Author's notes:
'head'=restroom in ship talk. Also, I have been advised that I drop down to initials for things very easily. In answer to this, I will try to repeat definitions for any used at the beginning of each chapter. SO = Special Opps (Operations) referring to present and ex-members of this force. BC = Butch Cassidy, the name of the medium sized transport ship that is used to do planet landings that are impossible for the gigantic transport "The Hole in the Wall"; aka, the Hole. Sensei = a teacher, master, of martial arts.
My thanks to the late Robert A. Heinlein for the term 'grok'.
-
-
THE MOTHER LODE BY ABRAXIS
-
-
Chapter 22 - The Return to the Hole
-
-
Riddick was seething. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. The Emir sick and then Imam sick as soon as he's in charge of the girl; it had to be Sulleman! The fucking son of bitch was going to die! It might take Riddick a while to find a way to get to him but sometime, somewhere, he was going to die .... die bloody and hard!
If killing the bastard damned Riddick's soul to Hell, that was fine. That would be where Sulleman was going and, when Riddick got there, he'd make a deal with the Devil so he could make Sulleman's eternity just that much worse. Who was that guy in the Greek stuff, Prometheus? Yeah, Prometheus. A vulture ate out his liver every day and it grew back every night. Well, he'd be Sulleman's vulture.
Then, Jenna's hand was on his thigh: just there, a gentle squeeze, and then gone. It was a comforting, calming gesture and so alien to him that the shock of it broke his rage. When he turned to look at her, there was a tight, unpleasant smile on her face and she gave him an almost imperceptible nod. Fuck! It couldn't be. She couldn't have known what he was thinking. As if she sensed his disbelief, she typed something and then tapped the main info screen. He leaned close to her to look at it. He couldn't keep from chuckling softly at the message written on it.
"There is always more than one way to skin a cat .... and a Sulleman .... be patient."
It seemed that her 'the friend of my friend' attitude also extended to 'the enemy of my friend'. Riddick understood that last one but was still having doubts about the first. Dealing with enemies was no sweat; simple, clean and finished; a one time deal. But this 'friend' thing ..... did you really want to turn such a complicated, long term, emotionally expensive bond into a pyramid scheme? Maybe he should ask her if there was any limit to it; like third level, twice removed or some shit. But, that question could wait. something else was bothering him a lot more. He reach over and, using one finger on the keyboard, asked it.
"How did you know?"
He followed the words as she typed.
"You are too intelligent not to figure it out. Besides, your eyes were burning holes in the windshield. What did you think? That I could read your mind?"
He jerked his head around to look at her face. She was trying to look all wide eyed and innocent. The quiver of her lips, as she tried to suppress a wicked grin, totally ruined the effect. She began typing again and he turned back to the screen.
"Nothing so strange. The only reason most people can't read you is because they are so frightened of what you might do if you caught them staring at you."
Riddick knew it wasn't that simple. A lot of people had stared at him long and hard; mercs, guards, wardens, shrinks, even other convicts; and still hadn't figured out what he was thinking until it was too late. Jenna read people too well not to have something more working for her than most of the rest of the population. But, if she was more comfortable with the simple answer, that's the way it would be. Still, that grin really deserved some pay-back.
With this in mind, he turned his face back toward hers. He was met with a very pointed scowl. "Don't you dare." was written all over Jenna's face. Ooops. Couldn't read his mind, huh? Well, she could read this. With serpentine deftness he flicked his tongue over the tip of her nose and quickly, very quickly, moved back to his own side of the skimmer. Her startled gasp gave him a nice, warm, wicked feeling. However, very soon, thoughts of Imam's horrible condition returned and his mood began a downward spiral, again.
Imam had said that he wouldn't have recognized Riddick on the street. That went both ways. Three plus years ago at the New Mecca space port, he had left a strong, capable, middle-aged man stomping away from him in anger. Tonight he had picked up an ancient, wasted husk and carried it like a baby because the man couldn't even walk on his own. A clean kill was one thing but this ...... his stomach clinched and rolled and he tasted bile. Patient he could be but, in the end, he wouldn't settle for anything less than his type of retribution for Sulleman. Trying to keep himself from falling back into a full rage, he swiveled to check out the situation in the cargo space.
He didn't have to use his night vision. Jenna had left the inner hatch lights on for Jeeter to be able to keep an eye on the prisoners. Riddick couldn't see Imam's face since his head was directly behind him but was reassured by the steady rise and fall of the man's chest. Imam's body formed a diagonal across the area. Jack, Mira and Nagia seemed to have found relatively comfortable positions in the section behind Jenna. The prisoners were laying across the back with their heads propped at an uncomfortable angle against the side wall near Imam's feet and Jeeter was sitting across their legs with his stunner in easy reach of their crotches. From the determined look on Jeeter's face, Riddick figured that if either man even twitched, he was going to regret it every time he tried to pee, for a very long time.
Satisfied that everything was under control, he started to turn forward again only to be stopped by the fixed stare that the red-headed SO was giving him. When Riddick returned the stare, the red-head opened his mouth as if to speak but remained silent, flipping his eyes toward Jeeter and then back. Smart. Riddick decided to play along.
"Second, the red-head wants to talk. Let him."
As soon as Jeeter nodded in agreement, the SO spoke.
"Permission to speak to the Captain."
His phrasing confirmed Riddick's suspicions concerning his training; definitely ex-forces. And, from the way he was dealing with the situation, probably of rank. Lying on your back in an enemy skimmer, in your skivvies, tied hand and foot and with a stunner pointed at your dick would put most men a little off balance. From the corner of his eye, Riddick saw Jenna's tight nod.
"Given. But make it count."
"I've heard enough to know that you're going off planet. I'd like to warn the rest of my crew to do the same. With my and Klieg's bodies not with the others, Sulleman will butcher them for answers they don't have. Call it professional courtesy."
The guy had to be dreaming. Jenna made no gesture so Riddick used his own reaction to answer.
"Let you send a message straight to Sulleman's troop barracks, I don't think so."
Red-Head didn't miss a beat.
"We don't mix. We bunk in our ship at the space port. The message would go there."
