the two lane road. The blades presented an immovable and impenetrable barricade that would easily stop their vehicles from passing. As they neared the roadblock Dahl watched the reaction of the armed guards. It was clear that the guards saw them as their vehicles approached the barricades from afar, but never went into an elevated security posture. They never raised their weapons or shifted their positions, simply waited for the vehicles to approach close enough to speak with them.

The two guards, both very large muscular men, remained standing with their weapons slung over their shoulders, one on each side of the bull dozer blades. As the vehicles approached they signaled for them to stop and then stepped toward the lead truck, one on the drivers' side, the other on the passenger side.

The driver side guard asked the driver who they were and where they were intending to go. Dahl, after the driver looked over in her direction, sitting in the passenger side answered. She told them that had escaped from the space port two days earlier, and were simply trying to get as far away from the Necromongers as possible.

The guards tell them that had heard news that the Necromongers had attacked and landed at the space port. All indications were that there was some fighting and resistance put up by the local inhabitants, but nothing that would really stop or deter the Necromongers. The guards tell them that they had not heard any news that indicated the Necromongers had spread out much further than one days' ride outside the space port, in any direction as yet, although they were aware that they had set in place some communication satellites and blockade ships in space around the planet

Dahl is curious as to why the guards have not really looked inside their vehicles or even asked them to step out of their vehicles to check them for weapons. Noting that the guards never leveled their weapons at them nor seemed worried about whether they were armed or not. She surmised that they were either completely incompetent, or supremely confident in their abilities as fighting men, most likely the latter. They both had an air of confidence about them, as if they knew they could defeat both truckloads of Mercenary with ease if required.

The passenger side guard tells Dahl that they will move the bulldozer to one side and open a lane for them to drive through, and that they should proceed forward until they reach a clearing ahead in front of their building. At that point, they should stop their vehicles, get out and wait until someone comes out to assist them.

The guard steps back and gets into the bull dozer, starts it up and moves it out of the right lane of the roadway.

Dahl tells her driver to move forward and just follow the instructions that the guard had given to them. As they pass by the road block Dahl notes that the guards pay little or no further attention to them, turning their backs on them and moving the bull dozer back into its previous position.

As their vehicles pull up into the cleared area and stop, they see two other men, equally large as the guards, but unarmed, come out of the building to meet them.

Dahl signals for her team to exit the trucks and they stand with their backs to the vehicles observing the area around them. One large, single story building, surrounded by a large open area. Clearly this area was, and probably still used as a recreational area for this community.

The two men walking toward them greet them in a friendly manner and ask the Mercenaries to follow them inside the building. Dahl asks them what town this is and whether they were aware of what was happening at the space port with the Necromongers. The older of the two men tells them that the town they have come to is called New Haven. It is the name given to this location over twenty-five years ago when their people first came to the planet. Yes, they are aware of what has been happening at the space port and are having a community leader meeting on what to do at this time, and they would like to hear what information the Mercenaries have regarding the Necromongers.

As the Mercenaries walk into the building they can see a rather large crowd of people standing to both sides of a raised dais, with five empty chairs, in the middle of the large room.

Dahl, her son by her side, and the other Mercenaries, notice that all of the people within the meeting room seem to be of like build. Large, muscular, very fit type individuals, standing in small groups talking amongst themselves. In addition, Dahl is surprised and curious to see a rather large number of individuals, spread throughout the crowd, wearing black, high-speed low-drag sunglasses indoors.

Dahl and her team are stopped in front of the dais, as five individuals walk toward the dais from the left side of the room.

The crowd continues to hum with quiet conversations between small groups of adults until a raised hand signal from the individual that led them into the building requests quiet so that the meeting can begin and their leaders can address the gathering of people.

After a few seconds, the five leaders (four men and one women) step onto the dais and take their seats facing Dahl and the rest of the people gathered for their town meeting. The male seating in the center seat, the women to his far left, and the male to his immediate right are also wearing sunglasses that completely hide their eyes from view.

As the noise of the audience quiets down the leader asks Dahl who they are, and why are they there in their territory?

Dahl tells him her name and that they are Mercenaries on a job to pick up some criminals when they got the alert that the Necromongers had entered the solar system, were in the process of surrounding the planet, and would invade soon, taking over the planet. They left the spaceport as soon as possible to avoid capture. Were in a fire fight where they lost two of their vehicles, some of their team members and all three criminals.

She tells him that they want no trouble with them, but don't want to be anywhere near the Necromongers. We don't want to become their converts.

The Leader asks her, so that's your plan, just keep running?

Dahl answers, yes, as fast and as far away as possible. We don't have the manpower to fight the Necromongers and intend to wait them out, as they normally do not stay much longer than a week or two. Our belief is that they are just here for converts to replenish their ranks and will leave this planet after they get enough converts.

The Leader tells her that it is a good plan for you, but in our experience with the Necromongers, they don't take hostages. We too are aware that they have come to this planet, but believe they are here to stay for a lot longer period of time.

We have heard that they are weak and dying. We are aware that the Necromongers, have suffered some defeats in recent years and that they are suffering from a Necromonger-phage disease, that has been depleting their numbers and they have lost in a number of battles with the federation of planets armies. They are a pale shadow of their former selves. They have no reason to come to this remote planet unless they need a place to stay and recover. The only reason to come here to this remote world is to hide from others. That is why we came here many years ago.

We Furyans have history with these Necromongers and own them a blood debt. The Necromongers we know, don't convert, just kill. Men, women, children, it doesn't matter to them. They tried to destroy us as a people, but we Furyans have survived. We escaped their genocide many years ago and came here to hide from them. Now finally, in their weaken state we may, at long last, be able to repay that blood debt.

Dahl, surprised to hear them claim to be Furyans, asks, Furyan? You are a Furyan?

The Furyan leader responds, yes, you have heard of us?

Dahl tells him that she has met one of them before.

The Furyan Leader wants to know where? What world? Tells her that we thought there were no other survivors, we mostly stay to ourselves and seldom travel off world. We know of no other Furyans, other than those of us on this planet. We all are Furyans here, some of us are Alphas.

Dahl says Alphas? And gives him a quizzical look, not knowing what he means.

He touches the side of his sunglasses, along with the two other Alphas, man and woman, sitting on the dais, and their sunglasses go clear and Dahl can see his and their shinning night vision eyes staring back at her.

Dahl, standing tall, calls her sons name, Dax, and bends down to him and whispers into his ear.

Dax steps forward, stares directly at the group of Furyan leaders, saying nothing, but blinks, three times, revealing his night vision eyes. Shifting his vision between day and night vision with each blink.

On seeing the young man's eyes shift, two of the leadership group gasp. The Alpha leader, speaking to Dahl, tells her that it seems that you have met a Furyan before and an Alpha at that. We would want to know more about YOUR Furyan. What clan does your Furyan come from? What is his name? Where did you meet him? Where is he at now?

Dahl tells them that his name is Riddick and that he is his own clan. There is no one else like him.

The Furyan Leader tells her that it is not a name he is familiar with, or in their records of those lost, but no matter.

Having crossed the Necromongers before we have prepared for this day of reckoning, and plan to take any opportunity to exact our revenge, if possible. We will leave this location soon and move into our hidden bases. We will stay hidden until the Necromongers start to feel comfortable and bring all of their forces down onto the planet, then we will attack. Over the last twenty-five years we have built some air ships and destructive weapons that we have hidden in many places around this world, but will wait until the time is right to attack and destroy the Necromongers.

Dahl asks, can we fight with you?

The Furyan Alpha tells her that it is obvious; pointing at her son that you are one of us already and you will be treated as such. You, your son, and your people can have a home among us for along as you want.

Dahl asks, how can we help?

The Furyan Alpha tells her that we have discovered that the Necromonger armada is less than ten percent of its former size, because of their losses due to the Necromonger-phage and battles with federation forces. They are a pale shadow of their former self. The Necromonger-Phage is a disease that was picked up on a distant world, but affects only those that have been converted into Necromongers. It has no effect on normal humans. So, all new converts are quarantined until cleared.

No one knows who was the cause of the Necromonger-Phage, or on what world it picked up. We are only sure that the virus that is harmless to normal humans has been deadly to the Necromongers. It is a wasting disease that starts in the person's blood vessels, extending into the bodies' other vital organs until the person is consumed from the inside out.

Even with all of their technology, they have been unable to find a cure. Their time is at an end and we are going to help them along their way.

With that last statement, the meeting breaks up and the crowd of Furyans begin to leave the building to start their preparations for the coming fight with the Necromongers. Two of the Furyans turn to the Mercenaries and start to tell them where they should go next, first asking if any require any medical assistance.

A few stop to speak with Dahl and Dax, asking Dahl about the Furyan male she had known. Many gathered around Dax, looking him over to see if he resembled any of their fellow clan members. Some asking him to shift between his day and night vision. Dax and Dahl are fascinated to meet and talk with the Furyans, especially the Alphas. Dax had never seen any other human's other than his sister, with night vision such as he had, and Dahl had never seen anyone other than Riddick and their children with night vision. It was a pleasure for Dahl and Dax to meet the Furyans and talk with them.

Dax and Dahl are in shock to find other Furyan children and youth who also possessed the ability to shift between day and night vision by simply blinking. The young children stared at each other blinking as fast as they could, smiling and laughing. It was clear that the shifting capability was passed to the next generation as an enhancement mutation of their night vision gene.

Dahl and Dax were approached by a male Alpha and asked to follow him into a back room. Once in the room Dax was asked to provide a small sample of saliva for the Furyans to test. There was no doubt that he was a Furyan, they wanted to know what clan he belonged to and needed a sample of his DNA in order to determine his family tree line. Dax was eager to give his sample as this was a momentous occasion in his life. It was not every day that a young man finds out that there were many others like him and that his special abilities makes him part of a bigger family and not just a singular freak with only a common bond with a sister.

After providing his blood sample Dax and Dahl leave the building and rejoin the other Mercenaries and Furyans working to prepare for the coming battles with the Necromongers. Dax joins their Mercenary team in prepping, loading, and racking their weapons, while Dahl engages in discussions with the Furyan leaders on potential battle plans that may be used against the Necromongers.

During their debriefing Dahl, tells the Furyans that after their fire fight with the Necromongers they discovered that the Necromongers were using clones. Clones of her Furyan, Riddick. She doesn't know when or how they were able to get his DNA, but she was sure that he was not a Necromonger. She also explains to them that it seemed that the clones were not as physically capable as the Riddick that she knew. They were pale copies of Riddick, not as fast, strong, or furious as he was.

The Furyans and Dahl realize that the Necromongers must really be on their last legs as a people. Not able to get enough converts to sustain their population, dependent on clones, which everyone knew had a four-year life span. The process of growing clones was well understood by mankind, but had inherent limitations. Limited life span, and reduced intelligence, and physical abilities, speed, strength. Clones were good only for storm trooper and berserker missions where lives didn't matter, only large concentrations of bodies. The Necromongers must really be on their last legs if they were using clones now. It might really be the time to end the scourge of the Necromongers once and for all time.

A Furyan soldier comes into the room, interrupts their conversation, turning to Dahl and tells her that the Furyan Alpha Leader must speak with her and Dax in private. Dahl and Dax follow the soldier to his office where the Alpha directs the soldier to leave them, leaving Dahl and Dax standing in front of his desk facing him and four other Furyan adults, one male and three females standing, two per side next to his side behind the desk.

The Furyan Alpha starts by telling them, we know that you and your son are fighters and would help us greatly in the coming battles, but we, no I, must ask that you remain at our base when the fighting begins.

Dahl tells them that she doesn't understand, why would you ask us to stay back, in hiding why you are out fighting for our lives?

The Furyan Alpha tells them that as is their custom, they have completed the genetic tests on your son's blood to help us identify which of our clans he belongs to.

Pausing, he tells her that he, Dax, is a part of his clan, our clan, waving his hand at the other Furyans standing next to him. Looking at Dax he tells him that he is a part that, until today, they had all thought was lost long ago. That he had seen the escape pod that carried his wife and young son be hit and thought destroyed by the Necromongers years ago. Turning toward Dahl, he asks, this Furyan man of yours, Riddick. Do you know him by any other name?

Dahl says no, just Riddick.

The Alpha leader tells her that his true, given name is Thomas. He was, is, my son. Your son is my grandson, and these are his uncles and aunts. When we Furyans were attacked many years ago, the Necromongers killed almost all on our world, other than what has survived here on new Gamma, and I thought that included my wife and child, Thomas. I don't know by what miracle, but Thomas survived and your son's DNA is proof of that survival and our relationship. There is no doubt, the tests were run three times.

We are all that is left of our clan. During our escape from the Necromonger attack on Furyan, we were left unable to reproduce because of the effect of gamma ray radiation the Necromongers used against us. You Dax, are the only future of our clan. Having now found what we thought was lost, we will not take the chance of losing you again. We ask, no, we beg you to stay here until the fighting is over and we return.

Dahl, still in shock from the news, pauses, looks down at Dax then back up to his grandfather and relatives, and quietly tells him that they will do as they ask and stay with them, but back at the base. The faces of the elder members of Riddick's clan break into smiles of relief, moving forward to gather Dahl and Dax into a group hug.

CHAPTER TEN – NEW GAMMA

The ship floats outside the final hyperspace portal that leads to New Gamma. It has taken Riddick four long circuitous jumps, in as many days, just to get to this remote location with still one last jump left to complete.

Riddick is sitting in the pilot command chair in front of the ship's central control panel, dictating his flight plan requirements to the ships' central computer. The ship that Johns has given him was modified for increased speed and armed for a one-way mission. The ship's only purpose is to get Riddick safely past any Necromonger ships guarding the New Gamma hyperspace portal, orbiting around New Gamma and to the planet's upper atmosphere without being killed. Once there Riddick was sure that he could get to the surface on his own, use his survival skills to find Dahl and Dax, and then get them to safety until the Necromonger threat has passed.

Riddick tells the central computer to override normal safety protocols for entering and existing a hyperspace portal. Protocols that were programmed into every jump capable ship, entering the portal at a minimum speed so that there is little chance of hitting any unexpected objects as they exit the portal on the other side, with a high relativistic speed. The computer tells him that his flight plan cannot be programmed because overriding the safety protocols will endanger the structural integrity and material safety of the ship and his own life. Riddick provides the appropriate override codes and directs the computer to calculate speed requirements for entry at maximum thrust that will enable him to exit at the greatest speed possible, enabling him to catch anyone guarding the portal by surprise and give him a significant speed vector advantage from the start. He directs the computer to run the ship's engines above their set safety levels, so that he can reach the highest speed possible. With the expected speed delta, it should take the Necromongers by surprise. With that speed advantage, he should be able to outrun any ships they have until he can get in closer to New Gamma. Providing him with plenty of time to decide how to fight or lose any ships that are still chasing him. Once past the portal and outer planets he will have more options and be better able to determine what defenses the Necromongers have put in place to capture and pickup random, single ships. Riddick is fairly sure that the Necromongers have very little experience with space ships trying to land on planets that they control and occupy. All others are trying to get as far away from the Necromongers as possible.

