Chapter 12

tabula rasa [ˈˌtäb(y)o͝olə ˈräzə]

NOUN

-an absence of preconceived ideas or predetermined goals; a clean slate.

-the human mind, especially at birth, viewed as having no innate ideas.

She'd gotten herself in so much trouble… Riddick was already so…dominant with her sexually. He couldn't be mistaken for anything but a dominant male regardless; but out of bed he had no issue with asking her opinion and listening to it, even agreeing with her version of a plan over his own. He didn't see her as a little woman in need of protection no more than she saw him as a big dumb male to be manipulated.

Now though… he had a look in his eyes that suggested she was in for an evening of torment. "Whatever I say."

"It does," She agreed and she wasn't imagining it, his eyes kept going to her hair, wound in its very proper knot. "With only one caveat please."

"You got limits, I respect that," He nodded. "It's no fun if it hurts you."

"I know," River assured him. "This isn't… it's cultural?"

"Something you're not allowed to do," Riddick surmised. "All right. If you're uncomfortable you won't enjoy yourself sooo…" He regarded her expectantly.

"It's considered…extremely…improper. Worse than improper," She added hastily. "It's taboo… for any male to see a woman's hair down if he is not somehow related to her." She could feel herself turning pink. "You've already seen me…and we're both just lucky no one else is on this boat with us."

He was rubbing his chin as if he was the one embarrassed, "So when you fell asleep after the ball on Persephone and I took your hair down… that was shameful for you even though it wasn't your fault."

"You didn't know. Had no way of knowing, and I understood you only wanted me to be comfortable," She assured him hastily. "But it's…not something I can allow you to do if I'm aware." He nodded and she looked down, "I ruined the mood?"

"No," Riddick lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. "Just rethinking something in my head. About how I'm gonna act with you." His hand settled on the back of her head and she could feel him pulling the pins out of her hat, removing it and then the scarf which he set on the bed. "You got this braided so if it comes out of the knot you're okay?"

River nodded as those strong fingers stroked up her neck, "Always braided and then wound into the chignon. For a stronger hold."

"Hmm…yeah I see," His breath over her hair, touching her nape, carefully removing pins and letting her braid unwind. "So soft." Silver eyes looked down at her, "You're going to get on your knees and open my pants, pull out my cock and suck it real good. Understand? You use your hands when you can't fit anymore in your mouth. Want to feel your tongue licking me."

"Yes," She hadn't undressed, still wore all her weapons, and so did he. But she knelt, her mouth at the level his waist and licked her lips. Riddick groaned as she slipped her hands in and drew him out, leaning forward to lick at the thick head.

"Oh… wǒ cào," His voice a guttural groan as she looked up at him, the head of his diǎo pushing into her mouth. Those eyes, hot as molten steel, glowing down at her as she met his gaze, "So damn sexy."

Long, slow, lazy minutes of licking and sucking him into her mouth, stretching her lips around him and moaning over the feel of him. Somehow knowing that the jī ba she could barely get her mouth around would be filling her made her want even more. His hand petting her hair, slid to her nape and around the thick braid that fell to her hips winding it around his fist. "You suck my cock so good River, such a good little queen aren't you," He murmured, silver eyes hot as they stared down at her. "Now you're gonna stop, stand up and close your eyes."

Oh, he was going to tease her so much. Stroke his fingers over the curve of her cheek, down the line of her throat to the buttons over her cleavage. Open those buttons one at a time and tease the skin beneath it, outline the swell of her breasts with his fingertip. Her breath came faster and he couldn't help smiling. "Gonna take your guns and blades off you," He informed her quietly. "You just keep your eyes closed for me."

River nodded and he nipped her neck with his teeth for a moment before carefully unbuckling the weapon harness from over her shoulders. Her gunbelt and knives were next and he stopped and kissed her, enjoying the heat of her mouth and the catch in her breath. "No Reading me now," He admonished gently. "Your boots are next. I'll pat your knee when I want you to step out of them."

Her boots, then her pants and shirt, leaving her in something soft and lacy and barely covering the dark fluff at the apex of her thighs. Gentle, careful, trace the lines of her muscles beneath her skin, watch those beautiful breasts swell, the nipples tighten. Breathe in the scent of her as her need grows. Trace her spine up to the hooks of that bra and flick them open, show off those exquisite breasts.