Riddick's opinion of the man had been growing steadily. That he kept his men separate from the locals, raised it even more. He might be a merc but he was no jack-leg, bottom crawler like Johns had been. He turned toward Jenna. This had gone far enough that it was her call for the rest of it. Her reaction didn't surprise him but he doubted the wisdom of it.
"Who are you working for? Who sent you after the man and the girl?"
Red-Head's eyes narrowed slightly. He was thinking too hard. Jenna's question had given him ideas which was exactly what Riddick had been afraid it would do.
"If you don't know already, the answer won't mean anything to you."
Jenna came right back at him.
"What I do or do not know is not your concern. Your men are your concern. If you want the chance to save them, tell me what I asked. Call it a proof of good faith."
The man's expression was priceless. Obviously, he hadn't expected a woman to play the game so tough. She had given him no clue as to what she knew. If anything she had given the impression that she did know and that lying to her wasn't a good idea. She had also made it very clear that he was the one in a very bad position with no option but to give her what she wanted to get what he wanted. He proved his allegiance to his men by giving in immediately.
"My contact is with Rockland Parker."
From the wry smile this elicited from Jenna, Riddick decided that Red-Head hadn't given up the game completely. He was certainly still in the dark as to who was paying the merc's bills. Jenna's reply made it clear that she wasn't.
"That would be Parker of Murin, Morris, Murin and Parker?"
Ok. Now Riddick knew where things stood. Jenna had been right about this MMM&P being involved and, from the full name, it had to be a law firm. With lawyers, everybody had to be in large print. Red-Head looked as if he had been kicked in the stomach.
"Fuck! So you are Company!"
Riddick could understand this reaction. Company goons weren't known for such niceties as 'professional courtesy'. But another reaction caught his full attention. At the assumption that they were Company, Pasty, aka Klieg, was suddenly in a much better mood; so much better, that he opened his mouth and taunted Red-Head.
"Tough luck, Rafferty. Looks like your little butt buddy Charlie is dog meat."
Rafferty's reaction was so fast that it was over before Jeeter could react. He flipped his bound body forward and then back. The back of his head impacted with Klieg's face with a sickening, fleshy crunching sound. Then, his eyes fixed on Jeeter's as reassurance, he moved slowly aside and was once more resting against the side wall. Klieg was bleeding heavily from the nose. His eyes, focused on the roof of the skimmer, slowly glazed over in a fixed death stare. The reactions of the rest of the inhabitants of the cargo space were mixed.
Jeeter and Jack uttered exclamations of appreciation at the skill of it. Mira let out a small shocked shriek. Nagia was silently startled. Imam's "Allah, forgive." was the loudest and called Jenna's attention to the event.
"What happened?"
Riddick allowed himself a small chuckle.
"It seems that Mr. Rafferty has eliminated a Company spy from his payroll. Pasty Face is dead."
He could see her mind spinning as various scenarios occurred to her. He leaned close and whispered softly.
"I'll tell you how he managed to do it later. Now, what are you going to do about his men? He's right about what Sulleman will do to them."
"I know." Then she raised her voice to carry to the rear of the skimmer. "Mr. Rafferty, if you will give me the proper radio band and frequency and the necessary code words to prove that the message comes from you, I will warn your men."
Rafferty couldn't seem to decide how to react to this. Surprise, disbelief, relief, distrust and a dozen more emotions flickered across his face. He finally settled on a what-have-I-got-to-lose look. He gave Jenna the band and frequency with the warning that they only used it to give Sulleman something to monitor; any real communication going through a scrambler that only a matching unit could utilize.
"The code for such a f...... bad situation is 'the fat lady is singing'; the one for a bug out, 'party hardy'; mine is Big-R and the ship is Home Plate. Chris should be on the phone this shift. It's a two way. You'll have to play it by ear, Captain, but somehow I don't think you will have a problem with that."
"Why, Mr. Rafferty, you say the sweetest things. Do you understand that if you make one sound, I will cut the transmission immediately?"
"Understood."
"Then I have one more question. It is a personal matter which I would not address under normal circumstances but I have agreed to give your men a fair warning. It is often true that emotion overpowers reason. Would a special warning to the man Klieg mentioned, to Charlie, to obey your orders and leave without you be appropriate to mention to another of your crew or not?"
Riddick was surprised that Jenna had understood the meaning of Klieg's gutter slang but not nearly as surprised as Rafferty was at her considerate understanding of the situation. His eyes flicked from Riddick to Jeeter and back again. Riddick made sure to keep his expression easy but uninterested. As far as Riddick was concerned, as long as he knew what 'no' meant the first time he heard it, whichever side of the street a guy wanted to hang his dick on wasn't anybody's business but his own. Jeeter gave Rafferty a shrug that said the same thing. This seemed to confuse Rafferty even more. Most Company mercs were up-tight homophobic pricks; kind of like Klieg had been. Personally, Riddick thought that they just used it for another reason to kick the shit out of somebody. With a puzzled shake of his head, Rafferty answered Jenna.
"My men are aware of my... personal life. I would appreciate the extra warning."
It didn't take a minute for Jenna to have Rafferty's man on the radio.
"This is Home Plate but you, pretty voice, don't sound anything like Big-R."
Jenna gave a low sultry laugh.
"I would hope not. I just need to give Chris a message from him."
"Well, I'm Chris so what's the message?"
"He's arranged some entertainment for you guys. He said to tell you that the fat lady is singing and all of you should party hardy."
There was a long silence before the voice on the other end of the transmission answered.
"When's Big R going to join the party?"
Jenna gave another sexy laugh.
"Oh, he's got his own party planned. Told me to tell you that anyone who spoils the fun he's arranged for the crew worrying about him will be the sorriest son of bitch on the face of New Mecca. That includes Charlie, most particularly Charlie. Well, got to go now. You guys have fun."
Jenna cut the transmission before the disembodied 'Chris' could ask anything else. Rafferty, who had been stiffly alert throughout the conversation, uttered a relieved "Thank you.", relaxed back against the side wall and closed his eyes. The rest of the flight to the BC was made in silence, everyone deep in their own thoughts. When they arrived, Jenna hovered just outside of the hold doors and popped the skimmer hatch.