The computer tells Riddick that by existing at the requested speeds he will increase the likelihood of colliding into or being struck by any number of natural or man-made objects when he exits the portal. The computer tells Riddick that the ship will be severely limited in its ability to stop or maneuver around any potential obstacles in their path.

Riddick acknowledges the computers warning, provides the override codes again and provides additional instructions. The central computer responds with confirmation that Riddick's instructions have been implemented as commanded and the ship is ready to execute on his command.

Riddick sets the ships navigation track to enter the center of the portal and engages its engines, set to maximum thrust. The onboard computers have synchronized reaching the ship maximum speed with the opening of the portal to enable the ship to exit at its top speed. Riddick buckles in his command chair and engages the engines at maximum thrust as the portal begins to form and the connection is completed.

The five Necromonger ships sit idly, positioned around the New Gamma system jump point, standing guard against any ships that may attempt to enter the system via the portal. The ships had been on station for over a week with no activity, maintaining the jump point location within the center of their pyramid. The crews are snapped out of their lull and into action as their ships receive the alert that the portal is starting to form and open, indicating hyperspace tunnel activation. The ship commander stands watching the screens as the portal forms, giving his crew the standby signal.

No sooner than the portal forms, the nose of Riddick's space ship emerges through the opening in hyperspace and the remainder of the ship quickly exists, moving forward at maximum thrust. This is a dangerous, unusual and unexpected tactic that catches the Necromongers completely off guard, as all ships normally exit hyperspace portals at the slowest speed possible to avoid unforeseen collisions with objects or debris. Any such collision would be fatal to the ship and crew because of the extremely high relative speeds between the ship and object.

As the surrounding portal fabric began to shimmer the Necromongers set in motion their capture scheme for ships exiting the jump portal. They had established a three dimensional web that should enable them to stop and capture any ship emerging from the jump portal. The Necromonger ships and crew were experienced and had taken many ships in the past using this technique. Ships would exit the portal at a minimum speed, not expecting the convergence of armed ships and run directly into firing lines of the armed ships that surround their position. Realizing their situation, the captains of the ships emerging from the portal would immediately give up and request mercy.

As Riddick's ship exits the portal his radar screens and the onboard computer tells him that he has clear sailing ahead, detecting no debris or other objects in their projected path, but also noting the positions of the Necromonger ships as well. The Necromonger ships are stationed around the portal, with cross firing lanes, awaiting emergence of the ship at a slow speed. Riddick's ship is outside the mold, emerging at a maximum speed, catching the surrounding ships off guard and unprepared. The Necromongers were not expecting the ship's speed vector and can't react fast enough.

Riddick's gamble has paid off and the ship zooms past the five Necromonger ships, heading toward the inner solar system and New Gamma. As their vision of Riddick's ship dwindles, the Necromonger commander directs his spacecraft and one other to follow in pursuit of Riddick's ship and increase their speeds to maximum thrust in order to overtake the craft as soon as possible. He orders the three remaining patrol crafts to remain on guard at the jump point in case other vessels try to come through the portal, and to be prepared to immediately fire on any other ships that come through the portal.

The ship that Riddick has brought through the portal had been especially modified, carrying a minimum of onboard weight, extra fuel, and programmed to run above the engine safety red line, to increase its top speed. The changes in Riddick's ship would bring his maximum speed very nearly equal with the Necromonger ships maximum. The difference in relative speed that Riddick's ship gained by coming through the portal at max speed provides him with vector delta worth at least one day's separation before the Necromongers would be able to get within weapons range, dependent on the amount of maneuvering executed.

Riddick had no intent on making any unnecessary maneuvers or changes in ship's course. He wanted to hit the portal at maximum speed and continue onward, past any Necromonger ships, toward New Gamma.

As Riddick's ship exits the jump portal, and passes the surrounding Necromonger guard ships, the Necromonger computers sound an alarm after calculating its exit speed. As it continues on a path toward the inner planets of the solar system Riddick gives the command for the computer to execute the second phase of his plan to safely reach New Gamma. The computer begins its recalculation of the future positions of each inner planet to determine which of the inner planets would provide the greatest sling shot effect with minimal amount of maneuvering by the space ship. Gaining additional speed from flying into and around the orbit of one or more inner planets would increase the ships' speed relative to the pursuit craft until they have executed the same maneuver. But in doing so they would give Riddick enough extra time to keep him out of weapons range until he reached New Gamma.

The space craft's onboard computer tracked the planets rotation as it revolved around the system star calculating the correct speed and angle of attack the craft would have to achieve in order to take advantage of the planets gravity without being captured by it. The calculations had to be precise, any combination of too much speed and too small of an angle of attack and the ship would skim the planet's upper atmosphere and head into deep space. Too slow and too great an angle and the ship would take a deep dive into the planet lower atmosphere and crash, never being able to pull out of the dive.

Riddick realized that if properly executed the maneuver would enable his space ship to temporarily gain enough velocity and distance to ensure arrival at New Gamma before the pursuing Necromongers could get within weapons deployment range.

If successful, his concerns would shift to those Necromonger ships presently orbiting the planet. Those he would not be able to outrun. He would have to implement the third and final phase of his plan. That phase would require a near suicide run into the teeth of the enemy on the dark side of the planet. At night, where the lack of direct sunlight, or reflected sunlight from a nonexistent moon, would be to his benefit. His night vision would provide him with a critical advantage over any patrols out searching at night.

Riddick was sure that sooner or later, probably later, that the Necromonger pursuing him would radio ahead about his planned interception with New Gamma. He was sure they would wait until it became clear to them that they would not be able to capture or destroy his ships before they would alert or contact the orbiting New Gamma ships. They would want to handle the single ship on their own before asking for help or any kind of assistance. Calling for help would mean failure on their part to first stop the ship as it entered the solar system via the portal and second, catch or destroy the ship during an expected two-to-three day chase before reaching the planet. The Necromongers were very intolerant of failure within their culture. Any failures such as this would result in a death sentence.

The Necromonger Commander had waited patiently for over thirty-six earth standard hours as his hip's greater overall speed had slowly reduced the distance, gaining on Riddick's ship as time passed. Having been caught off guard when Riddick's ship initial burst through the space portal, the Commander had been on edge and anxious to capture or at least destroy this trespasser before the ship could reach New Gamma. He had resisted any thoughts of calling ahead to alert the ships orbiting New Gamma, knowing that this was his problem and required his resolution. To ask for help was a sign of weakness and failure. Traits not kindly looked upon by other Necromongers.

As Riddick's ship began to make minute course adjustments toward the third planet from the New Gamma sun, they were detected by the Necromonger's and relayed to their Commander. He knew the answer, but asked anyway if the third planet was capable of sustaining human life, receiving a negative that it could not. He wondered what could this rogue ship possibly be trying to accomplish with the course change. He realized in a flash that the ship must be trying to get a push from the planet's gravity. The Necromonger Commander knew instinctively that if the ship succeeded with that maneuver that he would get a speed increase over them and open up the distance that they had patiently chipped away at over the last thirty-six hours. He also knew that there was nothing that his ship could do to stop the maneuver. The laws of physics were set and there was nothing that could be done to counter them. The Commander knew that this rogue ship would not get within weapons range before he reached the planet.

Forced, by Riddick's unexpected space ship boost maneuver and the law of physics, the Necromonger had his communication officer radio ahead to the Necromonger patrol ships orbiting New Gamma, that a rogue ship had got past their blockade at the hyperspace portal as was on its way to New Gamma. He also told them that they were still in pursuit and would finish his capture of the ship and contents once they were in orbit around New Gamma. His communication was acknowledged, with no mention of how or why the ship was able to get past their blockade at the jump point, but with the reply that they would intercept and destroy the intruding space craft. The Commander understood the implied message; the orbiting patrol would clean up his mistake. He knew that he had only one chance of saving his life, his ship had to be very much involved in the capture and, or destruction of the ship. Anything less and he was dead.

As the ship neared the third planet from the New Gamma sun the computer began to adjust and change its course to eventually bring Riddick's space craft within the orbit and gravitational pull of the planet. Riddick's onboard computer had calculated correctly and the ship fell into the third planet at the precise speed and angle to avoid capture by the planets gravity, but gain from its sling shot effect. Riddick's scheme had worked as planned and his ship rocketed around the outer atmosphere of the planet and was shot into space with a gravity assist, headed now directly toward the future position of New Gamma. As Riddick's space ship started to realize the benefits of the planets gravity assist, the distance between his ship and the Necromongers started to increase, eventually equaling the distance that had been gained in his initial run through the portal. The Necromongers could only copy his maneuver and follow behind his ship, once again trying to reduce the distance between them, desperately trying to again get within weapons range, as they all headed toward New Gamma.

Riddick had gained an additional twenty-four hours of travel time and relatively safe travel to the outer reaches of New Gamma by using the gravity assist. He still had the Necromonger Commanders two ships in pursuit, but was not really worried about them. He had another surprise in store for them. His only concern at this time was the patrol craft that were currently orbiting New Gamma.

As his ship started to get near New Gamma, Riddick did not detect any intercepting patrol ships. It became clear that the orbiting Necromonger patrol ships had not bothered to come out of their orbit to intercept his ship before reaching the planet as they knew there was no were else to go. Riddick had to come pass their positions in order to land on New Gamma. The only other option was to travel into open space to the next nearest system, which was outside the range of any existing space craft. New Gamma was far outside the galactic core of planets and could only be reached via the hyperspace portal. Their Commander had decided to wait for him to come to them instead of attacking him as he neared the planet. Big mistake, as that tactic played into Riddick's plans, and was exactly what he had hoped and planned for.

Nearing the New Gamma orbit the ship's computer alerts Riddick that they would be within the weapons range of the pursuing Necromonger ships in one hour, and that four Necromonger patrol ships had been detected in orbit coming toward their current position. Riddick acknowledges the computers warning and directs the computer to execute his last delay plan. The computer provides Riddick with verbal confirmation that the plan is being executed. As Riddick monitors the digital and visual view screens, he can see both the original pursuit space crafts, as well as the in-orbit patrol craft, closing in on his new orbital position.

To someone less tactically skilled, it would appear that Riddick was in the worst possible position, soon to be trapped between two superior forces with nowhere to run or turn. But in reality, it was exactly where he wanted to be and where his successful plans had got him. With a push of a button, in the aft section of Riddick's space ship a large panel slides open and over one hundred black metallic and non-metallic spheres are jettisoned along the prior path of the ship directly in front of the two pursuing Necromonger ships. The spheres engage their onboard maneuvering thrusters and take up positions forming three integrated hexagon shapes, with crisscrossing center spheres, having already begun their arming and detection sequences. The non-metallic spheres take up preprogrammed positions along his prior path that would require the pursuit ships, if they detect the mines in time, to sharply maneuver well outside of Riddick's project path, or to pass through the ad hoc mine field. Either choice would effectively remove the two ships from the coming engagement and enhance his chance of successfully reaching the planet's surface.

Both Necromonger ships detect the mines as they were jettisoned from Riddick's ship and alerted their ship captains who gave orders to swing wide of the field. As the aft ship starts to change course to circumvent the mine field on the lead ship the Necromonger Commander over rules the ship Captain's order and orders the ship to continue forward through the field. The Commander knows that the safe tactic is to maneuver out and around the field and engage Riddick's ship after readjusting their course and speed. That maneuver would, however, take them out of direct pursuit of Riddick's craft and prevent any possible engagement until after Riddick's ship was probably captured or destroyed by the other orbiting Necromonger ships. The alternative of going through the mine field may or may not result in their destruction, but not engaging Riddick's ship was certain to result in his death. He had to take the chance of surviving the mine field and the possibility of bringing weapons to bear on Riddick's craft instead of the guarantee of being killed by his own for his failures.

The Necromonger craft continued in the path of Riddick's ship, firing their proximity weapons to cut a clear path through the minefield. Concentrating their weapons fire on the readily detected metallic mines the ship continues forward with their pursuit chasing Riddick's ship, trying desperately to get within weapons range. As the Necromonger ship continued on its path the onboard mine detection algorithm calculated and measured the probability of target proximity and a go, no-go outcome. Balancing all velocity and position measurements the mine's computer calculated a go answer and initiated an internal explosive train resulting in an omni-directional gamma ray blast. The mines had been designed to produce very little fragmentation, but an extreme amount of gamma rays. The blast would not breach or destroy any ship structure but would kill any living beings within a one hundred meter radius. The mines had been acquired from, and were a favorite of, space pirates because they did not damage valuable equipment they could salvage, but removed the threat of human resistance or intervention in their activities.

As the Necromonger ship detected and alerted the ship's crew of the explosion, the last thoughts that went through his mind were of failure and regret. Simultaneously, as his mind and body felt the gamma rays wash over them and start to die, he realized that finally, all of his efforts had come to an end. He had failed in his mission, and would never reach the Underverse. The ship continued onward in its programmed path without any further course changes from the dying and dead crew. The mine trap had worked as planned, killing all onboard and rendering the ship a lifeless lump of equipment.

Riddick having deployed the mine field gave little notice to the detected explosion aft of his ship other than a wry smile. His ship was well outside the lethal range of the gamma ray blast and had special additional shielding placed in the aft section for just this type of scenario. He was focused on the four Necromonger patrol ships detected heading directly toward his ship, spread out in a staggered formation. They were not within weapons range yet or they would have already fired on him, but would intercept his craft soon enough. Now was time to execute the final phase of his plans. The craft's initial course had been set to enter the atmosphere on the night side of the planet to help conceal Riddick's true escape plan.

Riddick set the ships controls on autopilot, flying the extreme random flight path he had preprogrammed, but still headed in the general direction toward the Necromongers, but ever downward toward the planet's atmosphere. As the ship's course veered, the onboard weapons fired at a continuous rate as well. The overall effect was of a ship trying to shoot its way past the patrol ships as it headed toward the surface. Riddick's primary intent was to illicit an engagement with the Necromongers, and force them to fire on his ship and try to destroy it, with no thoughts of boarding and capture. He wanted them to fire and on the ship destroying it.

