End and Epilogue

It's this damn ship.

Are we all going to go mad here?

Vaako held his wife close, seemed to be murmuring in her ear. His hand held her wrist, but the blade was still inches from Zemma's eye.

"I loved you more than life or death."

Zemma wasn't sure what to make of that. She wasn't at an angle to read Vaako, her view being limited by her bound position on the bed. His voice was still raw, and sad, and Zemma thought there was something more. There was a dangerous quality to it.

Madness: again, or still.

This place will drive us all insane.

"Vaako, my young warrior, I'm going to make you Lord Marshal."

Zemma saw the Lord's hand tighten on his Lady's wrist.

"You were destined for Underserve, my love."

Zemma saw the dagger move away, up and towards the soiled nightdress of the ruined Lady.

"Vaako?"

"You deserve more than I can give you, now, Rachana."

"Vaako!" Panic and disbelief in the Lady's voice.

"You'll be reborn, Rachana. You'll be… perfection, again." Sorrow. Guilt.

Absolution.

He forgives her.

"Vaako! No!"

"Forgive me, Rachana."

Their bodies shook a little, as she struggled in his grip. His hand on her wrist moved the dagger inevitably towards her ravaged body.

"We'll both be free, Rachana."

The Lady was thrashing now, but she was defenseless against his decision.

"Don't throw away your chance at power!" Dame Vaako hissed.

Zemma was impressed at the Lady's courage. She wasn't screaming now, she was trying to rationalize with her spouse.

But the ship has him in its clutches, Lady. Just as it has you.

And me. And we're all damned.

Zemma never felt so helpless and depressed.

"The only power I have left, my love, is to take back my honor."

Zemma heard a soft, terrible noise. The death of the Lady was anticlimactic to her life of rage and passion. Perhaps Lord Vaako covered her mouth in a kiss before that final thrust. Zemma didn't want to see. What she did see was the knife drop to the floor between them and scarlet cover them both as Lord Vaako clutched his dead wife's body to his.

The door and voice comm were signaling for attention.

Zemma was a little afraid to speak; which never seemed to stop her anymore.

"Vaako?"

No answer.

"Commander?"

Is it wise to get his attention right now?

The door comm quit its incessant noise. Zemma heard the sound of people in the other room. Vaako dropped the body of his beloved and turned towards the living area. When he crouched to pick up the dropped blade Zemma worried less about herself suddenly. The man's grief…

"Commander Vaako?" A strange voice.

"I killed her." Lord Vaako stood, bloody dagger in hand.

Zemma heard the sound of a rifle being readied.

"Step away from there, Commander." Wary voice, very tense.

Vaako turned towards Zemma instead.

"Commander, step away!"

Zemma had to find her voice. "I'm alive. I'm alright."

Vaako was leaning over Zemma, knife in hand.

"Commander!" The voice was at it's final warning; Zemma could hear the muffling as the rifle was brought to bear at the soldier's shoulder.

"Commander Vaako!" Jaron's voice.

Thank the stars.

"I'm okay, Jaron. Don't shoot."

Vaako continued his slow movement over Zemma. She felt the bonds at her wrists cut and had to control a scream as feeling suddenly returned with pain. Zemma closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. She felt another body nearby and Jaron's voice over her.

"Commander, give me the knife."

Then…

"Take him into the other room."

Zemma felt her other bonds cut and again had to repress the need to scream from the pain of circulation returning to limbs that had been without for too long.

"Jaron?"

"Zemma are you alright?"

"Jaron, I don't think I can walk," Zemma said between clenched teeth, her eyes still squeezed closed in the effort not to make more noise than necessary.

She felt Jaron pick her up.

"How long has it been?"

"Three days, Zemma. Riddick took off after Jack when she used your code to steal a ship."

Three days?!

"Why, Jaron?"

"He thought she must have killed you. She had a black eye and refused to say anything." Jaron put her down on a couch and Zemma tried to stretch out weary limbs. She couldn't move her hands or feel her feet. Zemma opened her eyes and looked around.

