Predator

Chapter 32

As Alexandra and her companions approached the conference room, they could hear the Alphas arguing loudly amongst themselves. She paused for a brief second at the door and took a deep breath. “This is going to be just grand.” She kicked the doors open and walked into a now dead silent room. Tyr and Rhade took position on either side of her.

Her dark eyes swept over the men and a disapproving glare zeroed in on the few who were still standing. She arched her eyebrow at them and they quickly took their seats. “Gentlemen, I’m sorry to keep you waiting but this war against the Necromongers is being fought on 2 fronts and I have to keep a close eye on the Helion System.” She moved to the chair at the head of the table and sat down with Tyr and Rhade taking the seats on her right and left.

“It is a comfort to know you have already taken measures against the invaders, Majestrix.” Charlemagne Bolivar addressed her in his sweet accented voice and flashed her a dashing smile when she looked at him. “You have always been very proactive.”

“I try to be, Charlemagne, but sometimes obstacles get in my way and I cannot act as quickly as I usually would.” She narrowed her eyes on Guderian, the Alpha of the Orca Pride. “For instance I was attacked by a group of Nietzcheans just recently which set me back for a couple of days.”

“Really? That is a shame.” Charlemagne responded and drew her attention back to him. “Do you have any idea which Pride they were from?”

“I have a real good idea.”

“So you took care of the scoundrels that attacked your home?”

“Oh most definitely, Charlemagne.” She glared at Guderian and smirked. “They are all quite dead and spending eternity in Kortoth where they will suffer tremendously.”

“You do have a flair for the dramatic, my dear.”

“I would love to trade pleasantries back and forth with you all day, Charlemagne, but we do have some business to address.” She held out her hand to Tyr, who passed her a holographic disc, and she slid it to the center of the table. It activated with a wave of her hand and the display showed the Necromonger ships that were currently occupying Helion Prime. “This is what we are facing. Well actually it is what you are facing. They cannot enter my system without being destroyed.”

“You would leave us to our fate then?” Curchulain Nez Pierce, the Alpha of the Drago-Katsov, slammed his fist on the table and growled at Alex. “You infiltrate my home world, kill my people, and steal our property and you met us here to…what…rub our impending deaths in our faces?”

“Don’t take my theft personally, Curchulain. I was just retrieving property that didn’t belong to you anyways.” He stood quickly with his palms still on the table and she responded by forcing him down in his chair by pointing her finger. “I can manipulate your body with the power I possess in one finger. Do you have any idea how much carnage I am capable of?”

“I seem to remember history telling how you destroyed two-thirds of the Nietzchean Alliance at the Battle of Witch Head some 300 hundred years ago.” The Dragon Alpha crossed his arms over his chest as he answered her. “I was also present when you destroyed the Nietzchean Empire that your mate built and led. My people did name you the Angel of Death, remember?”

“Vividly. Since I love to live up to that little nickname you bestowed upon me don’t you think you should endeavor to get on my good side so I decide to join this party?” She glanced across all the faces at the table. “I asked you to join me here so we could come up with a defense against the Necromongers so I guess you could assume that I am not leaving you to your fates.”

“Why don’t you just point your finger and destroy the outsiders?” Guderian asked snidely.

Athena materialized in the room behind Alex’s chair and handed her Tamerlane. “I could but it isn’t in my best interests to use that level of power at this time.” She unzipped her top and placed the child on her breast to nurse. “We will have to rely on my mates’ inherited power, my superior strength, and our fleet if we want to overcome this enemy.”

“Is that Freya’s child that you are feeding?” Guderian turned questioning eyes to Tyr before he glanced back at the boy. “What kind of woman would raise her mate’s child from another union as her own?”

“I asked myself that very question once. This child needed me and I took care of him.” She smiled down at her young treasure feeding eagerly from her body. “I took him as my own and he is under my protection. Touch him or even look at him wrong and your whole Pride will feel my wrath. Are we clear?”

She didn’t even bother to look up and she knew every head in the room nodded at her question. “So are you guaranteeing our race will survive if we back you?” Charlemagne changed the subject back to matter at hand and deferred the conversation off of topics that raised her ire.