Having set the plan in action he hurried back to the aft jettison area and began his final preparation and equipment checks to exist the space craft, and for atmospheric flight. Trying to maintain his balance as the ship executes quick banking turns combined with changes in engine thrust, he starts to put on a powered wing suit, checks his weapons, and position himself in the egress slot. He removes and stows away his protective goggles and dons a pair of clear goggles to protect his eyes and allow him to use his night vision when he exists. Outside the Necromonger ships continue to fire at the ship as it randomly adjusts its course and speed attempting to confuse the Necromonger tracking computers. As he steps up into the slot and opens the jettison panel, Riddick is knocked to the side as a result of a proximity missile explosion near the forward section of the ship, but maintains his balance and ready position. The missile strike disables the computers course control, but the ship continued forward on a straight line path into lower orbit night sky due to its momentum and speed. The ship was not readily visible, lost in the black silhouette of the dark ground, but was an easy target to track and engage with their targeting radars.

With the ship locked into a straight line course the Necromongers have an easy target and continue their assault, all firing missiles at the target. The result, as expected, is a direct hit by two missiles in the forward sections of the spaceship. In anticipation of an eventual direct hit by a Necromonger missile, Riddick has positioned himself in the open jettison hatch with his wing suit and oxygen mask in place. The simultaneous missile strikes result in two explosions, destroying the structural integrity and ripping the ship apart from the front to the rear. The physical strike of the missiles and subsequent explosions have the desired effect of casting Riddick out of the aft hatch as the ship starts to come from together.

The missile explosion caused the ship to explode into several large sections and a number of small to medium sized pieces thrust outward in all directions from the center of the explosion. Riddick is thrown out into the pitch black New Gamma night sky, falling alongside other parts and pieces of the now destroyed space craft. He delays deployment of his wing suit in order to continue dropping at the same rate as the other pieces of the exploded space craft. On the Necromonger screens Riddick and his wing suit register as just pieces of the destroyed space craft, scattered in all directions from the explosion, dropping to the surface of New Gamma below. As Riddick and all pieces of the space craft are dropping at the same relative speed, with no changes in direction or attitude, and varied radar cross sections, they present no other factors that would indicate the survival of any passengers onboard through use of an escape pod. The Necromonger ships conduct a radar scan of the falling debris to ensure that no escape pods have been used to survive the destruction of the space ship, and as expected detect only explosive debris and structural wreckage. With their success in finally destroying the space craft the Necromonger ships break off their pursuit and attack, heading back into orbit, radioing to the planet command center their success in destroying the intruding rogue ship.

As he continues to fall toward the planets' surface Riddick watches as the Necromonger ships break off their pursuit and head back toward space, leaving him and the debris of his space craft to fall to the New Gamma surface. He settles in his harness for the ride down and maintains a watchful eye for any curious aircraft coming up from the New Gamma surface.

After falling over thirty thousand feet along with and among the debris of his exploded space craft, Riddick decides to engage his powered wing suit and set a course for a position close to, but outside of the New Gamma space port. In the black night sky of New Gamma the space port stands out as a lighted beacon next to the capital city. Riddick can easily see the many Necromonger ships stationed at the space port and observe a ship that executes a controlled landing at the space port.

Punching the control toggle the wings snap into place, alongside, and above his shoulders, immediately providing him with lift and more directional control. Riddick uses the added glide capabilities provided by the wings to fly toward the general direction of the space port, but well outside the city, toward a large dark, forested area. Gliding down through the black night Riddick spots a clearing within the forested area and adjusts his speed and direction to reach the landing. Silently, Riddick's flight clears the upper foliage and settles him in a clearing between trees, alighting softly on the ground. Riddick quickly disengaged from the wing suit, removes his clear goggles, checked the status of his weapons, and re-confirmed the direction toward the space port. He sets out on a slow trot with all senses alert for any wondering Necromonger patrols.

As he nears the end of forest trees Riddick first hears and then sees the gathering of a small Necromonger patrol. From the number of tents set up and their disposition Riddick calculated that there were not more than ten to twelve troops stationed in this small encampment.

They had settled in for the night and had left four guards to patrol the area and protect the camp site during the night. It was obvious that they did not expect anyone to try and get past them and into the space port. Any native with a minimum level of common sense would have headed in the opposite direction long ago. Everyone that could, had left the city within the first few days of the Necromonger invasion, and none had wanted to return. Because of the Necromongers experience and efficiency in invading new worlds, very few were ever able to get away and escape death, or capture. Capture for many was far worse than death as it involved a physical and mental conversion to the Necromonger way of life.

Riddick having been the Lord Marshal of the Necromongers did not fear capture, death, or any man. Although he did give a brief thought to letting himself be captured, as it would save him the time and effort of getting inside their Command through stealth. But it would make it so much harder to find and escape with Dahl and his son, assuming that they had been captured by the Necromongers. As there had been no communication from any of the Mercenary, it was the safe, logical, worse case assumption. It had been over four months since the last contact with Dahl and in that time the Necromongers had taken over most of the area surrounding the spaceport and all immediate towns. It was clear that the Necromongers had intended to stay on New Gamma for some time. If they had followed their usual operations they would have left within the first month of their arrival.

This was different for them, and Riddick was wondering whether the stories Johns had told him, and that he had heard rumor of, were true. Were the Necromongers on their last legs, had they finally met their match, and who or what could have crippled them? They had been an unstoppable force, pillaging all of human space for converts on their quest for the Under-Verse. He didn't have an answer now, but felt it in his bones that the questions would be answered by the time he left this planet. But now, he had to find Dhal and the son he has never knew he had or met.

Although pitch black, Riddick was easily able to watch and clearly see the four guards as they walked back and forth around the outside perimeter of the camp area. The guards wore the typical Necromonger whole body armor, face shield and helmet, each carrying a rifle and short blade. The area they covered was a large circle that encompassed the camp area. Each guard's walk covered a quarter arc of the entire circle, walking first in one direction until they met the other guard, then turning around and walking in the opposite direction until meeting the next guard walking toward them. Their circumference was large enough in diameter that when they would meet their counterpart at the end of their arc they could not see the other two guards meeting on their section of the arc, but could maintain a view of the camp site. A set routine, enabling them to constantly check with each other as well as cover the maximum area possible, back and forth, all night until dawn. Riddick noticed that they didn't wear any night vision goggles and were entirely dependent on the trail they had worn into the ground to guide them during the night watch. With his night vision abilities and greater physical strength and speed he figured he held an advantage over the twelve men, but had some work to do.

The night watch was slow, monotonous, and boring. Even though their site was at the outer edges of the Necromonger controlled territory, they did not expect to see or meet any of the former city residents. Any of the former inhabitants that had been lucky enough to escape capture or death when the Necromongers landed were now well beyond this area controlled and patrolled by the Necromongers, with no intention of returning.

Riddick continued to watch the guards for an additional hour to make sure that he knew their duty routine before deciding to attack them. He had decided to attack one set of guards at first, just after they meet and start to reverse their direction. This would require him to hustle to the next meeting place for the next guard, but should not prove to be that difficult.

Having located the location of their mutual contact point, Riddick slowing made his way around and through the tree line and waited for their arrival. Riddick waited as the two guards walked toward each other and when within one meter, greeted, saluted and turned to begin their return walk back along the arc. After completing their turns, facing back to back, Riddick struck.

From out of the darkness Riddick reached forward, from behind grabbing one guard by his mouth and nose under his face shield with his right hand. Simultaneously, slipping a short blade in his left hand between the side vents of the Necromongers chest armor. The blade cut the major arteries as it slid into the guard's lungs and heart. The power and speed of the strike stunned the guard. That combined with the immediate and severe blood loss cause the guard to lose consciousness as he fell to the ground dying. All happened in less than two seconds, and as silently as the night wind. Before his body had fully hit the ground, Riddick had turned, shifted the knife into his right hand, taking the few steps to close distance, and grabbed the second guard by his chin, lifting his head up with a closed mouth. This motion was followed with a cross throat slash that nearly decapitated the Necromonger. Again before the body had hit the ground Riddick moved on to the next guard location. Both guards had been dispatched without a sound and in less than four seconds total.

Riddick's night vision served him well as he slipped past the falling body and followed the worn trail toward the next meeting point and overlap area for the guards. As he followed the trail he was able to see the other guard as he approached from a distance. The third guard, completely unaware of the fate of the other guards, continued his patrol along the worn path. Because of the enveloping darkness he could not see Riddick and was taken completely by surprise when he was hit from behind on the side of his head by Riddick with a closed fist. The blow, delivered as a sideways stroke was more than sufficient to knock the guard unconscious, and break his neck in the same motion. As the third guard falls lifeless to the ground Riddick turned quickly in order to get to the last Necromonger guard before he reached the turnaround point of his patrol, discover the other missing guard and sound an alarm.

As Riddick turned he sensed that something was wrong. He stopped in his tracks and let his eyes and ears take in all the sights and sounds of the darkness. He stood for seconds listening intently for the sound that he thought he had heard that was out of place in the black night. He knew that he was not alone, and that someone had taken advantage of his pre-occupation with the guards and attempted to sneak up on him. He could not determine how many were out there, but knew that there was more than two.

Turning silently to his left his night vision detected the emergence of first one and then a second armed man stepping out from the darkness of the wooded area. Riddick, set in an attack ready posture, immediately noticed three things about the two men. First, they both had the same glittering eyes that he had, second their weapons were not held in a ready position, indicating no intention to attack him, and last, they worn no armor and were clearly not Necromongers.

The lead man put his short blade back into its sheath and spoke to Riddick in a hushed voice. We have observed you as you dispatched the other guards, and were impressed with your handy work. We see that you are one of us, but are unknown to us. I believe that we are both here for the same reason, to kill Necromongers. If that is so we would want you to join us. Riddick stood speechless for a few seconds and told him that he had more business to finish first and then they could talk. The leader responded that he had other men, that were here in the area, that would finish the work that Riddick had started that night. You must be the one we have heard about, but never met. At first, we thought you were one of the New gamma natives, but seeing yours eyes and how you killed, we knew that you had to be one of us instead.

The three men turned around and started to walk away, indicating that Riddick should follow them. Riddick put his weapon back into its sheath and trailed behind the men through the dense forest. They walked for a while, until reaching a cleared area where Riddick could see a small group of men huddled around a small fire surrounded by several medium sized tent-like structures. He noted that many, but not all, wore the special goggles with clear lenses, where he could see their shinning eyes. Riddick was led over to the main tent to meet, who he thought, would be the leader of the raiding party. As he approached the tent the flaps were pulled back and he was led inside. Inside Riddick could see an older, but large muscular man standing with three other men, in quiet conversation. On his entry the leader looked up and the other men turned to view Riddick. Riddick could see that all three were well built, armed with at least one knife and a hand held small arm, with three of the four wearing the special goggles he had seen worn by others. The leader and two others had the same shimmering eyes indicative of enhanced night vision that Riddick possessed.

Looking directly at Riddick the leader said, my name is Lucas, we, waving his arm to encompass all of the men present, are Furyans. You are obviously one of us, but we do not know you or where you come from. Pausing, Riddick tells them that his name is Riddick and that he is not from around here. Looking into his eyes, Lucas states again in a questioning manner, you are Riddick? We have been told of a Furyan such as yourself, but never thought that we would meet here, under these conditions.

Riddick tells him, I am Riddick, but don't ever remember crossing paths with you. I only met one other Furyan many years ago and he had been converted into a Necromonger. Lucas drops his head, signs, and lifts his head again. We have learned of you through a woman named Dahl and I believe your son, Dax. Riddick's face displays surprise at hearing Dahl's name and that of the son he has never met. Not to worry, they are both safe, back at one of our base camps, well out of harm's way. Riddick tells him that they are the reason he is here, to find them and rescue them from the Necromongers if necessary. Lucas tells Riddick that there is much that he does not know, but must be told. Riddick asks him, such as?

Lucas responds, asks Riddick if he is aware that the Necromongers are using clones of him to serve as their troops? Riddick tells him that he did not know that as he had not removed the helmet from any of the Necromongers he had killed. Riddick tells them that he spent some time with the Necromongers but never became one, leaving under a mutual agreement, but rather shaky circumstances. Lucas tells him that as best they can determine you must have left them with two items, a sample of your DNA and a micro-phage disease that has been slowly decimating their ranks for years now. The disease has been the cause of death for over 70% of their cult to date and continues to chip away at their numbers. They have resorted to using your clones as soldiers because they have been unable to successfully convert any new captures. Because of the inherent limitations in any cloning process, the cloned soldiers are certainly not as fast, strong, or physically capable as you. Nor do they possess your night vision.

Looking directly into Riddick's eyes, Lucas asks him if he remembers his given name or anything about his family? Riddick responds that he has no memory of any time before being rescued by pirates from a wrecked space craft, and that his only family were the pirates that he was raised with. Lucas questions again, no memory of his life before the pirates rescued him? Riddick says none, and asks, what is this about? Lucas tells him that he understands, his memory loss and that, if he is the Furyan that they think he is, then his real name is Thomas and that he had been separated from his family, and thought dead for all of these many years.

Lucas explains that decades ago, the Necromongers had come to Furyan and attempted to wipe them out as a people and that only a few clans were able to escape to here on New Gamma. Riddick tells him that he had heard that story before about the Necromongers. Lucas continues telling him that they had thought that he had died during the Furyan escape when the ship's escape pod that you and your mother were in was destroyed during the escape attempt. Lucas explains that Riddick maybe unaware of his heritage, that Riddick is part of a small but noble clan among their people, that he, Lucas is leader of that clan and now, of all the Furyans on New Gamma.

Riddick asks how can he know that he is that lost child and part of his clan. Lucas, staring directly at Riddick, tells him that his son, Dax, has had his DNA tested, that proves he is part of my clan, and that he, Dax, is my grandson. Lucas watches Riddick's face as the realization hits him that he then, is the son of Lucas, the child thought dead and missing all of these many years. Yes, if you are the Riddick that Dahl speaks of, then you are my long lost son, and you, my son is a sign, your very presence here, in this place, at this time, heralds the demise of the Necromongers.

None of the Furyans in the tent slept that night, talking until dawn. Lucas, Riddick and the other Furyans talk all night about their separate lives, Furya, The Furyan escape, New Gamma, and of their common enemy the Necromongers. Riddick is overwhelmed with the knowledge, he never had, of his life before the escape, the family he had never knew, the Furyan survival and progress on New Gamma. As day light started to filter into the tent the decision was made to continue with the planned raid, but have a small contingent return to the base camp, with Riddick, where Dahl and Dax have been living with their new family over the past four months. The, normally stoic Riddick is unsure how to process all of what he has learned about himself and the possible direction of his future with Dahl, Dax, Lucas, and the Furyans.

