Chapter Seven
As the Undertaker slipped through space toward the planet Aquila Three, Toombs sprawled in the command chair like a king on the throne. He had one leg casually thrown over the arm of the chair and was bouncing his foot in time to a music that only he could hear. As he watched his crew move the ship slowly into orbit, he scratched lazily at a sideburn—the picture of studied boredom. They had finally reached the end of Jericho's sweep to drop all the bounties that Chillingsworth had acquired but never cashed in, and Toombs was ready for some down time before heading back out on another run.
As he lounged, allowing his crew to work, Toombs let his mind drift back over the twenty-four months, since he had promoted himself to Captain and owner of the ship. Things had been going extremely well. During the dry-dock, repair session, Twitch had actually been able to make improvements to the ship that made her better than she'd been when she belonged to Chillingsworth. Moreover, Jericho had apparently been conservative in some of his estimates—they were about a million UD ahead of his original numbers. Then there was Kyra.
His face stretched into a Cheshire-cat grin at the thought of Kyra. He had fully expected his relationship with her to slip into friendly camaraderie when one or both got bored with the sex, but it hadn't. However, much to his surprise, they'd grown closer to one another. It was an odd experience for him. Toombs didn't really have any long-term 'relationships' other than Mare, and with her it wasn't sexual, it was more platonic, like… family. His bond with Kyra was most assuredly not platonic.
He'd also found they worked extremely well together. In the course of cashing in the bounties that Chillingsworth had accumulated, his team had also made numerous new captures to add to the total. Toombs and Kyra had a natural rhythm that made them quite successful when hunting together. They were even developing something of a reputation in the merc world. Another point in Kyra's favor, even Mare liked her. ("You've finally found someone who isn't a total nebula, Gabe," she'd told him recently. "Take my advice and don't fuck it up.")
They were still sparring partners, but because of a tendency for their workouts to end in both of them naked and having sex on the mat, Toombs had built a small private gym into his quarters. It was actually part of Chillingsworth's former conservatory, which had been left empty after they removed all the bounties that she had kept as art. So the sex hadn't gotten boring. In addition to their 'combat training', they had made good use of the myriad nooks and crannies that were inevitably part of a ship that big. One game they liked to play was to stalk one-another to some secluded part of the ship and 'attack'. Through some unspoken agreement, they took turns being the hunter and the hunted—almost like a children's game of tag only with a very grown-up conclusion.
"Beginning final orbital insertion, Captain," the pilot's voice jerked him from his reverie. Toombs shook off the memory realizing that he had slipped into a light doze. He chuckled quietly to himself at the pilot's choice of words, considering the topic of his thoughts: 'Insertion'…good one!
"Orbital insertion complete, Captain Toombs," the pilot said formally as he completed the maneuver, innocently unaware of his captain's amusement. He then placed the ship on autopilot and retracted the con station, which had covered his head, while he performed the maneuver.
"Hot damn!" Toombs answered in acknowledgement. He drew himself upright and stretched languidly. "All right, ladies, let's ring the doorbell and see if anybody's home."
The communications officer had grown used to his captain's rather non-standard turn of phrase and immediately hailed ground control and sent the appropriate identification codes. "Aquila Three Control, this is Mercenary Vessel one-niner-seven-two dash oh-six-one-eight, the Undertaker, requesting permission to deploy landing craft."
"Roger that, Undertaker, this is ATC. Permission granted. Welcome to the Aquila system."
"Alright, people," Toombs boomed. "Last stop. Let's get those bounties unloaded so we can grab some well deserved R and R."
Turning to Mare who had appeared beside him he commanded, "Set up a shore leave schedule that'll let everyone have a chance to go stretch their legs."
"Already done," she said, handing him a reader that contained the schedule. "Kyra and I took care of it yesterday."
"Damn, woman, you're too good for me!" he said enthusiastically as he scanned the schedule.
"You're fucking right about that," Kyra agreed as she appeared on his other side and rested a hand on his shoulder. "With regard to both of us."
He wrapped his arm around her waist and rested his hand on her hip pulling her against the side of his chair. "I notice we're on the same shore leave rotation," he rumbled as he gave her a grin.
"One other thing, Gabe," Mare said, before the two got too caught up in each other. "We received a communication from the planet. Someone wants to hire us for a special assignment. It doesn't say what the assignment is, but there is a date and time with an address. And they've offered 50,000 UD just for taking the meeting. What should I tell them?"
"Fifty-K for a fucking meeting? Tell them HELL YES!"