“My dear Charlemagne, I am giving your race the only chance it has of surviving this invasion. I am in no way honor bound to help your people just because I married into the Nietzchean race. You either join me or I walk away.” She passed Tamerlane back to Athena and stood with her palms on the table. “What I am ultimately doing is forcing you to band together as a race of people to ensure your continued survival. If you don’t…you’ll die.” She sat down and studied her fingernails with interest as she completely ignored the men around her. She awaited their decision.

The room turned deathly silent and the Alphas exchanged glances until an understanding was reached between them. Charlemagne acted as the voice of the Alphas due to his somewhat pleasant truce with the Majestrix. “You have the full cooperation of the Nietzchean Prides. We will follow you to the very end of this war and will not question your orders or those of your companions.”

“That benefits you well, Charlemagne.” She rose from her seat and was followed closely by Tyr and Rhade before she abruptly paused at the door. “Since you brought up the subject of cooperation from the Nietzchean Prides, I have something I would like to address.”

She focused her power on the Alphas of the Prija, Bree, and Scorpion Prides. When her goal was accomplished she turned and grinned at the 3 men whose brows were furrowed from the strange feeling that coursed through their bodies. “Gentlemen.” They glanced up at her with curious expressions and recoiled from the fire that erupted from her eyes. “I just wanted to let you know that each of you and all of your male offspring are now sterile. It’s just a little ‘gift’ from me to you for the audacity of demanding I wear a restraining collar.”

The 3 men rose as if to move towards her and were restrained by their colleagues before they angered her enough to exterminate their entire Prides. Every man, sterile or otherwise, would be needed in this war. “You should consider yourselves lucky that your companions are obsessed with survival. I don’t take kindly to threats.” She turned to leave and her eyes held Guderian’s for a moment. “I still have some scores to settle when all of this is over.” She left the Orca Alpha trembling from her implied promise as she left the room.

She walked hurriedly from the conference room with her two men rushing to keep up the pace. “Alexandra?” Rhade could see her hands fisting repeatedly and stopped her forward motion by grabbing her upper arm. She froze with tension as he moved to hold her other arm and looked at her downcast face. “You need to calm down, baby. You handled everything perfectly. You can let it go now.”

He felt her relax with his soothing words and watched as her eyes returned to their normal black. “Rhade?” She threw herself into his arms and buried her face into his chest while small sobs wracked her body. “I didn’t think it would bother me this badly to face them. I have killed so many of your people.”

“Hey.” He raised her chin to look into her sad eyes and smiled. “They aren’t my people. You gave me my Pride. The Nietzcheans had nothing to do with it except for my own genetics.”

“What are you talking about?”

Rhade glanced at Tyr briefly and turned back to Alex when she gasped. “What is it?”

“I think I might have been remiss in leaving out a few ‘minor’ details before I sent Ian’s team on their mission to relocate Majoram Pride.” She rubbed her eyes in frustration and shook her head with a sardonic grin. “I think they might have a surprise coming when they meet your family.”

~*~

Dean had found a habitable planet in their system called Caprica that was two planets removed from Ariana. All the preparations were made for colonization and teams of engineers were left behind to install the replicators, temperature regulators, and furnishings in the dwellings that Ian and Jarod erected for the Pride. Dorian set about transferring wildlife to the surface to inhabit the water and forests.

The ship that transported Ian, Jarod, Dorian, and Dean to the Majoram Pride’s location was entering the orbit of a planet on the outskirts of Ariana space. Gemin had a hostile environment from both the elements and the wildlife and no one had ever wanted to try to inhabit that world. Ian was deeply concerned for the welfare of his soon to be charges. They had been hiding here for a while and he feared that survival under these rough conditions might have taken a toll on the people his mate had a major interest in.

“I have found their settlement, my lord.”

“Excellent, commander.” Ian moved to stand at communications and spoke with the lieutenant. “Contact the Pride and inform them of our arrival. Relay the message from Rhade to the Matriarch to prepare her Pride for evacuation immediately and tell her we are here to assist.”

