Disclaimer: The Characters of Jack, Riddick and Iman belong to USA Films, David Towhy, etc. I'm just having a little fun here. OK, I confess. I'm doing this because it's the only way to get the Muses off my back G.
Riddick's Death
Copyright 2003 By Cassandra Houston
Chapter Eight: A Favor for a Friend
Over the next few Silvan months Riddick and Jacqueline had several visits from Dr. Romyl and a few from Iman or the Shins. Usually if anyone needed to talk to them they had communication devices in their home. They often monitored communication between Caliga and the monthly prison transports that came to deliver prisoners to and remove freed or paroled prisoners from the planet. For the most part, they lived peacefully and alone on their moon.
They considered and decided that they would help to supply Caliga with the fruits, nuts and meats of their moon. The pilgrims loved the feathers of Silva's Kardis, a predator bird. They also supplied contraband cigarettes and alcohol to the prisoners, using Dr. Romyl as a go-between.
Four Silva months after their last visit to Caliga Dr. Romyl visited them unexpectedly. They were not in their small home and so Dr Romyl set out on foot to look for them.
Dr. Romyl had never gone into the dense forest of Silva without the Riddick's before and during this first solo trip he realized why. Silva was a dark planet during the best of times. The light was so very dim; he could barely make out the trees surrounding him. His time in the Ferra Mines taught him to move relatively slowly and carefully, but he quickly found himself disoriented. He noticed the usual sounds in the forest suddenly seemed hostile.
He suddenly noticed a low, dark shadow before him. It seemed to be a crouching animal of some kind. Dr. Romyl froze and stared ahead of him. He took a step backward and the shadow mirrored him. He felt fear creeping over him.
The shadow began to shake and suddenly leaped. Dr. Romyl screamed, fell backwards and closed his eyes waiting for the end. After a second he opened his eyes to see the shadow, which was some sort of large cat at his feet, some sort of bolt sticking out of its side.
"You really should call before you show up, Doctor." Riddick's voice came from the darkness. Dr. Romyl could hear the amusement in Riddick's voice. "You should definitely not wander around the forest without some sort of protection."
Dr. Romyl got to his feet and saw that Riddick was standing close, holding his crossbow. "You never told me about your little pets." He said, dusting himself off. "You should keep them indoors."
It was too dark for Dr. Romyl to see the smile on Riddick's face. "The kardis isn't a very good pet." He said. "But harmless enough if you steer clear of them." Riddick stepped forward again and his face came into focus for Dr. Romyl. "If you don't they will hunt you down and kill you. You interrupted this one dining on our livestock."
Dr. Romyl was looking at the kardis. "Wild cat." He said, looking at the black fur and the long and sharp teeth and claws. He moved forward to the larger animal the kardis had been crouching over. It was like a bull, large and solid with two horns on its head and one on its broad nose. "So this is the canero. I've been eating it for months and never knew what it looked like."
Riddick knelt beside the dead kardis. He pulled from his pocket a hand transmitter. "A kardis got the canero." He said into the small device. "I think we can salvage both though."
Dr. Romyl heard Jacqueline's voice come over the transmitter. "Need any help?" she asked.
"Yes and no." Riddick said, standing and moving over to the dead canero. "Dr. Romyl has paid us a surprise visit. But I don't think he's going to be much help with this." He glanced up at Dr. Romyl.
Jacqueline's voice was full of laughter. "I'll see if I can scare up some light on my way." she said.
Jacqueline appeared ten minutes later with a lantern that gave off a weak light. She hugged Dr. Romyl then watched as Riddick finished skinning the kardis. With the help of Jacqueline and Dr. Romyl they skinned the canero and saved as much of the meat as possible.
They loaded the shuttle with the fur and meat and went back to the Riddick home. There they found that they had another guest. Besides the doctor's shuttle was Iman's. He'd opted to wait for them to return, knowing a bit more about Silva than Dr. Romyl did.
Riddick looked at Iman. "Two unexpected guests." He said. "This ought to be interesting."
Riddick and Jacqueline stored the meat and furs in their freezer shed, just outside of their home. They took their time, as they knew that their friends were not here on a social call and neither Riddick was in a hurry to see what the official reason for their visit was.
But eventually they finished their chore and returned to the house, inviting their guests to join them as they prepared their lunch.
As Riddick prepared the meat and Jacqueline prepared the vegetables and fruit they communicated silently. Jacqueline finally looked at Iman and Dr. Romyl and asked. "So what brings you two here, unannounced." While she did not say the word 'uninvited' it was implied in her tone of voice.
Iman smiled at her. "I have something to ask you." He said. "A favor."
