Treacherous

Days had passed since they’d left Militia’s central planet. Bell continued to check on Ramsay, but there were only small bits of progress, and the work was slow, for her. They were being careful to not permanently damage the android and she was thankful for that. She’d wait forever as long as he came out unharmed.

Riddick hadn’t made another unannounced visit to the children, but she’d maneuvered them to be with her in his rooms when he came in a couple of times. Repetition would make them more comfortable around each other. At least that’s what she was trying to convince herself of. Riddick didn’t talk about it, and Colin was becoming more and more withdrawn, but forcing it didn’t seem like a good option either.

“My Lady.”

Bell had been literally wandering the ship. The majority of her life had been lived on one ship or another, floating through space. Exercise kept her sane. So she wandered the ship, learning it, mapping it slowly.

She turned to the man coming at her. He wore a slick black ankle-length coat. It was the uniform of the support staff. Navigation, communication, engineering, secretarial. All necessary positions, but not military either.

“My Lady, I was sent to bring you to the command deck.” He stopped and bowed before her.

Bell frowned. The command deck was above the Necropolis, and was normally attended just by the navigation and communication personnel. The only reason for anyone else to be there was because something was happening, or about to happen.

She was moving in a second, the Monger keeping pace beside her. “What is this about?”

“I am only an assistant to the chief communications officer. I know only that a message was received that was reported to Vaako. The Lord Marshal was brought in soon after. It was he who asked for you.”

Riddick had asked for her? That couldn’t be good.

Bell closed her eyes. She was able to follow along beside the Monger by sound alone. In an instant she could feel four shining apparitions throughout the ship. The children were together, they showed recognition as she brushed past them, but otherwise didn’t respond. Riddick was on the command deck, a bustling surrounding him, though she got no other details of his surroundings than that. His apparition was shuttered. He showed his worry, a bit of anger, the normal aggravation, but nothing else.

She had to open her eyes to navigate steps. In a minute she and the messenger stepped onto the command deck. The Monger lost himself in the crowd of other officers, while Bell moved toward Riddick where he stood with his commanders.

Seeing that more than just Vaako stood with him was a bad sign. On restricted duty, the other commanders had been basically under guard. Now Scales, Toal, and Scalp Taker stood with Vaako and Riddick.

“What is it?” she asked as she stepped between the two men she was comfortable with. The remaining three gave her closed looks. It was obvious they didn’t like her.

Riddick and Vaako exchanged a look. Riddick was the one that finally spoke. “Militia has demanded the release of their envoy and the return of the three children.”

Bell gasped. No worry, not really. Surprise, anger, a touch of humor. They did not know who they were fucking with.

“They don’t know why you took the children,” she guessed, seeing it all in an instant. Militia still had no idea who the new Lord Marshal was, or why they’d detained their representatives, or why they then swooped in and stole nothing more significant than three children.

“Now what?”

Riddick smirked for just a second before looking up at his commanders. “The message indicates that if we don’t make contact they will.”

“They’re threatening us?” Bell was aghast. Militia actually thought to attack the Necromongers.

“My Lord, we must act. The UDMC is imperative for our existence, for the recruitment of new converts, as well as being one of the most powerful forces in the universe.”

It was Toal who spoke, his loyalty to the Necromongerdom about to get him a very pissed of Bell in his face. “Act?” she ground out. “As in return the children?”

He was smart enough to not speak.

Riddick’s hand on her arm, squeezing tight, kept her in place beside him. “Scales, Scalp Taker, Toal, ready the troops for battle. Militia may pull back, but we’ll be ready.”

They bowed and left, not looking pleased in the matter.

Vaako spoke finally, “What is your plan?”

Riddick shook his head, running his hand down over his face.

Bell wasn’t so hesitant to speak. “Take the fight to them. The Conquest Icons are within range. Launch all of them. Invade their planet, take out anything that fights back. Save as many of their victims as we can, then bug out and nuke it.”

