Chapter One: Xùnléi Ertóng
Riddick loved the Black. He always had. For as long as he could remember he'd loved it with everything in him. He loved the silence and vastness of it. Comfort and danger in a single glance. "Rick!" Mal's voice called out to him suddenly over the com stuck in his ear. "Quit gawkin' and get to work!" The captain's voice was equal parts amused and irritated. It was a common tone with the other man.
Riddick snorted, completely undaunted by the other man's barking. "I could always put on my own suit and come pull your hose out fer ya," he threatened without any heat. They all knew he would never do it but he still had appearances to keep up.
"Yeah, but you won't," Mal answered easily. He looked up towards his ship from outside as though Riddick could see the arched brow and smug smile. "You don't wanna deal with a pissed off Zoe or a cryin' Kaylee so I figure I'm safe enough."
"'M goin' soft, is what I am," Riddick muttered and leaned a shoulder on the wall beside the airlock. This universe was so much easier than the old one. Or maybe it was just the company he was keeping this time. Good people seemed to infect those near them with their compassion. Or maybe he was just allowing that part of himself more rein lately. Most likely, he thought to himself, his new tolerance had something to do with his girl. "Compartment's open and ready, Mal." He told the captain and watched the small figures through the porthole.
"Good to go," Mal answered and then turned his attention to the vault on the derelict ship. Rick and Wash would keep a watch for anything out of place. It was good to be able to trust his crew. Even Jayne could be trusted now. He wasn't sure when that had happened but he was grateful for it all the same.
"I don't think you're goin' soft, Rick," Kaylee's bright voice said from his side. He turned his head and tilted it in question. "You done skint that purplebelly last week, I heard. He didn't know nothin' but…well, you ain't soft." Her sunny smile took any insult from the words. Her bright eyes matched the smile creasing her lips. She leaned against the bulkhead beside him and waited for his inevitable spluttering.
Riddick flipped off the comm in his ear and lifted the specs from his eyes so he could see her face better in the dim light of the cargo bay. There was no scent of fear to her. She'd never smelled of fear around him. It was almost intoxicating that this bright, shiny, innocent girl showed no fear of him whatsoever. "How in the gorram hell did you find out about that, mei mei (little sister)?" He asked her gruffly.
Her grin grew and gained a bit of mischievousness as well. "I got my ways, ge ge (big brother). And I ain't tellin' what they is." She gave him a stubborn look and crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring the grease smearing her coveralls from the wrench in her hand.
Riddick scowled his fiercest scowl and was unsurprised when it did little more than make Kaylee giggle. "Gorram brat," he muttered. Why had he joined this infernal crew again?
"Aw, you love me," Kaylee giggled again. And that would be one reason why he'd let Mal talk him into joining the crew. The other four were busy elsewhere. He liked that they accepted him. Accepted his silence and his bloodthirst and everything else about him. Mal barely raised an eyebrow at his quest to find River. He'd simply nodded and said it'd be easier to look if he was mobile while doing so.
Before Riddick could confirm or deny Kaylee's accusation alarms blared through the ship. He slapped his hands over his ears, winced in pain as the sound again assaulted his sensitive ears and Kaylee scurried off towards the engine room. Riddick flipped his comm back on in time to hear Mal ordering the ship to go dark. At least that would stop the damned alarms that were giving him a headache.
Riddick stood in the darkness passively, one hand on the airlock controls and the other fingering his shivs. He'd be ready whatever happened though he was fairly sure that the dumbass Alliance cruiser would just fly on by. They nearly always did. Serenity was a small fish in a gigantic pond and usually not worth bothering with.
"Mal, we're humped," Wash's voice rang through the comms. His tone was part fear and part excitement.
Then again, Riddick mused, there were always those Alliance officers that just couldn't stand to let people be. Riddick was already cycling the airlock doors open before Mal drew breath to answer Wash's warning.