Get rid of his clothing, boots, weapons, put everything within easy reach, and kneel in front of her, "No matter what River, you stay standing." He pressed his mouth to her thigh, "You can hang onto me if you need to but you stay on your feet."

"Yes," Panting now. Amazing that this beautiful, elegant, deadly and aristocratic woman wanted him, gave so freely of her body. Gave him control and the submission he craved.

Soft, open mouthed kisses on her thighs, gently nudging them apart and licking over that soft pale lace. A guttural tortured moan falling from her throat as he caught the fabric in his teeth and tugged it down. "Beautiful," He praised as the lace fell to the floor.

He'd never like the trend of women shaving themselves completely bare but he could appreciate how pretty a woman could look with most of those curls removed. River trembled in his hands as he parted her nether lips with his thumbs and growled his approval of her flushed, swollen, clit. "Someone is all ready for my tongue aren't you," Riddick smiled. "Answer me River."

"Yes," She moaned. "I am. Please…Riddick."

"Well…since you ask me so nice," He began to lick her, slow and steady. He would not be rushed, wouldn't try to speed this up. He wanted a long, languorous night with her. Wanted to draw this out until she was begging and mindless.

Despite his resolve and holding her still so she couldn't roll her hips and feel more than he allowed, it took far less time than he'd wanted to bring her to a climax. By the time she came her hands were clutching at his shoulders, bracing herself so she didn't sink to her knees or fall back on the bed. Her cry of his name, desperate for more, still his favorite sound in the 'verse. Beautiful how she quickened with need for him. So easily roused and perfectly responsive to his touch.

"Open your eyes," He ordered as he stood and held her in place so she didn't fall. Dark eyes gazed up at him, hot with need and he smiled. "Now I'm going to put you on the bed and I want you to lie on your back and touch your clit for me. But if you feel yourself about to come, you stop and tell me." He lifted her up onto the bed, making sure that long braid fell across her shoulder and breasts.

Her hand immediately pushed between her thighs, rubbing her clit and he groaned at the picture she made. "So beautiful. I want to feed you my dick and when I'm about to come, pull out and spill over your belly, mark you," He began to stroke himself. "But you sucked me so good earlier and you taste so sweet, it won't take me long at all. Do you want me to mark you like that River?"

"Yes," She gasped the word out between soft moans. "Please… come on my skin…"

Oh… she was going to get fucked so good and hard when he finally had her, he'd make it last until she forgot every name but his. Writhing under her own touch, moaning while she watched him handle his jī ba in rough hard strokes designed to bring him off quick.

"Unghh…Riddick…I…I'm close… please…" Her hand lifted from her clit and he pushed her thighs apart, kneeling between them and wrapped it around his diǎo.

"Watch what you do to me River," He ordered as she trembled. A low groan as her tongue licked over her lips watching him, pleasure exploding through him as he worked himself hard, shooting hot streams of cum over her belly, hitting the underside of her breasts, covering her in his scent.

She shivered and her hand began to rub it into her skin, like it was a lotion, down her belly and onto her thighs. "That's it…" He kept stroking…his thoughts…like heat filling his mind, his body…he got hard for her so easy, it was like being a damn teenager again. "Touch yourself again River. Nice and light. Tease yourself for me while I suck on your gorgeous tits."

"Ohh…" He loved that moan, bending over her and wrapping his mouth around the tip of her breasts, sucking lightly and slowly harder and harder. "Oh… Riddick…"

"Don't you dare come," He growled against her skin. "You stop if you get too close. Play with my dick instead, put that sweet slick on me." Soft hands, tugging and stroking him and it was his turn to moan as he went back and forth between her tits, sucking until they were soft and smooth from the heat and damp of his mouth.

"Ohh… please… please Riddick…please fuck me," River was touching herself again, one hand wrapped around his diǎo the other lightly stroking her swollen yīn dì.

"You need to get fucked…" He smiled. "Maybe I'll fuck you soon…if you turn on your stomach. Show me how you like to touch yourself some more. I love seeing you grind against the mattress."

She moaned as he helped her turn over, draped her braid down her back and followed the line of it down her spine to her pì gu. That mouth, those hands, so warm, heat she couldn't get enough of. "Please… please let me come…" She begged as she had to stop touching her clit again. The soft sheets weren't rough enough to satisfy, her breasts aching for pressure and rough hands palming them.

