THE MOTHER LODE BY ABRAXIS
Chapter 36 – Back in Space
After less sleep than he really wanted and several rude wake-ups caused by the dreams his unruly subconscious was forcing on him, Riddick finally gave up. In the conscious memories he could recall, say back to about age four or five, he couldn't remember having dream problems like this. He had the opinion of various yoyos that he had it before that and didn't have access to his previous memories because of it but he'd always thought that was a load of crap. Now, he wasn't so sure. Right now, he sure as hell would like to forget the last few hours and something like that would had to have been worse for a kid.
But he wasn't a kid, now. He'd worked long and hard to make sure that nobody could ever lay that kind of shit on him again. So why was it happening? One answer: Jenna. Something about her had crawled under his skin like nobody ever had; certainly not Beshue, not Jack, not even Carolyn Fry for all the changes he'd made in his life because of her.
So, what was he going to do about it? After several minutes of scalp massaging thinking, the only idea that didn't set some part of him screaming to kill something was to get back to the Hole and force her to give him a better answer than that fucking 'whatever you want it to be' shit.
With a vicious growl, he pulled his boots on and filled the weapons sheaths in them with his extra stunner and straight dagger from the luggage; something he hadn't wanted to do with Casmir watching before they had gone after Sulleman. He then headed back to the sitting room to see if he couldn't do something to hurry the process of getting his ass off of New Mecca. It eased his lousy mood a little when he found Nagia and the children gone and Casmir waiting there for him. The young man was busy with a large pile of folders and seemed a bit surprised at his appearing so quickly.
"I had been informed that you required sleep."
Seeing that there was a fresh buffet on ice, Riddick started piling bread, cold cuts, cheese and fruit on a plate.
"I did that. Now, I'm hungry."
If Casmir noticed the terseness of Riddick's reply or the tightly controlled anger under it, he didn't react to it.
"I have been in contact with my associates and all matters here on New Mecca are being dealt with. I am most anxious to complete our bargain and begin negotiations with the Princess Mira. When will you be ready to return to your ship?"
Riddick felt something turn over inside of him. He wanted nothing more than to set the plate back on the buffet and head immediately for the BC. He forced himself to add a large cup of strong coffee to his meal and sit down across the low table from the Prince.
"First, I'm going to eat. Then I'll have to meet whoever you're sending to talk to Mira. Next, I need to settle things with Rommy."
From the small, amused smile Casmir gave him, Riddick figured that he hadn't covered his first impulse very well. Well, hell, what did it matter? Who wouldn't want to get this shit over with and get back where he belonged? 'Belonged?' Shit! This thought bothered him so much he almost missed Casmir's next question.
"I'm afraid that Mr. Logan has returned to his own establishment. I can send a messenger to bring him back, if you would like?"
Riddick looked thoughtful for a moment to cover his initial inattention.
"No. I need to go there anyway. What about your man?"
"May I ask why you must speak to him?"
"Let's just say I like to know what the people I'm traveling with look like. I'm not gonna tell you who you can send but I want to make sure that he knows to stick to your business and keep his nose out of the group's. I figure that a little pre-convincing won't hurt."
Another amused smile from Casmir got him a hard look from Riddick until what he had to say took the edge off of it.
"I cannot doubt that you would be very convincing no matter who I chose but I can assure you that 'he' is not in need of it. After what Nagia has told me of the Princess' adjustment to the culture of your ship, I have decided that this matter would be handled better in a non-traditional manner. I will serve as my own envoy. And, yes, I have no intention of meddling in anything but my own purposes. I do not enjoy the political intrigue my own circumstances have forced upon me and I certainly do not wish to add another. How do you propose we arrange the exodus to your ship?"
Riddick gave the prince marks for deciding to handle the marriage proposal personally but wasn't happy with the idea of having to pack the BC from stem to stern with all the people and 'stuff' that he had seen accompanying most royals on any trip away from home, much less what the prince might consider necessary to go-a-courting.
"Just how many people are you planning on? The ship is long on cargo space but short on jump berths."
Casmir's answer surprised him.
"Other than the children you have purchased, I will be the only addition to your party. I do not wish the reason for my absence to become public knowledge unless I secure a positive outcome. My luggage will consist of only two trunks, one for my personal needs and one containing the proper gifts for the Princess. Some traditions must be adhered to."
A relieved Riddick added more points to the prince's credit.