“Yes, my lord.” The lieutenant transferred all of the information to the Nietzcheans and received a reply from the Matriarch. A startled look crossed his face when he listened to the woman. It wasn’t the words that surprised him. It was the voice.

The commander set them down on a landing pad near their ships and the Royal Family descended the ramp. Ian spotted a group of males escorting a woman towards them. As they neared he could sense a familiarity in the way she walked and power in the way she held herself. It took another minute before she cleared the shadows of the surrounding ships and Ian shook his head when she came to stand before him. “What are you doing here?”

“Excuse me?” A known voice asked him.

“You promised everyone that you would limit the use of your cosmic power.”

“I’m sorry but I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Ian grabbed her shoulders and stared into her black eyes. “Stop playing games with me! It is imperative that you keep your word to us.”

“Oh I see now.” She smiled and removed his hands from her body before her guards tried to intervene. “You have me mistaken with someone else. My name is Andrea. You must be the mate of my sister, Alexandra.”

Ian and the boys stood in shock as they stared at the exact twin of his wife and their mother. There was no mistaking the fact that this was the same woman but on closer inspection appeared to be Nietzchean. “Your sister?” Ian asked as he scanned her internally.

“Yes. Alex introduced me to my mate, Telemachus.” She smiled at Ian with the same heart-melting look that his lifetime mate did. “I have not seen her in some time. Is she well?”

“She is very well. She is with her other mate, Tyr, their son, Jesse, and your…mate, Rhade. They are meeting with the Alphas of the other Prides and preparing for war.” He finished his analysis of Andrea and inwardly cringed. ‘What have you done, my love?’

“I know Telemachus has guaranteed our safety by negotiating our relocation into Ariana space with Alexandra but I do hope that the other Prides are not destroyed by their stupidity. If they anger her, she will either leave them at the mercy of the invaders or destroy them herself. My husband has told me how dangerous her moods can be.”

Jarod looked at his brothers and stepped forward. “If you are my aunt, why are you not familiar with my mother’s moods. Why did Rhade have to impart this knowledge to you?”

“I can only remember meeting my sister once. She and Telemachus told me my memory would forever be impaired by an accident that I had during the fall of the Empire. I cannot recall my past beyond a few years ago.” She grinned shyly and wrung her hands together. “Enough of this unpleasantness. We have an evacuation to perform.” She spun on her heel and headed into the complex with her guards in tow.

“Holy shit.” Dean whispered. “She is mom’s identical twin. Why didn’t we know about this?”

“She is not your mother’s twin, Dean.” Ian whispered as they followed Rhade’s only wife into the building.

“Then what the hell is she, Ian?”

“She is mom’s clone.” Dorian stated quietly. “Mom created her.”

“Why would she make a clone of herself and leave it with Rhade?” Dean turned to Ian as they continued down the corridors. “Why would she keep this from us?”

“I have my suspicions but we will have to ask your mother those questions.” Ian answered with an eerily calm voice. “Of course we will have to see if her wild and war-like nature can be controlled in the upcoming battle so that she survives and is capable of explaining!” His voice rose in volume with each word and the boys could feel the air electrify around them with his anger. ‘WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE A CHAT, MY LOVE!’

~*~

Alexandra felt Ian’s rage, pain, and words vibrating through her body from a galaxy away. ‘Ooo. He is pissed at you.’ She told herself. He had obviously met her secret and discovered what she had done. He was clearly upset that she had a secret and kept it from him for so long. He knew everything about her but she had managed to keep this concealed from him and it hurt him badly.

The existence of Andrea and the reason behind it was going to be a blow to all of her mates. She knew they wouldn’t understand. There was a reckoning coming and the repercussions were going to be awful. Ian was hurt to the core of his being already and she was sure Tyr would be outraged. She didn’t want to think of what Ares, Duncan, and Riddick’s reactions were going to be. ‘I have work to do now. People that need to be saved. The consequences of my actions will have to wait until this is over.’

