Chapter 37: Kore and Her Sisters

"Ninshubar," one of the newcomers called. Riddick found him eerily familiar. The man walked fearlessly into the circle. "Furya sends its compliments." He spun, turning his back on the old man. Saluted Riddick with a wicked looking knife. "Hail, progenitor."

Riddick nodded. "Hey."

"I am your grandson, Nikiya." He saluted Jack with the sword and a smile. "And yours, mum. Your chariot awaits."

"Where you thinkin' of goin'?"

"Away from Kore." Nikiya looked around the circle, sardonically. "The Chancellor has been concerned that should you return from the Underverse, the Omphalos would not welcome you with open arms."

"Huh? Chancellor?" Riddick said, just as Ninshubar made an exasperated sound.

"Chancellor Eris," Nin said. "The man who told me you were dead, Riddick. Nikki is right. Just leave. Go to Nova Furya. You're not safe here. But Kyra stays."

"No."

"Then we have a problem."

Jack swallowed, looked around the circle. "Nin, I have children here?"

"Yes."

"And on – New Furya?"

"Yes." His voice was heavy. "For some reason, you have Furyan mitochondria, even though you're not Furyan. The Furyans have been using your eggs." His voice was dark.

She stared at him, clearly not understanding. "Okay. Look. Riddick," she strained up to look at him. "Go to Eris. I'll stay here. For now. I'll catch up with you later."

Riddick stood, frozen. "But I'll miss you." His voice was low and rough. "I came back for you."

"We'll talk every day. We can, can't we? These planets are in the same system?" She looked from Nin to Nikiya, guilelessly.

Nikiya nodded. "Yes. There will be a communication lapse. But you can send messages." He grinned, "or we can simply take you both off planet by force, progenitor. Your call, sir."

Riddick chuckled, pleased, until Jack made a small mournful noise. It poisoned the pleasure. Riddick looked at Nin, ruefully. The man glared back. "Here's my problem," Riddick said, to no one in particular. "I'm a little worried that I walk out of here, someone will try to get in the way of me seein' you again. Creatin' problems."

She sounded affronted. "I keep my promises."

"It's not you I'm worried about."

Jack looked at Nin. "He wouldn't keep me prisoner. Would you?"

Nin also looked affronted. "Of course not. You're a hero." He glared at Riddick. "And I don't repeat your mistakes."

Riddick snorted. Let his eyes rest on Ninshubar. God he's old. "Okay," he said abruptly. "Your granny Kore said you were dying anyway. But I want her back."

A murmur shivered through the forest. Jack made a small exasperated noise, twisted up to look at him. "Jesus, Riddick, are you twelve?"

"I just want my second chance," he grumbled. They gazed at each other.

Finally, she touched his face. "You'll get it. But I want to catch up with Nin."

Riddick let her go. Everyone moved very carefully. She couldn't help but notice that the Furyans knew how to make and maintain a defensive perimeter better than the Omphalos.

"Hey, Jack," Riddick called suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Catch." He tossed her the pack. One of Nin's men yanked it out of the air. "Hey." Riddick took two steps towards them. "That's hers."

This could go very wrong very fast. "Thanks," she put her hand on the man's arm. After a moment, he handed it to her. Riddick nodded, grudgingly. Their eyes locked. She took a step towards him.

I can't do this. Riddick nodded again, seeming to understand. "It's okay. Nin's granny said – said he was whiny and dying. You catch up or comfort him or what the fuck. Then we get on with it."

Jack laughed, a choked sound. Hugged the pack to herself, suddenly feeling very alone. "Yeah. Yeah. See you soon."

He gave her a grin and loped away with his new pack. Someone took her arm. "Mum. This way."

Nin looked down at her from his float chair with something strange in his eyes. She smiled at him, a little uncertainly. He smiled back. She walked beside him silently as the crew led her to a small ship. Someone guided her to a seat, helped strap her in. Nin sat across from her. Two men and a woman crowded around them, the rest split into other ships.