"It will take me about an hour to settle with Rommy. Can you be ready to travel by then?"
"I am ready now."
Riddick glanced at the pile of files and raised an eyebrow.
"Merely busy work, nothing that my Major Domo cannot handle in my absence."
Riddick didn't quite believe that one but let it drop. The promise of a quick exit from New Mecca had almost erased his earlier dark mood. He quickly began discussing the way he wanted to handle the trip to the BC.
Casmir agreed that Riddick would take Syrus and Rafferty with him and that Casmir would be responsible for Nagia, the children and all the luggage, including that of the rescue party. He smiled wirily when Riddick refused to divulge the location of the BC but quickly agreed to a rendezvous point on the outskirts of the city and being led to the ship.
Riddick found that he wasn't surprised that Casmir was a qualified skimmer pilot for the type of commercial sized vehicle the larger group would require, something most royals considered a job for the hired help. This prince had been raised not to rely on his rank and privilege but on himself; to use it, yes, but not to allow it to limit him in any way. Riddick hoped that Casmir could accept a princess who had decided she wanted the same for herself.
When the plans were finalized, Casmir ordered one of the guards to rouse Syrus and Rafferty and another to see to it that Nagia and the children were prepared for the journey. It wasn't long before Riddick and his two companions, Syrus grumbling about barbarians who didn't understand the value of proper sleep and Rafferty still looking apprehensive, were being smuggled out of the compound and delivered to Rommy's building. Casmir must have called ahead. Rommy was expecting them, the doors to his lab area already open.
"Good. I get my test lab back. I should charge you extra, bucko. I'm behind on several projects because of garaging that little booby trap of yours."
"Stuff it, Rommy. You blew it at Amiran's place but you did good with Casmir. I'll see that you get the copy of it I promised."
"Always a pleasure doing business with you, Max. Just try to keep it simpler next time."
Riddick kept a straight face but was roaring with laughter on the inside. Rommy didn't know the half of how complicated it could have been if the group and their enemies had become involved. But, Rommy would be a good contact for Jenna.
"Well, if you like my business so much, if a lady ever tells you that Max sent her, you be sure to do right by her."
"Oh, I will. I certainly will. Anyone you call 'a lady' will be worth meeting."
Neither the gleam of interest in Rommy's pale eyes nor the quick smirk Syrus threw him set well with Riddick but he let it ride and turned his attention to the skimmer. Rafferty had been sidling toward it ever since they had entered the lab and he was getting too close.
"Don't touch it!"
The merc literally jumped back from the craft. As Riddick climbed into the pilot seat and disarmed the security destruct, he heard Rafferty questioning Syrus.
"Just what's that all about?"
"You heard the albino, Love, booby trapped; total vaporization, if I remember correctly. If anyone but our esteemed First Officer had touched it, there wouldn't even be pieces left to clean up. I suggest that you assume the same about the BC until he tells you otherwise."
Though Riddick appreciated the help in keeping the merc off balance, he didn't see the necessity of telling Syrus that he also could have safely used the skimmer and the BC, especially not where the merc could hear it. Besides, if Syrus knew that much about it, he probably also knew that any member of the Hole's crew would have been able to disarm it. Ordering them both into the skimmer and with a final nod to Rommy, he drove the skimmer out into the street, switched to flight mode and headed for the rendezvous point.
He had told Casmir that his business with Rommy would take longer than he knew it would for a reason. Arriving much earlier than the agreed upon time, Riddick made both an electronic and a visual scan for any unusual traffic. The area was a popular park and gardens but only in the daytime. At this time of night, any traps or surveillance that Casmir, or any of those associates he had spoken of for that matter, might have set up would have been obvious. Even after the prince's skimmer arrived, a deluxe model about twice the size of the bus the group had used on Derius 4, Riddick took plenty of time to make sure that there were no accompanying vehicles for a wide area around them.
He also used the skimmer's electronics to search for any tracking transmissions emanating from the bus. He found none and even the bus' normal traffic identification transmission had been disabled. When the side hatch opened, Riddick also made a scan of the interior of the bus. There were thirteen life-forms, all the right sizes. As promised, only Nagia and the children had accompanied Casmir.
All this was probably an unnecessary precaution since Casmir wanted this trip to go as smoothly and secretly as Riddick did. But old habits die hard. If they don't, you usually do. Landing next to the larger skimmer, he turned to Syrus.
