AN: And More Has Come! This was written PreDark Fury, and I've sort of twisted the plot from what I had before. (It seemed a little too cookie cutterish.) So Thanks for waiting and all that good stuff, I appreciate it. And go check out my story Sightless Eyes while you're at it!
Disclaimer: No, I do not own any rights to the Riddick universe, if you're interested in buying it contact Universal Studios, or David Twohy.
Báisteach Dubh- Black Rain pronounced Bosh'tuk Dove
96 hours in the skiff and Riddick felt like it had already been a lifetime. The worrisome smell of rancid flesh and unwashed bodies continually washed over him. He'd had to contain his reflexive move to snap jacks neck when she had started to poke and prod his bad leg, looking for some sign that the little that was done for it would be enough. As the hours passed by, his dreams, or what could be called that anyway persisted in waking him almost hourly from the rest his body needed and craved.
It was during one of Riddick's more coherent times of wakefulness that they were hailed. Panting heavily, he straightened himself in the pilot's chair, Imam for once sat at his right in the copilots' position. When the signal was received Riddick groaned.
"For your safety," he managed to growl out, "you answer it."
Imam nodded his head in understanding. Flicking the comms switch his steady voice was sent to the nearby ship.
"Space vessel, this is Emergency Skiff 021136, requesting assistance." There was a crackle and then the voice of the ships helmsman was heard.
"This is the trading vessel Báisteach Dubh, please state the nature of the emergency." Imam cleared his throat before speaking again. "We have a severely wounded man on board, a child and myself, we are the only survivors from the merchant vessel Hunter Gratzner. Requesting medical assistance and passage to the nearest space port."
There was no reply for several minutes, then a crackle and a return message. "Please prepare for docking, Báisteach Dubh out."
Riddick worn from his battle to stay awake, remained conscious for only a few moments after the transmissions ended, then his haunting dreams overcame him. The shudder of the docking clamps connecting to the hull of the skiff was the last thing that he remembered as the large space craft prepared pull the skiff into its open docking bay. Jack had been jostled awake by the docking procedures and quickly moved to pull the pair of goggles Riddick wore around his neck, up to cover his closed eyelids. Jack sat cross-legged on the mat Imam had been able to carry to the skiff when the back hydraulic ramp was lowered manually. The skiff had been running on damaged fuel cells for several days causing there to be not enough Juice left in the giant crate to open the ramp launch door.
The burst of clean air that came in through the opening was surprising to say the least to jack and Imam. The stale circulated air had been a constant companion that was gratefully released. As the silhouette of a tall thin man in a lightweight police vest appeared at the base of the ramp, Jack quickly scrambled away from the back of the skiff. She pushed her way between the two pilots' chairs and leaned heavily against the forward control panel. Sensing her unease, Imam stood and lightly put a hand on her trembling shoulder.
"It is not him, you are safe now child." He whispered. Jack nodded imperceptibly, yet the idea hadn't been a real cop still left her weary of law enforcement.
The dull clunk of boots on the ramp signaled the movement of the man as he cautiously entered the skiff. "Anyone in here?" A woman's voice asked as another pair of boots ascended the ramp. Jack swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat then spoke up.
"Yeah, we're back here." The woman continued up the ramp stopping when she entered the dim cabin.
"Lights." She murmured, and then turned to the man behind her. "Jeffries, I need all the light we can get in here, got to the tool locker and get the double excavation flood lights." As the man turned and walked down the ramp, the woman addressed the gloom in front of her. "My name is Sara Parker, I'm the captain of this vessel, you said one of you was injured, who was it that Jeffries spoke to earlier?" Imam pushed jack ahead of him as he exited the darkness. They shielded their eyes from the brightness of the hangar lights. "I am Imam, it was I hat your man spoke to. This is jack, and the other man is injured. He is unconscious now, yet we do not know how severe his injury is, only that his leg, is festering."
The woman nodded, then when Jeffries had had returned took the lamp he handed her and entered the skiff. When she turned the lamp on she was surprised to see the insides of the skiff. Several beat-up power cells had been rigged as a power supply, dried blood covered part of one of the metal benches along the bulkhead to her right and sand and other some other unidentifiable substances were scattered underneath the grated panels of flooring.
"He's in the pilot's chair." Jack said, even she was surprised to see the insides of the skiff lit after living in shadowy darkness for so many days. Sarah mad her way quickly to the Riddick, a trail of blood had dried down the side of his face, his torn black tank top was torn and covered in blood and other substances, yet what worried her was the almost green pallor of his skin and the immense heat that was radiating off his body. Crouching down by his legs, she noticed the bandages wrapped tightly around his left leg.
Jeffries!" she called, " we're going to have to move him right away!"
"Where are you taking him?" jack asked, worry causing her voice to waiver.
Sarah and Jeffries carried Riddick out of the skiff on a stretcher. "We're going to the med lab, you should come too, just to make sure both of you are all right." Sarah said as captain and pilot shifted the weight between them, and then made their way out of the hanger.
Several hours later a cleaned up jack and imam sat together on a clean bed in the small medical bay. Jeffries stood quietly by Sarah's side as she questioned the pair. "Do you remember what happened to the others?" She asked. Warily she looked at her stark surroundings, her eyes avoiding Jeffries before meeting the captain's steady gaze. Her body gave an involuntary shudder at the thought of what had happened on the desert planet.
"Eaten." Jack whispered as she clenched her eyes tight, a reflexive action that did nothing to stop the hellish nightmare from returning to the forefront of her thoughts.