"How are you?" Ninshubar's voice was intense. "I've arranged for a doctor to meet us. But we could stop . . ."

She shrugged. "Oh, fine. It didn't hurt this time. Riddick says he's getting better at it."

Ninshubar smiled, looking pained. The ship lifted, pressing them both back into their seats. After a moment, she continued. "It's good to see you." Then she rolled her eyes. "Christ, that sounds so – inane. I'm a little overwhelmed."

"You just came back from the dead."

She shrugged again. "Riddick did all the heavy lifting. Again." She clutched the backpack closer.

"What's in there?"

"I don't know. Stuff Riddick brought with him."

"From the Underworld?" the woman next to her squeaked.

"Yeah. I guess. Yeah. He had the Necros make me this dress--" She shut her mouth abruptly at the strange looks in everyone eyes. "I'll just shut up now."

Ninshubar shook his head. "No, Kyra, please, talk. We need to know."

"Need to know what?" Then she got distracted. "Good god, what's that?"

"What?"

"That tower thing off in the distance?"

Nin gave her a strange look. One of the other men cleared his throat. "It's one of the space elevators, mum."

"One of the what?"

Nin's voice was soft. "Space elevators. Orbiting ribbons. They were part of the design matrix. Nearly free interplanetary transportation. Slow, but good for freight."

"Wow."

His lips twitched. "Classic technology. Something my grandmother apparently decided to bring back. We have eight."

"Your grandmother. Kore Arkhipov."

"Yes." He hesitated. "You remembered."

"She's hard to forget." The woman next to her took a sharp breath.

Nin gave the other woman a warning look. "What did Riddick mean?"

"What?"

"About me being . . . whiny and dying." He looked lost.

"Hell if I know." She rubbed her face. "Look. I haven't seen him since – since I died. Then he shows up a couple of hours ago and announces he's had this dream that your grandmother is going to keep him asleep if he doesn't bring me back and--" she stopped suddenly, swallowed. "She told him you missed me. The woman in his dream. That's a lot of why I let him take me back. In case it was real. And he promised not to – promised to be good. If I gave him another chance."

Oh shit, he didn't actually promise not to bring the Necros back, did he? She tried to remember. Nin's eyes were sharp on her. The other three were watching her carefully, as if they weren't quite sure if she was insane.

Nin cleared his throat. "I dreamed my grandmother was with you."

Jack leaned back. "I think – I think she might have been. Sometimes. What's that?"

"What's what?"

"That huge moon behind us?"

Nin craned his head around. "Hecate."

"Huh?"

Nin smiled. "Kore has two sisters."

"Your grandmother?"

"The planet. It's part of a system of three, all orbiting each other. You should know. You liberated them."

"You mean those egg things?"

"Yes. Twenty two planets in seven orbits."

"Huh?"

"Each planet has at least one companion. Kore has three; Hecate and Da."

Do I know them? "Riddick's going to Furya. It's in a different orbit? Does it have a . . . sister?"

Nin seemed to flush. "It has a companion. Grendal."

Something deep inside her stirred. "The monster."

"Yes."

"Who named that planet, Little Beans?"

"What?"

"Who named the planet for the monster?"

"I don't remember." He was staring at her. "Little Beans?"

"Yeah?"

"My grandmother used to call me that."

She felt herself smile. "I know." Followed by a moment of panic. Shit, I finally get rid of the projected disassociative personality disorder Riddick gave me and now I'm turning into Kore?

"I'll just be stopping in from time to time," something whispered. "Your young man was thinking about me while he was making you. I won't be any trouble." She could feel herself grinning at Nin. He stared back at her with something disturbingly like worship. She cleared her throat. "So, uh, where are we going?"

"I have a house in the country. You'll be safe there." Nin looked at one of the other men in the aircraft, who gave him a brief nod.

"Safe from what?"

There was silence in the aircraft. Finally Ninshubar focused on her. "You rose from the dead. There are people, even here, who might want to find out how."