"Second, dump the trash."
Jeeter rolled Klieg's body out. As Jenna closed the hatch and pulled the skimmer into the BC's hold, the soft murmur of Imam praying could be heard. Jeeter and Rafferty exchanged glances with Riddick. They all three seemed to have the same opinion. Praying for Klieg was wasted effort. Riddick had a definite inclination to 'like' Rafferty. This made him even more wary of the man. Generating positive emotions was just as effective a way to manipulate situations and people as generating negative ones was; even more effective on the civilized side of the line. Rafferty was good; intelligent, quick thinking, patient and physically very dangerous. But, while he might be a very impressive one, he was still a merc; bringing in the bodies for the bounty.
Preparations went quickly aboard the BC. With apologies for the necessity, Jenna ordered Rafferty blindfolded before allowing him outside the skimmer. Following her orders, Riddick and Jeeter escorted him to the head then secured him more properly with webbing restraints and webbed him into one of the bunks in one of the crew cabins. Imam was also assisted with personal needs and was made as comfortable as possible in another cabin with Nagia taking the second bunk so she could monitor his condition. Jack and Mira were assigned to a third then given a quick introduction to the compact galley and ordered to see to any food and drink for themselves and the others. This included Rafferty who would require their aid in eating and drinking since under no circumstance were they to touch his restraints.
Riddick objected to this last. There was no way he wanted the two girls anywhere near Rafferty. Jack immediately took offense. Did he think she'd gone soft? Turned into some little twit who'd let a merc sweet talk her into letting him loose? If he tried anything funny, she'd let him go thirsty until his tongue split, even if he was as handsome as sin walking with his red hair and Latino skin. After all, it wasn't like she was his type, was it? Those last comments didn't set well at all with him but he had no choice but to withdraw his objection. He realized that he must have allowed his reaction to show when he saw that both Jenna and Jeeter were trying to hide smirky smiles.
He retreated to the bridge and began to do the pre-liftoff check. Part of him, a big part, was screaming for him to get his ass back to the safe, comfortable, emotionless life that he had before. Screaming that this time was going to end just like every other time he had allowed himself to care. Just one more hell pit of pain, despair and loss that he would have to wall off and try to forget. But you couldn't forget them all the time. In the quiet hours they always came back, driving him out into the streets looking for something to block them off again. That had usually been when he had taken the bloodiest and most difficult contracts.
He rubbed his hand over his head in frustration. The feel of thick hair under his fingers just added to it. He flipped on the bridge security camera and directed its image to the main viewer. For a few brief moments he stared at the man seated in the command slot. A neatly Fro-ed and bearded stranger with black-green eyes stared back at him. He canceled the image with an almost savage thrust at the control board. Fuck! It was no wonder Imam hadn't recognized him. He didn't even recognize himself any more.
-
-
*******************************************************************************************************
-
-
Once she had instructed Jeeter in what to listen for and record of the local chatter, Jenna was more than happy to allow Riddick to order her into one of the empty bunks for the return trip to the Hole. For the next six hours, she slept the sleep of the dead. At top speed, the BC could have made the journey in less than a quarter of that time but the massive energy signature would have been impossible to conceal and the local authority would have taken serious interest in apprehending anyone hot-dogging it so far in-system. As it was, if it hadn't have been for the seriousness of the Imam's condition, Jenna would have been totally content with the required slower pace.
Jenna was awakened by the change in the feel of the ship as Riddick matched with the Hole and docked in its hidden bay. After one long, luxurious stretch, she immediately pulled on her boots and weapons belts and went to the bridge. Waving Riddick to remain in the command slot, she took the first pilot slot and tied into the Hole's intercom system. Not wanting to take the time to chase anyone down she opened it ship wide.
"Com Officer, Ship's Doctor and Ship's Chaplain are to report to the docking bay, ASAP. A stretcher ..... "Jenna had a further thought. "Correction, two stretchers will be required. Repeat. Com , Doctor and Chaplain to the docking bay with two stretchers."
Rising and stepping away from the slot, Jenna began her usual morning Tai Chi Chuan exercises. She had never before had an audience other than Mr. Sen, whose interest was in her proper execution of the movements. Having Riddick, whose interest was distinctly otherwise, watching her was more that a little disconcerting. But, she persevered. Her mind might not be getting the full benefit but her body was. As he engaged her in conversation, she discovered that she was enjoying his appreciative looks. How interesting, a totally new use for Tai Chi Chuan.
"Why the second stretcher? Rafferty going to the infirmary, too?"
"No. It's for Nagia's plants. They should be given proper care as soon as possible."
"What about Rafferty?"
"He stays with us. It's time to inform Mr. Sen of everything that is going on. What will be done with Mr. Rafferty will be his decision."
She could tell that this information didn't set well with Riddick. Since he didn't really know Mr. Sen, this was understandable. But, before she could open the subject, the sounds of Ben's panicked voice and pounding feet, as he ran through the BC, brought other matters to the fore.
"Jen! Jen! Where are you?! Who's hurt?!"
Before she could answer, he arrived on the bridge. After a quick scan, Jenna then Riddick and then Jeeter, the taunt lines in Ben's face relaxed into a wide grin.
"I should have known that nothing could hurt you guys. What's up?"
Without interrupting her exercises, Jenna smiled at him and answered.
"We have additions to the crew and one of them is quite ill."
Then, both Jack and Mira appeared at the bridge hatch and Jenna gave up on her Tai Chi Chuan. Motioning them in, she made the introductions and then got down to business.
"Jack is our new Nav Officer, Ben, and your backup on the com. You'll have to bring her up to speed on every aspect of the ship's systems. She also has the information that we went to New Mecca to hack. That will have to be input and set up for Mr. Sen as will the local chatter recorded in the BC's system. Get Mr. Sen's stuff ready first, then help her and Mira get their uniforms and settle in to their quarters. Jack will be bridge personnel and let Mira choose some shirt color that hasn't been used since she hasn't been assigned a department yet. Label it Trainee and use a lower case 't' for the insignia. Trousers like Sasha's for both. Jack can have shiv, stunner and dagger but Mira hasn't qualified for any weapons yet."