"Got 'em, Wash," Riddick said a few moments later as Mal, Jayne and Zoe touched down inside the airlock with the crates from the derelict ship. There was no way Mal was going to leave the loot behind. Badger would be insufferable if they had let the Alliance get it.
"Let's go, Wash," Mal's voice came over the comm as they bumped gently to the floor with the return of gravity. He was already pulling his suit off and reaching for the button to let them out of the airlock.
"Let's moon 'em," Jayne grinned as soon as they were all safely aboard and were shedding the suits.
"Hold on," Wash said, a matching grin in his own voice, and Riddick grasped one of the struts as Serenity sped away from the derelict and the cruiser to brace himself from the inertia that only he seemed to feel.
Riddick picked up one of the crates after his body had adjusted to the increased speed and headed for the smuggler's hold along the side of the cargo bay. "What did we get anyway?" He asked Mal curiously. Mal hadn't told any of them what they were after. Riddick wondered if the captain had known before they retrieved the boxes and thought it unlikely. Badger was a tight-lipped bastard at the best of times.
"Protein bars iffen those manifests were right." Mal's voice floated to him from the stairs behind him as he pushed open the compartment.
Riddick grunted in acknowledgement and dusted his hands off as he turned back to the hold. "Jayne, come help me put these up," he called to the big man who was already hefting a box in his arms.
"Leave one out," Mal ordered with a suspicious look on his face. "I wanna inspect our…appropriated cargo. Make sure it's what it says it is." Badger had been a bit too quick to throw this job at them.
Riddick heaved the second box into his arms and followed Jayne to the hidey hole. After shoving the crate inside the dim space he straightened again and headed for the stairs while Mal, Zoe and Jayne gathered around the last crate. "You do that an' I'll go rustle up some grub," Riddick agreed easily. He kinda liked KP duty here, the crew always seemed to enjoy his culinary efforts. "It's almost dinnertime an' I'm starvin'."
"Sounds good," Mal nodded absently. "Best get on that."
Riddick smirked and loped up the stairs to the galley. He listened quietly to the conversations going on around the ship and shook his head to himself. He had no idea how these people and this ship had wormed their way into his heart but they had. There was a lot he'd do to keep them safe. And there wasn't much they wouldn't do to help him out. He'd find his River sooner or later and then they'd fly away with Mal and the crew to new adventures and a happier life. It was the only hope he had left to cling to. He had to find her because without her all of this was completely meaningless.
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Something…it called…something off…
A single discordant note in a symphony. What was it? Why was it wrong? Such a small thing. Something that wouldn't be noticed but…she heard it. Somehow.
So…slow…the thoughts flowing much too fast…can't seem to…grab onto them…something strange…wrong…off…not completely right…what…
She? What is a she? Who was she? So many questions. What were the answers? Everything was so fuzzy. So soft. So slow. Why? Should it be this way? It didn't feel like it should. So why was it? What was wrong?
Deep within the mind of a girl under sedation for cryo sleep a tiny spark began to wake. To sleep like this was to be vulnerable. The girl couldn't be vulnerable. Bad things happened then. The spark of thought became agitated and struggled to wake the body of the girl. Fear made the spark frantic. She mustn't be weak. She had to wake and the fear would be swallowed again. Swallowed by a cold rage that had come from…loss.
But the loss of what? No…not of what. Loss of someone. Fear and sorrow licked at the spark of life. The girl's body knew those emotions and it didn't like them.
The drugs pulled the girl's body back down into their comforting arms. Sleep, they whispered. Sleep.
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Riddick truly hated the Eavesdown Docks. They were dusty, noisy and smelled awful. Fuel, different cargos and the unwashed bodies of spacers who were more concerned with saving water than hygiene made the air more foul than it needed to be. But, it was a bustling place and that meant information among other things so he put up with the overwhelming sensations as best he could.
Eyes burning from the dust and nose itching from the foul smells, he leaned against the hull as the ramp lowered to the ground and stared out at the mass of people. Somewhere, maybe here, someone knew something about his girl. Maybe he'd get lucky this time. The WAVE from Kàn Dàole Wèilái was promising. His heart was heavy with longing for her. He'd felt like he was missing his own arm for far too long already.
