{"id":1037,"date":"2022-03-10T11:50:28","date_gmt":"2022-03-10T16:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/?page_id=1037"},"modified":"2026-04-13T12:20:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T16:20:08","slug":"when-i-find-you-at-last","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/read-online\/when-i-find-you-at-last\/","title":{"rendered":"When I Find You At Last"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) {\r\n  .su-tabs-nav {\r\n    display: flex;\r\n  }\r\n  .su-tabs-nav span {\r\n    flex-basis: 100%;\r\n    text-align: center;\r\n  }\r\n  .su-tabs-nav span:last-child {\r\n    margin-right: 0;\r\n  }\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n\r\n<div align=\"center\" class=\"button\" style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\"><a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/fan-fiction\/when-i-find-you-at-last\/\">Return to the Title Page<\/a><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"su-tabs su-tabs-style-default su-tabs-mobile-scroll\" data-active=\"1\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"yes\"><div class=\"su-tabs-nav\"><span class=\" tabmoji-cover\" data-anchor=\"cover\" data-url=\"\" data-target=\"blank\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Cover<\/span><span class=\" tabmoji-pubdata\" data-anchor=\"pubdata\" data-url=\"\" data-target=\"blank\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Publication Data<\/span><span class=\" tabmoji-story\" data-anchor=\"the-story\" data-url=\"\" data-target=\"blank\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">&nbsp;&nbsp;The Story<\/span><\/div><div class=\"su-tabs-panes\"><div class=\"su-tabs-pane su-u-clearfix su-u-trim tabmoji-cover\" data-title=\"&nbsp;&nbsp;Cover\">\r\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:20px;\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"4127\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4127 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\">&nbsp;<\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4059\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4059 \"><p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#pubdata\">Publication Data \u00bb<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/When-I-Find-You-At-Last-V3.jpg\" alt=\"Cover art for \u201cWhen I Find You At Last\u201d by Ardath Rekha\" align=\"center\" style=\"width:100%\" customlink=\"false\" \/>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"4127\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4127 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\">&nbsp;<\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4059\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4059 \"><p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#pubdata\">Publication Data \u00bb<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-tabs-pane su-u-clearfix su-u-trim tabmoji-pubdata\" data-title=\"&nbsp;&nbsp;Publication Data\">\r\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:20px;\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"3995\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-3995 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#cover\">\u00ab Cover&nbsp;<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4062\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4062 \"><p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#the-story\">The Story \u00bb<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/p><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<span data-post-id=\"1293\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-1293 \">  <h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><u>When I Find You At Last<\/u><\/b><\/h2>\r\n\r\n  <h4 style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 30px;\">By Ardath Rekha<\/h4>\r\n\r\n<span data-post-id=\"4516\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4516 \"><p><b>Synopsis:<\/b> Jack isn\u2019t Kyra. She isn\u2019t dead. She isn\u2019t weak. But what she\u2019s going to have to do soon scares the hell out of her.<\/p><\/span>\r\n\r\n<p><b>Category:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-genre\/#fiction\">Fan Fiction<\/a>\r\n\r\n<p><b>Fandom:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-fandom\/#cor\"><i>The Chronicles of Riddick<\/i> (2004)<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-fandom\/#df\"><i>The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury<\/i> (2004)<\/a>\r\n\r\n<p><b>Series:<\/b> None\r\n\r\n<p><b>Challenges:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-challenge\/#cor-au\">Ardath Rekha\u2019s TCOR AU \/ \u201cKyra is not Jack\u201d challenge<\/a>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><p><b>Rating:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-rating\/#rated-t\">T<\/a><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><p><b>Orientation:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-orientation\/#gen\">Gen<\/a><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><p><b>Pairings:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-pairing\/#no-pairings\">None<\/a><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><p><b>Warnings:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/the-content-warning-system\/#adult-situations\">Adult Situations<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/the-content-warning-system\/#mild-language\">Mild Language<\/a><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><p><b>Number of Chapters:<\/b> 1 \r\n\r\n<p><b>Net Word Count:<\/b><span id=\"su_tooltip_6a8f3e18b6c3b_button\" class=\"su-tooltip-button su-tooltip-button-outline-yes\" aria-describedby=\"su_tooltip_6a8f3e18b6c3b\" data-settings='{\"position\":\"top\",\"behavior\":\"hover\",\"hideDelay\":0}' tabindex=\"0\"><sup><i class=\"fas fa-question-circle\" style=\"color:#243a68;\"><\/i><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"display:none;z-index:100\" id=\"su_tooltip_6a8f3e18b6c3b\" class=\"su-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span class=\"su-tooltip-inner su-tooltip-shadow-yes\" style=\"z-index:100;background:linear-gradient(to bottom, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%);color:#D9ECFB;font-size:16px;border-radius:5px;text-align:left;max-width:300px;line-height:1.25\"><span class=\"su-tooltip-title\"><\/span><span class=\"su-tooltip-content su-u-trim\">In the Read Online section, net word counts exclude cover pages, publication data pages, tables of contents, chapter titles, page links, original post date medatata, and \u2014 in the case of Lyric Wheel stories \u2014 song information and lyrics. In the case of articles, contextual notations are also omitted. Afterwords and chapter notes are treated as part of a text\u2019s overall body.