That mouth, sucking on the skin of one cheek, his hands pulling her apart and something hot and wet licking at her rosebud, teasing her until she knew she'd soak the bed when she came. "You want to come River," That dark wicked voice crooned. "I love to watch you come. But not yet I think." Something on the bed, dropped there, light enough that nothing shifted, heavy enough she felt the slight vibration of the mattress.

"Riddick, Riddick," She was mewling, needing, desperate and he chuckled. Hot and wet on her pì gu again, her cheeks pulled apart and her gāng rubbed and pressed until she was undulating her hips in time with those deft fingers opening her up. "Ohh…merciful Buddha…"

"Don't you dare come yet River," Oh that stern voice, promising retribution if she disobeyed. "You come when I say you can. Only then." Big heavy palms on her pì gu, kneading and petting her like she needed on her breasts, "You do sound so pretty when you come though, love how you gush… is that for me?" He nipped the base of her spine with his teeth, a low growl of a question. "Answer me River, do you gush like that for the Companions? Or is it only for me?"

"For you," She moaned the answer. "I never…not with them… not like this…never…"

"Is that so," Oh he sounded so pleased. That wicked wonderful voice rolling over her skin like fur and warm velvet. "My little queen only fountains for me?" He began to play with her rosebud again, pressing and teasing until she was trying to push back wanting more. "And this…these games you like to play with me? Did you play like this with the Companions?"

"No…" River shuddered. He'd have all her secrets if he asked the right questions. "No…only you…" She tried to push back onto his hand and was held firmly in place with one heavy palm.

"Why me River," Riddick's hot mouth nipped at her shoulder, found the nape of her neck and scraped his teeth over the tender skin. "Why would you let me play with you like this when you didn't want it with the Companions?"

"They…they…weren't…right…" Waves of prickling heat, rising in her skin like a rash, she'd burn to ashes with it. "Didn't want them…like you…"

"Though you liked how the Companions looked, all slick and handsome," Oh those hands sliding under her body, cupping and squeezing her breasts so deliciously.

"Ohh…god… Riddick…I… I'll… please…so…" She was going to come, just from feeling his jī ba press against her pì gu and his hands on her breasts. Luckily, he understood and eased back just a bit.

"All right…" He pressed kisses to her shoulder as he teased her. "Better? Now…answer my question… Didn't you like how the Companions looked?"

"No…" She shuddered. "No…too small, slender… polished…like…dolls…not men," River confessed. "No one who could keep control of me. Not like this."

"Are you telling me," Those big hands pulled away from her breasts and lifted her hips up so she was on her knees, face still pressed to the mattress, presenting to him as he loved to say. "That River Tam, my fine Core Lady…doesn't find Companions to be the physical ideal?" Something rubbing against her gāng again, not his diǎo… big and blunt but not that big, making her ache to be filled. "What do you find attractive my pretty little queen?"

"You," River moaned as he teased her. "You. Big, tough… muscles and strength…holding me down, picking me up. Matching me…make me feel…" Oh god it stopped and she needed, needed… "Please… oh…please…Riddick fuck me… please."

"What do I make you feel," He was almost purring as he drew answers out of her like an angler pulled in a trout. "Tell me… and I'll fill you up all nice."

"Unghh…" Fingers on her yīn dì again, touching like he'd told her to, "Like…I'm small… helpless… delicate… not… not an assassin…" She moaned again as her hips twitched in reaction to the orgasm she knew was coming. "Like…I can't kill you…if I lose control…"

His voice, he was smiling, he'd look so smug and satisfied, "Such a good little queen telling me the truth like that…" Riddick's mouth pressed to her thigh. "Should I fill you good River? Fill you and let you come?"

"Please…please…fuck me Riddick…I need… I ache…" Begging again. The only man who could make her beg, and she couldn't stop rubbing now, she needed so badly, couldn't wait anymore.

"Yeah, I think you deserve to get filled up nice," That wicked voice, so evil… now something hot, slick, pressing against her ass, thicker than before…or maybe she was so desperate it just felt like that. "Come for me now River… I want to see you gush for me. Soak my cock in your slick."

"Please…" Oh god… she couldn't…too much of her own touch, not enough anymore… "Riddick please…" Her desperation must have reached him, those thick fingers nudging hers out of the way, callused skin rough and perfect as he filled her pì gu and she screamed and screamed she came and came and came.