"You need me for the meet with Badger, Captain?" He asked in a low voice as familiar footsteps approached from the stairs. He kept his voice and words formal as he needed the captain to agree to let him go and Mal could be persnickety if he didn't get his captainy respect. Not that Mal telling him he couldn't go would stop him from seeing Kàn Dàole Wèilái and finding out what the old man knew. He just didn't feel like hearing the ranting he'd have to listen to if he didn't have permission to go.
Mal stopped next to him and cocked his head to the side. He knew very well that Riddick wasn't actually asking permission and was only giving the appearance for form's sake. Still…at least the other man was trying. "Might could do without ya, Rick. Why? You find out somethin' 'bout your girl?" That was the only reason Mal could think of for Riddick to abandon his self-imposed duties.
Riddick cut his eyes towards Mal and then away. Talking about River outside of the ship and dirtside always made him uncomfortable. "Maybe. Not rightly sure but a contact of mine wants to see me." He shrugged and continued to stare out over the heads of the throng of people on the docks.
Mal nodded easily. He knew how Riddick felt about discussing River where someone may overhear them. "Best go see 'em then," he urged. "Know your first priority is her. Just lemme know iffen I gotta take you somewhere." An itching on the back of his neck told him that something was about to change. He rarely ignored that feeling and he really hoped, for the other man's sake, that this time there was news.
"I'll pay for the fuel if you do," Riddick murmured his thoughts already on Kàn and what the old man wanted him for. Mal had long ago noticed the way Riddick's voice became more cultured when he was distracted. He'd never pointed it out and he doubted the man knew about it. Past was past and if the other man had once been like those from the Core then that was his business. "He may have a job for us too," Riddick added though his eyes and tone were far away.
Mal blinked at that information and then brushed it aside. He knew that Riddick wasn't trying to demean him by implying that he couldn't find them jobs but…he wasn't going to accept charity. "A job'd be welcomed, o'course but it ain't necessary, Rick an' I ain't worrying about the fuel. We'll make do. If you get any information on her then you get back here and we'll follow it up." Mal said forcefully. "Get gone now. I'll let the others know." Riddick had told them quite a bit about his girl and what the Alliance had done to her and the stories made all of them determined to find the girl and take her away from those that were tormenting her. The stories also simply reinforced Mal's hatred of the Alliance and all it stood for.
Riddick nodded silently and headed down the ramp. He turned slightly at the bottom and looked back up at the dark haired captain that had given him a home and taken on burdens not his own. "Thanks Mal," he said simply, knowing the man would know exactly what he meant without him having to explain it.
Mal nodded back, a small smile gracing his lips, and Riddick melted into the crowd. Mal wondered how the man could do that so quickly but shook his head at himself immediately after the thought passed through his mind. Rick was a different breed of man and Mal could only be thankful that they had found him before anyone else.
"Where's he goin'?" Jayne suddenly asked from behind Mal. Mal scowled mentally. Trust him to find the only two men in the universe that could sneak up on him. "We got a meet ta git to and he runs off?" Jayne's words were whining but the tone was worried.
"Bi jweh," Mal said mildly, his unconcerned tone reassuring Jayne that all was well. "He's doin' what's gotta be done. This shouldn't take too long. Put us down for departure in about three hours..."
Mal's voice faded out as Riddick drifted further away.
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Again the discordant note rang through the space around the girl. The spark of life, of consciousness, of the mind of the girl fought harder. Find it! The spark screamed as loud as it could. But the girl flinched from the sounds and scents and thoughts surrounding her.
So many. So much. Too many thoughts. No sense in the cacophony bombarding her. The spark fled back to the depths in overwhelming fright and confusion. It wasn't time yet.
Soon, something whispered to the slumbering girl. The time is coming. Soon.