Riddick put chunks of canero meat into a large pot on the shelf in the fireplace. "You could have used a communicator to ask a favor." He said. Iman and Dr. Romyl both cleared their throats. Riddick glanced over at them as he seared the meat. "Unless it is one of those favors that is so intrusive that it has to be asked in person." He continued.
Iman sighed. "We have a special case we'd like for you to look over." He said, carefully. "This prisoner is quite low security. Convicted of drug use. But it is her fifth offense in the last ten years."
Riddick added water and the vegetables and fruit as Jacqueline said. "So? What does this have to do with us?"
Dr. Romyl shrugged. "She's addicted. Has a chip on her shoulder. Serious trust and resentment issues from an incident with her sister. Her first arrest was a few months after her sister died."
Jacqueline took over cooking as Riddick started setting their table. He set an empty plate before Iman. "Silva isn't a rehabilitation moon." He said. "Caliga should have all the needed resources to help this kid. What do you need us for?"
"Well, the underlying issues stem from her resentment against her sister." Iman said. "She was troubled to begin with, being left for months and more at a time by her sister. She'd begged her sister to let her travel with her on her last outing. The sister refused and left her on Earth Six. The sister never returned."
Jacqueline transferred the hot stew from its pot to a serving platter and moved it to the table. They served themselves and began eating.
"Well, I can sort of relate." Jacqueline said. "My parents sent me from one place to another. Made me a little resentful." She took a bite and thought as she chewed and swallowed. "But I had you, Iman. And Benjamin."
Iman smiled. "Yes. You had loving and caring people around you. This young lady had neither." He poured for himself from the pitcher. "And I am afraid that her sister was a bit," he paused and drank. "Selfish." he sighed.
Riddick ate silently for a moment. "Interesting." He said, slowly. "And you think that we can give this young woman love and caring?" He said with his eyebrows raised and half a grin on his face. "Me and Jack, eh?"
Dr. Romyl drank some water. "Well, you have such a way with people, Riddick." He said, dryly. "I personally believe this would be an ideal place for her to dry out. The prison still gets the drugs she's addicted to. Personally I am still not sure why Iman wanted her to come here."
Riddick did not look at Dr. Romyl, but at Iman. "Oh, I think I do." He said, slowly.
Jacqueline was nodding. "Selfish sister. Abandoned by that sister. Survivors guilt." she said, not smiling, but not angry either.
Riddick gave Iman half a grin. "You want us to straighten out Caroline Fry's sister." He said. "How interesting."
Riddick's Death
Copyright 2003 By Cassandra Houston
Chapter Eight: A Favor for a Friend
Over the next few Silvan months Riddick and Jacqueline had several visits from Dr. Romyl and a few from Iman or the Shins. Usually if anyone needed to talk to them they had communication devices in their home. They often monitored communication between Caliga and the monthly prison transports that came to deliver prisoners to and remove freed or paroled prisoners from the planet. For the most part, they lived peacefully and alone on their moon.
They considered and decided that they would help to supply Caliga with the fruits, nuts and meats of their moon. The pilgrims loved the feathers of Silva's Kardis, a predator bird. They also supplied contraband cigarettes and alcohol to the prisoners, using Dr. Romyl as a go-between.
Four Silva months after their last visit to Caliga Dr. Romyl visited them unexpectedly. They were not in their small home and so Dr Romyl set out on foot to look for them.
Dr. Romyl had never gone into the dense forest of Silva without the Riddick's before and during this first solo trip he realized why. Silva was a dark planet during the best of times. The light was so very dim; he could barely make out the trees surrounding him. His time in the Ferra Mines taught him to move relatively slowly and carefully, but he quickly found himself disoriented. He noticed the usual sounds in the forest suddenly seemed hostile.
He suddenly noticed a low, dark shadow before him. It seemed to be a crouching animal of some kind. Dr. Romyl froze and stared ahead of him. He took a step backward and the shadow mirrored him. He felt fear creeping over him.
The shadow began to shake and suddenly leaped. Dr. Romyl screamed, fell backwards and closed his eyes waiting for the end. After a second he opened his eyes to see the shadow, which was some sort of large cat at his feet, some sort of bolt sticking out of its side.
"You really should call before you show up, Doctor." Riddick's voice came from the darkness. Dr. Romyl could hear the amusement in Riddick's voice. "You should definitely not wander around the forest without some sort of protection."
Dr. Romyl got to his feet and saw that Riddick was standing close, holding his crossbow. "You never told me about your little pets." He said, dusting himself off. "You should keep them indoors."
It was too dark for Dr. Romyl to see the smile on Riddick's face. "The kardis isn't a very good pet." He said. "But harmless enough if you steer clear of them." Riddick stepped forward again and his face came into focus for Dr. Romyl. "If you don't they will hunt you down and kill you. You interrupted this one dining on our livestock."