CHAPTER TEN - CAPTURE

In a relatively short period of time Dahl, Dax, and the remaining Mercenary settled into the war time routine of the Furyans. It was clear to Dahl that over the intervening years the Furyans had not only hopped for, but had actually planned for the unexpected opportunity that they were presented with, wrecking revenge on the Necromongers. They had never thought the Necromongers would ever be in such a dilapidated state, ravaged and consumed from within by a disease that they had little to no chance of defeating. Their very existence was at a tipping point. The Furyans saw this convergence of events as divine retribution. It was meant to be that they could, after all of these many years, exact revenge on those that had tried to exterminate them as a people once before. Most of their planning had been done to protect themselves against any future attacks such as they survived on Furyan. Very little thought had been given to the idea that their defensive planning could and would be used in an offensive manner against a hated enemy.

They didn't care, why the Necromongers had come to New Gamma, but they were here now and in such a weakened state, that they could be wiped out for all time. The Furyans did not number more than 25,000 people on New Gamma, but with their physical prowess, and ferocity in battle, they were more than enough to push the cult of Necromongers over the edge, and past a point of no return.

Dahl had agreed that she and Dax would not participate in any of the raids or other offensive actions against the Necromongers, but that did not stop them from helping develop tactics and strategy for those that were fighting. Nor prevent them from assisting those that were actively engaged in the raids. Dhal and her fellow Mercenary' small unit tactical experience was invaluable and critical in their acceptance by the Furyans. The combination of that experience with her considerable physical prowess, at least equal to or greater than any of the other Furyan women, made her acceptance easy. The fact that she was the mother of their leader's grandson solidified their welcome among them.

The Mercenary fit well in the loose Furyan hierarchy, as they required no orders or commands to help or how to assist. Instinctively, if they saw a need for help they pitched in without asking. As experience Mercenary, they were well versed in the use of small and medium sized weapons and small unit tactics, able to share their knowledge with the Furyans as they planned raids against the Necromongers.

Dax melded completely with the Furyans. His acceptance automatic. He had never felt more at home than working with and being around others of his own age and kind, that possessed the same genetic abilities that he had. Back at home he had always stood out among his peers, being faster, stronger, more physically adept than anyone in his age group, not to mention his night vision abilities. Here, he was still the fastest, and strongest, but the gap between him and the other Furyan youth was much smaller, and there were many other young Furyans that possessed the same night vision abilities he had. He learned to take full advantage of his enhanced night vision, going out with others at night to hunt and capture some of the large prey animals indigenous to New Gamma. Many of whom had night vision almost as good as his.

Most important, Dax, and Dahl to a lesser degree, developed a strong bond with his clan and especially his grandfather, Lucas. Dax's time was full of social, physical, and training activities every day and night. He was well liked, friendly, and his presence was in constant demand, alongside Dahl, his new peers and friends, or grandfather. Whenever possible, Lucas had Dax by his side, learning through his presence, the ways of the Furyan people, their history and stories. He learned a tremendous amount as all of his activities revolved around preparations for ongoing raids against the Necromongers and planned future attacks against them. The Furyans were amazed at his considerable skill with both hand held guns as well as their sniper rifle. He possessed the natural hand eye coordination ability, as well as the more important mental rigor required of any good sniper.

The day seemed like any other over the last few months. The Furyans had combat squads out conducting raids against various Necromonger positions, continuing their successful assault on Necromonger held territories and outposts. Slowing taking more and more land back from the Necromongers, while at the same steadily reducing the number of troops they had to fight with. The Furyans had lost fewer than one hundred men in fighting that had taken the lives of over five thousand Necromongers. Remarkably, none of the Furyans had ever been taken as captives, their ferocity was such that they died in battle fighting, as the thought of giving up to the Necromongers was repellant to them. The Necromongers were dying the death of a thousand cuts with no way of stopping the continuous bleeding. At the current rate it was just a matter of time before the Necromongers would not be able to resist or defend any position on New Gamma.

Today, however, the Necromongers had decided to change their losing tactics and were trying to execute a bold thrust into what they thought was the heart of the militia. Through satellite and orbital scanning, they had discovered one of the Furyan base camps nestled inside and partially outside a cave system south of the spaceport. The Necromongers assumed that this location was the primary source of their New Gamma resistance troubles, having no idea that the base they had located was not the primary, nor only raiding camp the Furyans had. The Necromongers had, incorrectly, assumed that the resistance was a localized phenomenon and that this single, massive attack would solve their problems, as similar attacks had done on many other worlds. Never realizing that the resistance forces were much greater in number, and military power than they surmised. Their greatest mistake however was their misunderstanding of the Furyan psyche. The Necromongers were not aware of the revenge factor that served as the under pinning for the attacks and drove the Furyans. The Necromongers had tried to exterminate them as a people and failed, now the Furyans had a chance to return the favor.

The Necromongers spent many hours trying to decide first if the continuing raids were really a threat to their stay on New Gamma and indicated the presence of an organized enemy that had to be dealt with, or whether the raids were the random last gasps of a defeated people that would eventually stop. Analyzing the location and timing of raids indicated a sizable southern area of Necromonger territory that had never had any outposts attacked, that information combined with their orbital search data indicated the presence of a possible base camp near the outside of the current southern Necromonger outposts. Satellite photos seemed to indicate that they were operating out a known system of caves in that area. It was clear that the enemy did not want any scrutiny or searches in that area that might reveal their presence, and had, on purpose not attacked any outposts in the vicinity. The caves and activity visible from orbit led to the incorrect conclusion that they had found the enemy presence that had to be destroyed if they wanted to stop the raids.

The Necromonger generals had rightly concluded that there was an organized militia behind the attacks as they were too successful against them in their planning and execution. The decision was made, finally, by the Lord Marshal himself, that they would attack the location in force and wipe out the resistance militia in one fell swoop. Destroy the threat now so that they could get back to the business of rebuilding their forces. All had been given orders to kill first and capture second. No wounded were to be taken alive, and only the most fit captives were to be brought back to quarantine, with all others killed. The raids had cost to many Necromonger lives and was interfering with their efforts to recover and replenish their ranks, they had to be stopped.

The Furyans had started the day as usual, with many working outside the caverns loading vehicles and prepping for planned raids. The majority of Furyans worked inside the caves, preparing ammunition, supplies, and repairing damaged equipment and weapons.

The attack occurred mid-morning, when a bright morning turned almost black with the Necromonger ships filling the sky. When first detected the alarms sounded and the Furyans began to execute their survival protocols. Those outside evacuated the area, spreading out in all directions with the intent to later rendezvous at designated check points. Any of the militia unable to exit the caves would withdraw deeper into the caves and use deep tunnels leading to hidden alternative points of egress well away from the entrances. The Furyans knew that their operations could not go undiscovered forever and had planned well for this type of contingency.

The assault began with multiple bombing runs aimed at the entrance of the cave system. The intent was to close off and seal the cave, burying anyone left inside, with a follow on ground operation that would sweep the entire area for those outside the caves trying to escape. Any enemy outside the caves would be rounded up for conversion or killed.

When Dahl heard the alarms sound she looked up into the sky and could see the armada of Necromonger aircraft filling the sky heading toward their location. As she was over one kilometer outside the caves, her first thoughts were of Dax and where was he. She remembered that he had been assigned to help inside that day and was deep within the caves helping to repair and restock weapons and equipment. She turned and started to run back toward the cave openings, but was grabbed by Dax's uncle and told not to run toward the openings as they would be targeted first to seal the caves. She tried to pull away from him yelling that Dax was inside. She tried to fight his grip but he was able to maintain his hold and told her that they would be safe inside as the Necromonger bombs would collapse the caves entrance only and not the inside of the cave walls, and that they had deep tunnels inside the caves those trapped could escape through. He yelled at her they were in greater jeopardy outside than inside the caves and that they had to get away from the area and to their rendezvous point. In a more clam voice he told her, you will see him again, but you must first save yourself now, trust me.

His words, delivered in such a calming manner carried more weight than all of his prior yelling and she understood that Dax was safer inside the caves than she was outside. As she relaxed he let go his grip on her and they turned together and started to run along with other Furyans into the wooded areas surrounding the caves. Her last view of the cave entrance was of a few Furyans heading back into the cave entrance.

No sooner had they started to run, the first wave of Necromonger guided bombs started to fall at the cave entrances. The effect was devastating, the front overhang of the cave wall collapsed into large boulders of debris and rubble closing off entry or egress. All those Furyans that were near the front entrance, trying to enter or exit, were instantly killed by the over pressure effect of the bombs or buried under the tons of rocks from the collapsed cave ceiling. The effects of the first wave had barely settled before arrival of the second wave, set to ensure that no visible opening into the caves remained, and that those inside could never dig out of their cave tomb.

The third wave of Necromonger aircraft consisted of a combination of strafing fire to herd the fleeing Furyans as they fled into the woods, and troop carriers discharging their armed troops to encircle the area outside the caves. The Necromongers had decided to utilize most of their remaining air and ground forces in this attack. They believed that success in this operation would leave them without a viable military threat on New gamma, provide some additional converts, and give them the time to continue with their replenishment and cloning efforts unhampered.

Inside the cave Dax heard the alarm sound and thought of his mother, outside working with his fellow Furyans. He wanted to go out to join her but was told that he had to go with all others, back, deeper into the caves toward the escape tunnels. Any thoughts of heading toward the cave entrance were overwhelmed the crush of other Furyans running back toward the deeper parts of the cave. He physically could not push against the tide of bodies moving in that direction. The only avenue open to him was to join the crowd and head toward the escape tunnels. He could only hope that she would be able to escape as well and meet him later, at one of the designated rendezvous spots.

As the Necromongers continued their strafing runs they were able to corral the Furyans that been caught outside of the caves, toward their phalanx of troops waiting in the surrounding wooded areas. The troops had been dropped in a mile wide rough semicircle around the cave entrance, with the troops stationed at the end points slowly converging toward the center segment running north-south from the caves. The operation resembled a large fish net being reeled in with its catch being slowly concentrated inside before being hauled out of the ocean.

Although all of the Furyans were armed they were outmatched by the soldier's heavier weapons being used to corral them. Engaging the Necromongers was not their intent, only evasion and escape, although some of the Furyans did fire on the Necromongers in an attempt to break through their surrounding lines, it was useless and to no avail. When fired upon the Necromongers responded with heavier fire power, but limited their fire to only those situations. Even with their orders to shoot to kill, their intent was still to capture as many of the Furyans alive and in good physical condition as possible. Those caught would be used, if they passed testing, to replenish the dwindling Necromonger ranks.

Quickly the Necromongers closed the ends of their trap and forced the Furyans and Dahl into evermore crowded proximity to each other. The Necromongers used their surrounding superior fire power to round up the Furyans. Killing Furyan stragglers and any that attempted to break through their ground net. The Furyans continued running through the wooded areas until they reached a large clearing and continued forward in an attempt to cross the open area. The open area was large enough that most of the Furyans who had been trapped outside the caves, trying to escape were within the open area as the Necromongers on the forward and side edges made themselves visible. Those Furyans that had been in the lead were finally stopped before reentering the woods when they ran into the massed troop lines of the Necromongers prepositioned at the front of trees. Positioned in front of the Furyans with weapons raised to fire, but not firing on them, the Furyans turned in a van attempt to back track on their escape route. All was in vein as the Necromongers were able to close the ground net on the Furyans. Their escape attempt resulted in a concentrated mass of Furyan bodies inside the clearing surrounded by the Necromongers. Trapped, a few Furyans fired at the Necromongers who did not fire back, but continued to display their overwhelming forces surrounding the Furyans.

With Necromonger troops surrounding the Furyans with weapons raised and aimed at the Furyans, their commander stepped forward and demanded their surrender in order to prevent further bloodshed and their slaughter. His request was at first met with silence and disbelief by the Furyans, with many still thinking that maybe they could shoot their way out so that some could make it out alive.

The Furyan leaders among the surrounded spoke to each other with nothing more than shared glances and raised eyebrows. Only because there were some older Furyans within the group, a more mature decision was reached. Left to their own decision the younger Furyans would have all died together in a hail of weapons fire, slaughtered like some many sheep. The older Furyans realized that, after surrounding them, the Necromongers had not fired a single shot into their cluster of men and women, it was a clear indication that the Necromongers did not intend to kill them unless forced to. If the mass of Furyan had only consisted of grown Furyan men and or women they would have fought to the death. But a fairly large number of the individuals were Furyan youth and the older adults decided that surrendering offered future possibilities for escape or rescue that fighting in their current circumstances did not. Any resistance at this time and place would result in death for all with no possibility of escape. With a set signal the Furyans began to lay down their arms and raise their arms in surrender.

With the Furyan decision to surrender, the Necromongers quickly herded them into an orderly phalanx so that they could be searched for any other body weapons before being loaded into the cargo carriers for return to the Necromonger quarantine area.

Throughout the escape attempt, although running for her life, Dahl had continued to think about Dax and whether he was able to reach the escape tunnels and make it out alive. Now her position, along with all of the other Furyans, was more precarious. Any captive of the Necromongers had only three alternatives, escape, die trying, or conversion. She, along with the other adult Furyans began to quietly discuss their options and preparations in hope of future rescue or escape attempts.

The captured Furyans were air lifted to the Necromonger quarantine area within the space port and once there directed into special holding pens within their medical laboratory buildings for testing and observation. A few that had been injured during the round up operation were taken from the group, and their injuries assessed. If the injuries were small or minor they were returned to the test group, if too serious they were taken to a disposal area and quickly killed. The Necromongers were in the business of replenishing their ranks with healthy specimens, not serving as a hospital for the injured or in their mind the weak and useless.

Within the holding pens the Furyans would be tested and watched to see if any carried the virus for the microphage. If found clean of the disease they would be subjected to the Necromonger conversion process, if not, they would be destroyed, along with any others they would have come into contact with. The virus possessed no danger or problem for normal humans, but became lethal to the person if subjected to the Necromonger conversion, as well as being lethal to those who had already undergone the conversion process as well. Essentially every living Necromonger. Hundreds of thousand Necromongers had died, including two Lord Marshals, before they were able to determine the cause, quarantine, and dispose of the infected. That effort left their cult in shambles and forced them to make the decision to clone troops.

In their research they were able to determine that the rogue, false Lord Marshal, Riddick, had been the source of the infection, a mutated virus, and was the only clone type whose body could withstand the conversion process while being infected with the disease. They had little choice, continue to search for a cure and clone soldiers from Riddick's DNA samples, or simply waste away, a soon to be forgotten religion like so many others in human history. The Necromongers had correctly determined that the virus had been introduced by Riddick, but failed to realize that the virus was a result of the Furyan mutation for night vision that had occurred long ago. As Riddick had been the only Furyan with night vision they had ever come in contact with and they assumed that he was the only source of the infection, little knowing that they had just captured and brought into their very midst, many Furyans that had the very same mutated virus that Riddick had. When captured the Necromongers took no special interest or notice of the fact that many of the Furyans were wearing sun glasses and some were not, and that those that were wearing sunglasses possessed the same type of glittering eyes that their former rogue Lord Marshal, Riddick, had possessed. They never made the connection between Riddick, the special Furyan visional mutation, and the source of the virus.