Her attention returned to the holo-disc that Tyr was using to instruct the other Alphas of their plan. He divided the Prides into four waves that he, Alex, Jesse, and Rhade would lead into the battle. “Tyr will lead the Prija, Bree and Orca Prides. Rhade will lead the Scorpion, Triton, and Rhion Prides. Jesse will lead the Volsung, Arkon, and Falcon Prides.” She raised her cold black eyes to Charlemagne and Curchulain and cocked her head with a sneer. “That leaves me in command of Jaguar-Sabra and Drago-Katsov Prides. Any questions or complaints, gentlemen?”

“I know there are no Kodiak left except for Anasazi and his son but what about Majoram Pride?” Guderian asked with malice in his tone. He didn’t like the idea of being under Tyr’s command or taking orders from Alex. “Why isn’t Rhade’s Pride included in this?”

“Majoram Pride no longer resides in Nietzchean space. They are now citizens of the Shi’ar Empire and will not participate in the effort to keep your pitiful race alive.” Her tone escalated in volume and her eyes bore into Guderian’s until he couldn’t bear to look into their black depths any longer and averted his gaze from the true Alpha present. “Now are there any more complaints?”

“Not at all, my dear Alexandra.” Charlemagne took her hand gently in his and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “I trust your ability to lead my fleet implicitly.”

She pulled her hand from his when she heard twin growls of ownership erupt from Tyr and Rhade when another male placed his scent on her. When they realized they both claimed possession of her, they turned their growls on each other. “That is enough! All of this Alpha testosterone is so deep I can practically drown in it and can I just say for the record…Eeww. We have a mission to accomplish that requires all of us to get along or we’re dead.”

Her hand pointed at the others and she smirked. “I guess I should have said that you are dead because I can just take my people and go home. You men are under some fucked up impression that this is going to be easy but need I remind you of the planets already lost to the Necro advance party?”

“No you don’t.” Charlemagne answered in a somber tone. “I lost a lot of good people on those worlds.”

“So did I.” Curchulain added. “I refuse to lose another member of my Pride to those fanatics.”

“So you are with me on this?” She received nods from everyone. “Excellent. My fleet has just entered the system. I will divide my ships amongst the four of our groups. The Alphas of each Pride will join their respective commanders on the bridge of one of my Command Carriers.” She saw some of their mouths start to open to protest and cut them off quickly.

“Yes, gentlemen, I not only expect you Alphas to fight and not let your troops lay their lives on the line while you’re safe on your home worlds but I expect you to be with your leader on their ship. I have better carriers, gunships, cruisers, and fighters. In plan English, my toys are better than yours. Inform your men, get your ships into formation with mine, and follow your leader. Now!”

~*~

Riddick followed Irgun to a building where the city leaders were forced by gunpoint to gather before the Necro commanders. The people were reeking of fear and he could smell it come off of them in waves. He slipped into the building with his hooded cloak concealing his features and stood in the back trying to look like a local.

He waited in the midst of the terrified citizens of New Mecca until his patience paid off when the Lord Marshall and entourage entered the hall. “In this verse life is antagonistic to the natural state. Here humans in all their various races are a spontaneous outbreak.” The Purifier stood before the crowd and performed his given duty of attempting to convince the conquered to be converted. “An unguided mistake. Our purpose is to correct that mistake…because there is another verse. A verse where life is welcomed and cherished. A ravishing ever new place called Underverse…but the road to that verse crosses over the threshold…”

“THRESHOLD!” The surrounding Necromongers yelled as one. “TAKE US TO THE THRESHOLD!”

“What you call death.” The Lord Marshall explained the meaning of threshold to the captive citizens with a smile on his face.

Irgun entered the main chamber and the unforgettable blade protruding from his back caught Riddick’s attention.

“So it is this verse that must be cleansed of life so Underverse can populate and prosper.” The Purifier continued his speech like it was an induction ceremony.

“Look around you. Every Necromonger in this hall…every one of the legion vast. They just swept aside your defenses in one night.” The Lord Marshall’s perceived strength and surety resonated in his confident voice. “Was once like you. Fought as feebly as you. Every Necromonger that lives today is a convert.”

