Kyra

They were lucky, Min mused, that Dame Vaako never took defeat lying down. When Min queried about the status of Kyra's body and learned it was still on board the ship pending burial details, despite the new Marshall's order to send it to the planet, Min knew it was Dame Vaako. Commander Vaako would have been expedient. It was Dame Vaako's idea to make it expansive.

Vaako had been busy in the few hours Min and Riddick had been secluded in the Lord Marshal's suite, making up for her stunt in the throne room. It didn't matter that everyone knew what she had done, tried to do, as long as they didn't speak of it then it didn't exist. What they would speak of, what they would remember, was the elaborate funeral Dame Vaako organized for the girl of the Lord Marshal. It didn't matter if she was sister, daughter or lover: she had been favored. And Dame Vaako planned to ride the coattails of that favored status to keep the position of First among the Lords.

Scout ships had been sent back to the planet to find the perfect place to memorialize Kyra and the whole planet had been ordered into mourning. Kyra's body had been prepared like a bride's, encased in a cryo-coffin and put on display in the throne room. Lords and Ladies were ordered to file past.

As Min filled Riddick in on the details, including the ones she merely suspected he snorted.

"Does she really think this will save her ass from me?"

"Oh, yes," Min smiled evilly. "And you should let her get away with it."

Riddick tipped his head back and looked down on Min for a moment. "It'll really piss off the other Lords." He spoke slowly. "I like it."

"Mmm hmm" Min's expression didn't change to show the surprise she felt that he caught on so quickly, but she was impressed. Keeping the Lords at each other's throats would keep them off theirs. And Min would enjoy watching Dame Vaako dodge assassination attempts for awhile. For however long Riddick was planning on staying, anyway. But that wasn't 'now'. Now was going to see this Kyra, and now might be going down to the planet. Now there was a distraction!

Should 'now' include telling Riddick than Min had talked to the girl before she died? Before she had been cleansed?

"Are you ready?" Riddick seemed impatient.

Had he asked her that already? You're losing it sweetheart, a voice piped up but she ignored it.

Instead Min nodded and dropped back into character. She led the way without any of her simpleton chatter. She let herself tremble in the presence of all the Lords and Ladies but it was the planet she was thinking of. She'd never been off the ship that she could remember. Every planet the 'Mongers had encountered they had destroyed. Her Ferrin had hoped one day to help her escape but there had been no place to escape to. Now, Mecca had been spared and she might be able to go down with the funeral procession!

At the throne room Riddick sent everyone away, including guards and the annoyingly smug Dame Vaako until no one remained but Min, who played invisible in the shadows as usual. Riddick stood immobile over the cryo-casket a moment. Min hoped he realized that there were always eyes and ears in this room and the Vaakos were undoubtedly watching closely. She hoped he wouldn't reveal his new ability to retract his blue lenses; it would make them wonder too much. But he kept his head down.

He reached a hand up to his face and Min knew he was trying to drop his dark light lenses again. She willed him to relax and be patient but she couldn't help him. Finally he laid his palms flat against the casket and just stared into the dead face below him. The first time he had actually seen that face, she guessed. And the last.

"I didn't mean to lie to you," he whispered so softly she doubted the electronic ears would pick it up. "I told you to stay on New Mecca."

Min looked at the floor and waited patiently. A sound drew her eyes back to the center of the room. Riddick opened the casket and was reaching into it. Min walked over in her ambling way, as if by coincidence finding herself there. "Poor girl, poor girl," she murmured. She glanced his way. He was holding goggles. When they removed the body they must have found the goggles and assumed they were hers. But Min knew now how he had managed to live his whole life with blue lenses up when he put them on. Then he sealed the casket again and headed for the doors without speaking.

Min followed similarly.