All new converts were held in quarantine because the Necromongers instituted procedures to test them, to see if any show signs of the mutated virus were present in their system. The procedures were necessary because the virus that Riddick had infected them with had ravaged the Necromonger population, killing hundreds of thousands converts and prevented the conversion of new recruits. The virus was destroying the Necromongers in a way that no other human civilization could, from within.

In order to test for the virus each individual had to have their blood drawn and subjected to a laborious test protocol. Completion of the necessary test steps necessitated a forty-eight hour regime before a definitive answer regarding the presence or absence of the virus could be verified. Mass testing of samples was not possible as the final test step required a visual inspection of the sample. The testing steps resulted in a hundred fold increase in the previous time for the conversion process. The test procedures and protocols served as a bottleneck in the Necromonger conversion process and significantly slowed the process. In the past captives were converted in mass, by the thousands soon after they were captured. Now, with the introduction of the necessary test procedures, new captives were converted as soon as they were deemed clear of the virus, but on a singular basis. The Necromongers were forced to utilize the test regime as other test protocols that were used had an unacceptable error rate. The lethality of the virus was such that any errors in testing would result in a continuing spread of the virus within the Necromonger ranks.

The presence of the virus was a death sentence to all who underwent the conversion process and for all of those that had previously been converted. They could not accept or tolerate anything less than one hundred percent accuracy in their testing. Any errors or mistakes resulted in death. As a consequence the Necromongers were unable to keep up with their loses in personnel and were slowly dwindling away.

CHAPTER ELEVEN – SEARCH

The Furyans had expected that the Necromongers would eventually detect their military operations emanating from the cave system, but did not expect them to respond with the overwhelming military force that they did. On purpose they had conducted all raids against the Necromongers as far away, in a northern direction, as possible from the caves in an attempt to eliminate any interest or focus in the cave area. The Furyans calculated that by not conducting any military raids against Necromonger outposts in the cave area they could keep the focus of Necromonger searches in the areas nearby, and surrounding the attacked outposts in the north.

This plan had worked for over a three month period of time, and for multiple raids against the Necromonger northern positions. During that time the Necromongers conducted searches throughout the surrounding areas and were unsuccessful in finding any Furyan base camps or evidence of any military activities in the north near the attacked outposts. They had ventured well outside the range of any resupply efforts in their search for the Furyan raiders and found nothing. It was this lack of any evidence in the north they finally motivated them to look into the southern regions, where no attacks had ever occurred, for a potential base camp. There, through overhead satellite searches, they finally found the evidence they had been looking for. The satellites provided visual proof of military vehicle and human activity, mostly at night, in areas where no activity had been expected. Armed with the photographic information the Necromongers took the time to plan, prepare for, and execute a massive response that would serve to eliminate the resistance raids once and for all.

As they returned home from the successful night raid and their night long talks, Riddick, his new found father, and the rest of the Furyan raiding party began their morning trek back to the base camp in the south. No sooner did they start the trek back they noticed overhead the flight of the greatest number of Necromonger aircraft, since the initial invasion of New Gamma, fly pass over their position within the forest. From their direction and mass they could only be heading toward the southern cave base, as the Furyans had no other encampments in that direction.

The Necromonger fly over was followed within two hours by an encrypted radio message that the southern base had been attacked, the cave entrances closed and a large contingent of personnel left outside. The message had been sent by those Furyans that were supposedly trapped within the caves. They had been successful in getting to the deep tunnels and using them as escape routes, eventually making their way out of the tunnels into another wooded far from the caves. To the best of their knowledge only those very few personnel actually in or near the cave entrance when the bombs hit had been killed.

After the alarms had sounded those outside stayed outside and those inside withdrew into the caves toward the tunnels. They had not received any communication from any of the individuals that had been trapped outside of the caves as yet and were not sure that any had made it to the designated rendezvous locations. The radio call was more than just a situation report on what had happened, but was also a request for assistance and guidance. After absorbing the shock of the initial report Lucas gave orders, for the group that escaped using the tunnels, to take an accurate accounting of their personnel and follow the pre-established protocols and head toward the secondary, western Furyan base camp and provide them with the same report that they had just provided to him. He also directed them to maintain communication silence until they reach the base and await further, future communication from them after they had a chance to reconnoiter the area and the rendezvous points.

The radio operator provided an affirmative to the Furyan leaders' orders and began to sign off but stopped, instead asking to pass on a private message directly to the Leader. Lucas, although still surrounded by his men, tells the operator to proceed with the private message. The operator began by telling him that Dax was alive and well, that he had been deep inside the caves when the bombing took place and escaped with the rest of them. After pausing, he continued by telling Lucas that he was not sure of Dahl's status or location as she was outside of the caves when the bombing took place and would have followed a different escape protocol. He ended by telling Lucas that none of those outside of the caves had checked in either, so it could just be that all are still making their way to the rendezvous locations and have not reached them yet. Lucas thanked him for his information and directed him to take the others and proceed toward the western camp, and then signed out from the radio communications.

Slowly, consciousness returned to Jack and he became aware of his body's condition and his surroundings. He was in a small pocket of air, surrounded, and formed by a combination of metal debris and the earthen walls from the cave entrance. Like everyone, he had heard the sirens that preceded the bombing, and should have left, placing him well clear of the cave entrance and a safe distance away in the forest. But he went back to the cave entrance in order to make sure that all others had left. After performing once last check of the immediate area he thought that he had just enough time to make it outside safely and he did. However, it was his bad luck that all of the bombs in the initial wave were not dropped precisely on target. As he was running away from the cave entrance two air dropped bombs of the first wave landed in front of his path creating a wall of flame that forced him to turn back toward the cave entrance. In turning to avoid the misplaced bombs he was corralled back toward the entrance where his bad luck got worse. Caught between a wall of flame and the cave entrance he was struck and knocked unconscious by the shock wave of the bomb blast and buried by the debris of the collapsing walls. His luck finally changing, as the result of the bomb blast was that his lower body was buried in dirt, with his upper chest area and head left in a pocket of trapped air.

As he assessed his physical condition he realized that other than a throbbing headache form the bomb blast, he could feel and move his arms freely, and his legs slightly, but only because he was covered in dirt that prevented free movement. Jack did not know how long he had laid there unconscious, nor how much longer the air within the pocket would last him, but knew that he had to dig himself out, sooner rather than later. He began by thinking and visualizing his way out and back to the surface, then slowly began to extract his legs from the ground without disturbing the walls of the air pocket. Once free of most of the loose dirt he prepared to push upward, not really knowing how much deep he was buried or how much earth had fallen on top of him. As he started to push upward he thrust his hands up over his shoulders into the ceiling of the sir pocket. Thrusting upward immediately caused the pocket walls to collapse and fall around his upper body and head. But in doing so his hands brushed past two twisted metal supports bearing down over his head, and reached open air. He had been holding his breath when he started to reach upward and continued as he moved his hands and arms back and forth clearing the dirt from his head and face area, exposing his nose and mouth to open sky. Once he could breathe again he slowly cleared the dirt from around his body, twisting and turning until he was able to move his head around and see the immediate area surrounding the foot of the cave entrance and further down toward the forest clearing. What he saw made him freeze, afraid that his movements to free his entire body would cause him to be seen or detected. From the elevated position at the front of the cave he was able to see the Necromongers in mass as they were herding the Furyans into their ships for transport back to the space port. He had never seen so many Necromongers in one place before and decided for his own safety it would be best to stay where he was until all had left the area. After waiting for over another hour he started again to dig himself free and clear of his dirt coffin.

Standing over his previous dirt encasing Jack took a quick survey of the results of the Necromonger bombing campaign and the surrounding area. The cave entrance was in ruins and would take weeks of work with heavy machinery to open again. He thought about how incredibly lucky he had been, being hit with just the blast and buried with just enough debris to hide and protect his body. If he had not been knocked out and buried he would have been captured by the Necromongers along with the other Furyans he had observed.

Seeing no signs of any other Necromongers or Furyans in the area he knew that he had to make to the rendezvous point and let his people know that they were was still alive, had been captured and so, began to trot toward the designated emergency meeting location to report back.

Standing next to and surrounding Lucas, Riddick and the other Furyan men overhearing the conversation were relieved to hear that their leaders grandson was alive and well. The unknown status of Dahl was a different matter, one they would not be able to determine until they reached the southern area and the rendezvous points. What had started that morning as a joyous return to the southern base to reunite family, was now a search mission to find as many of the Furyans that had been outside of the caves when the Necromongers attacked. Hanging over the minds of all present was the thought, and fear, that the Necromongers may have killed or captured some of those caught outside when the bombing raids began.

The planned happy return to friends, comrades, and family was now a search mission that would last throughout the day and night once they reached the area. Lucas held a quick meeting with Riddick and the senior Furyans on the raid, to discuss their communication and search procedures when they reached the southern areas surrounding the cave entrances and the nearby designated rendezvous points. The Furyan raiding party was well trained and shifting from an offensive role attacking Necromonger outposts to that of a search mission was taken stride by the Furyan soldiers. Riddick, stationing himself next to, or nearby, Lucas at all times, easily picked up their communication protocols and their area search plans, volunteered to scout ahead of the main Furyan search party. When first suggested, Lucas raised his head and stared at Riddick, wanting to tell him to take a safer position within the main party, but instantly realized that he would never follow that order. Instead he felt an immense pride well up inside him that his long lost son had the internal fortitude of those that had been raised from birth as Furyans. Riddick's suggestion was accepted by the Furyan leader that had an opportunity to observe his tracking and martial skills when he hunted and attacked the Necromonger outpost his first day on New Gamma. Riddick had displayed the skill set of an experienced woodsman and killer, capable of surviving and fighting in any environment. There was no doubt in their minds that his wood craft, tracking, and physical capabilities were second to none among the Furyans. He would make an exceptional tracker and scout. With positions and roles clearly defined the raiding party headed toward the cave entrance area south of the Necromonger outposts.

Leading the raiding party into their operating area south of the former New Gamma space port, and current Necromonger main compound, Riddick was giving thought to all that had transpired in the last twenty-four hours. The many threads that were being woven together to make a tapestry he could not have ever envisioned.

He was sure that there were forces in play that were beyond his understanding or control. Too many events and occurrences were converging at the same time and at the same place to be considered just coincidence. He had discovered the Furyans, his people, forgotten and lost to most of mankind since the Necromonger pogrom over two decades previous in a place so far from the galactic hub that few knew it existed and even fewer ever visited. His father, Lucas, who he had no memory of since his rescue as a child, by space pirates, from the debris and wreckage resulting from the Necromonger attacks on Furyan. The Necromongers, the original cause of the events, here on New Gamma, much weaker than when he was leading them, but again twisting and turning his life upside down. On top of it all, Dahl, and his never seen before son, Dax, grandson of the Furyan leader Lucas. As he had done at many times and places in his past, Riddick compartmentalized the information for further thought and analysis at a later time and directed his considerable powers of focus on the task at hand, searching for Dahl and any Furyans alive and hiding in the area.

As he neared the edge of the forest he could smell the residue of weapons fire among the trees in the area which caused him to pause and slow his pace. He quietly signaled to the other members of the Furyan raiding party that he had detected evidence of a possible fire fight and continued toward the area of greatest concentration. The rest of the Furyan raiding party closed in on his position, but still in a somewhat spread out formation. As he reached the clearing he stopped and waited before stepping forward into the open area, scanning the forest edge surrounding the clearing. His eyes, ears, and nose were on extreme alert for any sight, sound, or smell that was out of place. Detecting nothing out of place he signaled all clear and the other members joined him in the clearing. Although they did not detect the presence of any Necromongers or Furyans, it was clear that there had been some sort of confrontation here. No indications that a battle took place, but clearly some weapons had been fired in and around this area

As they stepped into the open area and viewed the surrounding vegetation and ground with eyes experienced in too many fire fights to count, Riddick and the Furyans viewed the area in their minds as it must have been yesterday, trying to imagine the weapon lines of fire, the Furyans, surrounded and trapped in this open area by the superior Necromonger forces, firing back and forth until so few were alive that they could physically overwhelm them and capture those few Furyans that were left alive. But this area did not show the signs of that type engagement, very little of the surrounding vegetation was damaged and the earth showed no signs of any hand-to-hand physical confrontation to end the fight. If there had been a serious fire fight the trees, scrubs, and even the grass would display the results of weapons fire and any physical confrontations. As a group they realized that there was only one scenario that would fit the evidence in front of them. Considering the signs of minimal damage in the area it was clear that the Furyans must have been greatly outnumbered and over matched with much greater fire power, so much so that any fight would have been suicide. But even with the prospect of suicide facing them adult Furyans would have fought to the death, unless there was a large number of Furyan youth present. Keeping their young ones alive and giving them a chance for future escape would override their normal Furyan drive to fight to the last breath. Some of the raiding party wondered out loud if it were worse that they had been captured rather than killed.

It was now clear that the overall purpose of the Necromonger raid was to gather as many captives as possible. They never tried to engage and kill as many possible. Closing off the caves and capturing all that had escaped outside would have served a double purpose for the Necromongers. Essentially eliminating all resistance fighters that could participate in any future raids by leaving them to die buried in the caves, and using all of those captured to replenish their ranks with new bodies.

As the men continued to comb the area for more detailed evidence of yesterday's events Lucas gives the order to again spread out and move ahead in the direction of the rendezvous point. He tells his men that they will continue their search along the way for any Furyans that may still be alive, left behind on purpose or that were able to escape the Necromonger round up. Lucas knew that if any of the Furyans, caught outside when the bombing began, were still alive, they will be heading toward the rendezvous point and that the surrounding area near that location would be the most likely place to find them.

Heading toward the rendezvous point Riddick and the Furyan raiding party continued to look for any signs of other Furyans that may have avoided capture by the Necromongers and that were trying to make it to the pickup site. As they neared the meeting point the raiding party spread out to make sure that the surrounding area was thoroughly searched to ensure no Furyans were in the area and unable to communicate with them. This tactic worked well as they were able to find Jack, hiding among low shrubs on their first pass through the area. He was tired, covered in dirt, and more than eager to report all that he had seen. After being brought in front of Lucas, Riddick and the other Furyans he spoke continuously, in rapid fire, telling them everything that had transpired from the first alarm siren to his discovery at the rendezvous point.

CHAPTER TWELVE - REBELLION

On purpose the raiding party did not radio ahead to alert the west base camp of their impending return with a survivor. Any such fore knowledge with result in a mad crush on their arrival, and they wanted to ensure that any information regarding same was communicated properly and accurately.