<\/span><\/span><span id=\"su_tooltip_6a8f3e18b6c3b_arrow\" class=\"su-tooltip-arrow\" style=\"z-index:100;background:linear-gradient(to bottom, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%)\" data-popper-arrow><\/span><\/span> 2,065\r\n\r\n<p><b>Total Word Count:<\/b><span id=\"su_tooltip_6a8f3e18b740d_button\" class=\"su-tooltip-button su-tooltip-button-outline-yes\" aria-describedby=\"su_tooltip_6a8f3e18b740d\" data-settings='{\"position\":\"top\",\"behavior\":\"hover\",\"hideDelay\":0}' tabindex=\"0\"><sup><i class=\"fas fa-question-circle\" style=\"color:#243a68;\"><\/i><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"display:none;z-index:100\" id=\"su_tooltip_6a8f3e18b740d\" class=\"su-tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><span class=\"su-tooltip-inner su-tooltip-shadow-yes\" style=\"z-index:100;background:linear-gradient(to bottom, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%);color:#D9ECFB;font-size:16px;border-radius:5px;text-align:left;max-width:300px;line-height:1.25\"><span class=\"su-tooltip-title\"><\/span><span class=\"su-tooltip-content su-u-trim\">In the Read Online section, total word counts include all text present in the story tabs, excluding forward\/back page links and tooltips. This count tends to be slightly different from the eBook Total Word Count reported on the title page.<\/span><\/span><span id=\"su_tooltip_6a8f3e18b740d_arrow\" class=\"su-tooltip-arrow\" style=\"z-index:100;background:linear-gradient(to bottom, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%)\" data-popper-arrow><\/span><\/span> 2,422\r\n\r\n<p><b>Story Length:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-story-length\/#short-story\">Short Story<\/a><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><p><b>First Posted:<\/b> July 16, 2004\r\n\r\n<p><b>Last Updated:<\/b> July 16, 2004\r\n\r\n<p><b>Status:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/browse-by-status\/#complete\">Complete<\/a><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n\r\n<span data-post-id=\"4468\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4468 \"><p><small>The characters and events of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0296572\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>The Chronicles of Riddick<\/i><\/a> are &copy; 2004 Universal Pictures, Radar Pictures, and One Race Films; Written and Directed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0878638\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">David Twohy<\/a>; Based on characters by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0003117\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ken and<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0923646\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jim Wheat<\/a>; Produced by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0472256\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Scott Kroopf<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0004874\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vin Diesel<\/a>. The characters and events of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0407658\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury<\/i><\/a> are &copy; 2004 Universal Cartoon Studios; Directed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0161285\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Peter Chung<\/a>; Written by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm1269404\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brett Matthews<\/a>; Story by David Twohy; Produced by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm1074691\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John Kafka<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm1479531\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jae Y. Moh<\/a>. The characters and events of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0134847\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Pitch Black<\/i><\/a> are &copy; 2000 USA Films, Gramercy Pictures, and Interscope Communications; Directed by David Twohy; Screenplay by Ken and Jim Wheat and David Twohy; Story by Ken and Jim Wheat; Produced by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0257259\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tom Engelman<\/a>. This work of fan fiction is a transformative work for entertainment purposes only, with no claims on, nor intent to infringe upon, the rights of the parties listed above. All additional characters and situations are the creation of, and remain the property of, Ardath Rekha. eBook design and cover art by <a href=\"https:\/\/laraklaber.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LaraRebooted<\/a>, drawn from a photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/@mikhail-nilov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mikhail Nilov<\/a>, licensed via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pexels<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/fontmeme.com\/fonts\/journal-fontourist-font\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Journal<\/a> font from <a href=\"https:\/\/fontmeme.