Toombs dropped into the pilot's seat of the new command shuttle, which he had dubbed the Purgatory. As Twitch had predicted, it had set him back about six million UD, but it was truly a thing of beauty. As he settled himself, Mare slipped into the copilot's chair and Kyra sat down in the seat directly behind him. He ran his hands lovingly over the controls as he powered up the ship's systems, gently caressing the switches on and finally ending with his hands resting on the flight yolk.
He heard Kyra lean forward behind him. She slipped her hand under his arm… He felt a sharp pinch on his right side, "Hey! What the fuck?"
He swiveled his chair to face her and she gave him a sexy grin, "I'm not gonna have to start getting jealous am I?"
Toombs chuckled and reached to pull Kyra into his lap, then caught sight of Mare sitting across from him wearing a long-suffering expression. He stopped with his hands on Kyra's waist: "Fuck. Almost forgot we're not alone."
Mare crossed her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes then informed them, "Look, children, normally, I'd just leave but we do have an appointment, so could you hold off for just a little longer? That's all I ask, wait till after we have the 50-K and then you can fuck like Tangerian squirrel-rats."
Toombs shifted his eyes to Kyra's face. Her eyes held the promise that they would indeed make good on Mare's suggestion later that evening. "I'm gonna take you up on that," he informed quietly. With another low chuckle, he released her and lightly slapped her ass. He then turned back to the console and finished prepping the ship.
"Strap in, I'm gonna have some fun," he told them with a wicked grin. Toombs expertly guided the big shuttle out of the flight bay and angled it downward through the atmosphere toward San Roma, the capital city of Aquila Three. They had a little more than an hour before the meeting- ample time to see what his new toy could do. After they broke atmosphere, he opened the shuttle up marveling at how maneuverable the large ship was. He executed a series of complex swoops and dives just enjoying the ship's response.
After allowing him about fifteen minutes of fun, Mare claimed his attention with a single word: "Time."
Damn. But it wouldn't do to miss the meeting and miss out on the money. Besides, I wanna find out who these fuckers are, he thought. He had made some discreet inquiries- well, Mare had- but hadn't been able to determine whom his mysterious would-be employer was or why someone would pay 50,000 UD for the privilege of just talking to him. Of course if they were willing to pay it, he was willing to take it. He could always tell them to fuck off as soon as he had it.
He guided the shuttle down to one of the private landing pads that were clustered to the north of the city around its space dock. He'd contracted for three of them to be available while they were in orbit so that his crew could all have a chance for some shore leave. Currently, two of the Pallbearers were parked to the left of the slot where he deftly landed the Purgatory. Toombs turned, grinned at the two women and said, "Well, my beauties, let's go see what the fuck's up."
The three exited the shuttle, caught a transport pod and arrived at the appropriate place with about 15 minutes to spare. The building was an enormous elegant structure of glass and metal with swirls of ironwork that from a distance looked almost like filigree. Up close they were revealed to be heavy support beams as thick as a person's body in some sections; however, size of the structure and the way the iron had been laid over the building gave the feeling of delicacy.
The trio paused just inside the revolving doors through which they'd entered the building. The view was impressive. The lobby was an enormous atrium filled with natural light that supported a veritable jungle of exotic plants. To one side of the giant room, a 10-meter tall natural-rock waterfall stood. It sent an unending cascade into a large pool that dominated one side of the room. Surrounding the pool were a series of braziers of varying height that burned in a range of colors. The air was rich with the scent of water vapor and growing things and another spicy odor that Toombs attributed to the torches.
"Lovely," Mare breathed softly, on one side of Toombs.
"Yeah," Kyra agreed also in a soft voice from his other flank. "I especially like the whole fire thing."
"Fucking waste if you ask me," Toombs groused shaking his head and searching for the information desk. He finally spotted it nestled amidst part of the plant life opposite the waterfall. "If you wanna be outside with water and air and shit, just fucking go outside! No need to waste a lotta money bringing that shit inside."
"Gabe, you have no poetry in your soul," Mare informed him with a pained expression.
He grinned back at her. "Fuck poetry in my soul. I'd rather have money in my pocket." Kyra snickered and he dropped an arm companionably around her shoulders as Mare shook her head at his deliberate lack of culture.
As they crossed to the desk, the young lady behind it took looked at them with a vague expression of distaste, but took their names pleasantly enough. After calling up their file on her computer station, she gave them an appraising look as though reevaluating them completely. She then became much friendlier calling Toombs "Sir" and personally guiding them through an almost invisible opening in the tangle of plant life. The leafy corridor led toward the back of the building and eventually opened into another room with a large set of double doors. A smaller pair of fountains, topped with more torches and splashing water into another large pool, flanked the door.