As they arrived at the front entrance of the camp they were met by two escort guards who informed them that the other members of the high council wanted to meet with Lucas as soon as he was ready in order to discuss recent events and their expected response. Lucas and other members of the party had noticed that the sentries stationed on the outer area of the west camp had detected their passage would be sure to forward that information to the base camp and they would be expected. Lucas thanked the escort for the information and directed him to have his grandson brought to his office as soon as possible. The escort acknowledged his direction and turned to comply.

As the raiding party started to disperse Lucas asked Riddick to accompany him to his office. As they approached the west base camp, Riddick noticed the hidden sentries positioned at various points along the way and was fairly impressed at their preparation and operation.

Riddick followed Lucas inside a large building as they walked toward his office. The guard stationed outside the office opened the door for them and lead them inside. Once inside Lucas' office Riddick was asked to relax and make himself comfortable by Lucas' assistant. Lucas requested his assistant bring some food and drinks and to let his grandson in when he arrived.

Riddick, normally quiet and stoic in these situations, for the first time found himself anxious at the prospect of meeting a son he had never knew he had. What to say? How to address him?

After the food and drink arrived, there was a double knock at the door and a pause. Lucas simply said enter. The assistant opened the door, letting Dax enter and closed the door behind him leaving the two men and boy alone in the room. Dax stepped into the office, saw his grandfather behind his desk and walked straight over to him and hugged him as hard as he could with his head to his chest.

Stepping back he asked his grandfather if he knew where his mother was at. Telling him that they had been separated during the Necromonger attack and he had not heard anything concerning her whereabouts. Lucas, holding Dax by his shoulders, at arm's length, told him that they had not found his mother and he believed that she had been taken by the Necromongers. On hearing that news Dax's head dropped and he asked if he grandfather was going to get her back and when. Lucas, holding his head and looking into his eyes told him that they were going to do everything that they could to get his mother back and that he was going to meet with the council to discuss and decide what they would do next.

Still staring into his face, Lucas tells Dax that there is something else he has to show him. Lucas looked up and over Dax's shoulder, at Riddick who had been standing quietly during the exchange between Dax and his grandfather, noting the obvious feelings that Dax had for his grandfather.

Dax turned and followed Lucas's eyes and for the first time since entering the room, noticed the Riddick standing at the other side of the room. As Dax stood staring at the large, rugged looking, muscular man, staring at him with shiny eyes, Lucas introduced him, saying Dax, this is Riddick, Riddick is my son, pausing, and your father. As Dax's eyes got big, Riddick stepped forward and hugged him, almost lifting him off the floor. Telling him that he had heard so much good about him and could not wait to meet him.

Dax stepped back, said father and blinked twice shifting to his night vision so that the two stood staring at each other with gleaming eyes.

As they stood eye to eye taking in the essence of each other, the bond was interrupted by the sound of firm knocking at the office door. It was Lucas who responded with a firm "enter". His assistant stepped into the room with food and drinks and informed Lucas that the council wanted to meet after they finished eating. Lucas acknowledged and said that they would be out soon. The assistant steps out of the room leaving the three men to talk and get to know each other.

The five members of the Furyan Council sat on a table in front of a small group of other leaders and advisors, listening to and discussing the various options that were being presented to them as to how they should respond to the Necromonger attack on their South base camp and caves.

They had just listened to the verbal report of the lone survivor and raiding party, of the Necromonger attack, detailing what had happened, damage to the South base camp and surrounding area, how many people they suspect had been captured and the possible reasons the Necromongers attacked.

The three conclusions that all agreed on were that first, the Necromongers believed that they were successful in killing all of the Furyans left in the caves, not suspecting that secret escape routes had been dug when the caves were first converted for military use. Second, it was clear that the Necromongers were not aware of their true strength in numbers or other existing bases and must have considered those captured and destroyed as the totality of the rebel forces. And last that the main point of the attack had been to capture new converts to help replenish their numbers. Leading further credence to the rumors and evidence that the Necromongers were on the decline as a people.

After the lone survivor answered some additional questions the Council felt ready to hear what alternative military options they could affect in order to attempt to retrieve those that had been captured and being held, before they were converted into Necromongers.

The first commander suggested that they should mount an attack on a single point along the Necromonger perimeter and use that as a point of entry into the Necromonger territory, closest to the Holding and Conversion cells. Essentially mounting a direct attack that would enable them to get to the prisoners in the quickest time and then retreat with those they could save, with minimal combat contact with the Necromongers. The second commander suggested a wide area attack that would have their forces converge into the prisoner area, secure any and all available prisoners and separate into small groups in retreat, requiring the Necromongers to spread their forces thin in order to recapture the prisoners.

The other Furyan commanders offered suggestions that were variations and combinations of the first two options. Each had advantages and disadvantages, which were discussed and argued as they tried to determine which solution provided an optimal answer to the question of how to rescue the majority of their people with the least amount of causalities and repercussions from the Necromongers. Throughout the discussions Riddick sat quietly, off to the side with Dax, listening to the ideas that were presented. As the Furyan Council and their advisors continued their discussions, Riddick stood up and asked if he could address the Council. The members acknowledged his comment and stopped their discussion and turned their attention toward Riddick, wondering what it was he had to say about their current situation.

Riddick started by stating he had been listening to the various alternatives that had been presented, but had not heard any recommendation or discussion of the one option that would solve their problem completely.

Before he could continue, one of the Council members stated that he understood that Riddick was Lucas' son, but that did not give him any authority or privilege to enter into this debate that would decide the fate of many Furyan lives.

Riddick stated that he disagreed and that he had as much as any other Furyan in the success of any plan they would decide to use and that he was the one person that they should listen to when discussing Necromongers. Riddick continued, telling the Council and advisors that, in case they had not noticed, that all of the Necromonger soldiers they had been fighting were his clones. Clones that had been created from cells gathered from him when he had been the Lord Marshal of the Necromongers.

With that disclosure by Riddick, one of the Council members asked how and when he could have led the Necromongers? Riddick told him that he had killed one of the previous Lord Marshals in single combat, took charge of them, but that he had left the Necromongers in a quest to find his home planet, Furyan, not knowing that you all had left Furyan many years before. The Necromongers betrayed me and left me for dead on another world, but I survived and now I am back to face them again. When I came to New Gamma I did not know that there were any Furyans alive and certainly not here on New Gamma. I came to rescue Dahl and Dax from the Necromongers, and I have as much right as any other Furyan, taking off his goggles to reveal his shining eyes to drive home his point, to continue my fight with them. There is no Furyan alive that knows more about the strengths and weaknesses of the Necromongers than I do. So, I think you should listen to what I have to say.

Now that he had captured the attention of the Council and advisors, Riddick started to layout and explain his plan. Riddick tells the Council that he should infiltrate the Necromonger base along with a small group of Furyans in order to rescue the prisoners and preset staged bombs that serve as internal distractions for a wider attack against all of the Necromonger forces. The Necromongers believe the rebel forces are defeated, their guard is down, what better time to attack. Mounting a combined air, ground, and internal attack could serve as the shove to push them over their tipping point. Riddick tells the Council that there is no better opportunity to attack, because even if they were successful with one of the other plans and were able to rescue all of the prisoners, that action would only serve to alert the Necromongers that the rebels are stronger than originally thought and clearly not defeated. That fact would force the Necromongers to create more clone troops and prepare for a long drawn out war against the Furyans. Right now they have no idea of your strength or capabilities, but once you attack they will know. Best to make that attack the last that you have to mount.

I don't believe that there is any question that I can get inside the Necromonger defenses, and if my internal attack can be combined with an assault that catches their aircraft unprotected on the air field and a multi-point ground attack we can wound them deep enough that they can be defeated on that day.

The Furyan council sat stunned at the enormity of Riddick's suggested course of action and the possibility of actually defeating the Necromongers in one savage attack. None had thought of the internal confusion and disruption that he could create and how that would greater shift the odds in their favor in defeating the Necromongers. It was an idea that tempting in its boldness and finality, requiring some thought to completely grasp.

As all were aware that the Necromonger conversion process had some inherent delays, and that the Furyans that had been captured were not in immediate danger, they had some time to decide and plan their response. They asked all present to allow them to convene in private before giving their final decision.

As the assembled advisors watched the Council members leave the room, a few walked over to speak with Riddick about his plan. The first to reach him gave him their greatest compliment, telling him that "you are a Furyan". In one short statement acknowledging his acceptance as one of them and his display of cherished characteristics, boldness, audacity, and brilliance.

After what seemed like a long delay the Furyan Council reemerged and addressed Riddick and the other Furyan advisors. Lucas spoke on behalf of the Council, telling all that the Council had decided to approve Riddick's plan with some minor adjustments in execution, and that Riddick should immediately meet with their military advisors to work out the details for execution. Lucas concluded the meeting telling all that the success or failure of this plan would decide their fate on this world and give them the chance to finally pay back the Necromongers for their pogrom against them so many years ago.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN - RESCUE

The Necromongers were weaker than they had ever been in their history. The disease had taken its toll on their people, with over eighty percent dead and an unknown number of the remainder dying. Those losses combined with their inability to adequately replenish their dwindling population had driven them to desperation. Proof of their desperation was their decision to create and use clones, a technique and tactic that had been outlawed on every human planet in the galaxy during the last century.

Outlawed because no technique had ever been devised that would keep the clones alive longer than four years or provide them with more than seventy percent of the physical and mental capabilities of the person being cloned. In addition, the monetary and biological cost of creating the clone was almost more than the benefit provided by the clone.

The Lord Marshal sat at his desk surrounded by his chief military and science advisors, listening to their respective reports on the results of their operations. He was satisfied with the results of the Necromonger raid on the Furyan Cave base. The general reported that the rebels had been caught unaware, the entrance to the caves had been destroyed and all rebels outside captured with a minimal loss of life. He was sure that the rebels had been routed and that all had either been left to die in the collapsed caves or had been taken hostage for conversion.

The Lord Marshal was pleased, because now they would have the time to work on replenishing their ranks and finding a cure for the microphage disease that had killed so many of them. Without having to constantly use valuable resources defending against the frequent rebel raids. He let the general know that he fulfilled his mission and greatly helped the Necromonger cause in removing the irritating rebels. The thought or idea that the rebel forces were more numerous and capable then what the general reported never crossed his mind. Because of Necromonger past experiences, they assumed that this planets' inhabitants were the same as all others, not knowing that they were fighting against Furyans, and they would not react as all other humans would.

Turning his attention to the Chief scientist he nodded, indicating that now, he wanted to know the status of their progress against the disease. The Chief scientist's report was not as positive, little progress had been made in developing a cure or in increasing the life span of the clones. The Lord Marshall listened in silence, staring directly into the scientist's eyes. The chief tried to explain that the virus was extremely virulent and resistive to all know cures including the experimental cures they had been trying on new converts. None of the patients had survived. The Lord Marshal asked him if his people were motivated enough to find a cure? The scientist responded that they were and doing everything they could to find a cure.

The Lord Marshal lowered his head and simply stated that if progress was not made soon, he would find another chief scientist and they would begin their experiments using the current scientist and his people in the experimentation process. Is that motivation enough for you? The chief answered yes it was.

One of the other generals, addressing the Lord Marshal and the chief scientist, asked "what about the clones, I need to increase the number of clones available to me as troops? We need to replace those cloned troops that we lost to previous rebel attacks and their accelerated death rate. The cloning process had been on hold because the material, energy, and manpower resources required were significant and the cloned product was only useable for a maximum of four years.

The scientist responded telling him that the creation of additional clones required more resources and time and if his people are working on clones then they are not working on the cure. We can't divide our resources and accomplish both at this time. Lord Marshall I need to focus all of my resources on finding a cure, we don't have time to create more clones at this time. Before the general could argue his case the Lord Marshal states that the chief scientist is right, with the rebels defeated we don't need additional clones at this time. I want all available resources directed toward finding a cure. If we can find a cure, then we won't need the clones again as we will be able to replenish our ranks with converts again. So, doctor, now you have everything that you need, don't fail us.

Walking down a wide corridor just outside the holding cells, the Necromonger's Chief scientist walks through the door followed by two assistants and three guards. They are focused on selecting only those captives, through prior testing, that have shown the greatest promise for successful conversion. The next batch of captives had to be successfully converted into Necromongers or he and his assistants would be part of the next group. Those that had passed the preliminary screening had been marked with a purple dye and were being filtered out from each group of prisoners in every cell. Once identified they would be given a mild sedative and then placed in the assembly line for the Necromonger conversion process. As the technicians were going from cell to cell Dahl spoke with her fellow captives and told them not to worry or stop trying to escape, as she was sure that the others were on their way to rescue them and they needed to be ready when they arrived. As they approached her cell the Chief Scientist watched as the order is given for all that had the purple dye to come forward. Dahl waited in a back corner of the cell refusing to step forward when commanded. Seeing her disobedience, the first guard steps into the cell, tries to retrieve her, and is met with a kick to the groin and a straight jab to the side of his face, knocking him back into the cell bars. Immediately three other guards rush into the cell, two grabbing for her arms and pushing her back against the cell bars, as the third guard hits her in the stomach with his short club. Dahl is bent over from the stomach blow, but continues to fight and resist their efforts to subdue her. With her arms held back the third guard raises his club to hit her in the head, but halts his downward swing when the chief scientist yells stop. He tells them no blows to the head, she is going into the conversion process and that would affect the outcome of the process. The chief scientist signals for one of the technicians and he steps into the cell with a syringe. As she is being held upright, the technician steps forward and gives her a shot of a sedative in her shoulder area, which has an immediate effect of rendering her semi-unconscious. With the two guards on either side she is dragged and partially carried out of the cell and toward the conversion area along with other prisoners. The chief scientist watches as she is taken away, commenting that if she survives the process she will make an excellent Necromonger.

Riddick is leading a small band of five men as they reach the outside perimeter of a Necromonger check point leading into the spaceport, nearest to the Necromonger holding cells and conversion rooms. All of the men selected were similar to Riddick in their facial features and muscular build, chosen to better pass themselves off as Necromonger cloned troops. All were wearing Necromonger body armor, and weapons taken from dead Necromongers from previous Furyan raids, and would successfully pass as Necromonger troops under casual inspection.

Waiting until after midnight Riddick and his team pose as a returning scout party, out checking for rebels, they are passed through the checkpoint by the guards, who demonstrate little interest in them and conduct no inspection, accepting them as legitimate Necromongers because of their outward appearance. Once past the check point into the space port Riddick leaves the team and heads toward the Necromonger holding cells and conversion area. The Remaining team members head to pre-designated attack locations where they will set timed explosive charges that will assist in disrupting Necromonger responses when the full scale assault begins in the morning.

Inside the space port Riddick's appearance, exactly like that of all other Necromonger troops, enables him to move about freely, making his way to the prisoner holding cells. Once inside the holding cell building Riddick starts to eliminate and hide the bodies of all those Necromongers he encounters, not wanting his presence known or to set off any alarms until just before the main Furyan attack begins.