She found both men staring at her.

“You’d destroy the planet?” Riddick asked.

“It’s not the planet that needs to have their power checked. We have the strength to rein them in. Let’s do it. No one else can.”

Riddick looked up at Vaako for a second and then turned and dragged her a short distance away. “I am not this fucking universe’s savior, Bell.”

“Stop living in the past, Riddick. You tried to end this corruption once, and now you have a second chance. To end it for good. Lives will be saved. Torture will be ended. You don’t have to stick around to take the credit, but don’t walk away without doing something.”

She could feel his turmoil. He was fighting what he knew he was, and the newly learned heritage that he could’ve never dreamed of. “I’m not the right person to do this,” he almost whispered.

“You’re the only person that can.”

His head dropped forward until he was very nearly hiding behind her. Bell wrapped her apparition around him. He would never let her physically touch him here, but she could still show him that she was here for him. “Riddick, you can’t go wrong in this,” she said softly.

He took a deep breath, his shoulders rising as his chest filled, and slowly he raised his head. “This is on you, Bell. I give the orders, but I leave this decision to you. You want to level a planet, then I will have it done.”

Gosh, what guy could offer that to a girl? But Bell couldn’t make light of this. She could feel him pulling away from her, and that worried her. “Do you see another alternative? We are not giving the kids back, so they’ll attack either way.”

He just nodded, not giving his opinion either way before he turned to Vaako. “Give the Icon teams the coordinates to Teos.”

“How many?”

“All of them.”

Vaako’s eyes widened in a moment of surprise, but he did as ordered.

Bell stood next to Riddick as the Mongers went about preparing to wage a war they had no stake in. They would lose either way. Necroism was a dying religion, and they were planning a strike that would kill it for good.

“What did Militia do to the twins?”

Riddick hadn’t spoke for a long time, and she was starting to agonize over it. Not that he ever spoke much, but her concern about his willingness in this made his continued silence seem purposeful.

“What did they do to them?” she asked, not sure she’d heard his question correctly.

His head turned to look down at her, body not shifting in the least. “They weren’t hurt at all. You were beaten and nearly starved to death, but they never hurt the kids.”

She blinked slowly, “And that’s a problem?”

“A paradox. What were they doing with them then? And why do they want them back?” He stood silently for a minute longer, looking thoughtful. “They act like normal little kids. No bursts of energy or other shit, so what do they want with them?”

Bell just shook her head, honestly not knowing.

He left her without another word and she stood for a while, undisturbed by the Mongers around her as she was lost in thought.

“He’s right to wonder.”

Bell recognized Vaako’s voice. He was standing behind her and moved to stand beside her after he spoke.

“I don’t know what Militia wanted,” she told him. “I know what he and I are capable of, but it’s nothing significant. A useful tool, a defense mechanism, nothing more.”

“Are you sure?” he asked softly.

His tone drew her attention. “What do you know about it?”

He shook his head. “I only know what I saw, and I don’t know what that was.”

“When? What did you see?”

“It was on Crematoria.”

Bell frowned. Crematoria? “Isn’t that where Kyra was?”

A remembering nod, “Yes, the girl was picked up there. And it was where I left Riddick for dead.”

She literally felt her mouth fall open. “Dead? How? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know.” His eyes continued to monitor the room around him, even her, but he continued to speak. “I’ve never seen anything like it. He leveled twenty of my men. Unarmed.”

Bell was trying to imagine the scene, and couldn’t. He was saying that Riddick had done this? Riddick had a weapon of some sort?

“He went down as well. The sun rose. I left him for dead, expecting the planet to burn his remains. But he returned.”

“How did he do it? I don’t understand.”

He shook his head, looking aggravated that he didn’t have the answers. “I don’t know. I only know what I saw.”

**To those reading, and leaving such wonderful reviews: Thank you so much! I have bled for this story, love it to death, and to know that others are enjoying reading thrills me. Thank you so much for leaving your thoughts! ~Chris