Thanks to these reviewers:
TotallyRiddickObsessed – but an arrogant jerk who deserved that beating. Yep, I'm siding with Liege.
FluidDegree – hey that's fine, I mean it's absolutely awesome that you're reviewing to start with.
tamekabu – glad you think so. There is more background in this chapter, well, towards the end of it, but I believe there will be…one more chapter and an epilogue? Maybe two and an epilogue?
Chapter XXXXI: Farewells and a Glimpse into Liege
As expected, Liege didn't sleep and sat in the pilot's chair, recalling the grand total of four lessons on how to fly a ship. She had checked the occupants of the rooms and found that Falc had watched Rick while he slept in the med bay, recovering from her beating. After she and Khan had talked thoroughly of fate and other bothersome subjects, he had left the ship to wrap up a few business transactions before he left with her. With an energy drink almost dangling from her hand, Liege had her feet propped up on the controls and was watching the sky from her seated position. Soon she would flying up there, and she hoped all the right instincts would come to her call when she did. She also tried to put that last event she had gone to out of her mind.
Sighing, she briefly thought of Jack and Liege and decided to leave Jack a memo that if she could bring her stuff back to the ship that would be very good time-wise. Distracted, Liege hoped that Riddick had convinced Jack that the battle in Liege's family was one she should stay out of. Feeling a pang of loneliness, Liege stood to work out some excess energy in the gym when a light began to blink on the panel. Cursing when she saw it was a call from home, probably where they were keeping her father, Liege considered what to do. She certainly had to answer it or they would know something went wrong. Biting her lip, an idea came to her and she typed the equivalent of an away message, saying that the crew had left the ship to celebrate capturing Riddick.
She sighed a breath of relief when the call signal ended and then cursed again when she realized that she would have to leave as soon as possible, most likely tomorrow. And tomorrow would be in a scant four hours. Liege hated to do this, but she had to contact Jack, probably disrupting her sleep with Riddick.
Deciding to contact Khan first, she quickly dialed in the call number and waited for him to connect. The screen soon flickered with a tired face of Khan.
"Is something the matter, sir?" He asked, already accustomed to have Liege as his commander.
"No…well, yes. We need to leave within the next four hours. 'm goin' to place a request for takeoff, and I need ye here. Ye finished yerr last business, I assume."
"Yes, sir."
"Good, pack up and get here as fast as ye can. Luckily we've got enough food and medical supplies for the trip. If ye think we will be needin' anything, pick it up." She finished the call, cutting the signal. She had to be the leader now and as much as she hated ordering him around like that, it had to be done.
Closing her eyes, mentally preparing herself for the next call, Liege dialed in the call number from memory. She had to wait longer for the answer, but when the screen came up, she winced to see the annoyed face of Riddick.
"Let me speak to Jack." She said, her tone even and cold.
"Jack's sleeping. Tell me."
"No. Get 'er up. I don't have time for this, Riddick. Get. Her. Up." She ordered, wondering how he of all people would take this change.
A snort was her answer as she heard him gently awaken Jack, who cursed at his bad timing. Hearing the light padding of feet, she was greeted by a sleepy Jack.
"Jack."
The voice snapped her friend awake, her cloudy eyes now focused and alert.
"Liege? Why are you calling?"
"I'm takin' off in a few hours, 'n I need me stuff from Imam's house. Can ye get it here? Tis just the bag." Her previously tense voice relaxed, as if speaking to Jack as the friend she was, not ordering her around.
Liege watched as Jack's face fell, then regained a sort of tired composure. She was clearly tired from the fight and the added stress of knowing of Liege's departure didn't help at all.
"Alright, I'll get it now and I'll head over with Riddick. Need anything else? Food or something?" She offered, as if Liege was going on a picnic and not returning home.
"No, thas plenty. Ye two got plans yet?" She asked, relieved that Jack was taking this alright. And to think there was the possibility of them returning to school this year.
