THE MOTHER LODE BY ABRAXIS

Chapter 30 – SNAFU

Riddick found that Rommy had done him better on the new skimmer than he had asked for. First, it had a scrambled com channel linked to Rommy's own secure system. Second, it had some combat capacity with two 50cal machine guns, one in its nose and one in the tail. This was old tech but as good as anything the locals would have. The last modification was a choice of twenty ids that the machine could broadcast.

There were also four tiny panic-button/trackers that could easily be hidden in the skimpiest costume. One of them, slightly larger than the others, was also a pager. Riddick concealed this one in the waistband of his shorts and stashed the other three in the lock-box of the skimmer. Rommy could always be trusted to take care of the details.

After informing Rommy of the hotel they were using and giving him a rough idea of their plans for the day and the expected trouble spot of the evening's business, Riddick headed back to the hotel. Using a different id than the one set when the skimmer was brought to the garage, he flew it back to the entertainment area. Once merged with the snarl of morning traffic there, he switched to the id of the BC's skimmer and went directly back to the hotel. He pulled into the assigned parking slot to find Rafferty waiting for him.

"Where in the hell have you been?!"

Rafferty might be stupid enough to risk breaking their cover in a public area but Riddick wasn't. He gave Rafferty a smirk and walked passed him toward the private entrance to the suite.

"Get the stick out of your ass, Sikes. You know the boss doesn't care if I get myself a little fun as long as I'm back before he needs us. I'll lay odds that he hasn't even finished his second cup of Java yet. If I was you, I'd wait until we're on our way to the markets and he's in business mode before you start any bitching. You start before he's really awake and he'll be hell on wheels all day."

Rafferty took the hint and shut up until the group had finished breakfast and were safely inside the skimmer headed for the markets. By that time, his anger was on slow simmer rather than rolling boil. Riddick didn't see that as much of an improvement. The man was still thinking with his ego instead of making any effort to use his brains.

"This is my operation and you are under my orders. I want to know where you've been, what you've done, where our original skimmer is ... all of it!"

Nagia, already on edge from the obvious tension between the two men, started at Rafferty's outburst. Syrus, quite the opposite, seemed totally unaffected except for the sardonic gleam of interest in his eyes. That and his relaxed posture reminded Riddick of a picture he had seen depicting some Caesar watching two gladiators in the arena. It made Riddick wonder just which direction Syrus' thumb would be pointing if he decided to take sides.

"This may be your operation but I'm here to see that it doesn't create a security risk. As far as what I do about that, you're on a need-to-know and, right now, you don't."

"Listen, mister, Sen made me Chief of Security."

"That's colony security. This is ship's business."

Rafferty didn't have a chance to reply to this.

"First is quite correct. Jenna would expect no less of him."

This softly delivered but damning judgment hit Rafferty like a stunner beam. His attention whipped away from Riddick to discover Syrus watching him with dark amusement. Riddick almost felt sorry for the merc. Whatever their relationship was, it was obvious that Rafferty hadn't realized that, when it came to Syrus, you were dealing with the devil, a devil who had only one loyalty other than to himself.

It made Riddick wonder just how badly the man had misjudged himself, Mr. Sen and Jenna as well; not to mention the power plays within the group. Rafferty had been too comfortable and self-confident for Riddick's taste after his first meeting with Mr. Sen. If this little lesson shook him up enough, maybe the man would be less inclined to go along with any dirty tricks of Sen's or pull any of his own. Riddick decided to give him just a little more to think about.

"Trust me, Rafferty, if you do anything to threaten that security, you won't survive long enough to regret it. Or have you forgotten what happened at the compound? Now, if I were you, I'd spend the rest of the day trying to find the holes in your plan for tonight's business and figuring out ways to plug them."