Ben looked at Jack somewhat skeptically.
"Fragger or Freaker?" (two types of hackers)
"Fragger. Freaking is small ball." (Freakers have no guts)
"X-er. To the hack, Duo. To grok is to nova."
(Excellent. Let's go see the system, partner. To see {understand} this system
is to explode emotionally.)
Mira looked totally confused as she followed the other two off of the bridge, still rattling away in hacker lingo. Jenna looked around. Riddick looked almost as confused as Mira but Jeeter seemed to have caught the meaning of most of it.
"Those two hit it off good. Wonder if they'll remember to translate for Mira once in a while? Hackers can get real focused. Maybe I should tag along, keep 'em from zoning out?"
Something about the tone of his voice told Jenna that it wasn't Mira's being shut out but the instant comradery between Jack and Ben that was really bothering Jeeter. She hoped that Riddick hadn't picked up on it. Nor, she was sure, was it a one way interest. All the time Jack had been on the bridge, she had been watching Jeeter out of the corner of her eye without ever looking at him directly. There was no more age difference between Jeeter and Jack than between her and Riddick but she was very sure that Riddick wouldn't see it that way.
"No, I need you to help Nagia with her plants. After that you can drag the hackers out of the wiring and cover the bridge while they get to the uniforms and settling in. Barrol and I will join you as soon as we can. Since I was allowed to sleep and neither of you have mentioned anything, I assume that there has been no alert issued concerning our visit to New Mecca. That doesn't mean that there won't be. I want to Keller out of this system as soon as possible. Once we get into deep space, away from the traffic lanes, we can all get some down time."
Jenna was looking forward to that prospect. She had just as much interest in pursuing some personal intentions as Jeeter did. After a life time lacking in such emotions, the constant sexual tension between herself and Riddick was reaching overload on her side of it. The memory of that little 'love lick' in the skimmer was still arousing her imagination. She had never thought that the tip of the nose could be such a sensual spot. As she led Jeeter and Riddick off of the bridge, she had great expectations for as swift and easy a disposal of the rest of the New Mecca additions as the first two. It didn't work out quite that easy.
Mr. Sen was the next to arrive. Dressed in the saffron version of his uniform robe, he exuded a gentle elegance. It took very little time for Jenna to advise him about both the situation of the tracker and the tarantula and the events occurring on New Mecca. Jenna left out any details that pertained to Riddick's true identity and, though she could see that Maximus was aware of it, he asked no questions about it. Then she led him to the cabin where Rafferty was being held.
Rafferty was un-webbed from the bunk and his blindfold and leg restraints removed. He greeted the knowledge that he was to be handed into the sole custody of Mr. Sen with a somewhat amused appraisal of the diminutive Asian. Maximus took one slight step forward and his right hand, two fingers extended, flashed toward Rafferty's midsection and retreated just as quickly. To the untrained observer, it would have seemed that he hadn't even touched the far larger man. Rafferty went to his knees, gasping for breath. When he was at last able to raise his head again, Mr. Sen gave him a most benign smile.
"A small violence often prevents a larger one."
This time Rafferty's expression was respectful. Jenna also noted that Riddick's and Jeeter's opinions of Mr. Sen had been suitably altered as well.
"Yes, Sensei."
He accepted Mr. Sen's aid in rising and then followed him, if not submissively at least compliantly, out of the cabin, through the BC's bay and into the Hole. It was clear that Rafferty no longer thought that they were Company and was going to refrain from any offensive action until he had a better understanding of who they really were. As Jenna watched them leave she also watched Syrus arrive. Struggling with the ungainly job of maneuvering two stretchers, he was definitely in a foul mood. The sight of Rafferty following on Mr. Sen's heels did nothing to improve this mood. Leaving the stretchers behind he walked up to Jenna with his usual graceful swagger.
"My God, Na..... Jenna! What have you gotten yourself into now? You could have at least warned me to set up for triage if you had to start a war. I really must demand assistance if the body count is any higher than two. Your Captain's duties will have to be set aside."
This last was said with no little disdain for such, to Syrus, an unimportant endeavor. Jenna returned his sneering scowl with an affectionate smile. He had chosen an open shirt with very dressy lace ruffling on the collar and cuffs and the uniform made him look quite handsomely sinister, very much the deadly dandy. The thin sabre he carried on his right hip proclaimed that even his handedness was 'sinister'. She was sure that he was not only aware of but had intentionally engineered the whole of this effect. It had been Syrus who had introduced her to the genres of historical adventure and epic legends.
"Now what makes you think I started a war?"
"Well, you have, haven't you? Or did I not see a nearly naked, bound POW with Max? And, do I not have casualties to treat?"
Jenna explained the New Mecca situation to him and led him to the Imam. Riddick followed, bringing one of the stretchers. Jeeter took the other and headed for the skimmer. After a short examination, Syrus came to the same medical conclusion that Jenna had. Jenna, Syrus and Nagia then adjourned to the skimmer to discuss the plants and the new addition of a pharmacist/nurse to Syrus' staff; allowing Riddick privacy to see to the Imam's needs and transfer him to the infirmary stretcher. It was then that another, very serious, complication was added to Jenna's plate.
As Syrus and Nagia conversed about the herbs and her previous experience in both herbology and the care of the sick, Syrus voiced dismay at the extent of the Imam's deterioration and a complaint concerning the time that would be lost in the necessary testing to discover the exact nature of the poison used on him. Jenna had already noticed that Nagia had been extremely withdrawn during the medical examination and during the present conversation. At Syrus' pessimistic diagnosis for the Imam, her face twisted in an agony of remorse. With shaking, fumbling hands, she pulled two large vials from her robes and shoved them into Syrus' hands.
"The larger is the poison; the smaller, the antidote. I have given the Imam one dose of it but ......... the cleansing process is long and arduous to the body. I ..... I have little hope that it will succeed in preserving him."
Turning quickly away from Syrus' astounded and condemning glare, she knelt in front of Jenna.
"It is I who have been poisoning the Imam. I surrender myself to your judgement."
Her head was turned downward and her neck extended as if she expected Jenna to unsheathe the Saracen and behead her on the spot.