"Yeah, we're going to leave Helion Prime on our own ship-"
"MY SHIP!" Riddick's voice boomed out from the darkness behind Jack. Liege smirked as Jack rolled her eyes.
"Whatever, his ship. Anyway, we're going to just…travel around I guess."
"Sounds lovely. Can ye give me the call number of the ship, just in case I need to reach ye and grumpy guss?"
She didn't need to wait for Riddick to come over because the moment after she called him a grumpy guss, his annoyed face came into view.
"Grumpy guss? Christ, Liege. Yeah, here's the call number." He typed it in and it transferred straight into the memory of Liege's ship. "So I guess that wild animal sex I was going to have with Jack is being put on hold?" Liege smirked at the outraged yell Jack gave at Riddick's comment.
"'m afraid so. I'll be expectin' ye two soon."
"Got it. C'mon, Jackie girl, time to get dressed." And with that, the connection was cut. Liege was content knowing that went well, maybe it being a look into the future. Hopefully Jack would be that good-natured about saying goodbye to her. Somehow, she doubted it.
Leaving the main control room, Liege quietly walked the hallways, intending on finding the med bay. Stopping at the door, she tapped in the code and bulletproof glass door whooshed open. She mused that she had ordered the glass in the med bay door to
be refitted with bulletproof glass.
'Nothing like paranoia,' she thought as she found Rick bandaged up and sleeping soundly on a bed. Falc was sitting in a chair next to him, fast asleep and holding his friend's hand lightly. 'Perhaps Rick's been hidin' something, too.'
"Falc." She spoke quietly, hoping to only wake up him and not Rick. She wasn't in the mood to explain her actions. She tried again and his eyes fluttered open and he looked at her, still tired.
"Liege? What is it?"
"Change of plans, mate. This ship be leavin' in less then four hours. Ye need anything off ship?"
"No, I already contacted Jack and asked her to bring Rick and mine belongings. May I ask why?"
"No. I'll be givin' a brief after departure. 'm goin' to ask ye to be with Rick when we take off. Don't want anything happenin' to our dear Italian durin' take off."
"Will be done."
"As I expected. Oh, 'n Falc?" She asked, forcing him to draw his gaze away from the sleeping form of Rick.
"Yes?"
"When we get home, 'm afraid ye'll have to refer to me as 'sir'. Tis a bit of standard. If ye don't, a) Khan will be after ye 'n worse b) me da and 'is men will be after ye." She reminded, leaving the med bay.
Glad at the lack of fatigue she was feeling, Liege walked into the main room to find Khan sitting in the co-pilots seat. Sitting herself in the pilot's seat, she sighed.
"Khan, how the 'ell did ye get in?"
"I took the liberty of memorizing the entrance code."
"Ah. I see. Ready to go home?"
A silence met Liege and she looked over to find Khan staring out of the ship, watching the sky. The sun was beginning to rise and a few birds flew in the air. Deciding not to bother him about it, she went to work requesting take-off. When she about to call in, Khan's strong hand gripped her wrist.
"I will do it. There is no need for the captain and commander to be doing this sort of work. And I believe Riddick and Jack are waiting outside." He said, taking control briefly. Nodding her thanks, she went to the door and opened it, walking down the ramp to greet them.
Riddick tossed her the bag and she caught the strap with one hand then threw it directly into the ship. Continuing down she was met with a stone-faced Jack and a surprisingly uneasy Riddick.
"I'll let you kids have some time together." Riddick quickly said, excusing himself to go up into the ship. As he walked up the ramp, Liege frowned. What the hell had happened in her absence?
"Jack, what's up?" She asked, approaching her friend who looked angry now.
"You're leaving, that's what's up." She growled, turning away. She didn't care that she was being super immature, but to her it wasn't fair that she had to leave Imam and that Liege was leaving her.
"Oh c'mon, let's go for a walk." Liege sighed, annoyed that this was going to be harder then it should've been. Gently taking Jack's arm she steered her to the exit of the port. The port was situated right on the edge of desert, where the light sky blue pools spotted the golden sands, like leopard spots. Or so Jack thought.