“There will be no conversions!” One woman yelled out in defiance.

“We all began as something else!” The Purifier swept his arm out in an arc to indicate his fellow converts. “It was hard for me to accept too when I heard these words…but I changed. I let them take away my pain.”

“You betrayed your faith!” Another citizen with a backbone that did not sway to the Purifier’s soft-spoken words spoke up.

“Just as you will change when you realize that the threshold to the Underverse will be crossed only by those who have embraced the Necromonger faith.” As the Purifier continued Vaako roamed around the hall watching the captives with a hungry eye. “Those of you who will right now drop to your knees and asked to be purified…”

“We won’t renounce our faith!” The same man yelled.

A tall man beside him walked through the crowd and spoke adamantly. “No one here will do as you ask! It is unthinkable!” While he spoke, the Lord Marshall casually made his way in his direction. “This is a world of many peoples…many religions and we simply cannot and will not be converted!”

He was standing so close to the Lord Marshall that he did not see his hand slip into an ephemeral state until it was too late to realize his fate. He yelled out in a mixture of shock and pain as his hand phased into his chest. “Then I’ll take your soul.” As his arm passed through the helpless man, the Necromonger leader pulled his essence from his body and the man turned to stare at the ghostly image of his terrified soul.

As the image faded from his hand, the man fell to the floor dead and empty. “Join him or join me!” He looked around the room as the once defiant leaders knelt before him in defeat. A quick scan of the room showed all but one was kneeling and he drew the Lord Marshall and Vaako’s attention when Riddick removed his cloak and looked down at the sheep.

Vaako walked in powerful strides to the last man that showed defiance in the room. He would not allow him to renew these peoples drive to rebel against them. “This is your one chance. Take the Lord Marshall’s offer and bow.”

Riddick turned his goggle-covered eyes to Vaako and spoke in his normal commanding tone. “I bow to no man.” Vaako’s wife, Dame Vaako, was instantly drawn to the stranger’s inner strength.

Vaako removed his armored helmet to reveal his dark-rimmed eyes, pale complexion, and short-cropped black hair with a long tail flowing down his back. “He’s not a man. He’s a holy half dead who has seen the Underverse.”

“Look I’m not with everyone here…” Riddick told Vaako before he turned his head and pointed at Irgun. “…but I will take a piece of him.”

Irgun looked at Riddick and held up his two battle-axes. Vaako nodded his head at Irgun who approached and spoke to Riddick before he left him to what he thought was his fate. “Then a piece you will have.”

Irgun stood on the upper level across from Riddick with axes drawn. He swung with the left and Riddick feinted back. He swung with the right and missed again. He charged and swung a few more times that did not connect with his target but he made the mistake of leaving his back exposed. Riddick took advantage of the offered weapon, pulled it from his back, ducked under a swinging arm and drove it into Irgun’s heart. He pulled it out and drove it into him two more times before the large man gave in to his death and fell to the floor.

Riddick watched with a clenched jaw as Imam’s killer slid down the stairs on his back. He turned to leave the hall when the Lord Marshall yelled out a command to his men.

“Stop him!” The men at the back made a wall of their bodies and blocked Riddick’s path. The Lord Marshall walked towards and pulled the blade from Irgun’s chest before he went to stand before the stranger. “Irgun…one of my best.”

Riddick glanced down at the corpse and back up to the man before him. “If you say so.”

He held up the knife to Riddick. “What do you think of this blade?” He opened his fist and offered to the stranger with his palm.

Riddick quickly snatched it from his outstretched hand and spun it around in several different directions at an inhuman speed. He offered it back by the hilt. “I think it’s a half gram heavy on the back end.”

The Lord Marshall smiled. “In our faith you keep what you kill.” He grasped Riddick’s hand that was fisted around the blade and pushed it back towards him. He increased the pressure on Riddick’s hand trying to squeeze his flesh into the blade’s ragged edges but found the man capable of keeping his hand in the same position and denying the Lord Marshall the pleasure of inflicting pain on him. “Are you familiar to me?” The struggle to damage the stranger’s hand continued as he spoke but he was met with easy resistance and failed. “Have we met on some distant field?”