'head'=restroom in ship talk. Also, I have been advised that I drop down to initials for things very easily. In answer to this, I will try to repeat definitions for any used at the beginning of each chapter. SO = Special Opps (Operations) referring to present and ex-members of this force. BC = Butch Cassidy, the name of the medium sized transport ship that is used to do planet landings that are impossible for the gigantic transport "The Hole in the Wall"; aka, the Hole. Sensei = a teacher, master, of martial arts.
My thanks to the late Robert A. Heinlein for the term 'grok'.
-
-
THE MOTHER LODE BY ABRAXIS
-
-
Chapter 22 - The Return to the Hole
-
-
Riddick was seething. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. The Emir sick and then Imam sick as soon as he's in charge of the girl; it had to be Sulleman! The fucking son of bitch was going to die! It might take Riddick a while to find a way to get to him but sometime, somewhere, he was going to die .... die bloody and hard!
If killing the bastard damned Riddick's soul to Hell, that was fine. That would be where Sulleman was going and, when Riddick got there, he'd make a deal with the Devil so he could make Sulleman's eternity just that much worse. Who was that guy in the Greek stuff, Prometheus? Yeah, Prometheus. A vulture ate out his liver every day and it grew back every night. Well, he'd be Sulleman's vulture.
Then, Jenna's hand was on his thigh: just there, a gentle squeeze, and then gone. It was a comforting, calming gesture and so alien to him that the shock of it broke his rage. When he turned to look at her, there was a tight, unpleasant smile on her face and she gave him an almost imperceptible nod. Fuck! It couldn't be. She couldn't have known what he was thinking. As if she sensed his disbelief, she typed something and then tapped the main info screen. He leaned close to her to look at it. He couldn't keep from chuckling softly at the message written on it.
"There is always more than one way to skin a cat .... and a Sulleman .... be patient."
It seemed that her 'the friend of my friend' attitude also extended to 'the enemy of my friend'. Riddick understood that last one but was still having doubts about the first. Dealing with enemies was no sweat; simple, clean and finished; a one time deal. But this 'friend' thing ..... did you really want to turn such a complicated, long term, emotionally expensive bond into a pyramid scheme? Maybe he should ask her if there was any limit to it; like third level, twice removed or some shit. But, that question could wait. something else was bothering him a lot more. He reach over and, using one finger on the keyboard, asked it.
"How did you know?"
He followed the words as she typed.
"You are too intelligent not to figure it out. Besides, your eyes were burning holes in the windshield. What did you think? That I could read your mind?"
He jerked his head around to look at her face. She was trying to look all wide eyed and innocent. The quiver of her lips, as she tried to suppress a wicked grin, totally ruined the effect. She began typing again and he turned back to the screen.
"Nothing so strange. The only reason most people can't read you is because they are so frightened of what you might do if you caught them staring at you."
Riddick knew it wasn't that simple. A lot of people had stared at him long and hard; mercs, guards, wardens, shrinks, even other convicts; and still hadn't figured out what he was thinking until it was too late. Jenna read people too well not to have something more working for her than most of the rest of the population. But, if she was more comfortable with the simple answer, that's the way it would be. Still, that grin really deserved some pay-back.
With this in mind, he turned his face back toward hers. He was met with a very pointed scowl. "Don't you dare." was written all over Jenna's face. Ooops. Couldn't read his mind, huh? Well, she could read this. With serpentine deftness he flicked his tongue over the tip of her nose and quickly, very quickly, moved back to his own side of the skimmer. Her startled gasp gave him a nice, warm, wicked feeling. However, very soon, thoughts of Imam's horrible condition returned and his mood began a downward spiral, again.
Imam had said that he wouldn't have recognized Riddick on the street. That went both ways. Three plus years ago at the New Mecca space port, he had left a strong, capable, middle-aged man stomping away from him in anger. Tonight he had picked up an ancient, wasted husk and carried it like a baby because the man couldn't even walk on his own. A clean kill was one thing but this ...... his stomach clinched and rolled and he tasted bile. Patient he could be but, in the end, he wouldn't settle for anything less than his type of retribution for Sulleman. Trying to keep himself from falling back into a full rage, he swiveled to check out the situation in the cargo space.
He didn't have to use his night vision. Jenna had left the inner hatch lights on for Jeeter to be able to keep an eye on the prisoners. Riddick couldn't see Imam's face since his head was directly behind him but was reassured by the steady rise and fall of the man's chest. Imam's body formed a diagonal across the area. Jack, Mira and Nagia seemed to have found relatively comfortable positions in the section behind Jenna. The prisoners were laying across the back with their heads propped at an uncomfortable angle against the side wall near Imam's feet and Jeeter was sitting across their legs with his stunner in easy reach of their crotches. From the determined look on Jeeter's face, Riddick figured that if either man even twitched, he was going to regret it every time he tried to pee, for a very long time.
Satisfied that everything was under control, he started to turn forward again only to be stopped by the fixed stare that the red-headed SO was giving him. When Riddick returned the stare, the red-head opened his mouth as if to speak but remained silent, flipping his eyes toward Jeeter and then back. Smart. Riddick decided to play along.
"Second, the red-head wants to talk. Let him."
As soon as Jeeter nodded in agreement, the SO spoke.
"Permission to speak to the Captain."
His phrasing confirmed Riddick's suspicions concerning his training; definitely ex-forces. And, from the way he was dealing with the situation, probably of rank. Lying on your back in an enemy skimmer, in your skivvies, tied hand and foot and with a stunner pointed at your dick would put most men a little off balance. From the corner of his eye, Riddick saw Jenna's tight nod.
"Given. But make it count."
"I've heard enough to know that you're going off planet. I'd like to warn the rest of my crew to do the same. With my and Klieg's bodies not with the others, Sulleman will butcher them for answers they don't have. Call it professional courtesy."
The guy had to be dreaming. Jenna made no gesture so Riddick used his own reaction to answer.
"Let you send a message straight to Sulleman's troop barracks, I don't think so."
Red-Head didn't miss a beat.
"We don't mix. We bunk in our ship at the space port. The message would go there."