"Liege, how the hell am I going to know you're going to be alright? I mean, you said yourself, it's a dangerous business. How are you going to manage without me and Riddick? We really could help." Jack started, knowing that she wouldn't go back on her plans with Riddick, but she need to know why Liege was doing this.
"'m part of this family, I've been raised to step to this position. 'sides, ye and Riddick gave me a firm start, so 'm goin' to alright. 'n it isn't as if I've got no backup, there is an entire family of fighters waitin' for me return. 'cept they don't know it's really soon that I will. Yes, ye two could and would undoubtedly help, but like I said, ye shouldn't be caught up in this." She said back, still calm. They were on the sand now, taking a slower pace. Dawn was had arrived, but the heat of the midday suns didn't make the sands unbearable to walk on.
"I'm going to miss you." Jack said, not looking at Liege who was also not looking at Jack.
"I know, lass, me too. But ye've got Riddick, don't forget tha'." Her voice died down, remembering what had happened just a few hours ago.
She had thanked Riddick for gathering the bodies and separating Kell's. Then she and Khan had left for the area where Riddick had quickly hidden them. In silence they had set up the funeral pyre with wood Khan had brought. Liege wasn't unfamiliar with this form of 'passing on' and knew how to set up the wood and Khan knew as well.
As Khan soaked the dry wood with burning oil he had brought with him after he had finished his last business, Liege carried Kell's body farther off and created a special pyre, where she could easily collect his ashes to bring back with her. She decided that there, at home, she would release them into the wind so Kell could rest in peace at home. When this was finished, she walked back to the area where the others were going to be cremated and with the appropriate prayers in Gaelic, she set it afire, watching as the flames licked and eventually covered the bodies of those who had fallen.
She didn't care if the smoke attracted anyone, it had to be done in order to honor them. When the last ash had fallen, Khan helped her pick up handfuls of ashes and spread them to the wind, whispering a prayer with each. When they finished, Liege led Khan to the single pyre where Kell peacefully rested. The moment her eyes rested on his pale face and bloodied torso, her throat tightened. Unbidden tears fell as she lit the pyre, the blaze quickly traveling across the wood.
Khan stepped back to let Liege have her privacy as the body was cremated. His head bowed in respect, he was surprised to hear Liege begin to sing. He had caught on small phrases of Gaelic and even with that little knowledge, tears too came to his eyes when he listened to the song. It was an honoring hymn that begged for mercy from the rulers of the mythological Celtic underworld and blessings from the god of war. Yet the last of the few verses were that of expressing love to the deceased. Khan had to close his eyes and turn away, for the words tugged at his heart, reminding him of the hymn that Liege's father had sung for her mother when she died.
When he looked back, Liege was simply humming a tune of what Khan remembered as good fortune and she was collecting Kell's ashes and carefully putting them in a jar that had Gaelic blessings written on the outside. Done, she stood and looked at Khan, who had recovered from what he considered a moment of weakness.
Without words, Liege turned and began to walk back, the sealed jar carried in front of her with both hands. She then continued a quiet singing as Khan followed behind.
"Liege, I'm sorry about Kell. I know I barely met him, but from what I assumed…" she trailed off, not knowing how to show her condolences.
"Tis fine, Jack. Come, let's return to the ship. I'll be leavin' soon 'n Riddick will want to know where ye are." She turned her hell in the sand, sliding down a small dune. Jack followed her and the two walked in silence for a few moments. "I know ye haven't been considerin' it, but I think Riddick would make a great da."
"…no, you're right. I haven't been considering it, but thanks for the compliment, I'm sure Riddick will be…pleased." Jack answered, at first a little alarmed then it fell into amusement. "You know, he said he loved me."
"Did 'e really? Thas fantastic, luv. Congratulations. If we 'ad more time I would throw a party. Trust me, I got the drinks to last for at least three parties in the ship." This made Jack laugh aloud as they entered the port again, heading towards the ship.