After entering into the cell block the prisoners turn to see what new demand the Necromonger guard wants of them. As they watch Riddick removes his Necromonger helmet so that his eyes are clearly visible to all prisoners, displaying his Furyan roots to all of them. He tells them that he is here to free them as part of a larger attack against the Necromongers, and that they should be ready to escape the space port later when the alarms start, giving them the specific direction and rendezvous location for pickup. As he starts to free those Furyans that had been captured he looks for Dahl in each group that he frees, calling out her name. After opening a third cell door one of the prisoners tells him that Dahl was taken out of the cells some time ago as part of a group that were to undergo the Necromonger conversion process. She is probably beginning the procedures now.

Riddick leaves the cell block, places his helmet back on to continue his masquerade as a Necromonger troop and runs toward the conversion area intent on reaching Dahl before she is processed. In reaching the area he can see into the room through a glass window, the new converts hung up in a long line like slabs of beef on an overhead conveyor belt, with three Necromonger technicians operating the conveyor line sitting at a control desk and three other supervisors standing behind them observing the operation. The conveyor line slowly moves forward as the next prisoner is set into position for the first step in the conversion process. Riddick watches as the Necromonger serum is administered via two syringes directly into the necks of the prisoner and his body starts to jerk back and forth for several seconds as the drug starts to invade the previously limp, unconscious body.

As he steps into the room he can see Dahl hanging limp in the conveyor line toward the front of the line, third in line for conversion. Riddick can see from the way the converts are hanging limp that all have obviously been drugged to some degree, displaying little or no facial emotions or body movement. Limply awaiting their fate as they are processed for conversion.

Inside the control room the Chief scientist continues to speak with his immediate subordinates as they discuss the results of their latest attempt to create a cure for their disease. He tells them that so far the last ten subjects have been successfully converted with no indication of side effects from the virus. It seems that we have finally found a cure and can start rebuilding our ranks again. The Lord Marshal will be very pleased with us and this next batch of new Necromongers.

As Riddick moves further into the room the technicians sitting at the desk do not turn in his direction as they are solely focused on the procedure unfolding in front of them. Only one of the three supervisor turns in his direction, sees him, but pay little attention to the arrival of what he thought was one of their clone guards, until it is too late. Riddick keeps his head down in a subservient manner, characteristic of the clones, and steps behind the three men, stepping forward into range, Riddick grabs the taller of the supervisors, the Necromonger Chief Scientist, by his head, with both hands and quickly twists his head around, killing him instantly with only a sharp crack to indicate anything has happened. Before they can react, the two other standing supervisors are slashed across their necks with a single, left-to-right, backhand horizontal stroke using the short sword in his right hand. Striking so fast that the nearest sitting technician does not realize that his supervisor has been killed before he is being slashed across the neck as well. The second technician, who had been focusing on his work realizes what has happened to his fellow Necromongers and attempts to reach the alarm button but is stopped by Riddick, who has grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm backward. The crack of his arm breaking being the last sound that he hears before Riddick kills him, puncturing the top of his skull with the pummel of his short sword. During Riddick's struggle with the other technician the last technician has fallen out of his seat as he attempts to escape Riddick's assault on them. He was able to regain his footing, reaching the door and partly open it before he felt the blow to his upper back. Outside of Riddick's arm reach, he throws his short sword at the escaping technician as he opens the door. Not realizing what has happened the technician looks down to see the blade tip of the short sword sticking out of his chest surrounded with a spreading pool of blood. His body falls forward and down against the door closing it once again.

Not waiting to watch the technician fall to the ground, Riddick turns his attention to the control panel, looking for the control buttons that would stop the conveyor line that has continued to move forward, with Dahl next in line for conversion. After stopping the processing line Riddick steps into the conversion room, heading directly toward Dahl. Cutting her free from her harness he gently lowers her to the ground and holds her as her eyes open and she stares up into his face with a small smile, caresses his face with her hand, and closes her eyes again. Riddick lays her down softly and begins the task of removing the rest of the Furyans hanging on the conveyor belt.

As Dahl and the rest of the Furyans, start to recover from the sedative they were given as part of the conversion process, she opens her eyes, sees Riddick's face staring down at hers, with her head resting in his lap. Looking into her eyes, smiling, he asks her if she has missed him? She says yes and starts to regain her footing. He helps her up and starts to address the rest of the Furyans, explaining to them what he has done and the rest of the plan to conquer the Necromongers.

Riddick turns to the prisoners and tells them "this is what we are going to do" and starts to explain his plan. He tells them that within minutes the alarms should activate as the Furyans fly in to attack the Necromonger aircraft, their Furyan ground troops attack various points along the perimeter, and the alarms indicating a prisoner breakout will sound. All part of a combined attack that the Furyans have planned against the Necromonger space port to distract and confuse the Necromongers as to what is actually happening. Our job is sound the alarms for a prison break as we head toward the rendezvous point for pickup and rescue back to the base camp. As he finishes the sounds of four massive explosions can be heard in a distant part of the Necromonger space port. Riddick looks at them and says that's our signal to go, and starts to lead them from the prison compound.

Riddick's four-man sabotage team has successfully set their explosive charges, resulting in two Necromonger high rise buildings going up in flames. As the Necromongers react to the explosive attack, the response teams can hear the alarms of the convert holding cells start to wail, indicating that a large prisoner breakout has occurred as well. The prisoner sirens lead to a response by the cloned troops who head toward the holding cells in order to stop any escapees from leaving the compound.

As the Necromongers respond to the burning buildings and the holding cell escape they are able to see the Furyan aircraft as they cross over their perimeter heading directly toward the space port air field. The Necromongers have been completely caught off guard. The Furyan aircraft, normally no match for the far superior Necromonger air ships, are free to drop their bombs as all other Necromonger spacecrafts are sitting on the space field. The only Necromonger craft flying are the regularly scheduled, unarmed, logistical craft that resupply the few orbiting Necromonger observation and scout ships. The Furyans are able to drop their napalm-like bombs unhindered, directly destroying all of the space ships or setting them aflame.

The Furyans had coordinated the combined attacks perfectly, preventing the far superior Necromonger forces from using their advantages in air power and troop numbers against them. The Necromonger forces were divided and confused regarding where they should be focusing their response.

Riddick, Dahl, and the other escaped captives run into a group of Necromonger troops as they escape from the holding and conversion center. The Necromongers were responding to the alarms sounding throughout the city. Armed and fully armored, the Necromonger troops begin firing on the former captives as soon as they see them. The prisoners, armed with dropped weapons from the guards they killed inside the holding center are able to return fire, closing the distance between the rival forces as they continue with the firefight. Both the Necromonger troops and some of the prisoners, armed with para-shields, which they use to great effect in stopping most of the small arms fire.

The prisoners, led by Riddick and Dahl are able to bring the fight to the Necromongers and get close enough to force engagement in hand to hand combat, where the para-shield are useless against swords and knives.

Riddick and Dahl are at first separated in their positions, but as the fight turns to close in combat, they are brought together, back to back, fighting the Necromongers. As one Necromonger swings his long sword in a cross body stroke that forces Dahl to duck low to the ground beneath the swing. Riddick, in mid turn hits the Necromonger, swinging downward across his head and into his shoulder and body, killing him before he can drop to the ground. He reaches down to the ground, giving Dahl a hand up while deflecting several stabbing strokes from a different attacking Necromonger. Riddick is able to run his sword through the body of the attacking trooper three times before he too drops to the ground dying. As he stands over the dying clone guard, seeing his own face in death, Riddick exclaims that he never knew that he was so hard to kill. The Furyan prisoners are able to finally, over whelm the Necromonger guards, killing, maiming, or otherwise incapacitating all.

As Riddick starts to lead Dahl and the other prisoners away from and out of the combat area, toward a safe route out of the city, Riddick stops and tells Dahl that she will have to lead them out of, and away from the city, where she can contact the rest of the Furyan rebel forces. She stops and asks him where is he going?

He tells her that it will never be over until the head of the snake is cutoff, and that he has to do it. He is going to the Necromonger command center in order to confront and kill the Lord Marshal. She tells him that she is going with him. He says no, she has to go to their son who is waiting for her at the base camp. He tells he came to this planet for only one reason, to save her and Dax and that he knows that she is a better warrior than any other Necromongers or Furyans in this fight, but they can't risk any chance of her getting hurt or killed. She has to survive, they can handle the Necromongers that are left. She realizes that what he says is true and that she has to be alive for the children that they have together. She steps forward, starts to hug him and they kiss on the lips, deep and long. She breaks the kiss, turns toward the other escaped prisoners and starts to lead them away from the fighting, yelling "let's go". The other prisoners turn and start to follow her lead, leaving Riddick with a small force of six armed men.

The Lord Marshal has his generals standing in front of him as he asks them what is happening, report he yells! The War Minister tells him that they are experiencing a breakout of prisoners in their laboratory area in conjunction with an airfield bombing. It seems to be part of a coordinated attack by a rebel force. The Lord Marshal stares at him and asks him how much damage to aircraft and how many prisoners are free? The general hesitates before telling him that all of their off world capable aircraft have been destroyed, most others are in danger of an ongoing fire, and that all of the captives set for conversion have escaped. Lord Marshal we do not have the ability to get off world at this time unless we bring down one of our orbiting space craft.

The Lord Marshal stares at him, steps over, cuffs him in the face with an open hand and grabs him by the neck, lifting him off the ground by his neck and head. Growling at him to get the aircraft down to the rendezvous point outside the space port and be available to lift off at his command. As he drops the general down, he asks if there is any other bad news he needs to hear. The general tells him that their reconnoiter teams tell them that it seems that the revolt is being led by Riddick, the former Lord Marshal. Riddick, the Lord Marshal yells, I left him dead on the Devils' planet over eleven years ago. It can't be him, find out who it really is and set the sniper teams on him.

The General insists, Lord Marshal the rebel forces are being led by Riddick, there is no doubt, he has been seen up close in battle. The Lord Marshal yells at his generals, you are all incompetent, I will have to handle this rebellion personally. Just bring me Riddick.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN - ASSASSIN

As the Lord Marshal sits in his private office thinking about the news that his military spies have told him, that the rebellion is going badly for them and that Riddick, indeed is leading them. He wonders, how could it be Riddick? He had left him, hurt, buried under more than a mountain side of rocks and rubble on the Devils' planet over eleven years ago. Even if he had somehow survived being buried under tons of debris, how had he lived on that planet among those two legged devils that inhabited that world. They were the most vicious and hard to kill carnivores on that side of the galaxy. But here he was, against all odds, on the same planet, interfering in Necromonger affairs once again. Well this will be the last time that Riddick involves himself in our affairs. Now that he is the Lord Marshal, he will use all of the men at his disposal to ensure that Riddick is killed this time. They will never be able to recover their former glory with this Riddick alive.

With that thought he commands his personal servant to summon his chief of spies, Thorn. Thorn, a man, even among the Necromongers, known for his deviousness, lack of empathy, and fighting skills with a blade. The Lord Marshal thought that Thorn would be the ideal person to take out Riddick. An assassin who had killed many men on the Lord Marshals behalf, removing another troublesome stone from his shoe.

Thorn, a tall, gaunt man, with the face of a vulture, arrived shortly after being summoned. Knocking three times at the door, he is told to enter, and slips into the room quietly, and stands before the Lord Marshal asking how he could serve him. The Lord Marshal knows that Thorn had to be handled gently, not like dynamite, but like a lethal poison, with no antidote, whose single drop would mean death to all that come in contact with it. He asks Thorn if he has heard the rumors that Riddick, the former Lord Marshal, was alive and leading the rebel attacks? Thorn says he had heard the rumors, but would want to see it with his own eyes before he would assign any truth to something so hard to believe. The Lord Marshal tells him that he believes that it is necessary to determine the truth or falsehood of the sightings. That he did not believe that it was really the former Lord Marshal, Riddick, but more likely one of his clones whose indoctrination and conditioning never took and now has visions and thoughts of grandeur left over from Riddick's original cells. Regardless, I want you to take whatever troops you need and kill this upstart clone. Remove him as a touchstone for the rebels. We are on this planet for one reason, to replenish our ranks so we can continue our journey to the Underverse. This rebellion delays our quest and must be stopped now. Killing the Riddick clone leading them is the key.

Thorn, listening, continued to stare at the Lord Marshal with his hawk like features, never displaying any facial emotions or concern. From the reports that he received from his own spies he knew that the rebels had won many of the ongoing battles and could possibly be victorious, and that it was the former Lord Marshal, Riddick, leading their forces. There was no doubt, he had had been seen and his shinning eyes separated him from every other clone, with many considering his presence an omen against the rein of the current Lord Marshal. Many Necromongers were still alive that had witnessed Riddick killing most powerful Lord Marshal to ever lead them and now he was back. His power, speed and fighting skills were legend, which is why his DNA was chosen to create the clone troops. Killing him would not be easy. Thorn had no illusions that in a man-to-man fight that he, or any other Necromonger could defeat Riddick. Only through guile and treachery could he be killed.

Thorn took his best assassin/sniper and five clone troops to accompany him into the city battle areas. There were many skirmishes ongoing throughout the city and they needed to find out where Riddick was in order to set their trap. In scouting their third battle area, Thorn received word that a clone was seen leading the rebel fight against Necromonger forces. Thorn was sure that it had to be Riddick leading those men and he needed to get there soon in order to properly set his trap and ambush.

His plan was a simple one, have his band of clones try to engage Riddick directly, in an open area so that his assassin could use his sniper skills to kill him from afar. Thorn had no illusions or thoughts that the clones would be able to kill Riddick, he was much too fast, powerful and skilled for that to happen. But, one unexpected snipers would possibly achieve what no single man could in hand to hand combat. Thorn knew that if he was successful, he could see his way to a higher position within the Necromonger hierarchy. The Lord Marshal would surely reward him and promote him to a higher position if he was able to kill the upstart, whether he was Riddick or just a delusional clone.

Moving out and away from the prisoner holding cells Riddick's men start to head in the direction of the Necromonger's final position, their headquarters building. As the Necromonger, positions have been slowly lost throughout the spaceport, their troops and core personnel retreated, back to the headquarters building in order to make a last stand against the rebel forces.

Riddick's group of men approached the area outside of the Necromonger headquarters building, stopping outside the firing range of the Necromonger troops only to hear Riddick to tell them how they were going to engage and get past the sizable band of Necromonger troops positioned in a defensive perimeter around the building.

He tells them that he will lead one group of a two-pronged attack, moving forward relying on their para-shields to force hand-to-hand combat where their superior fighting abilities would enable them to prevail against the Necromongers numerically superior numbers.

