Jack looked around in shock. The space around Serenity was littered with
rubbish; blasted satellites, weapons, broken down ships, and unidentifiable
pieces of space junk. A lot of unidentifiable space junk. Some glowed a
sickly green or yellow. They weren't recent either; some of the models
looked like they pre-dated the Colonies.
"Don't they have a Waste Disposal Program or something?"
She muttered as a piece of glowing metal drifted past.
"Why bother starting a program that might cost billions of credits when you've got space?"
Answered Riddick with a sardonic laugh.
A small space station, one of many, orbiting the planet, hailed them. It looked as dirty and as beaten up as the junk floating around it, though the weapons, mounted at intervals across the hull, were anything but.
"What is your business on Serenity?"
Growled a hard voice on the other end of the com. Riddick looked across at Imam. After a long discussion it had finally been decided that Imam would speak for them for the simple reason, Jack said "that it don't sound like he wants to kill you". They were 'Richard' and 'Jaclyn' two disciples on a pilgrimage with their master. They'd decided to use their own names to prevent any embarrassing slip-ups.
"We have come to this planet in need of aid. We plan to dock at Vatica, we thought it more likely to find help with our repairs there."
Imam said, exaggerating his accent. They could hear muffled conversation on the other end of the line.
"What is your final destination?"
Demanded the voice on the other end of the line.
"We are going to the Disciples of Peace Mosque on New Mecca." Answered Imam
"How long do you expect these repairs to take?" Asked the voice
"They should not exceed four weeks." Said Imam.
It had been decided four weeks would give them enough time to fix the skiff, which Jack had appropriately named 'Skiff', and to find out any information about the Hunter-Gratzner.
"You may pass. Red flares mark the no fly zones. Trespassers will be shot down. You will not be informed twice." Said the voice.
"They don't seem like a very friendly people."
Jack muttered after the commander of the spaceport had interrogated Imam again when they had docked.
"They do seem overly suspicious of a small ship." Imam replied.
"You don't think they're looking for us, do you?"
Jack said, a quaver of fear in her voice.
"No, I don't." Answered Riddick firmly, ignoring the flicker of doubt in his mind.
"By the looks of some of the junk orbiting this planet some major war's been fought, they probably got reason to interrogate people landing on it."
"Well,"
Said Jack striding towards the lowering hatch.
"Lets go look at the planet."
"Wow."
Jack stared around, open-mouthed. The spaceport resembled a large metal tree stump, with the inside covered with plate fungi. It was no more then eight stories high but its circumference was awesome. In the center stood the Control Tower, it too looked like it was covered in fungi, though the ships docked there were in better repair then the ones docked around the sides. Above them, in the upper levels, small ships, skiffs and scooters were flying, from their vantage point it was hard to make out individual shapes, the only things that were seen clearly were the many different coloured lights, giving the watcher the impression of viewing an insectoid mating dance.
The platform the skiff had been directed to had a diameter of about fifteen meters, and a lift in one corner. It was a dull gray, pitted and scored from years of use.
Imam walked over to Riddick
"I have contacted the Imam of my sect, and he has arranged to have the girl and I put on a carrier leaving tomorrow, you could still accompany us."
Imam and Riddick had talked it over and decided it would be safest if Imam took Jack on to New Mecca as soon as possible, leaving Riddick with the skiff to go his separate way.
"I'll go tell Jack."
Riddick said, ignoring the offer. Jack, still entranced by the view, didn't notice Riddick until he put his hand on her shoulder, though he was making no effort to hide his footsteps.
"Isn't this something?"
She murmured as she gazed around
"Yeah, sure is."
Riddick said briskly, hardly noticing the view
"Imam's arranged transport for you and him to go on to New Mecca tomorrow so you better pack your stuff."
It took a full three seconds for Riddick's words to reach her.
"What!"
She yelled swinging around.
"He decided it would be safer for you to go with him."
Riddick said not meeting her eyes.
"He, or you?" Jack spat.
"I'm not going, and you can't make me."
The last sentence was delivered in a cool voice
"If I had've wanted to have my life controlled I would have stayed in the Placement Center!"
Riddick took a step back, surprised by the venom in her voice
"From now on I make my own decisions, and if you can't stomach that then I'll leave." Jack's mouth twisted bitterly
"Your not the first person I've been forced to run from,"
Jack swallowed thinking of how very true the last statement was
"And you won't be the last."
Riddick was shocked, no one had spoken to him like that in years, well at least not anyone still breathing, and now some know-it-all kid had told him off without a trace of fear in her eyes. He felt a surge of admiration and started to laugh.
Jack was surprised, of all the possible reactions she'd expected to what she'd just said laughter wasn't one of them.