"Can you pilot that bus?"
The doctor answered him with a raised eyebrow and a dour look.
"Who do you think pilots the group's bus? Max? Too short to reach the controls. Ben? Too excitable. One of the Ménage a Trios? Oh, please! Any one of them would take a hired limo to the loo if they could find a way to do it."
Riddick wondered if Syrus had the ability to use a simple 'yes' or 'no' and decided probably not.
"Then you go tell the Prince to shove over and head due south. I'll take the lead as soon as I'm sure that no one is following us." Then Riddick had a second thought. "Did you think to get your second stunner out of the luggage?"
"Of course."
Well, that was closer.
"Then if he gives you any trouble now or makes a move to take over the controls later, stun him. And tell him that if I read any transmissions coming off of that circus wagon, I'll shoot it down and worry about survivors later."
Damned if Syrus didn't give Riddick a look of approval before getting out of the skimmer, his stunner in his hand. As quickly as the bus became airborne after Syrus entered it, either he had stunned Casmir immediately or the man had cooperated without question. Riddick watched the bus' smooth assent and swift departure to the south and gave Syrus credit for being good at his word. Those behemoths could waddle like a ruptured duck if you didn't have a good touch for the controls.
After waiting a few moments to see if the bus' departure had attracted any attention, Riddick turned in his seat and, with no warning, stunned Rafferty. He had enough to watch out for without having the merc to worry about. Then, he jumped for altitude and did a full check of the area again. Satisfied that there was no immediate pursuit, he caught up with the bus and, following at a much higher altitude, continued to run checks for quite a while. Only when it was necessary to change the direction of flight, did he finally take the lead. Even then, he didn't go directly for the BC but ran a modified dogleg pattern until he was completely certain that Casmir was playing it straight.
Entry into the hold of the BC was made without any problems and Riddick made for the bridge while Syrus and Casmir, aided by a still woozy Rafferty, secured the vehicles with clamps and tie downs and helped Nagia settle the children into the cabins. He was ready for take off and waiting when Syrus and Casmir entered the bridge.
"Are they all secured?"
Casmir seemed totally mesmerized by the design and technology of the BC and it was doubtful he even heard the question. It was Syrus who answered as he directed the wide-eyed prince toward one of the front slots and took the other for himself.
"The children are two and three to a bunk but safely tucked in. And yes, before you ask, I did put Red into security lock down. I thought it would be more healthful for him than being stunned again." Then with a chuckle, "He must agree. He actually thanked me for it."
Riddick kept the weapons system at the ready and carefully monitored the security system for any threats while allowing Syrus to take the BC into space. Once they were safely speeding toward the location of the Hole, he relaxed and turned his mind to the other complications of their situation. That's when he discovered that Syrus wasn't doing as well as he was pretending he was.
As he turned to discuss what he had learned from Rafferty, Riddick saw a definite tremble in his hands and heard the tension in his voice of a man who was holding on by pure stubbornness and way too many pain meds. He was also getting paler by the minute. This irritated Riddick. There was no reason for Syrus to be pushing himself to that point rather than admitting that he wasn't up to it. Riddick interrupted him.
"Did you save one of those berths for yourself?"
Syrus blinked, caught off guard by the question. His allowing that to show solidified Riddick's opinion of his condition.
"Yes. Why?"
"Because you should be in it. We can save this until we're back in the Hole and Jenna can be in on it. I don't want to hear what she's gonna say if I bring you back in this condition. It's too bad we don't have one of those healing chambers on board."
"Actually, there is a portable model in stores."
Riddick ground his teeth in frustration.
"Then why aren't you in it!?"
Syrus snapped back in an equally nasty tone.
"I don't think I've got the strength to set it up."
Before Riddick could make any comment about the stupidity of that answer and turn the argument into a full fledged war, Casmir rose and stepped between them, volunteered to be the muscle in that procedure and gently but determinedly hustled Syrus off the bridge. However, he was back rather quickly.
"The chamber was heavy but not complicated to assemble. The doctor is checking its functioning now. I have come to request that you lock me into the cabin with him. That way I will be able to watch over him and you will be able to trust the ship on autopilot and rest as well. As phenomenal as your strength is, it has also been heavily tested. I do not think that I would care to have your captain feel that I am responsible for causing harm to the health of one of her people any more than you would."