Riddick pulled his hand and the blade free easily. “You’d think I’d remember.”

“You’d think I would too.” The Lord Marshall grinned but it didn’t reach his eyes as he stared at the man before him. “Take him before the Quasi-Deads.” He said as he walked off.

The Necromongers surrounded Riddick and he prepared himself for a fight. Vaako stood before him with an evil grin with his weapon raised when a woman walked up and pushed his arm down. “Perhaps the breeder would do it if somebody would just ask him.” She circled Riddick like prey sizing him up in her eyes. “It is a rare offer…a visit inside Necropolis.” Riddick intentionally leant forward and scented her as she came along his side until she faced him again.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve smelled beautiful.”

‘You son of a bitch!’ He heard his mate’s furious voice resound inside his head and inwardly cringed. ‘You will pay for that one, Richard, and you better remember your fucking oath to me or someone else will be raising your son with me!’

The dark beauty before him leant closer to his face unaware of the argument raging inside of his mind. “Let me show you the way.” She took his arm and led him from the hall with her irritated husband and a squad of soldiers in tow.

‘Baby, it is just part of my cover. I take advantage of any opening I get. Don’t be angry.’

‘Don’t be angry? I seem to recall you using the same tactics on me in the Grand Hall the night we met. You were trying to seduce me and we ended up fucking that very night!’

‘You offered yourself to me! How could I turn down the most wanted and beautiful woman in creation when she served herself up on a platter for the taking?’

‘Tread carefully, my love. Jealousy doesn’t wear well on me and you don’t want my avatar to visit the little death loving whore just to appease my pride.’

‘You can’t do that! It would endanger our child!’

‘You know perfectly well when it comes to my men I lose all rational thought and react on instinct. Don’t push me, Richard. The strain I’m going through right here is taxing my control.’

He was led into Necropolis by Dame Vaako and followed by the others. She cupped his chin and stared at him when she noticed he removed his goggles. “Beautiful eyes. Come.” She kept talking about their star traveling city and he tuned her out for a second when he heard Alex yell out in exasperation.

‘Beautiful eyes! That fucking bitch! I said your eyes reminded me of home on one of my deathbeds and this slut is feeling you up and telling you how beautiful your eyes are!’

‘Alex, please calm down. I’m having a hard time concentrating when you’re yelling in my head.’

‘Humph. Go ahead and concentrate all you want on what that fucking whore is telling you. I’m busy with the others anyways.’

He was led by the arm on to a gravity pad in the center of the room. “There now. That is just perfect.” Dame Vaako said as she backed away. “The more you resist them the greater the damage will be.” She left the room and the door was sealed.

He heard whispers in the dark and glanced around looking for the source. “A new one?” He pulled the blade from his belt and prepared for whatever came next. He quickly found it was nowhere near what he’d imagined. “You’ve brought us the new one.”

The Lord Marshall who was watching from an observation platform above the chambers nodded at the Purifier. He turned and activated the gravity platform to a level that pulled Riddick’s blade from his hand to the ground. A second later he found himself down on one knee desperately trying to fight against the heavy gravity well that was generated around him.

“Interesting breeder.” Dame Vaako said as she joined her husband in the observation area.

Riddick heard a grating sound and forced his eyes up to see the Quasi-Dead roll out of alcoves in the wall encased in some film that kept them secured to there platforms. “Making entry.” The unified whisper continued. “This won’t take long.” Riddick grunted in pain as they tore through his thoughts with mental talons. “We’ve entered his neocortex. Ahh! The Riddick!”

“Regress.” The Lord Marshall commanded from above.

“Scanning fresh memories.” Riddick lurched and grunted again with pain as he felt their invasion into his mind was physical and not mental. “Thoughts of someone called Jack.”

‘Riddick!’ A flash of memory of the young girl pretending to pass as a boy on T2 went through his mind.

‘She went to prison.’ Imam when he informed him of her fate after he left them.

“Now we find thoughts of an Elemental.”