"Well, you better go tell Imam what you just told me so he can make arrangements for someone else to carry his bags."
Riddick chuckled as he shoved the still recovering Jack in the direction of Imam.
"Don't they have a Waste Disposal Program or something?"
She muttered as a piece of glowing metal drifted past.
"Why bother starting a program that might cost billions of credits when you've got space?"
Answered Riddick with a sardonic laugh.
A small space station, one of many, orbiting the planet, hailed them. It looked as dirty and as beaten up as the junk floating around it, though the weapons, mounted at intervals across the hull, were anything but.
"What is your business on Serenity?"
Growled a hard voice on the other end of the com. Riddick looked across at Imam. After a long discussion it had finally been decided that Imam would speak for them for the simple reason, Jack said "that it don't sound like he wants to kill you". They were 'Richard' and 'Jaclyn' two disciples on a pilgrimage with their master. They'd decided to use their own names to prevent any embarrassing slip-ups.
"We have come to this planet in need of aid. We plan to dock at Vatica, we thought it more likely to find help with our repairs there."
Imam said, exaggerating his accent. They could hear muffled conversation on the other end of the line.
"What is your final destination?"
Demanded the voice on the other end of the line.
"We are going to the Disciples of Peace Mosque on New Mecca." Answered Imam
"How long do you expect these repairs to take?" Asked the voice
"They should not exceed four weeks." Said Imam.
It had been decided four weeks would give them enough time to fix the skiff, which Jack had appropriately named 'Skiff', and to find out any information about the Hunter-Gratzner.
"You may pass. Red flares mark the no fly zones. Trespassers will be shot down. You will not be informed twice." Said the voice.
"They don't seem like a very friendly people."
Jack muttered after the commander of the spaceport had interrogated Imam again when they had docked.
"They do seem overly suspicious of a small ship." Imam replied.
"You don't think they're looking for us, do you?"
Jack said, a quaver of fear in her voice.
"No, I don't." Answered Riddick firmly, ignoring the flicker of doubt in his mind.
"By the looks of some of the junk orbiting this planet some major war's been fought, they probably got reason to interrogate people landing on it."
"Well,"
Said Jack striding towards the lowering hatch.
"Lets go look at the planet."
"Wow."
Jack stared around, open-mouthed. The spaceport resembled a large metal tree stump, with the inside covered with plate fungi. It was no more then eight stories high but its circumference was awesome. In the center stood the Control Tower, it too looked like it was covered in fungi, though the ships docked there were in better repair then the ones docked around the sides. Above them, in the upper levels, small ships, skiffs and scooters were flying, from their vantage point it was hard to make out individual shapes, the only things that were seen clearly were the many different coloured lights, giving the watcher the impression of viewing an insectoid mating dance.
The platform the skiff had been directed to had a diameter of about fifteen meters, and a lift in one corner. It was a dull gray, pitted and scored from years of use.
Imam walked over to Riddick
"I have contacted the Imam of my sect, and he has arranged to have the girl and I put on a carrier leaving tomorrow, you could still accompany us."
Imam and Riddick had talked it over and decided it would be safest if Imam took Jack on to New Mecca as soon as possible, leaving Riddick with the skiff to go his separate way.
"I'll go tell Jack."
Riddick said, ignoring the offer. Jack, still entranced by the view, didn't notice Riddick until he put his hand on her shoulder, though he was making no effort to hide his footsteps.
"Isn't this something?"
She murmured as she gazed around
"Yeah, sure is."
Riddick said briskly, hardly noticing the view
"Imam's arranged transport for you and him to go on to New Mecca tomorrow so you better pack your stuff."
It took a full three seconds for Riddick's words to reach her.
"What!"
She yelled swinging around.
"He decided it would be safer for you to go with him."
Riddick said not meeting her eyes.
"He, or you?" Jack spat.
"I'm not going, and you can't make me."
The last sentence was delivered in a cool voice
"If I had've wanted to have my life controlled I would have stayed in the Placement Center!"
Riddick took a step back, surprised by the venom in her voice
"From now on I make my own decisions, and if you can't stomach that then I'll leave." Jack's mouth twisted bitterly
"Your not the first person I've been forced to run from,"
Jack swallowed thinking of how very true the last statement was
"And you won't be the last."
Riddick was shocked, no one had spoken to him like that in years, well at least not anyone still breathing, and now some know-it-all kid had told him off without a trace of fear in her eyes. He felt a surge of admiration and started to laugh.
Jack was surprised, of all the possible reactions she'd expected to what she'd just said laughter wasn't one of them.
"Well, you better go tell Imam what you just told me so he can make arrangements for someone else to carry his bags."
Riddick chuckled as he shoved the still recovering Jack in the direction of Imam.