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The smell of burning incense in Kàn's shop always made his nose itch. He hated that scent but as always he ignored it. "Mornin' Su," he greeted the young woman behind the counter and resisted the urge to rub his nose. "He in?" He didn't need to say who. Su had the same uncanny ability to just know things as her grandfather did.
"Shi," the small rather pretty woman nodded her dark hair swinging over her ears. "He waits for you in the back, Mr. Richard." Her face was calm and blank, giving no clue to her thoughts away. Riddick knew better than to ask if she knew what the old man had for him. She wouldn't tell him and the knowing smirk she gave him when he asked was annoying.
Riddick nodded his thanks to her and made his way to the curtain separating the front and back of the store. "Kàn?" He called softly, not wanting to startle the old man, even though he figured that was an impossible task. Nothing surprised Kàn.
"You are late, Xùnléi Ertóng (Child of Thunder)," the old man's voice answered from the shadows at the back of the room.
Riddick leaned against the wall and stared into the shadows where the voice had come from. "Didn't know I was on a time limit, old man." His gaze shifted to the empty air at his elbow. There was the breath of a breeze and a ripple of movement. Riddick smirked a bit and turned his gaze back to the shadows. "Your tricks are gettin' predictable," he told the shadows in amusement.
The old man chuckled. "Life is finite even for one such as you, Furyan," there was the rustle of cloth as Kàn stepped from the shadows and made his way to a work bench along the back wall. "Everything has a time limit." He motioned for Riddick to come closer to the bench.
Riddick didn't stiffen at the use of the term for his race; he was far too used to Kàn after a year or so of knowing the man. Instead he followed the old man's direction and stood beside him at the bench. Unlike the old man he kept his face turned to the curtain. You never knew who would barge in like they owned the place. "You said you had information about her." He said in a tense voice. His heart rate had sped up on the appearance of the old man. Something, maybe Shirah, maybe some sense handed down by his ancestors, or maybe just his own foolish broken heart, told him that the old man finally knew something about River. Even knowing that he couldn't trust this sense, he couldn't stop the hope from welling within his chest.
"Yesss," Kàn hissed without turning to look at him. He was poking through the clutter on his work table as though searching for something. Riddick heard the small sound of metal clinking against metal. "Information about your River. There was quite a bit of unprecedented activity on Liann Juin in the past week." The old man rarely beat around the bush with his information, though he didn't always give it away in clear, blunt words. "Ships docking and leaving with military accompaniments. More than ever before. As though they had lost something and were trying to find it." Kàn finally turned to face him, his hand clenched in a fist around something he'd picked up from the table. "Your search is almost over, Xùnléi Ertóng. Soon you will be reunited with your heart. Then you will bring her to me. There is much she must learn and I must show her the way through the darkness." He blew into his clenched hand and tilted his head at Riddick like a curious bird.
Riddick straightened and finally faced Kàn fully with his back to the curtain. "Where is she?" He asked tightly. "Do you know where she is now?" The words threatened to become stuck in his throat but he forced them out. "Do you now if she's all right?"
Kàn shook his head regretfully and held out his closed fist to Riddick. "She is hidden from me again," he said. "But she will find you soon. I don't know when but soon, Richard. Take these for her." He pushed his hand towards Riddick again. "Give them to her as soon as you find her. They will help." Riddick held out his hand and a necklace with four metal charms dropped from Kàn's hand to his palm. "Protection, Healing, Strength, and Calm. She will need all of those. Don't forget," Kàn murmured and turned back to his table. "Bring her to me." Then the shadows swallowed him again.
Riddick sighed in mingled irritation and hope and turned away. "Infuriating old man," he muttered under his breath as he passed back through the curtain. "Always riddles. I fucking hate riddles." He ignored Su's giggle as he strode out into the dust and sun of Persephone and headed back to the ship. The necklace glinted in the sun for a moment and he put it over his own head. He may not understand all the old man said but the necklace was for River and he'd carry it until he could give it to her.