Rafferty stared at Riddick for a hard minute but then turned away without making any return comment. His silence continued for the rest of the trip to the first market, through that stop and during the drive to the second market as well. That the man was being quiet and thoughtful didn't bother Riddick but his attitude did. Rafferty wasn't nearly as worried as a man in his situation should be. Also, the missing skimmer wasn't the last thing on the man's list of what he had wanted explained when he cut it off with that "all of it". Riddick was pretty sure that Rafferty was also aware of the missing BC. When a slight vibration from the pager at his waist announced that Rommy wanted to talk, Riddick wasn't surprised.

Riddick's first thought was to make some excuse to go back to the skimmer and take the call in private. His second was that Rafferty could benefit from another lesson. Acting on this second impulse, Riddick waited until Syrus had finished with this leg of the shopping and the whole group was settled into the skimmer once more. Flipping open the scrambled channel, he used a nickname to alert Rommy that the others were listening in.

"Speak to me, Blondie."

Rommy's sweet-tenor chuckle and joking tone filled the skimmer.

"Hiya, Dark Eyes. Just thought you'd like to know you got company. Not local, looks like mercs. You want them disappeared now or later?"

The very slight tic in Rafferty's jaw muscle told Riddick everything he needed to know.

"I'll get back to you."

In the same move that he cut the com connection, Riddick turned and laid his shiv against Rafferty's jugular.

"You lied to the Captain. I should kill you for that. Two months ago, I would have. But, today, I'll give you a choice. You and Nagia continue this with your men and Syrus and I are out of here or ... "

A startled squeak interrupted him.

"No! I will not stay with him. I will not trust him to save my daughter!"

When Nagia's passionate explosion wasn't followed by a comment from Syrus, Riddick didn't have to look to know that the man was playing Caesar again. Riddick wasn't happy that Nagia had interfered with his play with Rafferty but he could understand why she had and, truth be told, he liked the fact that these few weeks under Jenna's care had given the woman the belief in herself that allowed her to make such a strong declaration. But that change wasn't enough to make her someone that Riddick had to worry about.

On the other hand Syrus could be a serious problem. Ok, he'd supported Riddick before but he was still playing mind games with him. Riddick had enough problems dealing with Rafferty without having to watch his back in case the psychotic corkscrew decided to twist in the other direction. Well, fuck him. Riddick felt obligated to get the snarky bastard back to the Hole breathing but the options were wide open on how he did that and if that included a few non-fatal injuries – well, that would be just too damn bad. That problem settled, he focused on the main one, giving Rafferty his best snarl.

"Looks like your choices just disappeared. Pull your men, all the way out, or they're cold meat and so are you."

To Rafferty's credit he didn't even try to argue or offer a compromise.

"I have a communicator in my robes."

At Riddick's short nod, the merc carefully extracted the device and called his men off using the same codes as he had given Jenna after the raid on the compound. Not that Riddick trusted that. Flipping the channel open to Rommy again, he took precautions of his own.

"Blondie, company should be leaving. Make sure they're out of the house and out of the yard. If they pull anything, ghost 'em. I'll be tagging everyone now. Can you separate the traces?"

"No problem. Give me the ids as you pass them out. I've already got you marked. By the way, they got life telemetry on them. Let 'stupid' know that if yours goes sour or if his is tossed we go to plan B."

The widening of Rafferty's pupils told Riddick that the man understood exactly what 'plan B' would be for him. He had no qualms about putting the now unnecessary shiv back into its sheath and beginning the process of tagging everyone. With Rafferty and Syrus he required that the trackers be hidden as his was, in their underwear.

"It's usually the last piece of clothing they remove completely even for torture."

With Nagia, he helped her secure it properly under her hair against her scalp. Skin contact wasn't as secure as being tucked inside a seam but necessary in this case. He didn't have to explain. The tight control that flashed behind her eyes told him that she understood how her treatment would differ from the men's if she were captured.