Looking into Casmir's deep, dark eyes, Riddick read understanding but censure as well. He suddenly felt that he wasn't behaving much better than Syrus was. Caution was a better excuse than pride but he just might be carrying it a little too far.
"No, you wouldn't. But I'll get more rest if you're willing to take care of any problems Nagia and the kids might have." Then Riddick removed his stunner from his boot and set it on the next to lowest setting and held it out to Casmir. "If you have to let Rafferty up, don't let him out of your sight and keep this aimed at him. It won't put him totally out but it will make him easy to get locked down again if he doesn't behave."
Instead of taking the stunner, Casmir noted the setting on it, reached into his right boot and pulled out a slightly different model and set it to match. Then he gave Riddick another one of those gentle smiles.
"I am honored by your trust. I shall endeavor to deserve it."
Hell if Riddick didn't believe that he really meant it. He didn't have any trouble at all in allowing himself to fall into a restful sleep in the reclined slot after he had set the autopilot.
Riddick jerked awake and reached for the weapons controls before he realized that the alarm wasn't a security one but only the autopilot signaling that they were only an hour from the logged destination. He looked up to find Casmir seated in one of the front slots watching him. Shit, he must really have decided the man was trustworthy to have not awakened when he entered the bridge.
"How are things aft?"
At Casmir's questioning look, Riddick flipped a thumb toward the cabins.
"Oh, yes. Everything is fine. Nagia is supervising the children in the cargo area. I allowed Mr. Rafferty to get up twice, once to eat and again to relieve himself. He was well behaved both times and is locked down again. Syrus is still sleeping but should be awakened shortly, if not already. His color is much improved and his visible injuries seem to be almost completely healed. I assume the damage to his ribs will take longer but that machine is truly remarkable, much better than those available on New Mecca. I will need to find out why that is so."
Riddick's alarms went off. That kind of inquiry could cause the group problems.
"It may have improvements that the Company or the central government has kept for themselves. If you talk it over with Syrus or Jenna, they can probably help you get your hands on some of them anyway."
Casmir smiled widely.
"Now that is a truly noble item for a smuggler to deal in."
Riddick was still chuckling over the idea of 'noble smuggling' when Syrus walked onto the bridge, still looking sleepy but much better, carrying a tray of sandwiches and three mugs of coffee.
"Nagia has lowered me to the state of a domestic. Luncheon is served, gentlemen."
The rest had greatly improved both Riddick's and Syrus' tempers and they were back to enjoying each other's company during the meal. Casmir also proved to be a good social conversationalist but excused himself and left the bridge when Riddick and Syrus began discussing what Rafferty had revealed. The Prince was obviously making sure that he kept his word concerning not becoming involved in group business.
While Jenna might find a great deal more in the merc's information, what really interested Riddick was what he had to say about the bugs. It seemed that, in Rafferty's opinion, Sen hadn't been all that worried about the subtle and sophisticated tarantula but coldly angry over the relatively amateur bug placed in the hold.
To Riddick, that was solid proof that Sen was responsible for the tarantula and angry because the other bug had caused its being discovered. Syrus wasn't so sure.
"It could also be that he knows who is responsible for the tarantula and has them back under his control but doesn't know who planted the box in the hold. Max doesn't like not knowing things and one of the group doing things that he has no control over would really twist his tail. Also, even if he is responsible for the tarantula, we don't know his motive."
Riddick gave Syrus his best 'oh, yeah, right' look, prompting the man to explain that.
"You haven't been around Max nearly long enough to understand him. He is at his best playing both ends against the middle. I have often questioned how we could have gotten away with the building of these ships and all the materials we have acquired to supply them, not to mention the siphoning of funds for them and for the accounts we have set up for our use, without someone becoming aware of what we were doing. The tarantula may be the price for allowing us to do so.
"There has been quite a bit of movement toward challenging the take over of the Institute in the courts. The powers-that-be could easily have been convinced that the colony was the answer to that problem, all of their egg-heads in one basket via a voluntary migration and out of the jurisdiction of any planetary court. Now, whether Max sold us out completely or not is the question.
"In my opinion, he probably didn't. The double-cross is his forte and I don't believe he would want those bastards still on our back any more than I would. He may never have intended for the device to survive longer than our first few jumps, just long enough for them to trust him enough to relax their guard.
