The ship shuddered, jerking its passengers out of Cryosleep. The crew was already awake and manning the control panels to steady the ship's descent.

One of the computers listed a system failure. It was almost a certainty they were about to crash.

Other passengers were terrified, unbuckling as they came out of their seats. I stayed put. The shackles I was in were a lot more secured that any grip I would attempt.

There was a tracking ship on our tail. The comms didn't recognize the ship, but based off of the specs of it, I made a decision on who it belonged to.

"It's them. It's the zombies!" One of the passengers gasped.

I smirked. Yep, definitely wasn't moving now.

"You think it's funny?" One of the crew snapped at me. "You think it's funny that we've got people on our tails trying to take us down?"

"I think I paid you for a destination I knew we would never reach." I scoffed. "I paid you to enter Necromonger airspace, on purpose."

The crewman didn't have a chance to respond, he was forced back to the ship as the Necromongers began to fire.

There was not communication. They didn't reach out comms. They simply forced us close to the nearest planet in airspace, and shot down the ship.

I settled back, hoping the straps and shackles would hold on for the crash. They wouldn't just incinerate us. They wouldn't drive us to the surface in that case.

I was right, they didn't. Nearly everyone sustained life threatening injuries in the crash. I was hit by some objects that bounced around in the ship, but I wasn't severely injured.

The Necromongers broke open the door to the ship.

Pressing EJECT, I ducked out of their way until I could tell if they were here on a kill mission.

They searched for survivors, stopping at one of the other paying passengers. "What if your purpose? Why were you in Necromonger space?"

He gasped, blood running down his mouth. "We weren't supposed to be. Traveling to new planetary system…. Girl caused us to reroute …"

"What girl? Why?"

He gasped for air around his injuries. "Slave girl …. No name …"

"What's her purpose?" One of them demanded, stepping up and jerking the man, "What's she look like?"
The man didn't respond, only made a choking sound before his eyes went blank.

"I supposed she looks a little like me." I said, stepping out of the shadows. I put both hands up as the soldiers put their weapons towards me.

"And why are you purposefully entering Necromonger airspace?" The soldier demanded.

"Would you believe me if I said I wanted to convert?" I smiled at him.

I could tell the soldier in charge was smiling underneath his helmet. "And why would you want to do that?"

"A friend of mine." I explained. "She was taken in by Necromongers, last I heard she had converted."

"There are plenty of Necromongers, I doubt you'll find your friend."

I shrugged. "Name's Kyra. She was picked up while running with a convict named Riddick."

The soldiers all seemed to tense or shift.

"Was it something I said? Do you know her?"

The general waved for them to lower their weapons. "If you'd like to convert, I think you should come with us."

I nodded. "That was the plan."

I had expected torture, pain, possibly to be murdered. Guess something I said kept that from happening. I was escorted from the wrecked ship and onto the Necromonger ship.

The guard ship raised back into airspace.

The leader took me to a chamber, away from the others. He removed his helmet. His black hair was slicked pack, braided from his neck down. The sides were shaved neatly. His eyes were sunken, as were those of Necromongers I'd seen before. "I am Lord Vaako."

I nodded. "Pleasure."

"Care to tell me who you are?"

I shook my head. "Does it matter? If I follow through with the conversion, I will be a new person."

"A better person. A stronger person." He agreed. "Though most people do not seek out to be a convert."

"I seek to find my friend."

"Is your life worth it?"

I shook my head. "She's the only person I've ever had."

His face looked mildly confused. "Make yourself comfortable, we'll take you to the basilica. You'll meet the Quasi-dead."

"And your Lord Commander?"

"What have you heard of the Lord Commander Riddick?"

I was fairly certain he didn't notice the electric shot down my spine. "The name, Riddick, Kyra mentioned that name."

"She mention anything about him?"

I shrugged, "Maybe."