Jack walked up the ramp first, Liege behind her. Taking lead, Jack was led to the med bay. Not sure why she was there as Liege tapped in the security code, Jack racked her brain. Had someone gotten hurt?
"I figured ye'd want to say goodbye to Rick 'n Falc as well." Liege explained as she stepped aside to show an awake Rick, still heavily bandaged and a watchful Falc, who stood at the entrance of his two friends.
"RICK! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!" Jack yelled, motioning towards all the wounds and bruises that were visible over the light cover.
"Liege got pissed off at me." He answered, his voice not his usual sarcastic tone. Jack spun at Liege who just gave a cold glare, not willing to explain. "Don't worry, Jack, I had it coming. Though I wish someone else had given it to me instead of her. Fucking hell, she really knows how to beat a guy up."
"That she does, Rick. So, you're gonna be draggin' your lazy ass to wherever I may be in the future, cause this is goodbye. Well, just goodbye until we meet next." She replied, looking down at her friend.
"Yes, we know. It's sad, I was hoping we could have more time here." Falc said, glancing over Rick, as if checking for any worsening conditions. Finding none, he looked up again and Liege and Jack. The latter rounded the bed and hugged Falc tightly, sad that she was leaving him too. "Oh Jack, like you said, I'm quite sure we'll meet again."
"Course, you know, just a little hard to say goodbye. It's not like we'll be meeting in school or something." She replied, stepping back from Falc and moving to lay a gentle hand on Rick's forearm. "Take care of yourself, Rick, don't let Liege beat you up too much."
A snort was given in reply as Rick winced from his bruised ribs. Pulling himself up slightly he weakly opened his arms for an embrace and Jack lightly hugged him. Stepping back she nodded at Liege who opened the door to the med bay and let Jack through. Giving a last glance at Rick and Falc who looked away when she watched them, Liege let the door close behind and followed Jack to the main room, where Riddick would undoubtedly be.
Sure enough, he was in the pilots seat, having a light conversation with the merchant. He stopped mid-sentence when Liege entered and stood.
"Sir." He greeted her, with a terse nod. Waving him down, Khan sat again and didn't fail to notice the confused look on Riddick's face. Since when Liege, younger than Khan, was 'sir'?
"Ready to go, Jack? We can leave tonight." He said, standing and walking over to her.
"Yeah, sounds good. Lemme just say bye to Liege." Turning to her friend, she sighed and looked at her very what seemed hours, but was only a few silent minutes. Liege moved her hand and unsheathed a blade, the one she had bought from Khan. In return, Jack lifted the chain that held Riddick's ring over her head and both held out the items for the other. In relative silence, Jack found a place for the knife in her pants and Liege slipped on the chain, comforted by it's weight.
"Ye'll be hearin' from me shortly." Liege said, holding out her arm. Jack gripped it in the same Roman fashion as before. As she bit her lower lip, Liege, in an uncharacteristic display of affection, pulled Jack into a brief hug. "Stay strong 'n beat the shite out of Riddick while ye be havin' sex, alright?"
Jack's response was a roll of the eyes then a gentle smack on Liege's arm. Riddick was amused as well, wondering how so many sex comments about him and Jack made it into one day.
"Will do. Have no fear, Riddick will be domesticated and tame by the next time we meet. Take care of yourself. And tell you dad I say hi." Jack replied, ignoring the snort of disbelief next to her.
No more words were spoken as Riddick and Jack left the ship. With the ramp pulled up and locked in, Liege sent Khan to the med bay to tell them that they were taking off soon. Strapping herself in, she readied the ship, pausing only to watch Riddick slip an arm around Jack's waist as they walked back into the city. Continuing as Khan strapped himself in and started to assist Liege in take-off, she sent a short ray of hope to her father.