"I've studied the possible destinations that were plotted into the nav system and, while they all look good, I don't think that any of them are up to Max's usual standards. I think that they are red herrings and I don't think that we will find out where the colony is actually going to be located until Max is good and ready to tell us."
Riddick was still thinking about this when the autopilot signaled that they had reached their destination and he began a visual scan to locate the Hole. After the first scan failed to locate it, he cussed himself out royally for letting himself be distracted enough to miss it and started the scan again. When the second scan still didn't locate the Hole, Riddick tried to ignore the black hole that his stomach was turning into and reached for the com consol to send out a ping on the secure channel.
He didn't feel much better when the ping was returned. It was a message buoy, not the Hole, that answered. He ignored Syrus' repeated questions and concentrated on retrieving the buoy and downloading its message. Then, after reading it, he was too busy raving to answer.
"I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill the little gutter rat with my bare hands! I'm going to tear him into pieces and feed them to him!"
Then, he shut up because it was taking all his energy to keep from ripping the arms off of the command slot. Wisely, Syrus had become as silent as Riddick. When he finally got enough control to punch the proper buttons, Riddick transferred the message to the screen of the slot that Syrus was occupying. After a much longer time than was necessary for the man to have read it, Syrus finally spoke, his tone very neutral and calm with none of its usual bite.
"Why is it so disturbing that they are purchasing an auxiliary ship?"
After a few more deep breaths, Riddick finally answered.
"It's where they went to get it! That fucking Jeeter took them into the worst den of smugglers and pirates this side of the universe! And ... from what Jenna wrote, they should be back by now!"
"I'll help you kill him."
While Jeeter's fate seemed to be a given, how they were going to deliver it to him wasn't. Much as they hated the delay it would cause in their going after Jenna, both Riddick and Syrus agreed that Casmir, Nagia and the children had to be returned to New Mecca. Casmir and Nagia were just as adamant that they were not going back and for much the same reason, Mira. Then, it was Casmir, Riddick and Syrus against Nagia as to whether she and the children should be returned. They lost.
"I will not trust anyone else on New Mecca to protect us." Then the telling argument, "My Princess would not respect a man who would so abandon us. It is doubtful she would consider him suitable for her husband."
Casmir immediately switched sides and Riddick had had enough of the whole thing.
"Fuck it." He turned to Syrus. "Do we have enough hyper meds to dose everybody?"
"Yes."
"Then get 'em down and shoot 'em up. I'm entering the jump plot and heading toward the gate."
"What about revival meds?"
"The kids can sleep it off. Better for them anyway. Fix them for the adults. But I'm not waiting to jump. Fix your own first and be ready to drop everything when I call you to the bridge."
"The bridge?"
"I won't be able to leave the controls to come back there. And you're not getting the command slot, so bring one of the mattresses with you if you don't want to sleep on the bare deck."
The rush off of the bridge was dramatic and Riddick had to force himself to ignore what sounded like a grade school fire drill going on behind him as he headed the BC out system and began programming and fine-tuning the jump nav. The BC wasn't as smart as the Hole. She was better than anything Riddick had had his hands on since he was in the Forces. Actually, she was better than most of those, too. But she still required more time to prepare for a jump than her mother ship did.
They were nearing the point where Riddick needed to call Syrus to the bridge when he was finally satisfied with the nav entries and looked up to find the man huffing onto the bridge, dragging a bunk pad and bedding behind him. Riddick took the two syringes held out to him, one hastily marked 'sleep' and the other marked 'wake', and watched as the man made up his pallet, reclined on it with all the dignity of a sultan, flared a blanket to spread perfectly over him, gave his pillow a final fluff and relaxed into an excellent imitation of a boiled noodle.
"Ready whenever you are, stud."
Riddick chuckled. You just had to give the bastard an A for style. An A for good sense as well. It hadn't escaped Riddick's notice that Syrus only went fairy on him when no one else was around. Nor did he take it too far. There were no wrong moves when Riddick knelt beside him and gave him the 'sleep' hypo. As long as Syrus played his game that way, Riddick didn't have a problem with it. It was just Syrus' strange way of telling Riddick that he had accepted him as part of the 'family'.
As the ship neared the departure point for the jump, Riddick found himself wishing he could be sleeping soundly like everyone else on the ship. The jump was a short one but still too much time in the expanded senses of hyper with nothing but worry for Jenna on his mind. He really was going to make Jeeter pay for this one.