After double-checking with Rommy that the trackers were all working the way they should, Riddick cut the com line and the group proceeded with their day as planned. There were only three interruptions to that. The first involved the disposition of some larger purchases that would have been ordered delivered to the port for the berth no longer occupied by the BC that had to be redirected to a warehouse of Rommy's. The second was another conversation with Rommy to assure Riddick that Rafferty's men had indeed withdrawn, lifted off-planet and were headed toward a hyper gate. The last was a very short break in the silence between Riddick and Rafferty initiated by the merc.

"I really underestimated you, didn't I?"

"Yeah."

"And maybe the Captain, too?"

"Yeah."

By the time the group retired to the hotel for their evening meal and to prepare for the appointment with Peta Amiran, Rafferty seemed to have reevaluated his situation. As they ate, he attempted to give Riddick the complete plan he had for the meeting. Riddick cut him short.

"The outside is covered. Just tell me the plan for us on the inside."

With a resigned shrug, Rafferty complied.

"According to Nagia, the custom is for her to withdraw with the woman alone. However, if her off-worlder 'husband' demanded that he or a bodyguard accompany her, they might be scandalized but wouldn't question it like they would with a local. Since Syrus doesn't speak the language, I planned for you to accompany Nagia while I stayed with him."

Whether it was made for personal or political reasons, Riddick didn't like Rafferty's choice.

"No. I stay with Syrus." Then turning to Nagia, "Anything, even a bad feeling, you hit your panic button and scream your head off. Even if they get you, they won't keep you. You understand?"

"Yes."

He searched her face. There was anxiety but no real fear; just open, god- damned, fucking trust. Of course, she didn't know who he really was but still ... . What had Carolyn done to him? Put some kind of curse on him that other women could see? No ... Carolyn had marked him, all right, but this ... the witch that did this to him had sunshine sea eyes and the longest, most wicked legs he had ever had wrapped around him.

Glancing at Syrus he found a twisted, amused grin that seemed to confirm this thought and made him wonder if the man could read minds. But, just in case he couldn't, Riddick decided to make sure he knew what was expected of him.

"And you. You don't use your 'earring' unless I tell you to."

While Rafferty and Nagia were baffled by this reference, Syrus stared at Riddick with complete understanding but a bit of rebellion. He finally broke the face-off with a disparaging sneer.

"I shall certainly attempt to remain in corporeal form as long as I am in your company."

It wasn't a firm agreement not to resort to suicide but Riddick knew that it was the best he was going to get. Though Nagia still seemed puzzled, Rafferty's expression indicated that he now not only understood the exchange but was pretty pissed that Riddick had known this about Syrus and he hadn't. The affronted glare he directed at Syrus received a raised eyebrow and a smirk in reply and the merc dropped his eyes and concentrated on his plate. Riddick enjoyed an evil internal chuckle over that one.

The rest of the meal and the drive to the physician's residence were accomplished in silence, everyone deep in their own personal thoughts. The initial introductions and Nagia's and Rafferty's withdrawal with Peta went as expected, the woman was obviously shocked but her husband covered whatever he was thinking behind an oily grin as he quoted and accepted an outrageous fee.

Then, about five minutes after the group had been separated, all hell broke loose. Nagia's scream echoed into the waiting room and, almost immediately, Riddick felt the vibration of the pager against his waist. Syrus was a bare step ahead as they charged the doorway through which Nagia and Rafferty had disappeared. Both men had one of the miniature disrupters in one hand and a blade in the other, Riddick his shiv and Syrus a wicked looking long-bladed scalpel.

The room beyond the door, a seeming dead end, was empty. They had barely registered this fact when the door was slammed shut behind them. Riddick experienced an odd sour taste on his tongue. A split second later, Syrus cried out.

"Gas!"

Riddick knew it was probably too late but held his breath anyway as he kicked the door off its hinges and dragged a semi-conscious Syrus with him into the waiting room/office. He knew they were out of luck when he spotted Dr. Amiran slumped over his desk but still tried for the outer door. His lungs were burning from both the gas and a lack of oxygen as this door also fell beneath his heavy, booted foot. Stumbling into the courtyard, his world was already turning black when he felt the nerve tingle of the stunners.