A Kid Like Her (A Riddick - Jack Romance/Adventure Story)

Dead Man Walking

To put it simply, Riddick was less than pleased. Vaako's call had interrupted what would have been a very pleasant evening with only a short diversion for a trip to the med lab. However, once he took a look at the long range scanners and the analysis that Vaako provided him, his gruff mood instantly evaporated.

If his suspicions were correct, this armada was going to make an unanticipated side trip that the Necros would enjoy, and one he would find particularly cathartic. Knowing this was going to keep him busy for the rest of the evening, he sent Eron to Jack for two purposes: to tell her not to wait and to get her to the med lab. Regardless, he would get to the bottom of what was going on with her.

Riddick had the lights dimmed enough to remove his goggles and braced his hands on either side of the scanner looking down at it. He had been like that for five minutes, saying nothing to Vaako. Finally he lifted his head and smiled to himself.

"Show me the star chart so I can see our position in relation to the wormhole."

"Yes my lord." The chief navigator called up the chart and Vaako looked at it curiously.

"May I ask what you're searching for?"

"A planet." Riddick didn't look up when he answered, still intent of the chart before him. He touched an area on the grid and tapped twice as a smirk appeared on his face.

"Son of a bitch. Enlarge this region." He indicated a planet with twin moons. "Show me this one and tell me, in travel time, how far away it is from the wormhole."

"My lord, if we maintain our present speed, the quadrant you have indicated is approximately eight hours from the wormhole. From here, we can reach the planet and come within orbiting distance in forty hours or less."

"Excellent. That's our destination then. This whole armada can appear like a comet, yes?"

"Yes, my lord it can. We are unable to maintain our set speed if we do so though. The mass created by the comet masking cannot maintain its integrity at higher speeds and our individual ships are detectable."

"They won't see us for another twenty-four hours. I want this armada on ice in twenty hours to give us some extra time. How much will that delay us?"

"Two to four hours, my lord." Riddick stood there with his arms crossed contemplating the delay.

"So forty-four hours total. Not a problem." He finally looked at Vaako and motioned with his head for him to follow. Vaako's curiosity was eating at him. He got the odd sense that Riddick knew exactly where they were headed, and that he had something 'up his sleeve' as he had heard Riddick say to Jack on more than one occasion. Finally, his inquisitiveness got the better of him.

"My lo-," he stopped, remembering Riddick didn't prefer the title when they were not in mixed company, "Riddick?"

"Vaako." The fight with the Jakarnans had whet both of their appetites and he could feel the man's eagerness for more. "You're just chompin' at the bit to know what I'm thinkin'," he caught his eye before finishing, "ain't you?"

He didn't wish to appear too anxious. "I am wondering."

Riddick's laugh was almost imperceptible, but he heard it nonetheless as he led them into the nearby war room. Riddick sat in the big chair at the end of the long table and propped his legs up on it, then leaned back with his hands behind his head, grinning.

"You're full of shit Vaako." The younger man's brow furrowed hearing this. "I've been watchin' you since day one. You may be quiet, but you are always aware of everything around you to the point where you can...anticipate what's comin' next. Valuable asset in a warrior, wouldn't you say?"