"So beautiful," That sinful voice murmured in her ear as she began to come back to herself. "So perfect, screaming for me, coming so hard you black out." Wrapped in his arms, he'd stretched out beside her and pulled her body to his.

"Hmm…" She nuzzled his neck, pressing against him.

"Back with me little queen," Riddick chuckled low and evil in her ear and she moaned as his voice seemed to ignite her nerve endings.

"Riddick," River sighed his name. "Please…"

That big hand wrapped her braid around his fist and tugged her head back so she had to look up into his eyes, "Please what?" Silver eyes, staring into hers, searching, hot as liquid steel.

"Please…fuck me…want to feel you fill me…so deep and hard and good," She whispered her plea. "Need you."

Those beautiful eyes shuttered, darkened, and she tumbled onto her back, his body between her thighs, knees pushed back. He'd taken the toy out of her, worried he'd hurt her? And then that huge jī ba began to slowly invade her, forcing her body to stretch and take him or be torn in two, panting, gasping for breath as his hips lowered to hers and he was as he'd said 'balls deep' in her and she couldn't stop it. Didn't want to stop him, needed him filling her like she needed nothing else in the 'verse. Strong muscular body covering hers, hands holding her, mouth on her neck.

Hot, overwhelming, waves of it over and over, clinging to him, wrapped around his body like a vine as he pumped his hips against hers. So deep…perfect and full and she'd never be able to stop wanting this, stop wanting him…

Screaming. A tsunami of bliss crashing down on her, making the waves leading to it look like ripples in a puddle. She'd get lost in the ocean, drown in the ecstasy of him roaring her name as he filled her with his seed and all she could do was cling and grind onto his diǎo, pushing him into her womb as she came again and again.

Sweet and soft, those hands stroking him in the afterglow. Petting him as he cleaned them both up and rubbed lotion into her skin and ointment into her folds so she wouldn't feel raw. Clinging to him as he wrapped her in his arms again and pulled the quilts over their bodies.

A lot to think about… the thing with her hair… that was a shock. He guessed even Strikeforce and Operative's training could have knowledge gaps, the differences between being taught a culture and being raised in it. She'd been so uncomfortable telling him, like she was talking about…women's business. That was the only description he could come up with that fit. He'd have to look up Osiris upper class etiquette specifically to make sure he didn't step in it like that again.

But the rest of it…the truth of her attraction to him. That he was what she wanted, not a Companion, not one of those elegant men who'd bowed and eyed her at that party. She wanted a big rough bastard like him. Liked that he was so much bigger than she was.

It made sense in a way, she was so skilled, so intelligent and dangerous, plus a Reader on top of that, she must have felt like every time she was with the Companions she had to maintain a certain amount of distance and control so she wouldn't hurt anyone accidently. He had no doubt that under the proper circumstances she could kill him, or at least incapacitate him long enough to attain whatever objective she was after. Those thighs of hers were strong enough that she could easily break a normal man's neck with them, given the right positioning.

River murmured something and he looked down at her, "What's that?"

"Don't worry about hurting you," She sighed against his skin. "And you don't have to worry about hurting me."

"Yeah," He rubbed his hand up and down her spine and relaxed. "Yeah, that's kinda nice."

More and more as they weeks passed in cryo Riddick was grateful he'd had the idea of waking up every week for some true time and food. He didn't know what River was seeing in his dreams or hers, but it always took her an hour or so to really talk like herself. She wasn't crazy or anything she just…seemed to be getting her head together.

One thing he never got tired of, and she certainly seemed to appreciate, was the way he liked to wake her up, coming out of cryo. She said it grounded her, whatever that meant, and since he fucking loved it there was no reason to stop.

This time, they were in the Lupus system and working the cortex to see if they'd been able to narrow their search down anymore. Lupus Five tended to be a haven for mercs, shipyards that specialized in repairs, plenty of brothels, bars, casinos and gun shops. Armories, weapons specialists, when people left the military and wanted to get into the mercenary Guild, Lupus Five was a good starting point.

"Been searching for contracts and narrowed it down to three," River told him. "Do any of them look like your Jack?"

Riddick frowned, scanning the contracts for the subject name, first name Jack, no last name, "Can you find contract violations?" He kept reading the contracts. "Sometimes they'll put in the particulars so anybody who might try to join another crew can get denied before they get onto the crew."

"All three had violations of the contract," River told him, absently humming to herself as she typed. "But two have particulars. One… she refused to play the honeypot so they could catch a known criminal that preferred underage girls."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like Jack," Riddick shook his head.

