The weather systems being fairly stable Riddick did not have to concentrate too hard on getting the ship down through the atmosphere. He let part of his mind wander and wondered again at the flash of fear he had seen in her eyes and what might have caused it. She had already demonstrated she was not afraid of him. And then there was what she said. It was all very interesting.

From behind his dark lenses he had watched her as she told him of her world and its history. Her mannerisms and tone indicated no subterfuge. She only had that odd look when the information was recalled from a memory not her own. He asked probing questions, and she answered without hesitation but not without thought. There was an amazing amount of knowledge in her head, so much so that he guessed she was much more educated than the average Furyan. She spoke plainly, comfortably and easily conversing in a style commonly found among soldiering types, yet, in the graveyard, with Shirah and the other spirits her speech had been more elaborate and formal. She was a study in contradictions and incongruencies.

His unseen eyes narrowed as thought of all these things and what they meant. It had been a long time since he had had a chance to study anyone at leisure, like a predator stalking its prey or sizing up another predator. She had been calm, cool and in complete control since their first meeting. She had smiled and laughed and frowned and cursed but there had been very little deep emotion behind any of it, even with the mercs who had been trying to jack her ship.

Almost no emotion until that flash of fear…how very interesting…

He set the ship down gently, like a mother laying her babe down for a nap. As his hands moved to shut down the systems, his head turned ever so slightly to listen for other sounds on the ship. The quiet whoosh of the door seemed almost deafening in the quiet, but there were no footsteps, not that he expected any. He rose from his seat and timed his passage back to the hatch to arrive when she did.

He returned her nod with one of his own and a smirk that played around his lips which she purposefully ignored. He watched her as she stared across the spaceport. Her face betrayed nothing, but he could almost see the wheels turning in her head.

"Have you been here before?" he asked.

He knew she had not expected him to speak. He saw her swallow before answering.

Back in her cabin, Masala cursed herself for a fool. He had completely caught her by surprise, and she had run like a scared rabbit. She did not run from anything. Her heart was thumping at a thunderous rate and her hands were shaking. What the hell was wrong with her? He was certainly not the first man to come on to her, even if he was the first live Furyan she had seen since Mattias had died. Hell, she had not even reacted to Mattias that way. There had been no great spark between her and Mattias, and Mattias had been an Alpha as well. She growled in frustration.

There was that bizarre pulse that passed between them even when they just brushed up against each other. The knowledge of her predecessors saying it was a survival of the race kind of thing. How could she trust that it was just a matter of mutual attraction, and not some sort of manipulation on Shirah's part? A part of her wished she could wrap her hands around Shirah's throat and tell her to cut it the hell out.

Then again, perhaps, it had just been too long of a drought. There were places in Horace where she could fix that, one place in particular. She determined to go there once her other planet-side business was taken care of. The ship's water, waste and cryo systems needed a flush and priming, and the battery charges needed to be refreshed. Once those processes were in progress she would find a tailor and a market as well as pay a visit to the Guildhouse, if it still stood, then to see Christine.

She slung her pack over her shoulder as she felt the ship touchdown and made her way to the hatch. She was palming it open when Riddick appeared in the corridor. She gave him a nod of acknowledgement, not yet trusting herself to speak. From the vantage point of the top of the ramp she looked out over the spaceport. It was kept in good condition despite the relatively few travelers that visited anymore. The sight was comforting. Despite the hardships that had to have occurred over the last thirty-five years, they maintained their spaceport. The city beyond was a slightly different story.

Horace and Geundir had seen better days, back before the purge of Furya. It had been a stop for those looking to do business with Furya, close enough for fairly quick communications yet far enough away to go unnoticed by the Necros when Furya was devastated. Those that lived here scraped by on what they could grow and scavenge and trade from those who bothered to make the stop. Still, the inhabitants were not without skills. They had to be to keep their own equipment running. And some still held hope that Furya would rise once again. Little did they know that the newest arrivals would give that hope substance.

"Have you been here before?" Riddick asked.

She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and answered. "Yes, but it's been awhile. Undoubtedly some of the people have changed."

"Looks like the spaceport is well maintained."

"Yes, it's a good sign."

"Are you just going to stand there?"

"Hmm, oh, right."

She headed down the ramp and began walking across the tarmac towards the spaceport's buildings. After closing the hatch, he caught up and walked beside her. They appeared as nothing more than crewmates. Geundir's atmosphere was thin, and its distance from its sun kept it on the cool side. This served Masala and Riddick well as their hooded cloaks did not look out of place. A door in one of the buildings swung open as they approached, disgorging an older man and two youngsters, boy and girl all in coveralls.

"Can we help ya?" the man asked.

"Need some PM work done on the ship there as well as topping off the charges," Masala answered, her eyes reading the lines in the man's weathered face, guessing he might be old enough to remember Furya in its hey day.

"We can take care of that for ya," he said. "Me and my kids. Name's Blake."

While Riddick stood by impassively, Masala spent several minutes discussing with Blake what all needed to be done and the charges for it. Like any prudent businessman on a planet that did not get much business, he requested half up front. She passed the UDs over without question, but kept her hand on top of the stack. A ring Riddick had not seen before flashed in the light. The flash caught Blake's attention, and he looked down. His eyes grew large as he recognized the emblem on the ring.

Blake peered closely at Masala then his eyes went to the big man at her side. Many questions crossed his face, but he asked none of them. Instead he said, "M'lady Guilder, we will work as quickly as we can. I estimate it will take about 12 standard hours."

"Thank you, Blake. We will likely be sending supplies back to the ship from town. Leave them in the slip for us."

"Yes, M'lady Guilder."

Blake sketched a bow towards her and turned towards his kids. He sent them running for equipment and tools and followed them.

Riddick titled his head towards her. "M'Lady Guilder? And what's with the ring?"

"M'Lady Guilder is because he does not know my name. And the ring is the signet of the Assassins Guild."

"Why did you not give him your name?" Curious again as evidenced by the tone his question, not that he thought she should have, he just wanted to know why.

"Seeing the ring made him nervous enough. The last thing he wants to know is my name," she told him, smiling without mirth. "And he will make sure nothing of ours is touched, as if his very life depended on it."

"How would he know about your Guild?"

"Remember I said it was located off-world? This is where our primary Guild House is, or was. At guess, he's at least 50, maybe older, old enough to remember when Furyans were frequent visitors here. Luckily for Geundir, the Necros didn't ask questions. I may very well be the only Guilder left."

"And if you are the only one left?"

She shrugged and gave him a pointed look. "I used to think I was the only Furyan left... We have twelve hours to kill. If I leave you to your own devices will Toombs try to snatch you?"

He shrugged.

"You just like fucking with him, don't you?"

A corner of his mouth quirked up.

"Come on, then. I should at least check the Guild House."