Aereon when they met not long ago. ‘The one race that would slow the spread of Necromongers…’

‘Furyans.’ Imam when he told he knew where he came from.

“Furyans.” The collected voice said and drew both the Lord Marshall and the Purifier’s instant attention.

“Where does he come from?” The Lord Marshall demanded. “Who are his people? These are the things I need to know.”

“We find energy.”

A flash of Alex awakening his latent power. ‘You must settle your past.’ A memory of some of their parting words.

“We find Furyan energy.” The Quasi-Dead started to moan.

‘For all of us.’ Alex’s pep talk when they all parted on their missions.

“He’s Furyan!” The Purifier focused on Riddick with curious and somewhat pain-filled eyes. “Furyan! A Furyan survivor!”

Alexandra reeled with her husband’s distress at the mental violation he was experiencing and focused her thoughts and some images into his mind. ‘Look at your world, at the graves of those who didn’t escape 30 years ago.’ He saw a man in armor approach him from the shadows in a different place and time. ‘There is no future until we settle our past…’ She said decisively in his mind. He knew she blamed herself for the fate of his people. ‘…for all of us who bear the mark.’

“Kill the Furyan! Kill the Riddick!” The Quasis writhed in agony at the renewed strength in which Riddick dispelled them from his mind. “Kill the Riddick! Kill the Riddick! Kill the Riddick! Kill the Riddick! Kill the Riddick!”

The Lord Marshall gave the order when faced with his worst fear. “Kill the Riddick.”

The armed guards leapt from the platform and advanced on the incapacitated man. The Purifier, with a look of determination and no confusion, turned off the gravity platform and released Riddick.

The first Necro rushed in and Riddick’s blade sunk deep into his gut. The Quasis platforms were slowly receding back into the wall as the fight progressed. Riddick grabbed the downed Necro’s pulse rifle and shot a second. Vaako moved his wife to safety before he collected his weapon and moved to help his troops.

A third shot took out another perched on chamber platform and sent him flying. A forth shot took out another as a fifth man leapt down and caught the blade in his stomach as well. Riddick jumped on one of the Quasi-Dead’s platforms as it rolled back into the wall just as Vaako jumped down into the chamber. Riddick fired a shot at him but he ducked the blast and it impacted into the chest of the man behind him. By the time they converged, the platform and Riddick recessed completely back in the antechamber.

“Who is this man?” Dame Vaako purred with desire.

“Find him. Whatever it takes. Find him!” The Lord Marshall ordered his men as they pursued the greatest escape artist in the known worlds.

Riddick made it to the street, running full steam for cover when he heard one of their cruisers close in from behind. He kept running as 3 rocket launchers fired on the ship and brought it down. It nosed dived into the ground just behind Riddick as he struggled to outrun the crash. He stumbled and looked over his shoulder just as the ship bounced of the ground and tumbled over his head before it skidded further down the road with its momentum.

He watched the crash as he sensed the identity of one of the cloaked men coming up behind him. “Let me guess. A five man crew this time.”

“Couple of things you could have done better.” Toombs removed his cloak and smirked. “First, trash the locator beacon inside my ship—the one you jacked to get into the Shi’ar System. You stayed there longer than I thought you would. We had to wait. And second—and this is the more important part—dust my dick when you get the chance. Any questions?”

“Yeah.” He turned and held his hands out for the cuffs. “What took you so long?”

A woman came forward and slapped the heavy steel cuffs in place. “Let’s go, big boy.”

Minutes later they were leaving Helion Prime’s atmosphere in a glider and Riddick took the opportunity to mentally contact his fighter and enable stealth and tracking mode.

“In and out, unsuspected and undetected. Damn, I love a good smash and grab.” Two of the mercs were celebrating prematurely.

“Not so fast. Not so fast. Dickheads. We’re picking up fields here.” The woman watched the sensor screen nervously.

“I knew it. Here it comes.” The pilot said.

“This is some kind of scan.” She replied. “I don’t know. Reading our BTU’s, maybe?”

“Let’s drop one.” Toombs said.

“Dropping.” The pilot launched the decoy and it vectored off in the opposite direction that they took. The scan faded from the screens and Toombs turned to Riddick.