Riddick's opinion of the man had been growing steadily. That he kept his men separate from the locals, raised it even more. He might be a merc but he was no jack-leg, bottom crawler like Johns had been. He turned toward Jenna. This had gone far enough that it was her call for the rest of it. Her reaction didn't surprise him but he doubted the wisdom of it.
"Who are you working for? Who sent you after the man and the girl?"
Red-Head's eyes narrowed slightly. He was thinking too hard. Jenna's question had given him ideas which was exactly what Riddick had been afraid it would do.
"If you don't know already, the answer won't mean anything to you."
Jenna came right back at him.
"What I do or do not know is not your concern. Your men are your concern. If you want the chance to save them, tell me what I asked. Call it a proof of good faith."
The man's expression was priceless. Obviously, he hadn't expected a woman to play the game so tough. She had given him no clue as to what she knew. If anything she had given the impression that she did know and that lying to her wasn't a good idea. She had also made it very clear that he was the one in a very bad position with no option but to give her what she wanted to get what he wanted. He proved his allegiance to his men by giving in immediately.
"My contact is with Rockland Parker."
From the wry smile this elicited from Jenna, Riddick decided that Red-Head hadn't given up the game completely. He was certainly still in the dark as to who was paying the merc's bills. Jenna's reply made it clear that she wasn't.
"That would be Parker of Murin, Morris, Murin and Parker?"
Ok. Now Riddick knew where things stood. Jenna had been right about this MMM&P being involved and, from the full name, it had to be a law firm. With lawyers, everybody had to be in large print. Red-Head looked as if he had been kicked in the stomach.
"Fuck! So you are Company!"
Riddick could understand this reaction. Company goons weren't known for such niceties as 'professional courtesy'. But another reaction caught his full attention. At the assumption that they were Company, Pasty, aka Klieg, was suddenly in a much better mood; so much better, that he opened his mouth and taunted Red-Head.
"Tough luck, Rafferty. Looks like your little butt buddy Charlie is dog meat."
Rafferty's reaction was so fast that it was over before Jeeter could react. He flipped his bound body forward and then back. The back of his head impacted with Klieg's face with a sickening, fleshy crunching sound. Then, his eyes fixed on Jeeter's as reassurance, he moved slowly aside and was once more resting against the side wall. Klieg was bleeding heavily from the nose. His eyes, focused on the roof of the skimmer, slowly glazed over in a fixed death stare. The reactions of the rest of the inhabitants of the cargo space were mixed.
Jeeter and Jack uttered exclamations of appreciation at the skill of it. Mira let out a small shocked shriek. Nagia was silently startled. Imam's "Allah, forgive." was the loudest and called Jenna's attention to the event.
"What happened?"
Riddick allowed himself a small chuckle.
"It seems that Mr. Rafferty has eliminated a Company spy from his payroll. Pasty Face is dead."
He could see her mind spinning as various scenarios occurred to her. He leaned close and whispered softly.
"I'll tell you how he managed to do it later. Now, what are you going to do about his men? He's right about what Sulleman will do to them."
"I know." Then she raised her voice to carry to the rear of the skimmer. "Mr. Rafferty, if you will give me the proper radio band and frequency and the necessary code words to prove that the message comes from you, I will warn your men."
Rafferty couldn't seem to decide how to react to this. Surprise, disbelief, relief, distrust and a dozen more emotions flickered across his face. He finally settled on a what-have-I-got-to-lose look. He gave Jenna the band and frequency with the warning that they only used it to give Sulleman something to monitor; any real communication going through a scrambler that only a matching unit could utilize.
"The code for such a f...... bad situation is 'the fat lady is singing'; the one for a bug out, 'party hardy'; mine is Big-R and the ship is Home Plate. Chris should be on the phone this shift. It's a two way. You'll have to play it by ear, Captain, but somehow I don't think you will have a problem with that."
"Why, Mr. Rafferty, you say the sweetest things. Do you understand that if you make one sound, I will cut the transmission immediately?"
"Understood."
"Then I have one more question. It is a personal matter which I would not address under normal circumstances but I have agreed to give your men a fair warning. It is often true that emotion overpowers reason. Would a special warning to the man Klieg mentioned, to Charlie, to obey your orders and leave without you be appropriate to mention to another of your crew or not?"
Riddick was surprised that Jenna had understood the meaning of Klieg's gutter slang but not nearly as surprised as Rafferty was at her considerate understanding of the situation. His eyes flicked from Riddick to Jeeter and back again. Riddick made sure to keep his expression easy but uninterested. As far as Riddick was concerned, as long as he knew what 'no' meant the first time he heard it, whichever side of the street a guy wanted to hang his dick on wasn't anybody's business but his own. Jeeter gave Rafferty a shrug that said the same thing. This seemed to confuse Rafferty even more. Most Company mercs were up-tight homophobic pricks; kind of like Klieg had been. Personally, Riddick thought that they just used it for another reason to kick the shit out of somebody. With a puzzled shake of his head, Rafferty answered Jenna.
"My men are aware of my... personal life. I would appreciate the extra warning."
It didn't take a minute for Jenna to have Rafferty's man on the radio.
"This is Home Plate but you, pretty voice, don't sound anything like Big-R."
Jenna gave a low sultry laugh.
"I would hope not. I just need to give Chris a message from him."
"Well, I'm Chris so what's the message?"
"He's arranged some entertainment for you guys. He said to tell you that the fat lady is singing and all of you should party hardy."
There was a long silence before the voice on the other end of the transmission answered.
"When's Big R going to join the party?"
Jenna gave another sexy laugh.
"Oh, he's got his own party planned. Told me to tell you that anyone who spoils the fun he's arranged for the crew worrying about him will be the sorriest son of bitch on the face of New Mecca. That includes Charlie, most particularly Charlie. Well, got to go now. You guys have fun."
Jenna cut the transmission before the disembodied 'Chris' could ask anything else. Rafferty, who had been stiffly alert throughout the conversation, uttered a relieved "Thank you.", relaxed back against the side wall and closed his eyes. The rest of the flight to the BC was made in silence, everyone deep in their own thoughts. When they arrived, Jenna hovered just outside of the hold doors and popped the skimmer hatch.