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Font Meme<\/a>, and background graphics &copy; 1998 Noel Mollon, adapted and licensed via Teri Williams Carnright from the now-retired Fantasyland Graphics site (c. 2003). This eBook may not be sold or advertised for sale. If you are a copyright holder of any of the referenced works, and believe that part or all of this eBook exceeds fair use practices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/contact-me\/\">please contact Ardath Rekha<\/a>.<\/small><\/p><p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0;\"><small><i>Rev. 2022.10.09<\/i><\/small><\/p><\/span><\/span>\r\n<div style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"3995\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-3995 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#cover\">\u00ab Cover&nbsp;<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4062\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4062 \"><p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#the-story\">The Story \u00bb<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-tabs-pane su-u-clearfix su-u-trim tabmoji-story\" data-title=\"&nbsp;&nbsp;The Story\">\r\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:20px;\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"3996\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-3996 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#pubdata\">\u00ab Publication Data<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4127\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4127 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\">&nbsp;<\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<span data-post-id=\"1535\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-1535 \">  <h2 style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><u><b>When I Find You At Last<\/b><\/u><\/h2>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">They say the brain shuts down in cryosleep.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">That\u2019s a disgusting lie.  It shuts down if you can afford it to.  If you pay for the drugs.  If nobody wants you to suffer the sensory deprivation of being trapped in a little box.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Shame nobody gives a shit about people in slave tanks.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Thoughts running through my head, no special order to them, not anymore.  I\u2019m coming apart.  Being torn to pieces by my own brain.<\/p>\r\n<hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>The ramp lowering on the escape ship, and that <nobr>woman\u2026<\/nobr> that woman with blazing green eyes that made me think of my <nobr>father\u2026<\/nobr> pointing a gun at Riddick.  The harsh crack of the gun going off and feeling like <b>I\u2019d<\/b> been shot as Riddick collapsed to the floor.  My dizziness abandoning me as I lunged for the forgotten rifle on the floor.  Lifting it, aiming it at that twisted screaming <nobr>mouth\u2026<\/nobr><\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">My fingers twitch on a phantom trigger in my tube.  I want to be uncivilized again.<\/p>\r\n  \r\n<hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>A dry, hot night on New Mecca, lying in my bed and trying not to cry.  The sounds of Riddick saying good-bye to Imam for the last time, sneaking away like a criminal in the night \u2014 how ironic, isn\u2019t that what he is? \u2014 just so he doesn\u2019t have to look me in the eye.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">I spent the next two months trying to hate him, but all I really wanted to do was die.<\/p>\r\n  \r\n<hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>Kyra handing me a cigarette as we hid out behind a storage shed at the spacedocks.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>\u201cTonight, huh?  You got all your stuff?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>\u201cYeah.\u201d  I took a drag off the smoke, avoiding the stains of Kyra\u2019s lipstick on the filter, and handed it back to her.  To her this was just a great excuse to start the wild adventure she\u2019d always wanted to go on.  Me?  I was afraid of what would happen to Riddick if I wasn\u2019t around to watch his back.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>\u201cSo where do you think he went, anyway?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>I shrugged.  \u201cProbably somewhere underpopulated, where there\u2019s mining or something so his eyes don\u2019t look weird.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>Kyra cackled.  \u201cWrong!  He\u2019ll be at Tremus Station, you\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>I laughed back at her. \u201cYou just wanna go there because it\u2019s got a hot nightlife.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>\u201cDamn right,\u201d she told me, and struck a pose.  \u201cI could pass for eighteen, couldn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>She batted her eyelashes and made her face look as sultry as possible \u2014 not hard with the makeup she liked to wear, and that big mane of hair she had \u2014 and waited for me to tell her that yes, she looked eighteen, not thirteen like we really were.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>\u201cYeah, sure.  I\u2019ll be your younger brother.\u201d  It was an act I preferred.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>\u201cWuss.  We can get you a wig.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>\u201cNothing doing.  Jackie\u2019s dead again tonight.  I\u2019m Jack.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Kyra\u2026 for a moment I struggle against my restraints before more paralytics are pumped into my system.  I need to help <nobr>her\u2026<\/nobr> got to get to <nobr>her\u2026<\/nobr> help <nobr>her\u2026<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n  \r\n<hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>The ink wasn\u2019t even dry on the contracts before the leering merc told us what we\u2019d really signed.  