Chapter 1

A couple hours after the skiff's abrupt departure from the desert planet's surface another ship entered orbit around the planet cloaked in darkness.

"This is the Search and Rescue vessel Lady Liberty responding to the SOS from the Hunter Gratzner, does anyone read me?" queried a young male in a crisp blue uniform with a red cross patch prominently displayed on his chest and sleeve. He flipped a few switches and turned a few dials before trying again. "I repeat, can anyone hear me, this is the Search and Rescue vessel Lady Liberty hailing any survivors from the Hunter Gratzner."

Receiving nothing but static for the third time, he turned his concerned gaze to his captain and said " Sir we have been continuously unable to raise any survivors from the Hunter Gratzner. Either they are all dead, or their communications systems are inoperable. Sir."

"I know what it means Lieutenant, thank you." Returned the gravely voice of the ship's captain. "Are we in range to do a geographic surface scan?"

"We will be in range in two minutes thirty seconds sir" the lieutenant replied after glancing at the instrument panel before him.

"Well then can we at least get a visual of the planet's surface?"

"Yes'ir, we are in range for that."

"Good, zoom to maximum. I want to see what the hell happened down there." The captain turned towards the main screen expecting to see the crash site, and finding nothing but darkness.

"Jarod," he called, exasperation and aggravation coloring his tone. "I believe I ordered the planet's surface to be displayed on the main screen - why is it still blank?"

"That is the planet's surface sir. Huraga is in the middle of a solar eclipse that occurs every twenty-second year due to the system's unique planetal orbits...sir," came the lieutenant's terse reply.

"Fine." Replied the captain with a look of warning for the Lieutenant's attitude. "Do the geographic scan and overlay with infra-red sensors. I want to know if anything is going bump in the night down there."

"Yes'ir." Walking to the proper console, Jarod typed in the commands and waited for the computer's response.

A tense moment of silence filled the control room as the crew looked toward Jarod. He returned their looks after consulting with the instrument panel for the second time. "We only have one human life sign sir, and it seems to be fading. However the planet shows an abundance of life near the crash site and what looks like an abandoned settlement. The computer can't place it though. It must be an unregistered life form. Sir."

"Yes, thank you lieutenant Flyman. Take two men with you, and shuttle to the planet's surface. We don't know if these creatures are friendly, so be prepared for anything. There is one survivor, and I want him rescued. We need to know what caused the Hunter Gratzner to crash. That ship was logged as carrying forty commercial passengers and a code five prisoner by the name of Riddick, Richard B. The Company demands that we account for all those people.

"Yes'ir"

As they were leaving they could hear the Captain warning sickbay to make ready for possible casualties.

Getting into the shuttle me, ensign Torrez, and ensign Paris looked at each other and grinned conspiratorily. The three amigos were together again. I remembered fondly the games and pranks we played all through our academy days. We navigated the atmosphere while catching up on old times and betting on who had pulled the most pranks since graduation. As we neared the landing sight, silence permeated the small craft. Not being able to see in the dark, we used our instruments to land the shuttle as close to the survivor's last known position as we could. By unspoken consensus we left the shuttle lights on to dispel some of the creepiness emanating from the darkness. Through the main window we could see the remains of a small abandoned settlement. We opened the shuttle doors not knowing what to expect. In the near distance we could hear rapid clicking, and the rustle of bodies moving. Staying as close to the light as possible, we slowly made our way to the building which housed the only human life signs on the whole planet.

The door was barred. Using the flashlight attached to my handgun to look around. I could see several gaping holes in the side of the building where it looked like something had taken a couple slashes at the wall. One seemed just big enough to climb through if I squeezed a little. Shining the flashlight into the room I saw nothing immediately intimidating.

I climbed through and looked around. There was a table knocked over in the far corner and an orrery in front of me. Next to the orrery I could see a limp bloody hand half-buried beneath pieces of roof that were littered across the floor. Calling out for some help I tucked my gun back into its holster and started pulling sheets of tin and canvas off the body. Hearing my call, Brian came scrambling through the wall to see what I had found, while Harry remained outside to keep watch.

Just as we uncovered a battered body covered in blood, a strangled scream just outside the building ended abruptly, echoing in the now heavy silence.

"Paris?" I called out praying this was just his idea of a poor practical joke. "Harry, answer me damn it," I said my voice cracking a little with the fear coursing so freely through my body. We could both hear a loud rustling outside. Just as I was nearing the wall to investigate though, a massive head with lots of very sharp, very little teeth, pushed through one of the gashes startling us. It started hissing and shrieking, but was too big to clear the hole in the wall completely though that didn't stop it from trying.