"Second, dump the trash."
Jeeter rolled Klieg's body out. As Jenna closed the hatch and pulled the skimmer into the BC's hold, the soft murmur of Imam praying could be heard. Jeeter and Rafferty exchanged glances with Riddick. They all three seemed to have the same opinion. Praying for Klieg was wasted effort. Riddick had a definite inclination to 'like' Rafferty. This made him even more wary of the man. Generating positive emotions was just as effective a way to manipulate situations and people as generating negative ones was; even more effective on the civilized side of the line. Rafferty was good; intelligent, quick thinking, patient and physically very dangerous. But, while he might be a very impressive one, he was still a merc; bringing in the bodies for the bounty.
Preparations went quickly aboard the BC. With apologies for the necessity, Jenna ordered Rafferty blindfolded before allowing him outside the skimmer. Following her orders, Riddick and Jeeter escorted him to the head then secured him more properly with webbing restraints and webbed him into one of the bunks in one of the crew cabins. Imam was also assisted with personal needs and was made as comfortable as possible in another cabin with Nagia taking the second bunk so she could monitor his condition. Jack and Mira were assigned to a third then given a quick introduction to the compact galley and ordered to see to any food and drink for themselves and the others. This included Rafferty who would require their aid in eating and drinking since under no circumstance were they to touch his restraints.
Riddick objected to this last. There was no way he wanted the two girls anywhere near Rafferty. Jack immediately took offense. Did he think she'd gone soft? Turned into some little twit who'd let a merc sweet talk her into letting him loose? If he tried anything funny, she'd let him go thirsty until his tongue split, even if he was as handsome as sin walking with his red hair and Latino skin. After all, it wasn't like she was his type, was it? Those last comments didn't set well at all with him but he had no choice but to withdraw his objection. He realized that he must have allowed his reaction to show when he saw that both Jenna and Jeeter were trying to hide smirky smiles.
He retreated to the bridge and began to do the pre-liftoff check. Part of him, a big part, was screaming for him to get his ass back to the safe, comfortable, emotionless life that he had before. Screaming that this time was going to end just like every other time he had allowed himself to care. Just one more hell pit of pain, despair and loss that he would have to wall off and try to forget. But you couldn't forget them all the time. In the quiet hours they always came back, driving him out into the streets looking for something to block them off again. That had usually been when he had taken the bloodiest and most difficult contracts.
He rubbed his hand over his head in frustration. The feel of thick hair under his fingers just added to it. He flipped on the bridge security camera and directed its image to the main viewer. For a few brief moments he stared at the man seated in the command slot. A neatly Fro-ed and bearded stranger with black-green eyes stared back at him. He canceled the image with an almost savage thrust at the control board. Fuck! It was no wonder Imam hadn't recognized him. He didn't even recognize himself any more.
-
-
*******************************************************************************************************
-
-
Once she had instructed Jeeter in what to listen for and record of the local chatter, Jenna was more than happy to allow Riddick to order her into one of the empty bunks for the return trip to the Hole. For the next six hours, she slept the sleep of the dead. At top speed, the BC could have made the journey in less than a quarter of that time but the massive energy signature would have been impossible to conceal and the local authority would have taken serious interest in apprehending anyone hot-dogging it so far in-system. As it was, if it hadn't have been for the seriousness of the Imam's condition, Jenna would have been totally content with the required slower pace.
Jenna was awakened by the change in the feel of the ship as Riddick matched with the Hole and docked in its hidden bay. After one long, luxurious stretch, she immediately pulled on her boots and weapons belts and went to the bridge. Waving Riddick to remain in the command slot, she took the first pilot slot and tied into the Hole's intercom system. Not wanting to take the time to chase anyone down she opened it ship wide.
"Com Officer, Ship's Doctor and Ship's Chaplain are to report to the docking bay, ASAP. A stretcher ..... "Jenna had a further thought. "Correction, two stretchers will be required. Repeat. Com , Doctor and Chaplain to the docking bay with two stretchers."
Rising and stepping away from the slot, Jenna began her usual morning Tai Chi Chuan exercises. She had never before had an audience other than Mr. Sen, whose interest was in her proper execution of the movements. Having Riddick, whose interest was distinctly otherwise, watching her was more that a little disconcerting. But, she persevered. Her mind might not be getting the full benefit but her body was. As he engaged her in conversation, she discovered that she was enjoying his appreciative looks. How interesting, a totally new use for Tai Chi Chuan.
"Why the second stretcher? Rafferty going to the infirmary, too?"
"No. It's for Nagia's plants. They should be given proper care as soon as possible."
"What about Rafferty?"
"He stays with us. It's time to inform Mr. Sen of everything that is going on. What will be done with Mr. Rafferty will be his decision."
She could tell that this information didn't set well with Riddick. Since he didn't really know Mr. Sen, this was understandable. But, before she could open the subject, the sounds of Ben's panicked voice and pounding feet, as he ran through the BC, brought other matters to the fore.
"Jen! Jen! Where are you?! Who's hurt?!"
Before she could answer, he arrived on the bridge. After a quick scan, Jenna then Riddick and then Jeeter, the taunt lines in Ben's face relaxed into a wide grin.
"I should have known that nothing could hurt you guys. What's up?"
Without interrupting her exercises, Jenna smiled at him and answered.
"We have additions to the crew and one of them is quite ill."
Then, both Jack and Mira appeared at the bridge hatch and Jenna gave up on her Tai Chi Chuan. Motioning them in, she made the introductions and then got down to business.
"Jack is our new Nav Officer, Ben, and your backup on the com. You'll have to bring her up to speed on every aspect of the ship's systems. She also has the information that we went to New Mecca to hack. That will have to be input and set up for Mr. Sen as will the local chatter recorded in the BC's system. Get Mr. Sen's stuff ready first, then help her and Mira get their uniforms and settle in to their quarters. Jack will be bridge personnel and let Mira choose some shirt color that hasn't been used since she hasn't been assigned a department yet. Label it Trainee and use a lower case 't' for the insignia. Trousers like Sasha's for both. Jack can have shiv, stunner and dagger but Mira hasn't qualified for any weapons yet."