"The second… misrepresented herself, said she had experience with guns and combat in flight," River shook her head. "Reasons for voiding the contract are stated very clearly with the addendum that they were fortunate no one was killed because of her stupidity. Several of the crew wounded."

"And the third doesn't have any information," He shook his head and sat back in the pilot's chair. "Let's come at it from another direction. We know Jack was brought to Crematoria. Let's try to dig up who put her in there. Maybe it was her old crew, or they were referenced as the ones bringing charges against her."

A feral grin spread her lips and her fingers sounded on the cortex keys like a repeater's gunshots, "Got a good feeling about this." She nodded, humming a bit more.

"What song is that?" Riddick couldn't place it. There was something familiar about it, vaguely, but if he'd heard it before it had been years.

"Oh," She blushed. "Actually, reminds me of you." She keyed something into the ship's console and the song started over. Guitar, and a man's voice, melancholy and defiant, "I wake up in the mornin' and I raise my weary head, I got an old coat for a pillow and the earth was last night's bed…"

He listened to it, raising an eyebrow at some of the verses, blaze of glory… he had no intention of going out like that. His plan was to keep flying until he was old, fly some more and die when he was damn good and ready to confront the Almighty about the fucked up ride his life had been. "That reminds you of me? It's a good song, yeah, and sure, I know how a lot of that feels…"

"Mostly the second verse," She blushed and he grinned at her, tilting his head. She sang, not excellently but not out of tune either, "I'm the colt to your stable, I'm what Cain was to Able, mister catch me if you can."

"Yeah, I can see that…" He chuckled. "Where'n the hell did you hear that? It's…well…ancient isn't really a stretch is it?"

"Bernadette; the museums there and on Sihnon have wonderful collections of Earth That Was music," River smiled. "Liked a lot of it. You have a favorite?"

"Ah," Riddick grinned and thought about it, "Look up a band called Metallica… they were pretty good."

"Would like to hear them," She smiled at him, her eyes dropping to the screen again and nodded. "Think I've got it. Here."

He leaned over and nodded, "That looks about right." He cursed when he saw the age, "Fourteen… jiàn tā de guǐ. They had her for what… a year…maybe less… They flipped her out to 'Golls at that age… Wángbā dàn de biǎo zi."

"Got the clan name," She pulled it up. "Same as that third contract, the one without reasons for contract violation." The name blew up from the small font, "Montagna clan…"

"How many've they got," He tilted his head. "Between the two of us we could take ten easy."

"Easier done than said," River smirked at him. "Ten of them. Two of us… they are most definitely outnumbered."

"They in the Lupus systems?" That was the only sticking point, if the clan wasn't close by they could end up hunting forever.

"Hmm…" She nodded slowly. "Still on Lupus Five. Guild status says they're resupplying, lost a couple members on or after a job, it doesn't say."

"No, they wouldn't," Riddick shook his head. "If they say they lost some guys going after someone it doesn't exactly speak to their competence does it?"

"Very true," River agreed. "Like a security company having its payroll stolen." She grinned and he smirked.

"Old crew pull a job like that?"

"Hmm…on Lilac, bad timing all around," She shrugged. At his questioning look she elaborated, "Reavers hit the town while we were in the bank. Had to hustle, get the customers in the vault, make a run for it in the mule. Barely made it back to Serenity."

"That is…spectacularly bad timing," He winced.

"Very," River shrugged. "Wasn't quite sane then. Happened right before the Miranda wave."

He nodded. Like everyone else in the 'verse he'd seen the wave. It was nothing he needed to see again, and certainly not up close and personal. "So, the clan has positions open," He considered. "They putting out any help wanted signs?"

"Nothing very widespread it looks like," She accepted the change back to their original topic with a half-smile. "But waves sent to several bars indicate they are looking. Asking contacts to keep their eyes open for likely prospects. And anyone else useful."

"Well let's head to Lupus Five then, we go into cryo we can make it in a day. Gives us a day to acclimate and the next to go to work," He suggested.

"Sounds good," She looked at him. "What if we're wrong and this isn't the clan?"

"If they're not…" He flipped a shiv through his fingers as he considered the possibilities. "We cut bait. Try again after some more digging. I got a feeling though, that when they see you, it'll be real obvious if we've got the right mercs or not."