“So where do we drop your merc-killin’ ass? Who’s gonna pay the most for you now? Butcher Bay?”

“Butcher Bay.” Riddick replied from his seated position in the back of the glider. His arms were shackled straight out from his sides. “Ten minutes every other day on the dog run. Protein waffles aren’t bad.”

“Hey, how about Ursa Luna? Nice Little double-max prison.”

“They keep a cell open for me…just in case I drop in.”

“You know the problem with these joints now? Health clubs for waffle-eatin’ pussies. Maybe we should think about uppin’ our game here a little bit. Think about someplace truly diabolical.”

“What the hell is he thinkin’ now?” The woman mumbled to the pilot.

“He’s thinking a triple-max prison. A no daylight slam. Only three of ‘em left in this system—two of ‘em out of range for a shitty little undercutter like this one with no legs. Leaving just…one—Crematoria. That is what you had in mind, right, Toombs?”

“Hey, how does he know where we’re goin’ and we don’t?” One of the two useless mercs asked.

“Dope it out.” Toombs told him.

“I hate this run.” The pilot kissed his pendant for luck.

“Just do it!”

“Don’t know about this new crew of yours.” Riddick grinned. “They seem a bit skittish. Probably shouldn’t tell them what happened to the last crew.”

Toombs smiled as he blew out the smoke of his cigarette. “You know, you supposed to be some slick-shit killer. Now look at you…” He took a long drag off his smoke and blew it in Riddick’s face when he talked. “…all back-of-the-bus and shit.”

~*~

Vaako ended up following the decoy when it left the system but located the ship’s ion trail. Lord Marshall instructed him to personally track down Riddick and Vaako questioned him on wasting his time on a single breeder. The Lord Marshall was outraged and told him not to question him and his faith.

~*~

The crew was in cryo-sleep when the woman was suddenly startled awake. She looked at Riddick who was still secured and glanced briefly over the sleeping mercs. She rose out of her chair and leaned close to Riddick’s chest drawing in his scent.

Alex rolled her eyes and huffed in outrage. ‘Great! This bitch is in heat and would rather ride you while in cryo-sleep than let any of those asshole crewmates of hers scratch her itch.’

She settled between his thighs and stared into his goggle-covered eyes. He appeared to be out like the rest of the crew. She waved her hand in front of his eyes before she lifted his goggles up to his forehead. His eyes snapped open and startled her back but he trapped her legs between his muscular thighs.

“Do you know you grind your teeth at night?” He whispered to the panting woman. “Sexy.”

‘You are such a fucking pig! I am so going to kill you for this shit!’

‘No you won’t. You love me too damn much.’

‘We’ll see.’

He released her just as they entered the atmosphere of Crematoria. “Destination reached. Unlocking manual controls.” The computer announced.

“All right, I make 700 degrees on the day side and 300 below on the night side.” She told Toombs as he woke and took a shot of whiskey.

“Let’s not get caught in the sun.” The pilot told her.

“If I owned this place and hell, I’d rent this place out and live in hell.” Toombs tried to joke but was worried about the landing coming up.

They vectored their approach and were coming in during the morning dawn. “Blue angle…good” The computer informed them.

“Stand by.” The woman informed the crew. Riddick pushed his goggles back into position by rubbing this head along a girder above him. “And—“

“Plotted course…good.” The computer confirmed the vectors.

“Hit it!” Yelled the woman.

They hit turbulence from the approaching inferno heat and it bucked the ship. “Angle of approach…not good.” The computer detected the slight variance in their heading.

The mercs were laughing at the bumpy ride until the blinding light of dawn hit them. The hangar doors opened and they were coming in at full speed to beat the inferno that was heading straight for them. “Party poppers!” The pilot yelled when they neared the hangar and the woman stomped her foot on the release which deployed the reverse thrusters that slowed them down to a stop just inside the doors.

“I think I shit myself.” The large and extremely stupid merc said as he shook off his adrenaline rush.

Riddick smiled at Toombs. “Skittish, Toombs. Very skittish.”