Ben looked at Jack somewhat skeptically.
"Fragger or Freaker?" (two types of hackers)
"Fragger. Freaking is small ball." (Freakers have no guts)
"X-er. To the hack, Duo. To grok is to nova."
(Excellent. Let's go see the system, partner. To see {understand} this system
is to explode emotionally.)
Mira looked totally confused as she followed the other two off of the bridge, still rattling away in hacker lingo. Jenna looked around. Riddick looked almost as confused as Mira but Jeeter seemed to have caught the meaning of most of it.
"Those two hit it off good. Wonder if they'll remember to translate for Mira once in a while? Hackers can get real focused. Maybe I should tag along, keep 'em from zoning out?"
Something about the tone of his voice told Jenna that it wasn't Mira's being shut out but the instant comradery between Jack and Ben that was really bothering Jeeter. She hoped that Riddick hadn't picked up on it. Nor, she was sure, was it a one way interest. All the time Jack had been on the bridge, she had been watching Jeeter out of the corner of her eye without ever looking at him directly. There was no more age difference between Jeeter and Jack than between her and Riddick but she was very sure that Riddick wouldn't see it that way.
"No, I need you to help Nagia with her plants. After that you can drag the hackers out of the wiring and cover the bridge while they get to the uniforms and settling in. Barrol and I will join you as soon as we can. Since I was allowed to sleep and neither of you have mentioned anything, I assume that there has been no alert issued concerning our visit to New Mecca. That doesn't mean that there won't be. I want to Keller out of this system as soon as possible. Once we get into deep space, away from the traffic lanes, we can all get some down time."
Jenna was looking forward to that prospect. She had just as much interest in pursuing some personal intentions as Jeeter did. After a life time lacking in such emotions, the constant sexual tension between herself and Riddick was reaching overload on her side of it. The memory of that little 'love lick' in the skimmer was still arousing her imagination. She had never thought that the tip of the nose could be such a sensual spot. As she led Jeeter and Riddick off of the bridge, she had great expectations for as swift and easy a disposal of the rest of the New Mecca additions as the first two. It didn't work out quite that easy.
Mr. Sen was the next to arrive. Dressed in the saffron version of his uniform robe, he exuded a gentle elegance. It took very little time for Jenna to advise him about both the situation of the tracker and the tarantula and the events occurring on New Mecca. Jenna left out any details that pertained to Riddick's true identity and, though she could see that Maximus was aware of it, he asked no questions about it. Then she led him to the cabin where Rafferty was being held.
Rafferty was un-webbed from the bunk and his blindfold and leg restraints removed. He greeted the knowledge that he was to be handed into the sole custody of Mr. Sen with a somewhat amused appraisal of the diminutive Asian. Maximus took one slight step forward and his right hand, two fingers extended, flashed toward Rafferty's midsection and retreated just as quickly. To the untrained observer, it would have seemed that he hadn't even touched the far larger man. Rafferty went to his knees, gasping for breath. When he was at last able to raise his head again, Mr. Sen gave him a most benign smile.
"A small violence often prevents a larger one."
This time Rafferty's expression was respectful. Jenna also noted that Riddick's and Jeeter's opinions of Mr. Sen had been suitably altered as well.
"Yes, Sensei."
He accepted Mr. Sen's aid in rising and then followed him, if not submissively at least compliantly, out of the cabin, through the BC's bay and into the Hole. It was clear that Rafferty no longer thought that they were Company and was going to refrain from any offensive action until he had a better understanding of who they really were. As Jenna watched them leave she also watched Syrus arrive. Struggling with the ungainly job of maneuvering two stretchers, he was definitely in a foul mood. The sight of Rafferty following on Mr. Sen's heels did nothing to improve this mood. Leaving the stretchers behind he walked up to Jenna with his usual graceful swagger.
"My God, Na..... Jenna! What have you gotten yourself into now? You could have at least warned me to set up for triage if you had to start a war. I really must demand assistance if the body count is any higher than two. Your Captain's duties will have to be set aside."
This last was said with no little disdain for such, to Syrus, an unimportant endeavor. Jenna returned his sneering scowl with an affectionate smile. He had chosen an open shirt with very dressy lace ruffling on the collar and cuffs and the uniform made him look quite handsomely sinister, very much the deadly dandy. The thin sabre he carried on his right hip proclaimed that even his handedness was 'sinister'. She was sure that he was not only aware of but had intentionally engineered the whole of this effect. It had been Syrus who had introduced her to the genres of historical adventure and epic legends.
"Now what makes you think I started a war?"
"Well, you have, haven't you? Or did I not see a nearly naked, bound POW with Max? And, do I not have casualties to treat?"
Jenna explained the New Mecca situation to him and led him to the Imam. Riddick followed, bringing one of the stretchers. Jeeter took the other and headed for the skimmer. After a short examination, Syrus came to the same medical conclusion that Jenna had. Jenna, Syrus and Nagia then adjourned to the skimmer to discuss the plants and the new addition of a pharmacist/nurse to Syrus' staff; allowing Riddick privacy to see to the Imam's needs and transfer him to the infirmary stretcher. It was then that another, very serious, complication was added to Jenna's plate.
As Syrus and Nagia conversed about the herbs and her previous experience in both herbology and the care of the sick, Syrus voiced dismay at the extent of the Imam's deterioration and a complaint concerning the time that would be lost in the necessary testing to discover the exact nature of the poison used on him. Jenna had already noticed that Nagia had been extremely withdrawn during the medical examination and during the present conversation. At Syrus' pessimistic diagnosis for the Imam, her face twisted in an agony of remorse. With shaking, fumbling hands, she pulled two large vials from her robes and shoved them into Syrus' hands.
"The larger is the poison; the smaller, the antidote. I have given the Imam one dose of it but ......... the cleansing process is long and arduous to the body. I ..... I have little hope that it will succeed in preserving him."
Turning quickly away from Syrus' astounded and condemning glare, she knelt in front of Jenna.
"It is I who have been poisoning the Imam. I surrender myself to your judgement."
Her head was turned downward and her neck extended as if she expected Jenna to unsheathe the Saracen and behead her on the spot.