Their guide opened the doors and ushered them through. She then bowed to them and exited closing the portal behind her. The strange room was enormous with dim lighting that cast the walls into shadow. As far as the mercs could tell, the room was empty except for four large throne-like chairs that were covered with intricate carvings. Uncharacteristically silent, Toombs looked at his two companions with a puzzled expression. Both, obviously no more enlightened than him, simply shrugged and moved slightly closer to him automatically stepping into a three point defensive stance.
This is getting weird. I hate weird. Weird is dangerous; it gets you dead, he thought as his frustration mounted. His eyes roved around the room looking for a clue as to why they had been brought here. His hand reflexively moved to a spot on his right hip, which was currently empty. "Wish I had my gun," he muttered under his voice.
At his comment, a melodious voice floated out to greet them from their left. "Your weapon will not be necessary here, Gabriel Toombs."
"Fuck!" Toombs exclaimed as he whirled to face the voice instinctively flexing his knees into a fighting stance. He was pleased to note that the women with him had reacted similarly: That's my girls.
A slight figure drifted out from the wall gliding over the floor almost as though it was floating. The person was heavily cloaked in a voluminous blue-black robe that completely hid the wearer from view. Toombs couldn't be certain if the person was male or female, but he thought of 'her' as a woman. The voice sounded feminine and she stood only a little over a meter and a half tall. However, in spite of her size, she carried herself as though she were used to authority and expected obedience. When she offered no sign of aggression, Toombs relaxed from the fighting stance, but remained tense and watchful.
The woman moved to the left center chair and sat regally. After she was seated, three other figures detached themselves from the shadows behind the large chairs and claimed their seats. They all wore the same dark colored robes and had the same aura of authority as the first woman. The one who took the other center chair was a massive figure, as large as the first was petite. The giant definitely had a masculine aura. He stood at least two meters tall and was a good meter wide. There was a sense of solidity about him that gave one the impression that none of his bulk was from fat.
The other two were both moderately built. The one on the right was only a few centimeters shorter than the big guy and moved with a sinewy liquid grace. Toombs got a male vibe from this one as well. The final figure- whose movements made Toombs think female- seemed to snap with scarcely contained energy as though she could explode into motion at any moment. For a long time the figures sat simply regarding them or so it seemed; the trio of mercs couldn't actually see the figures' faces to tell where they were looking. Altogether, it was like being peasants in the presence of kings and queens and it definitely pissed off Toombs.
"Okay, where's the money you promised me?" he snapped as he reached the end of his patience and they still had not spoken. "Not that this whole 'lord of the manor' thing ain't fun-it ain't-but I only came here for one reason."
The original petite woman made a small motion with her hand. A tall dark-haired man in impeccable business attire stepped from the shadows to their right and crossed the room carrying a small metal tray. Just how many people are they hiding back there anyway? Toombs thought in annoyance.
As the man neared them, Toombs discerned the distinctive rectangular shape of a credit chip sitting on the tray. Mr. Businessman stopped directly across from Toombs and presented the tray with a flourish. Toombs sneered at the man and grabbed the card. Unfazed, the man bowed slightly and disappeared into the shadows from whence he came.
Toombs glanced at the card then passed it to Mare. She inspected it briefly then slipped it into a slot on the small reader she unclipped from her belt. The screen flashed immediately verifying the authenticity of the card and then displayed 'UD 50,000'. Mare smiled tightly and nodded to Toombs before clipping the reader with the card still inside back into its holster.
After the exchange, the robed woman's voice floated to them once more, "Did you not trust that we would pay you the money we had freely offered you, Mr. Toombs?"
"Hey, listen, sweetheart, it's nothin' personal," he told her. "I trust everyone, but I still cut the cards. Now, you've paid a pretty amount for my attention. What the hell do you want?"
"We wish to hire you, of course," the giant finally spoke; his voice was a deep bass rumble that reminded Toombs of distant thunder.
"No shit! And here I thought you'd paid me all that money cause you wanted to invite me to tea."
"There is an individual we wish for you to retrieve for us. Our indications are that she even spent some time on your ship," the tall thin figure stated ignoring Toombs' sarcasm. His soft tenor voice flowed like liquid, an extension of his physical demeanor. The arm of his robe moved, and the businessman reappeared, this time bearing a reader. He presented the reader to Toombs, bowed again and once more disappeared into the shadows.
Toombs looked at the name that was displayed on the reader: Page, Jacqueline Audrey. Never heard of her. It included a picture of a pretty girl of 15 or 16 with chin length brown hair. From the set of her jaw and the expression in her eyes, Toombs surmised she'd probably be a hellion, but she didn't look familiar.
"Cute kid, but I've never seen her. She damn sure wasn't on my ship. We ain't got any kids, just a bunch of mercs," he informed the robed foursome.
"Please continue reading, Mr. Toombs. Perhaps something may strike a chord," the big guy requested.