"All right," River nodded slowly. "I can try to Read them right away when we find them. If they're not the right clan I won't even approach them."

"Good," Riddick looked at her. "What're the chances they'll recognize you as someone with a price on her head?"

"Non-existent," Came the prompt reply. "Blue Sun stopped using private contractors when too many of them died. They will only use their own people now. And since the board was slaughtered it's been decided that the risk versus reward ratio is skewed towards risk regarding retrieval of River Tam. Write off the entire project as a loss. Close the books on it." She tapped the cortex meaningfully, "Been keeping tabs on them."

"So no legal bounty," He half smiled. "And the illegal reward has been cancelled. That's one less worry at least."

She grinned at him, "Give me time and I can get your records wiped clean too."

"Oh…woman you are hired," Riddick smirked.

By mutual agreement they went into cryo right after they'd gotten the course set. Neither of them wanted to spend any more time in the Lupus system than they had to. As Riddick had said, the place crawled with mercs the way a sewer crawled with vermin.

Coming back out of cryo always felt so odd. Riddick's touch brought her back to herself more quickly than anything else, and he certainly didn't seem averse to continuing his tradition of seducing her awake. Afterwards she'd need to drink water, sink herself into her body, concentrate on the feel of him inside her and eventually eat something in order to feel completely herself once more.

They'd arrived at the eating portion of the post cryo routine and she tilted her head thoughtfully, "We became…distracted I think…I never did hear." She looked at him while she prepared a simple rice and chicken (well, chicken adjacent) dish. "How did you learn that Miranda is actually Furya?"

That grin of his flashed white against his skin and he chuckled, "Would you believe Strikeforce?" When she gave him a skeptical look he shrugged, "Seriously. They might have been a little lacking in… amenities but when it came to an education on military tactics and battles they were top notch. And until the Operative level of education that was pretty much all you studied. Once you 'graduated' to top tier then you learned more about history, art, languages, social customs…the sort of thing you need to fit in regardless of where you came from."

She could understand that, but how had he known he was from Furya in the first place. Voicing that question got him smirking at her wickedly. "How do you think I learned to turn The Cutter into a ghost ship? Learned some husking, basics really, at Strikeforce. And they told us that if we wanted to pass the class we had to husk our own records. So I did. Found out I'd been taken off a planet and someone had tried to choke me with my own umbilical cord."

"Then you knew before the Necromongers that you were Furyan?" She was trying to figure out the timing.

"I knew there was something different about me when the Wrath exploded out of me and killed some guards not to mention it damn near knocked me unconscious while I was in slam," He shrugged. "My eyes changed back then too."

She watched as he dug into the food she'd brought to the table and ate silently for a moment before he continued. "After that… well… I knew I was definitely not like anyone else. But I wasn't exactly in a position to find out much. Took until after the Necros left Helion Prime… I started looking through their records. Those ships, their tech is so different from the Alliance, developed on an entirely different line of thinking…I couldn't find Furya, they'd erased it from the star maps."

She remembered what he'd said about a planet full of monsters, "And you were marooned on that planet for a time."

"Right. No cortex equipment there, except the merc stuff. To use that I had to set it off, basically flash my face at them after I set up some traps and then used the time to mess with the equipment and husk my records." He frowned, "Couldn't get much, I was out of practice. But I got enough to know that if I could get into the Alliance ident codes I'd find out."

"So, you got off the planet and started looking?" River wondered how frustrated he must have been, years of not knowing anything about his people.

"Well like I said, took me a while to get somewhere I could find a ship and another while to fix the boat up," He shrugged. "But I finally managed to husk my own records, found out I'd been born on Furya, they found me with my umbilical cord wrapped around my neck, in a trash bin."

"How…" She hated the thought of him, small and helpless, strangled at birth and swallowed against her tight throat.

"Furyans…the more we suffer, the more hardship we face…the stronger we get," Riddick smiled at her and she guessed some of her sympathy had shown in her face if not her voice. "Our senses…they're magnified. And Alpha Furyans, like me…even more so." He took her hand, played with her knuckles. "What the Necros were unaware of was that Furya had a moon, they call it Caliban now…and some…intrepid, or maybe crazy, Furyans had immigrated there. They saw the fleet…apparently a comet is visible even with atmosphere and with some high-powered telescopes they could see lights being extinguished all over Furya."

"That must have frightened them…" River couldn't imagine watching helplessly as Osiris was extinguished. "And infuriated them as well."