Dr. Romyl was looking at the kardis. "Wild cat." He said, looking at the black fur and the long and sharp teeth and claws. He moved forward to the larger animal the kardis had been crouching over. It was like a bull, large and solid with two horns on its head and one on its broad nose. "So this is the canero. I've been eating it for months and never knew what it looked like."
Riddick knelt beside the dead kardis. He pulled from his pocket a hand transmitter. "A kardis got the canero." He said into the small device. "I think we can salvage both though."
Dr. Romyl heard Jacqueline's voice come over the transmitter. "Need any help?" she asked.
"Yes and no." Riddick said, standing and moving over to the dead canero. "Dr. Romyl has paid us a surprise visit. But I don't think he's going to be much help with this." He glanced up at Dr. Romyl.
Jacqueline's voice was full of laughter. "I'll see if I can scare up some light on my way." she said.
Jacqueline appeared ten minutes later with a lantern that gave off a weak light. She hugged Dr. Romyl then watched as Riddick finished skinning the kardis. With the help of Jacqueline and Dr. Romyl they skinned the canero and saved as much of the meat as possible.
They loaded the shuttle with the fur and meat and went back to the Riddick home. There they found that they had another guest. Besides the doctor's shuttle was Iman's. He'd opted to wait for them to return, knowing a bit more about Silva than Dr. Romyl did.
Riddick looked at Iman. "Two unexpected guests." He said. "This ought to be interesting."
Riddick and Jacqueline stored the meat and furs in their freezer shed, just outside of their home. They took their time, as they knew that their friends were not here on a social call and neither Riddick was in a hurry to see what the official reason for their visit was.
But eventually they finished their chore and returned to the house, inviting their guests to join them as they prepared their lunch.
As Riddick prepared the meat and Jacqueline prepared the vegetables and fruit they communicated silently. Jacqueline finally looked at Iman and Dr. Romyl and asked. "So what brings you two here, unannounced." While she did not say the word 'uninvited' it was implied in her tone of voice.
Iman smiled at her. "I have something to ask you." He said. "A favor."
Riddick put chunks of canero meat into a large pot on the shelf in the fireplace. "You could have used a communicator to ask a favor." He said. Iman and Dr. Romyl both cleared their throats. Riddick glanced over at them as he seared the meat. "Unless it is one of those favors that is so intrusive that it has to be asked in person." He continued.
Iman sighed. "We have a special case we'd like for you to look over." He said, carefully. "This prisoner is quite low security. Convicted of drug use. But it is her fifth offense in the last ten years."
Riddick added water and the vegetables and fruit as Jacqueline said. "So? What does this have to do with us?"
Dr. Romyl shrugged. "She's addicted. Has a chip on her shoulder. Serious trust and resentment issues from an incident with her sister. Her first arrest was a few months after her sister died."
Jacqueline took over cooking as Riddick started setting their table. He set an empty plate before Iman. "Silva isn't a rehabilitation moon." He said. "Caliga should have all the needed resources to help this kid. What do you need us for?"
"Well, the underlying issues stem from her resentment against her sister." Iman said. "She was troubled to begin with, being left for months and more at a time by her sister. She'd begged her sister to let her travel with her on her last outing. The sister refused and left her on Earth Six. The sister never returned."
Jacqueline transferred the hot stew from its pot to a serving platter and moved it to the table. They served themselves and began eating.
"Well, I can sort of relate." Jacqueline said. "My parents sent me from one place to another. Made me a little resentful." She took a bite and thought as she chewed and swallowed. "But I had you, Iman. And Benjamin."
Iman smiled. "Yes. You had loving and caring people around you. This young lady had neither." He poured for himself from the pitcher. "And I am afraid that her sister was a bit," he paused and drank. "Selfish." he sighed.
Riddick ate silently for a moment. "Interesting." He said, slowly. "And you think that we can give this young woman love and caring?" He said with his eyebrows raised and half a grin on his face. "Me and Jack, eh?"
Dr. Romyl drank some water. "Well, you have such a way with people, Riddick." He said, dryly. "I personally believe this would be an ideal place for her to dry out. The prison still gets the drugs she's addicted to. Personally I am still not sure why Iman wanted her to come here."
Riddick did not look at Dr. Romyl, but at Iman. "Oh, I think I do." He said, slowly.
Jacqueline was nodding. "Selfish sister. Abandoned by that sister. Survivors guilt." she said, not smiling, but not angry either.
Riddick gave Iman half a grin. "You want us to straighten out Caroline Fry's sister." He said. "How interesting."