Toombs clicked through the pages of data on the screen. It was pretty standard stuff: date and place of birth, some school records, list of planets visited and durations in cryo. There were images of her at a variety of different ages. He almost laughed aloud when he saw the words 'Known Alias: Jack B. Badd' attached to a picture of her with a shaven head. Apparently the kid was a runaway, but somehow and for some reason, these people had info tracking her around the known galaxy.
Shit, this kid has done some traveling, he thought with respect as his eyes scanned the list of planets she'd visited. Finally, his gaze landed on a very familiar name in the section labeled 'Known Associates.' The hair on the back of his neck rose as Toombs snarled, "Riddick."
Then he remembered. She must be the kid that Riddick had with him when Chillingsworth picked him up.
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the group seated across the room, but admitted cautiously, "Yeah, I've seen her before. What the hell does this have to do with me?"
"We believe that she may have information regarding the current whereabouts of Richard B. Riddick. We would like for you to retrieve her for us so that we may obtain this information," the skinny guy told him matter-of-factly.
"You want me to kidnap a… well… a kid?" he asked genuinely shocked. "Look, people, I don't know what you've heard about me, but I'm a legitimate business man. I don't generally go around abductin' teenagers unless they're wanted by the law. I didn't see anything in this file to indicate that."
"We are willing to pay you handsomely," the first woman said reassuringly. "And once we have the information about Riddick's location, we would also be interested in contracting with you for his retrieval as well. The fee would be 750,000 UD for retrieval of the child and then an additional 1.5 million UD when we have Riddick."
"Hey, I'll be happy to fetch Riddick for ya. I owe that boy a big one. I just don't feel too keen on grabbing a kid."
The woman stood and moved a step forward. A note of intractable steel permeated her musical voice. "Please note that it is our desire that the same mercenary company perform both halves of the job. If you are unable to perform the first portion, then we will not be contracting with you for the second portion."
Toombs turned to Mare and Kyra with his annoyance at being manipulated plain on his face. "I don't go for this cloak-and-dagger shit. What do you think? "
"I don't know, Gabe," Mare said eyeing their would-be employers. "I don't trust 'em. Something just don't seem right, here. Like maybe we're getting in over our heads."
"Yeah, Toombs," Kyra agreed. "I know it's a lot of money, but those people make me prickly. This could turn out real bad."
Toombs nodded. He hated to let go of a chance to nab Riddick, but this didn't feel right to him either.
As he prepared to refuse the offer, the robed woman's voice reached them again. "I strongly urge you to agree to our most generous offer, Mr. Toombs. You see; we found some interesting information about you and your ship in our research. It seems you were listed as being in the employ of an Antonia Chillingsworth who owned a ship called the Kubla Khan. That ship was lost some time back… Right around the time your Undertaker arrived on the scene."
The words hung in the air between them as Toombs turned to face them once more. "Are you threatenin' my ship?"
"Not at all, Mr. Toombs," she responded. "But a mercenary ship is not much use unless it is on the hunt for bounties. Investigations can take months, even years. What is the old saying… 'Time is money'? It would be very regretful- and I'm sure most expensive- if you were forced to remain here while the authorities made a full official investigation into the Kubla Khan' disappearance."
"They've got us over a barrel, Gabe," Mare said from behind him, echoing his own thoughts.
Toombs snarled with barely contained fury. These people were playing hardball- there was no way to get his crew back to the Undertaker and break orbit before Port Control completely locked them down. Well, he wasn't going to give up the ship. He had spent too many years scraping by from one bounty to the next to let go of it that easily now that he had it. "Looks like you've bought yourself a boat of mercs. But I got one question… Why'd ya have to pick me to fuck with, huh? There's plenty of lowlifes out there who wouldn't bat an eye at grabbin' this kid. Why not hire one of them?"
"Simple, Mr. Toombs. We wish her to be returned to us, shall we say, undamaged. If your reputation is accurate, you will do this for us where other 'lowlifes' might not," the fourth figure finally spoke in a warm, husky, feminine voice. "Besides, you have encountered Richard B. Riddick in person and lived to tell the tale. As you probably know, that is a rather uncommon feat among the ranks of mercenaries."
A/N:
I wanted to thank everyone who has posted feedback. I must say, it warms my heart and I get excited each time I read a new comment.
As for Riddick/Jack soon, it'll be a while. But Riddick WILL be in the story later. Like I said, this is Jack's story and she's still just a kid. I really like the Riddick/Jack pairing, but she needs to be old enough and experienced enough that it will be a relationship between equals not between an adult and a hero-worshipping child. The second is (quite frankly) rather squicky to me. So, Riddick fans, bear with me, and please keep reading.
