This chapter will have profanity. The story will contain adult language, humor and situations, hence the M Rating. , sequel to Pitch Black. The character is not mine actually, her origin is revealed in the next chapter, but I developed a personality and a past. This is now directly involved with the movie Chronicles of
CoR and Pitch Black belong to their respected copy writes.
It took a couple years to find all the information that the blue-haired woman knew simply as RIDDICK. She found he wasn't much different than she, it was kind of disappointing.
His full name was Richard B. Riddick, he was 3 years older than her, about 29 or 30, his planet origin was unknown. He was one of the most wanted men in the Verse; ranked at least 3 above herself. Riddick had to be tough to live as long as he had and even tougher to survive the Wailing Wars, he was the only survivor in a platoon of 500. The military thought he had killed everyone but that didn't make sense, Riddick was a convict not a psychopath. From all that she had discovered she felt that he didn't kill just for the hell of it, it just ended up that way, it was survival of the fittest.
She had learned that he had escaped out of at least 5 prisons and that he was wanted on 5 planets in 3 systems. That meant that he was smart, smart had kept him alive, and lately, it had kept him free. About five years ago, Riddick had disappeared after he had dropped some kid and a holy man off on the planet Hellion Prime in the Helios System. Then about 2 weeks ago, someone placed a bounty on Riddick's head for One-point-Five Million UD credits. Had the woman in the dreams not insisted so urgently on Riddick, the blue-haired woman would have turned him in. A merc known as Tommbs had found info that Riddick was on a planet called U.V.6. It was cold and snowy with thick cloud cover 24/7, a desolate planet. Come to find out, Tommbs lost his shitty little puddle-jumper* to Riddick. The blue-haired woman knew the bounty was a private party listing, and had no doubt Riddick would visit his holy friend. All she had to do was get there before he could leave or be caught, she would finally meet the infamous Riddick.
Helion Prime was bright and had sand, both to her dislike. She could see the draw to this place though, for the majority everything was pleasant, had she been normal she would have visited. There were street vendors selling everything from jewelery to spices, the people that inhabited the planet were as colorful as their flamboyant clothing, and almost every kind of religion had established followers. It was like Earth-that-was. The blue-haired woman stood out of the crowd in her tight fitting black jacket, black tank-top, and black cargo pants; everyone else wore layered robes and skirts of all colors. She had kept to the roof tops and alley ways to avoid the local militia and crowds, staying close to the holy man's home. Finally, a week later, there was news of a man who had landed on the planet illegally, the ship matching the description of the merc's. The blue-haired woman was surprised to see a tall man with a strong build and confident stance stop in an alley way below her. She could see dread locks escaping the confinement of the hood that covered the man's face. She inhaled quietly and deeply, relishing the sweet smell of the man's scent of sweat and wilderness, it reminded her of a wild animal. Slowly the man peered around the edges of the alley way, then gracefully began to climb the wall to the roof. The blue-haired woman was well hidden by the time the man had comfortably rested on his haunches after the ascent. He made his way across the roof time, in a semi-circle, to the home of the holy man. Riddick had arrived.
"Did you know all your doors were locked?" Riddick asked the tall dark-skinned holy man, who had arrived 15 minutes after Riddick. "Five years ago, I took two people off that planet...A kid, Jack, who everyone else thought was a boy; and a holy man...searching for New MeccaI told one man...where I might go. I showed trust to one man. Did I make a mistake, Imam?" Riddick questioned, coming closer. Imam hastily replied to the sound of a knife being unsheathed, probably to his throat.
"There is no simple answer. Whatever was said was meant to give us a chance... a fighting chance. Were it not for the threat of invasion, I never would have betrayed you. I give you my word, Riddick." There was the slightest hint of panic in the holy man's voice but the blue-haired woman was losing interest. Imam's wife had appeared, no doubt done with her shower. Riddick inquired the name of Imam's child, who asked if he had killed some monster that had attacked her father. She showed no fear, which amused the blue-haired woman.
"Such are our bedtime stories." Imam explained as the child was whisked away by her mother. The holy man walked upstairs into the room directly below the blue-haired woman, she was glad that she wouldn't have to strain her ears to hear them. As she peered over the edge of the patio Imam came to the window and Riddick was somewhere near the back of the room, near the door perhaps. Imam looked to the sky. "It is said the comet always precedes them...these world-enders. The Coalsack planets are gone. Eight million settlers missing. The entire Aquilan System is gone too. My God, how do I save my family?" Imam seemed distressed, the blue-haired woman could almost feel it, it radiated from him so badly. She looked up at the comet, not for the first time this week. 'Hellion Prime shares its sunlight with all worlds nearby. If they fall, those worlds fall. And after that...' she thought. It meant the end of whatever freedom she had. "Have you heard anything I've said?" Imam questioned.
Riddick's voice was calm, "You said it's all circling the drain... the whole universe. Right?"
The blue-haired woman could feel Imam's frustration building. "That's right."
"Had to end sometime," Riddick replied nonchalantly. Outside a few men in hooded robes knocked on Imam's door. His wife quickly invited them inside, peering out, making sure no one was taking interest.
"The one you want is now here." Riddick was moving below, no doubt inspecting the new arrivals. Riddick sound slightly amused. "And whose throat is this?"
"If you cut my throat, I'll not be able to rescind the offer that brought you here. Nor tell you why it's so vital that you did come." Aereon's voice was authoritative and confident, but the blue-haired woman could smell how intimidated Aereon was by Riddick's presence, she smelled like a summer day.
"The blade comes off when the bounty comes off." Riddick reasoned and Imam introduced the new arrival. "This is Aereon, An envoy from the Elemental race. She means you no harm."