The goodbyes between Riddick and Imam were almost wordless, but the farewell from Jack to Imam was silent and emotionless. Multiple times in the past she had thanked him for watching over her, but now he had insulted her for her choices, and she wasn't going to stand for that. Not with Riddick involved. As they shouldered their few possessions (Jack had chosen to leave most of her stuff behind), Riddick watched Jack as she unconsciously fingered the blade Liege had given her. He had also seen her do the same with the ring and figured it was a sort of connection feeling she received when she touched the object.
Jack's step was lighter as they exited the walled courtyard and within moments of leaving the house, she was even smiling. She was free, she wasn't going to have to finish school and she was even with Riddick. For what seemed until the day she died.
"We're going to load up then leave, alright?" He asked, knowing her confirmation didn't make a difference but he felt he should make conversation. She had been uncharacteristically quiet since Liege left, which had only been a few hours ago.
"Sounds fine, I'll…break in the ship." She replied, looking thoughtfully at the horizon, as if plotting something.
"Break in?"
"Yeah, you know, get used to it, get my bearings…of the bedroom." She added, smirking as he laughed in return.
"Jesus, Jack, you're gonna be a handful." He grumbled, running a hand over his head and back again, rubbing his temples.
"You ok?" She asked, suddenly concerned.
"Yeah."
"And by 'yeah' you mean, sure, maybe I'd like to fall into hibernation for the next few months. You've got to start sleeping like a normal person, I mean, look at Liege. She's basically an insomniac, you don't want to end up like that." Jack reasoned, the amused clipped tone came back in her voice, giving Riddick some peace of mind.
"What, with an Irish accent, defensive attitude, a fighter and consumer of only foods that energize?" He returned, randomly listing things he remembered about her.
"Well, sans the Irish accent, you're basically her already. Nevermind. You think she's doing alright?" Jack asked, her tone going back to being quieter and wary. Totally opposite of who Jack truly was, at least in Riddick's mind.
"Long as she doesn't beat the shit out of her crew, she's going to be ok. She's got Khan to look after her and when the whole mess is over, hopefully she'll have her dad, too."
"Checkmate." Liege growled, moving her queen across the antique chessboard she had found in O'Calherns private room. Khan sighed, this being the fourth time defeated. They had been playing since they had set a direct course for home, which was the lone planet of Kalekkit, a lush green environment, not unlike the Ireland he heard of from Liege's family.
"Liege, perhaps you should check on Rick. We've been playing nonstop and I'm tired from being beaten." He suggested, seeing the caged animal look in her eyes. She hated the feeling of only have the length and width of a ship to prowl about.
"'e should be fine, 'e 'as Falc watchin' 'im." She responded, waving the matter off while still staring the chessboard down.
"I don't know what you are going to do with your spare time. We have-"
"Thirty-one weeks, I know. 'm goin' to put this bitch into hyper-speed when we've cleared most of these other…residential planets." She informed, breaking her staring contest with the board and looking up at Khan who nodded in confirmation. He wasn't opposed to the idea at all. "'n don't even suggest cyro-sleep."
"Never planned on it." He muttered, almost shamed for he was about to offer that exact idea before she shot it down, not even intentionally.
"Good, 'm goin' to read for a while." She said, standing and leaving the room without a second thought. Liege didn't even have to question the fact that Khan would act as second-in-command while she was busy occupying herself with more interesting things than staring out into infinite space.
"So, they captured Riddick, we've got to let ye go. Alive, unfortunately." The guard informed Liege's father. Stepping from the cell, he let out a throaty snarl to the man who let him pass. Following a narrow pathway, he soon found himself underneath a trap-door. With a easy shove, it gave way and he hoisted himself from the prison he had been kept in.
Deciding to tidy himself up just enough to be presentable, he quietly ran through the lush forest, hoping to come upon a stream or pond. To his luck, a small clear pond appeared in view and he quickly knelt and thanking the earth in Gaelic, he drank from it. Once the ripples settled he looked at his reflection and found his hair had grown to a length where he could braid it almost as easily as he had seen his daughters hair braided.