"Yeah, they weren't pleased. But they were smart enough to go to a full blackout. And they didn't have cities or anything really big yet so they got overlooked," Riddick explained. "From the reports, the minute the last Necro ship left, the people on Caliban jumped on transports and got down to the surface. Looking for any survivors."

"The Alliance came while they were looking?" She surmised. Otherwise he wouldn't have grown up, as he'd mentioned, in the system. He'd have had a family.

"Yeah, pretty much told everyone, maybe you'd better relocate, scatter, and not tempt fate," He nodded. "There weren't a lot of Furyans. A few survivors, though none of 'em newborns except me. The folks from Caliban, maybe a thousand. Alliance helped them liquidate everything and got everyone settled on other planets. Deadwood for me and likely a few others. The idea was that they'd blend in."

"Makes a certain amount of sense," River mused. "I know that historically, the Alliance began to send out ships, satellites, signal buoys really, past the Rim. They'd gotten images from Blue Sun satellites of the Necromongers so they knew what sort of…silhouette they were looking for."

"Read something about the settler's bureau opening up a branch in Kalidisa system? And another in Red Sun?" Riddick tilted his head.

River nodded, "When they started to get refugees from that direction. They could process people there instead of sending them to Bernadette. Faster to figure it out on the Rim and send folks where they'd do best. And it gave them an idea of when the Necros would arrive. Salisbury's moons in Kalidisa system were the furthest out. So, it made sense the Necros would hit them first."

"The moon they bombed into a black rock," Riddick nodded. Clearly, he recalled what she'd told him after Aberdeen.

"Yes. Evacuated civilians as much as they could," She shook her head. "Some people wouldn't go. Purplebellies on the ground, in agrarian areas. The towns and cities were emptied as much as possible and set with land mines among other things."

"So they acted like they were preparing for a ground war," Her lover smiled his appreciation of the tactic.

"And kept the fleet hidden behind Salisbury's other moon," River nodded. "The soldiers on the ground…they fought knowing they'd die, by Necro hands if not the bombings. But their families… they'd be taken care of. Honored. And they knew that if they failed, the entire Alliance would fall to the Necromongers. They had to succeed."

"They would have had to wait for the Basilica to land," Riddick murmured. "Put on enough of a show of resistance that Vaako would think they'd succeeded in quelling the population."

"They did. They knew from the reports of the refugees and Furyan survivors that after the initial attacks no ship remained in the air once the Basilica had come down," River nodded. "And when it landed… the fleet came out of hiding."

"Once they're on the ground…they'd be vulnerable to attack," He seemed to be viewing it in his mind. "Their fighters are agile but they're used to fighting other ships in atmosphere. They send the conquest icons down, the ships fly out of them like hornets from a hive, and destroy everything." He rubbed his chin, "Then when they've got an area subdued they land the Basilica and the Lord Marshall offers death or conversion to the citizens left alive."

She smiled, a bit smugly, she could admit that, but the strategy, while costly, had proved extremely effective. "The Alliance command didn't bother to land their ships." She sobered, "It wasn't the first time they'd bombed one of their own planets back to a black rock. But for the first time it wasn't against their own people."

"So, they knew it would work," Riddick considered that. "Is the air breathable? Or did the atmosphere fry up too?"

"Not sure," She shook her head. "Have to visit and see. Or do some more research."

"I'm guessing they kept a good eye on the planet making sure there weren't any survivors," He mused.

"One of the areas patrolled often," River agreed. "Though not so much now as it was immediately after."

"Makes sense," Riddick smiled at her as he ate some more. "So what sort of outfit you planning on to lure the mercs back to the boat." His lascivious grin suggested he was imagining her in something fairly scanty.

"I imagine I can come up with something," She smirked back at her.

Author's Notes: We finally learned how Riddick got off Furya after the Necromonger attack! This was the most plausible explanation I could think of. And since the Alliance are such control freaks it wouldn't escape their notice that they'd lost an entire planet full of people. And I think they'd start preparing for an invasion.

Chinese Translations:

wǒ cào (holy fuck / lit. 'I fuck')

diǎo (cock)

jī ba (dick / penis)

yīn dì (clitoris)

pì gu (butt)

gāng (anus)

jiàn tā de guǐ (damnit/ bloody hell)

Wángbā dàn de biǎo zi (whore's bastard/son of a bitch(insult))