Vaako was sitting on the edge of a chair nearby, elbows on his knees and hands on his face. Zemma was reminded of Riddick that first day, grieving the death of the girl he had thought was Jack. There were several armed marines standing about, awaiting orders. Jaron looked weary and frustrated.

"Call a stretcher," Jaron directed one of them. "We'll get you to the med lab, Zemma."

"Can you call him back, Jaron?" Zemma whispered, knowing everyone in the room could hear her but afraid to speak her fear out loud anyway.

"We lost contact yesterday, Zemma. Jack went like a bat out of hell. Riddick went after her like the devil."

Zemma had to close her eyes again to keep the tears in check. She was too tired, too hurt, to have much control left.

"And the… war?"

"The ambassador thanked us for an enthralling battle. They picked up the remains of their toys and left. We're on our way to Fury."

Zemma heard more voices enter the room.

"Time to go, Zemma. Ready?"

Zemma nodded and felt herself being lifted to the stretcher.

She felt like her life just ended. She would go on living, but her life… was over.

Zemma kept her mind blank after that.

"Zemma?"

Blank.

"Zemma?" Louder this time.

Blank.

"Zemma!"

She felt hands on her face. Jaron was speaking very loudly and close. It seemed to take all her strength to open her eyes. She was still in the med lab.

"What is it?" She whispered.

"Zemma, we can't give you the nano shot."

Zemma closed her eyes. She didn't care enough to wonder why.

Blank. Blank out the pain.

"Zemma? Zemma, come back to me, Child."

"What is it, Jaron?" Zemma kept her eyes closed but managed a hoarse whisper.

"Zemma, you need to think, when did you last have a nano shot?"

"Months ago, Jaron. Riddick…"

"Riddick gave you nanos?"

Zemma nodded.

"Zemma, he didn't program them first. They fixed everything. Now we can't use them."

"I don't understand," she mumbled. Fixed everything? Weren't they supposed to?

"You're pregnant, Zemma. We can't give you nanos. They might interfere with the baby."

Zemma struggled to come back, to open her eyes. She couldn't have heard him right.

"Jaron?"

"We're going to have to keep you in the med lab, Zemma, for a little while, while your hands and feet heal up. You'll have some needles stuck in you but they won't be nanos. It's going to take a little longer but you'll be fine."

"Jaron, I can't be pregnant, I was surgically…"

"The nanos, Zemma, they need to be programmed not to fix that. Riddick wouldn't have known."

Zemma closed her eyes and tried to bring her hands to her face, only to discover she was strapped down at the elbows.

"Don't move around, Zemma. It's just for a little while."

Blank.

"I'm going to send Don after Riddick, Zemma."

Blank.

"He's a good pilot and…"

Darkness.

Epilogue

It took them nearly two years to get to Fury, running light and fast along the 'back roads'. Don sent message spheres ahead of their path, but the news was never good. Jack's run was short, Don found her dead body before it was cold. But Riddick was gone again already. He was much harder to track by himself. Jaron never recalled Don, but Zemma gave up hope.

She doted on her daughter instead, and hoped Fury would have trees tall enough to block the view of the horizon.

It did, but it didn't help much. Zemma could walk on the surface of the planet only with her cloak hood over her head and looking at the ground. But it meant her daughter would have a halfway normal life. She lived with Grampa Jaron during the days Zemma took her turn shuttling people and matter from the ships. She hated the days she lived on the mostly gutted cruiser, and suppressed her dread of stepping out into the open alone.

At least Nor enjoyed her new home.

Zemma could hear Sada playing below her on the main concourse as she walked slowly down the ramps. Jaron had brought her up to visit until Zemma went off duty. Now it was time to go home.

"Who are you?" Zemma heard her daughter's tiny four-year-old voice ask, before she came into view.

"Who are YOU?" A deep familiar voice answered.

Zemma froze.

"I'm Sada R'Ddick W'Neta."

Zemma counted her heartbeats in the pause.

"Pleased to meet you, MinW'Neta," the voice finally answered softly.

Zemma walked to the edge of the ramp and looked down.

Riddick was crouched down in front of the little girl, elbows on his knees and hands dangling between them. He turned suddenly to look upward at Zemma. Her heart leaped.

Krugeri!

Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright…

He smiled.