"There are very few of us who have met a Necromonger and lived to speak of it. So when I choose to speak of it, you should choose to listen." the blue-haired woman's interest was sealed, she was opting to wait until Riddick had left Imam's home, but now Necromongers were directly involved, it was time to reveal herself. She swung gracefully from the roof of the patio into the room. "Necromonger." she said, Riddick was the only one who did not seem surprised to find her there.
"About time. You stayed up there long enough-" he said, waiting for her introduction.
"Taras" was all she offered. "What about Necromongers, what of them?" she asked, ignoring Riddick's brief sizing of her body, and trying not to return the courtesy. Aereon looked like she sounded. She was a small elderly woman with a frail looking body and thin white hair, in the wind she all but disappeared.
"It is the name that will convert or kill every last human life...unless the universe can rebalance itself." Aereon continued, Taras nodded willing the elemental to continue, hoping that Aereon had more info that she could not get. "Maybe you should pretend like you're talkin' to someone educated in the penal system." Riddick insisted, seemingly amused."
Taras shifted to her other leg impatiently, "In fact, don't pretend." her voice was forceful.
"There is a story, Riddick, of young male Furyans... strangled at birth... strangled with their own cords. When Aereon told this story to the Helion leaders, I told her of you." Riddick looked from Imam to Aereon and back again, his eyes questioning them. Taras was slightly taken back by the info. She thought it was a rumor, but it had really happened and it had happened to Riddick.
"What do you know of your early years?" one of the hooded men asked. "Do you remember your home world? Where it was?" Imam inquired. Another of the hood men asked "Have you met any others?"
Aereon came up to him, "Others like yourself." Taras remained silentas she thought her origin might be leverage to these people, or the death of her.
"Sister, they don't know what to do with just one of me." he said in what seemed to be slight disbelief. Aereon said simply, "Spoken like a true Furyan." Taras' mind raged, he was Furyan! The woman in her dreams had never mentioned it before, but it was to much to be a coincidence.
Riddick was starting to get impatient, "I don't care where I'm from. I want the bounty off my head." A knocking at the door and commotion from outside interrupted the tense conversation. Soldiers outside demanded to come in. Lajjun, Imam's wife rushed into the room. Her skin was as dark as Imam's. Her straight brown hair ended at her shoulders and she wore a colorful sleeve-less dress.
"They are searching houses!" she whispered forcefully. Imam shushed her to no avail, "They look for a man who came here today. They think he might be a spy."
"A spy?" Imam questioned. Lajjun looked from Riddick to Taras and back again. "Did someone see them come here today? Did they?" she demanded. From outside the soldiers continued to pond on the door. "We're sure he's in there!" they yelled.
"I will send them away. But wait one minute, please. Will you wait one minute to save worlds?" Imam pleaded to Riddick, glancing down to at the door where several robed figures stood. Riddick loomed over Imam.
"Not my fight", He insisted as he started for the stairs. Taras shook her head and frowned in disappointment. He either thought he would not be affected some how by this or he was denying it all.
"So, you will leave us to our fate, just like you did her." Imam's voice was low, and Riddick stopped in his tracks.
"Break it down!Get him!" a man yelled from outside.
"Come. Let us try to send them away," Imam assured them, keeping an eye on the door. Upon opening the door the soldiers seized the robed figures and Imam's family. The elemental was nowhere to be found but her scent still lingered.
"Leave us alone! There is no one here!" Lajun and her daughter cried out as the soldiers roughly pulled them into the street.
"You don't understand. He can help us! He can help us!" a man yelled from the street. As the soldier's kicked in the door Taras readied at Riddick side as he stood between 2 candelabras. Her solid steel kukris glowed in the soft light with a blue gleam.
"You're not afraid of the dark, are you? The light hurts my eyes." As soon as the Riddick's palms snuffed the candle light, the soldiers began to shoot in any direction. It was amazing that they died by the 2 Furyans, instead of by their own bullets. Riddick and Taras gracefully twirled and maneuvered around each other, as if anticipating the other's moves.
"Get him! Where are they? In there!" the soldiers cried in confusion and soon all of them were laying in heaps at the Furyans' feet. Riddick slowly made his way out of the room and up to the only remaining guard who had a knife to Imam's throat. The guard promptly dropped the knife and ran for his life.
"You mentioned her." Riddick inquired, coming closer to Imam, his voice softened. Taras came out wiping the blood off her blade and goggles with one of Imam's red shirts.
"She, uh...She went looking for you." Imam looked around Riddick to Taras then back to Riddick again, his brow furrowed. "People died. She went to prison. I don't remember where. But it was a world so hot you not survive on the surface." Taras walked up to Riddick's side, she was slightly shorter than he, but only by a few inches.
"Crematoria." They whispered in unison. Imam gained some confidence, "Young Jack. She thought of you as her older brother. She worshipped you. You were supposed to watch her. She never forgave you...for leaving just when she needed you most."
Riddick walked away leaving Imam and Taras watching after him, his voice was low, "She needed to stay away from me. You all do."
Imam's daughter, Ziza, pushed away from her mother and up to the Furyan. "Riddick. Are you gonna stop the new monsters now?" He pulled his hood up, hiding his eyes, walked out the door and headed down an alley as Taras swiftly followed on the roof top above. She faintly heard Aereon speak, "Furyans. Defiant to the end."
For those who don't know:
* PUDDLE-JUMPER is a nickname for a small aircraft that looks like it cannot go long distances seem safe. Obviously Tommbs' ship can travel great distances but its a crappy ship none the less.
Thanks to all those who have reviewed on the previous chapter and this one.