We both scrambled back in an effort to put as much space between us and it as was possible, but found ourselves up against the blocked door within a few steps. We had to get back to the shuttle. If I remembered correctly, it was only about thirty feet to the north of the building we were in now. I picked up the limp body and held it close while Brian moved the sheets of tin that had fallen and blocked the door. Soon, he had cleared an opening big enough for all three of us to fit through. Brian grabbed his gun and we made a run for it. Brian led the way since he carried the light and the gun, which was our only means of defense. I was right behind him cradling the survivor's limp form tightly to my chest and following the bouncing light ahead.

We were about ten feet from the light of the shuttle when I stumbled over something in the dark, falling to one knee. Just as I pitched forward, I felt something razor sharp graze across my back as it passed me from behind. I could hear the flutter of wings and the angry shriek of some creature as it flew by empty-handed.

I got to my feet and continued toward the light of the shuttle, hoping Torrez had kept going without me. After what seemed like forever, I made it up the ramp and laid my unconscious passenger down on the med-bay cot. From what I could see under the grime, bruises and blood my passenger was female. Calling for Brian, I strapped her in and hooked her up to the bio-scanner. I could hear the computer's flat impersonal voice relaying her status, though my attention was now mainly focused on finding my friend and crewmate.

"Sex: female; weight: 125 standard earth pounds; temperature 102.3 F; probable concussion from head wound to left temple..."

Taking one last visual sweep of the cabin, I hooked her up to an IV and wrapped her in thermo-blankets. Having found no sign of Brian in the cabin, I grabbed a flashlight off the shelf and walked towards the area where I had last seen him. I could hear the agitated clicks and hissing of creatures just outside my small circle of light, but I couldn't see them. I wasn't sure if that was better or worse though.

I let my flashlight roam the malevolent darkness beyond while I called out.

"Brriiaaannn. Brian Torrez can you hear me." As my light passed over the terrain, I heard a flurry of movement to my left. I quickly repositioned the beam thinking it was Torrez, only to find several creatures fighting over something on the ground. When the beam hit them though, they scurried to find the shadows, whistling shrilly in their anger. Leveling the light on what they had left behind I saw a scrap of navy blue material with the red-cross patch of the Search and Rescue uniform covered in blood.

Turning away, I ran to the ship and closed the doors knowing that no others would be joining us. After making sure that my Jane Doe was still alive and as stable as I could get her, I rushed to get us airborne. I wanted to get off this damned planet as soon as possible. After breaking through the atmosphere I radioed the Lady Liberty to inform her of our mission status.

"Lady Liberty this is Wild Cowboy over" I articulated trying not to think about Harry, whose job this normally would have been.

"Go ahead Cowboy, we read you loud and clear."

"Lady, have picked up Jane Doe, but suffered heavy casualties, over." My shock and guilt making my voice seem dull and lifeless even to my ears.

"Understood Cowboy, bring her home, we're waiting for you."

We were met by an emergency medical team in the shuttle bay of the Lady Liberty. After ascertaining that the woman had survived the rescue, they took her to sickbay for emergency surgery, leaving me to deal with the Captain.

"What the hell happened down there," he yelled "I send you on a simple 'search and rescue' and you come back half dead minus two crewmates?"

Straining to keep what little calm I had left, I kept my answers as short and concise as possible. "We met with some resistance,"

"Resistance?" he asked incredulously. Looking over my torn and dirty uniform, which was liberally splattered with blood, he shook his head contemptuously. "It must have been some resistance since you look like you just waged World War III and came out on the losing side. "

After a moment of silence, he sighed and informed me he wanted a full report on his desk as soon as possible. Then he walked away.

After the echo of his shoes had faded into silence, I looked around the empty docking bay and muttered, "...Yeah, I'm feeling just fine, thanks for asking dad, I'm so happy to know you care."

Walking to the Medical Bay was proving to be slightly harder than I had anticipated since the walls and floor kept moving. I managed to take about half a dozen steps before succumbing to the pressing need to sit down. Though I don't remember the actual decent, I somehow found myself on the floor praying that the world would stabilize before I threw up. Laying there I vaguely heard a feminine voice calling out worriedly "Medical personal to Deck 15 stat. Officer down. Officer Down!" Then I felt a cool hand on my forehead before the world went dark.

Chapter 2

"...Not for me Carolyn. Don't die for me," I screamed at her as she melted into the shadows only to be replaced by another.

"I love you Ricki don't forget that...I love you always" the woman cried, her arms outstretched, her posture beckoning.

"Mom? You can't be here, you're dead. You died on Riza Three." I choked. As I reached out to touch her and hold her close, she dissolved into a man whose harsh features still had the ability to chill me to the bone.