"Just 'ad to be wearin' non-tie boots, didn't I?" He grumbled, trying to find something to tie his hair back with. Not wanting to hurt the trees or any other part of the forest, he gathered his hair back and used another piece of it to tie it. Satisfied, he set to work on finding some sort of community.
A very strong man, Rian stood well over six feet, close to six and half, or so he had been told. He too had fiery red hair and his eyes shone a bright green, blending with the emerald forest around him. He moved smoothly, all well-defined features moving together in one motion. The only change once he was an adult was the hardening of his eyes when his wife died and then he had to part with his daughter. His face hardened as he thought of the man his wife had defended so long ago.
As he swiftly walked through the thinning forest, he remembered with bitter sweet joy the day Liege was born. Her real name was Aidan, which had the meaning of 'fire'. Even as a child she was full of passion and mischief. In the days where both she and her mother were happy and he could spend time with them…those were his favourite to look back on. He had been working the business with his brother, so they could both take breaks from time to time, feeling safe leaving the work in the other's hands. Yet his brother died from the short epidemic as well, leaving him wife-less and brother-less. Aidan was his only family left and he guarded her fiercely, teaching her every way of fighting and strategy he knew. Soon it became clear that the older she got, the more danger she was in and he had to send her away to Helion Prime, where he threatened his merchant-supplier, Khan, with death if he didn't protect her and watch over her.
He felt slightly guilty for not telling her the truth of the entire past, but he knew he must do it as soon as possible. Although, he realized, telling her now when she was older and more volatile, could end up badly for him. When he was courting his future wife, she had been in an affair with the present weapons commander of the house, who had been a younger Khan. He had been told by his brother, both who were in complete control over the family at the time. He loved her dearly, yet with a possessive control, had no desire to share her with another. She in return, loved him as well, but her heart was also with Khan. It was soon arranged that it would be Khan to go and assassinate a man who had the political motive to attempt to wipe organized crime out. During the time he was gone, for both extra training and the actual mission, she had fallen deeply in love with the Irishman. Their engagement was announced only to be ruined by the news of the failed mission.
Khan was exiled after being rescued by his once lover, too sad and lonely to believe that she was to be wedded to another. Scarred and broken, he left for being a merchant and soon created an underground network of weapons trade. Now, she and Rian were married and it wasn't long until they realized their firstborn was on its way. The news quickly spread through Kalekkit and there was much rejoicing. Months flew by and Aidan, later Liege, was already riding her first horse. As if fate could not resist twisting their threads, a cruel epidemic raged through neighboring systems, soon creeping into the lush planet they called home. Aidan's mother was struck down as well as Rian's brother. Soon they were left alone to rule the family and he single-handedly raised his daughter, refusing any and all help unless it was from his comrades.
Before he realized it, he had stepped into an open field of a farm. Blessing the fates that it was one he was familiar with, he ran round the fields, not wanting to trample any of the crops. Skidding into the farmyard, he was confused to find only stray hens and goats wandering about. He walked forward into the house to find that O'Calhern's men were trying to take over it. With narrowed eyes he took up a herding staff that was leaning by the door and within half a minute, the men were knocked unconscious on the ground.
"Great gods! Tis Rian!" The husband exclaimed, helping up his wife and children who had been forced to sit huddled on the floor against a wall. "We thought ye were dead, good sir!"
"No, not dead. Is everyone alright?" He asked, looking over the children. The smallest tugged on her mother's skirt, who scooped her up and comforted her. The other two, both boys, wearily approached Rian.
"Ye will help us?" One asked, timid but a clear determination was hidden.
"Course I will. Yet, I might need yer help as well." He thought, a plan springing to mind.
That night he slept in the farmhouse, after cleaning up and being well-fed, he revealed his plan to the father and the two boys, who were eager to help. Satisfied, he was happy to sleep in a real bed. Looking out the window and up into the stars, he wondered how Aidan was.