Riddick and his band of men moved from one side of the street in front of the building over to the other using the para-shields to protect them against enemy small arms fire, always closing the gap between the two forces. At first the fighting between the rebel Furyans and Necromongers remained at a distance with each force exchanging small arms fire, but the rebel use of the para-shields enabling them to move forward using a phalanx formation to close the distance. Once within range, the fighters shifted into hand-to-hand combat, relying more on cutting and hacking weapons instead of their small arms. While focused on surviving in the close in fighting Riddick was unaware Thorn's entry into the area and positioning on the roof top of a nearby building.

Thorn, as planned had left his five cloned troops to merge with the other Necromonger troops as they set up their ambush high above the battlefield. Thorn had ordered his clones on a suicide mission, to single mindedly spend all of their energy at attacking Riddick directly, with no regard for their own life, or concern with fighting other Furyans. When released to carry out their orders Thorn and his assassin sniper started to set up their rooftop position three blocks away, facing the Furyan fighters from an overhead diagonal position, where they could observe Riddick and his forces from above.

Thorn had a bird's eye view of the raging battle, watching as the Furyans' superior speed, strength, and fighting skills continued to overwhelm the Necromonger superior number of troops, pushing them back into a tighter and tighter perimeter around the building and in some places inside the building. When he sighted Riddick among the fighters, he asked his sniper if he was ready to fire yet? His sniper responded that he was trying to make his final adjustments for range, wind and elevation for the shot. Thorn tells him to hurry, seeing his assigned clones start to close in on Riddick's position. Focusing entirely on attempting to reach Riddick, two of the clones are killed by other Furyans before they can get near his position. Thorn realizes that he is only has three clones now to assist in fulfilling his mission, but can see that they are almost within position to attack and distract Riddick, so he squats to gain a better view of the battle scene.

Riddick, in berserker frenzy, creates a dead zone around him, with his short sword in his left hand and a pistol in his right, both weapons cause devastation to any enemy within range. Every shot taken, and every sword stroke results in the death of a Necromonger clone.

Into the small clearing surrounding Riddick step two of Thorn's clones, simultaneously trying to attack Riddick. Each clone has a sword and para-shield, using the sword to bypass any enemy para-shield and the para-shield to protect them from small arms fire. Riddick, similarly armed, defends against their dual attack, blocking the first shot with his para-shield, while throwing his short sword at the clone on his right hand side. Thrown with exquisite timing and force, Riddick's short sword enters and passes through the clones' para-shield and enters his chest, piercing his heart, effectively killing him before his heads hits the ground. The first clone continues his assault on Riddick, raining down overhead sword strokes in an attempt to cut into Riddick neck and shoulder area. Riddick, because the clones are within sword range, has collapsed his para-shield down to its staff design uses his collapsed para-shield staff to block the sword strokes of the Necromonger soldier. While continuing to parry and block the clones' sword attack, a second clone steps forward, para-shield in his left hand, sword in his right, tries to stab Riddick with a straight thrust of his sword, forcing Riddick to twist his body sideways in order to let the sword pass his mid-section. In twisting sideways, Riddick uses his para-shield to push off against the clones' para-shield, causing an electrical discharge shower along the edges of the para-shield where they converge.

Up above, Thorn's assassin lets him know that he has sighted Riddick's position in place, but can't fire until he has an opening, because the two clones are too close for him to get a clear head shot. Thorn realizes that his instruction to the clones to attack Riddick at all cost is now delaying the ambush shot that he has so carefully set up.

Turning his para-shield horizontally, Riddick uses it to push against both clone para-shields, forcing them both backward and providing an opening between him and his antagonists. From above Thorn's sniper watches the struggle and sees the gap between Riddick and the clones starts to open. The sniper finally sees Riddick standing alone, in a small, unobstructed circle, surrounded by Furyans fighting Necromongers. Sighting in for a killing head shot, the sniper starts his trigger squeeze.

Having pushed the two attackers back, giving him a small gap, Riddick takes the opportunity to quickly stoop down and retrieve his short sword from the chest of the dead clone, where it had remained since he skewered him with it previously. As Riddick reached the low point in his downward motion he hears the feels the air tunnel of the sniper round as it passes inches over his head, striking the ground behind him. Feeling the air movement and hearing the ricochet, Riddick takes a second to look up to see where the shot has come from, but has to stay focused on the Necromongers in front of him still trying to kill him

Thorn, watching through his binoculars, he sees the ground strike of the sniper round and hears the sound of the missed shot, quietly mouthing dammit under his breath as he sees Riddick pulling out his short sword from the chest of a dead Necromonger. He quickly follows up, telling the sniper that he missed shoot again. The sniper doesn't respond, trying to stay focused, putting the last shot out of his thoughts, re-establish his sights on Riddick's head, and squeeze the trigger.

Thorn continues to watch Riddick through his binoculars, and starts to anticipate the snipers next shot. Focused, he hears the report of the sniper rifle, but does not see any bodily reaction from Riddick or a ricochet from another missed shot. He turns to look at the sniper to see why he has again missed and sees him lying on his side, rifle hanging loosely in his arms, with a bullet hole through his head streaming blood down the front of his face and back of his skull. Dead. The sound of the round that he heard was that of another sniper's bullet, not his snipers'. As he looks up to see where the shot could have come from, he feels the heavy thump to his chest, knocking him back a little on his heels, like a shove from a sumo wrestler. Looking down at his own chest, he sees a scorched, ragged circle with his own blood start to stream from the large wound. Now, stunned and dying from this unexpected shot, he staggers forward, toward the building edge, tripping and falling downward, over the roof top, never able to form the thought about what has just happened to him, before striking the ground below.

On another adjacent building rooftop, Dahl reloads her sniper rifle and prepares to shift her target aim back toward the ongoing firefight in front of the Necromonger headquarters. She and the other freed Furyans had decided not to go back to the base camp, but instead turn back and provide their assistance and support to the frontline fighters that Riddick was leading in the final battle. She was determined to keep him safe and deciding she could best help by setting up in a sniper position to use her special talents to assist in the fight and protect Riddick as best she could.

In setting up her sniper position Dahl selected the building rooftop that would provide the greatest vantage point of the other building rooftops, as well as the battle below. She spotted Thorn and his sniper when they first came up to the rooftop and started to set their position. She suspected that they were there to target Riddick and other Furyan leaders. Dahl could see that they never scanned any of the other buildings and it was obvious to her that neither had given any thought that an enemy sniper would or could be positioned on any of the other rooftops, as their focus was entirely on the fire fight below between the Necromongers and Furyans. Dahl watched as they started to set up and calculate their aim points, doing the same for her location, but selecting them as her target. She watched them as they set in their aim points and adjusted their scope, having already done the same for their location. When they squeezed off their first shot, she was caught off guard, she had planned and expected to shoot them first and not give them a chance to fire on Riddick or any other Furyans below. Not bothering to see who they had shot at below, and having already set her aim point, she was able to target and fire on the other sniper with little effort. Dahl's shot hit the sniper in his forehead, passing through his brain and out the back of his head, leaving a large wound and dead body behind. The sniper died, never knowing where the shot had come from or who had fired the shot. Before Thorn even noticed that his sniper had been killed Dahl shifted her aim to his chest and fired. The shot struck him in the center of his chest, severing his back bone as it passed through his back. Thorn was stunned by the body blow and staggered forward, tripping over the rooftop edge, falling to his death at the entrance of the building.

Riddick's attention and focus on the next attacking Necromonger is momentarily broken as Thorn's body, falling from the rooftop of the nearby building, passes through Riddick's background view before hitting the ground in front of the building nearby. Drawing his attention back to the fight at hand, two Necromongers advance against him in unison, intent on using a coordinated assault against him, where all previous singular attacks have failed, resulting in death. One Necromonger clone, armed with a para-shield and short sword, the other with a pistol and short sword. Riddick, quickly sees that they plan to attack at the same time, in a coordinated manner which would pose the greatest threat any defense he could use. He cautiously prepares for their attack, setting his feet and ensuring that he ready to move in any direction necessary. As Riddick sets his defense, para-shield held up in his left arm and right arm, short sword in hand, held level with his mid-section, in preparation for the attack, the clone on his right side lurches forward with a large hole, suddenly visible in his chest. His lurch is followed almost immediately by the sound of the bullet that had already passed from his back, through and out his upper chest area, leaving the bloody wound. As the clone topples forward, both Riddick and the second clone crouch in their stance and glance upward to see where the shot has come from, preparing to dive for cover. Before either antagonist can determine the location of the sniper, the second clone is struck, knocking him down with a hole in his chest as well. Riddick, not sure what had just happened other than two Necromongers clones having been shot and killed as they confronted him, continued looking for the sniper location. Looking upward he hears Dahl's voice in his ear piece, "You are welcome", bringing a smile to Riddick's face, knowing that it is her that has his back, staying behind instead of leaving for the camp, still helping in the fight. He could not think of anyone else he would rather have providing overhead protection for them.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN – VICTORY and HOME

From the beginning of the Furyan attacks, the Necromongers have been losing every battle, taking loses whenever and wherever they have fought against the Furyans. The Lord Marshal is left in his main headquarters with a large contingent, but the last of the Necromongers troops and other supporting personnel. In ever battle the Necromongers have been beaten and are now forced back into their command enclave in their headquarters building. Outside the few remaining scattered Necromonger squads continue to fight against the Furyans, with the noise of the battles being heard through the walls of the room.

Riddick and his team had focused their attack on the northern end of the room furthest from the Lord Marshal and his personal guard force, but were making the most progress. The ferocity and fighting prowess of the Furyans is evident as they overwhelm the Necromonger troops in front of them. As the fight continues, the Lord Marshal can see that Riddick and his men are prevailing against the Necromonger troops and knows that there is only one way of stopping the Furyan onslaught and preventing them from breaking through and fulfilling this rebellion cause, he must kill Riddick and break their momentum.

The Lord Marshal shouts "stop, let them through", his voice carrying over the noise of men fighting in the enclave. Hearing his command the Necromonger clones stop fighting instantly, resulting in a few deaths as their Furyan antagonist take advantage of their defensive lapses. But seeing their enemies stop fighting the Furyans, including Riddick stop fighting, but continue to move forward. The Necromonger troops create an opening in their ranks, providing a path for Riddick and his men to walk through. Reaching the center of the room, Riddick stands facing the Lord Marshal, standing 10 meters across from him, with both men surrounded by Necromonger and Furyan troops.

In stepping closer, Riddick recognizes the Lord Marshal as the CARLOS, the Necromonger that had tried to kill him, leaving him to die on the devils' planet eleven years ago. The Lord Marshal steps forward as one of his minions pulls his cap off his shoulders and gives him his two short swords. The Lord Marshal grabs the two blades and swings them back and forth, testing the weight and balance of the swords. Riddick faces him with a single long knife, partial armor and his goggles on.

Staring directly back into Riddick's eyes, the Lord Marshal tells him that "I thought that I had killed you on the Devil's planet". Riddick staring back at him, answers him, saying, when you kill me, make sure that you see the body to be sure your work is done. You had your chance, now it is mine. As Riddick finishes his sentence, the Lord Marshal attacks swinging both swords in a windmill fashion.

The Lord Marshal's attack forces Riddick backward, blocking the Lord Marshal's strokes with his superior arm speed and strength, but requiring Riddick to continually step backward in retreat. Riddick is forced back to the surrounding wall where he blocks and locks one of the Lord Marshal's sword with his long knife and blocks the other sword by grabbing the Lord Marshal's wrist, stopping both downward strokes. The Lord Marshal is pressed forward chest to chest, staring into Riddick's eyes, breathing heavily into his face. He tells Riddick that he is finished, the rebellion is at an end, and that he shouldn't worry about his women, because he will take her and make her his Necromonger wife.

Holding the Lord Marshal in his grip Riddick starts to force him backward, telling him good luck with that, she is more warrior than any Necromonger and more women than he can handle. Shoving the Lord Marshal back and away from him, leaving an opening between them. The Lord Marshal infuriated, renews his attack, slashing at Riddick in a frenzy. Riddick blocks the downward stroke of the Lord Marshal's right arm sword and with a single twist of his short blade flings the sword out and away from the Lord Marshal. Now left with a single blade the Lord Marshal again presses his attack against Riddick. Riddick continues to block, stepping quickly inside his swinging sword arm and elbows the Lord Marshal in the stomach, doubling him over. The stomach blow is followed with a back fist to the Lord Marshal's face, knocking his head backward and his arms up. As the Lord Marshals' right arm moves up he activates the hidden knife and throws the knife at Riddick as his arm comes down, in an overhand throwing motion. Riddick reacts instantly to the thrown knife, bending backward as the blade passes through the space that his head and upper body previously occupied. Almost before Riddick can stand upright again the Lord Marshal presses forward, attacking with the short sword in his left hand. Riddick once again blocks the sword with his right hand and steps forward toward the Lord Marshal's body, pivots and stabs him in the stomach with a reverse stroke. The Lord Marshal stabbed in his stomach steps back, away from the blade, stands stunned, arms and short sword hanging limp at his side, as Riddick pivots a second time and executes a head high horizontal slash cutting across his neck, killing him.

The Lord Marshal's head, separated from his body, falls backward as the rest of the body pitches forward landing at Riddick's feet. During the pause as Riddick stands to recover from the exertion, the Necromongers, although stunned by the outcome follow their Necromonger maxim, you keep what you kill, in mass bow in unison to the new, once again Lord Marshal, Riddick.

The Necromonger forces and their Lord Marshal have been defeated and Riddick is once again in charge. The ravages of disease and the culmination of the recent events in a Furyan victory, have taken its toll on them and the Necromonger world is no more.

Riddick, standing in front of Dahl, Dax, and Lucas, tells them that he is once again the Lord Marshal of the Necromongers and it in charge of them. Dahl asks him what is he going to do with them? Riddick says, I am not entirely sure, but when I get through they won't be Necromongers any longer. This time I will move them in the right direction, make them free men and women.

Lucas asks him, what about your clones, what happens to them? Riddick tells him that they are Furyans aren't they. They will live and work with our people for as long as their lives last, here on New Gamma.

Lucas then asks him. "and what will you do with the Furyans?" Riddick looks his father in the eyes and tells him that no man tells the Furyans what to do and the Furyans will do as we all have done, no matter where we are, survive and live free lives. We Furyans have a planet to rebuild, and that should keep us busy for some time.

Dahl places her hand on his shoulder and looks at him, and in a quiet voice asks, "and us", indicating her and Dax. Dax stares at him as well, eyes blinking, shifting between day and night visions. Riddick tells them, looking down at Dahl and Dax, holding them together next to his body, I am home now and have a family for the first time in my life. There is nothing that I want more than to be with you, for the rest of my life, here on New Gamma.