"Richard! You'll never amount to anything; you're just like your mother - a mistake from birth. I should have had her abort you when I had the chance. They'll find you and lock you away for killing me. Did you think you could get away with it? Did you think you could get the better of me? You're just a good for nothing, stupid whelp. You'll never learn."

"You fell down the stairs. It was an accident. I didn't mean to push you. You were hurting mom." I moaned desperately. "I had to protect her. It was an accident. Can't you understand?" I begged. "Leave me alone."

His unrelenting words kept hammering away at my defenses as he grabbed my the shoulders and shook me. "You kill everything close to you. It killed your mother when you got arrested for my death. It was your fault Carolyn died. You will be the death of Jack..." and through it all the shaking continued.

"Mr. Riddick...Mr. Riddick wake up you are having a nightmare. Mr. Riddick." Imam's demands for me to wake up were punctuated by his rough shakes of my shoulder.

With a gasp, I jerked up in bed, trying to get my bearings after my horrific nightmare. Looking around I realized that Imam was the only familiar thing in the room.

"Where are we?" I asked my voice still hoarse from sleep.

"We are on the Lady Luck. A few moments after you passed out on the skiff this merchant vessel picked us up. You should be aware that you are now Jack's father and I am her uncle."

"What the hell are you talking about? How long have I been out?"

"36 hours"

Shit. Shit. SHIT."

Suddenly remembering that there was a third person to our party, I automatically looked around for her innocent face. Not seeing it I returned my attention to Imam and asked where she was.

"There was a slight problem, during our rescue..."

Without waiting to hear the rest of the story, I started to get up determined to go find her when the room suddenly started to spin. Sitting back down heavily, I settled for Plan B. Grabbing the front of his shirt, I pulled Imam close and demanded to know what had happened.

"First of all, lay down. The Doctor said you might suffer from some side effects from the antibiotics that they were forced to give you."

"What are you talking about? Why did I need antibiotics?" I asked hoping they hadn't taken a blood sample before I had a chance to change my records.

"It was determined that the creature's talons secrete a type of poison when they come in contact with potential prey. It ensures that even if the prey escapes it wouldn't live for very long, allowing the creature to track it and eat it at will. Almost like a spider if you think about it."

"Fuck. Did they have to take a blood sample."

"Yes, Mr. Riddick. You know that is standard procedure."

When he didn't say anything more, I asked him if he knew where it was already assuming the worst and wondering how I was going to get off this floating tub.

"I made sure to 'accidentally' break the beaker after they diagnosed you." He said pinning me with his gaze.

By his actions he had become an accessory, and had effectively joined all three of us at the hip. For better or worse, we had become an impromptu family, and it was up to us to take care of each other. I would prove my father wrong.

"Thank you." Those two, small words were the only ones I could think of to express my gratitude though they fell short in conveying the depth of those feelings. I guess Carolyn really had managed to reacquaint me with the human race. Damn.

After a moment of companionable silence I continued our conversation as if nothing had happened. "Getting back to Jack and her whereabouts..." I prompted.

"Well let me begin by saying she held out a whole lot longer than I thought she would. When she heard the doctor's shuttle pulling up along side us, she lost it. I think she thought that we were being attacked again, because she grabbed the shiv from your pants, and lunged at the first thing she could get her hands on when the door opened. Unfortunately she first person she happened to stab the chief security officer from the "Lady Luck". Suffice to say that he was a bit upset and had her thrown in the brig after she had been sedated. She is still unconscious. I checked up on her right before I came to check on you."

"Did the doc happen to mention when the meds would wear off?"

"She said if you rest for a couple of hours, you should be fine. She also said the captain wants to talk to you as soon as you are able."

"Great. Probably wants to corroborate Jack's story. If we pull this off, we'll be home free. Tell me everything she said to the captain...

* * *

"...Change my mind...don't want to die...to young to die, damnit," I thought disjointedly before jerking up in bed.

The last thing I remembered was talking to the captain of the "Lady Luck" and telling him what happened while waiting for a doctor to come look at Riddick. Riddick. Imam. Where were they? Come to think of it, where was I?

Lifting my hands to rub the last remnants of sleep from my eyes, I realized I was cuffed to the cot. "What the hell?" Looking around I saw nothing but a metal sink, a chair, and a toilet to brighten the sterile atmosphere. "Hello," I called out timidly, "is there anyone out there?" Getting no response I tried another tactic. "Hellooo!" I called out on the top of my lungs, "I'm awake in here and I have to go pee really bad, so if you don't want a messed up bed, you might want to give me a little help here."

Suddenly a voice echoed in the stillness "I wouldn't advise that since you'll have to sleep in that bed for a while yet."

Well at least I had gotten a response. Looking around for the source of the voice, I was stunned to find a small camera in one of the corners. I was being watched? What pervs. I was starting to get that lab rat feeling, and it was pissing me off.

Tilting my head up to look directly into the camera I used my anger as a courage booster and demanded to know why I was being held against my will, as well as where my 'dad' and 'uncle' were.

Expecting another response over the speakers, I was surprised and immediately suspicious when a tall, muscular guy with light brown hair and piercing blue eyes walked into the room. His only distinguishing mark was a bloody rag tied around his left bicep.

"Who are you? Why am I here? And where is my dad?" I asked all in one breath, not really expecting a response, but feeling better having asked.

"Since you're on my ship," he said calmly seating himself on the one chair occupying the room, "I'll ask the questions. Who are you really and why did you attack me after requesting our aid?

"My name is Audrey Kowalski and I don't know what the heck you're talking about. I've never seen you before, why the heck would I attack you?

A harsh look, mixed with disappointment came over his face. "I was hoping we wouldn't have to play this game. Now we're just going to have to do things the hard way. "Doc," he called over his shoulder, though no one was in the room "get the pentathol."

"What's pentathol?" I asked a little hesitantly

"It's a truth serum. I had hoped not to use it, but since you are not cooperating..."He left the sentence hanging as if to say 'hey the decision was yours.'

"But I'm telling you the truth" I said as alarm began to set in. If I was injected with a truth serum, he might find out about Riddick, and I couldn't let that happen. "I'll tell you anything you want to know, just please don't inject me with anything. I hate needles." I whispered letting my words crack a bit at the end for added effect.

He looked at me for a moment closely scrutinizing my innocent expression before introducing himself. "I'm, Matt. I'm the chief security officer for the merchant vessel Lucky Lady. You're in the ship's brig because you stabbed me as we were opening your shuttle's bay doors to answer your distress call. Now you are..."he queried leaving an obvious opening for me to fill in the missing information.

"Well, I'm Audrey. One of three survivors from the Hunter Gratzner crash on planet Hell. I honestly don't remember stabbing you." I said putting as much sincerity in my voice as possible while looking guiltily at his bandaged arm. All I remember is talking to the captain about happened down on the planet and then hearing the creatures shrieking outside the skiff. Then everything goes black, and I draw a blank."

"Well ill just have doc give you a physical and make sure everything is on the up and up."

"Can I have my dad with me?" I pleaded softly "I'm really nervous around doctors." I said giving him my most chaste expression.

"Yeah sure, as soon as the antibiotics wear off we'll send him to ya. But, until the captain corroborates your story though you're staying here. I'll send the doc in now." He said as he walked out the door locking it behind him.

Walking down the hall, he chuckled to himself. She was a slick one, that girl. Her acting was masterful, not that he bought any of it. She would be fun to teach, if he ever got the inclination. Well, he decided, he could always use the help and she's young enough that she wouldn't have to unlearn bad habits. Plus by the time she was ready to be given any real assignments she would probably be of age, the setup was perfect. He would put it to her the next time he saw her.

Walking to his room, he got on the vid-link for his weekly call to his brother. After a few rings, his brother's younger face came on the screen.

"You look like crap baby brother." He said upon seeing his brother's haggard face

"Gee thanks old man - its good to see you haven't lost your sense of humor, Matt."

"How's dad?" He asked with a grimace, knowing he had just invited a spiel about his brother's most recent grievances

"His usual charming self. I swear he sends me out on the most dangerous missions just to torment me. I almost got killed the other day, and all he could do was yell at me for losing two of my crewmates - like I did it on purpose" he huffed.

"Jarod, you know somewhere way down deep, real deep underneath all the grime and dust of his unused heart, he loves you...and me too I'm sure." Matt said innocently.

"Gee thanks" Jarod snorted acerbically, "you know just how to make my day. My hero!"

"Shut up." Matt laughed

"Yea whatever, so anything new happen by you, or are you still floating around the back regions of space in that hunk-o-junk you call a 'merchant vessel' praying you'll find something of value?" Jarod asked

"Well I think I just picked me up a protégé." Matt replied slowly.

"For your security work?" Jarod questioned.

"Uhhh no, for the other." Matt hedged

"Shit, are you serious." Matt asked incredulously after a moment of shocked silence. "You know how much training that is? Besides it's dangerous - even you almost didn't survive the training. He better be damned good."

"Not yet, but she will be." He replied, with finality closing the conversation. "Anyway I gotta go talk to my little protege. Y'know duty calling and all that..."

"She? Yeah, uh huh right..." Matt choked, still dazed over his brother's decision. "Wait a sec, how old is this she?" he asked before he realized he had been talking to a dial tone."