We were \u201cindentured servants\u201d now, for the next five years, and he could send us anywhere and make us do anything.  His eyes skimmed over me, not really seeing anything but a scrawny boy.  Kyra, though, I could see exactly what he planned for her.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>We fought, or tried to, but there were too many of them and they were far too strong for us.  The butt of someone\u2019s gun clipped my temple.  I ended up lying on the floor, trying not to throw up and struggling to stay conscious, while I heard what they were doing to my best friend.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Kyra\u2026 got to help <nobr>Kyra\u2026<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n  \r\n<hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>They put us on separate ships.  Kyra was being sent to a brothel for training.  I was just gonna be shipped off to the mines.  They were trying to unload us fast because of my head injury.  Their medic said it might be fatal.  I could hear everything they were saying but I couldn\u2019t get my mouth to work, my body to respond to my commands.  Just the silent cries over and over <nobr>again\u2026<\/nobr> <nobr>Kyra\u2026<\/nobr> <nobr>Kyra\u2026<\/nobr> <nobr>Kyra\u2026<\/nobr><\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Riddick, help <nobr>us\u2026<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n  \r\n<hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\"><i>Kyra\u2019s ship was already on its way when the prep-techs realized I wasn\u2019t really a boy.  It was too late to send me off with her.  They did something to my head, muttering about mishandled cargo, and a lot of the pain went away.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">The pain and the paralysis.  I can move, a little, in my tube.  For all the good it does.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">But I think I\u2019m dying.  Something keeps striking at me like a concussion, like the ship is rocking or being hit by explosions.  It\u2019s got to be me.  My brain is melting down at last.  Probably having a cerebral hemorrhage.  <nobr>Something\u2026<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">The light dims and I know this must be it.  Now I\u2019ll die, without seeing Riddick and without saving Kyra.<\/p>\r\n  \r\n<hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cThis one\u2019s in bad shape, help me get him out of the tube.\u201d  A strange, harsh voice.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Hands on me, lifting me up.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cGet him to the infirmary.  I\u2019ll handle the rest of these guys.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cIs it clear?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cYes, Private.  The whole crew is either dead or in custody.  Now get this kid to the infirmary.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cYes, Sir!\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">My whole body lurches.  It\u2019s too much.  Darkness and silence takes me for a while, deeper than what I\u2019d been able to get in cryo.  <nobr>Peace\u2026<\/nobr> <nobr>peace\u2026<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Riddick, where are you?  I need your <nobr>help\u2026<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n  \r\n<hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Bright white light above me.  Hurts.  They dim it for me.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201c\u2026lucky we intercepted your craft.  You were on your way to the irridium mines on Planet UV.  Slaves there don\u2019t last a week before they die of radiation <nobr>poisoning\u2026\u201d<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cKyra\u2026\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cThat name again.  Jack, you need to concentrate.  Talk to us.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cOther <nobr>ship\u2026<\/nobr> <nobr>brothel\u2026<\/nobr> help <nobr>her\u2026\u201d<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cDear Almighty\u2026\u201d<\/p>\r\n  \r\n<hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Quiet for a long time.  My head\u2019s beginning to make more sense.  There\u2019s a tall woman in a uniform who comes to see me.  Her face looks severe, almost cruel, but her voice is gentle and she never stresses me.  I like her.  She makes me think of Shazza.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Today she looks sad.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Jackie.  We haven\u2019t been able to track down the ship your friend was on.  Our investigators are trying to trace her but she could be anywhere.  Slaving is a big business in the outer sectors.  Most of the ships, we never even catch up with.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">She rests her hand on top of mine, and then draws me into her arms and lets me cry on her uniform.<\/p>\r\n  \r\n<hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Time passes and I know a lot more about them.  I can walk again now.  My uniformed friend comes to see me frequently and we go on strolls.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Harkness\u2019s world is probably the most earthlike planet I\u2019ve been on since I left Memphis on a freighter.  Green, rolling hills.  A scattering of trees.  Okay, the purple woodchucks aren\u2019t earthlike at all, but I like them.  Some of them will even let me pet \u2019em.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cIt\u2019s coming, Jack,\u201d she tells me.  \u201cThey\u2019re moving through the outer worlds, destroying everything good they find.  One day, this place may be a lifeless cinder, too.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Necromongers.  What a fucked-up name.  They probably prance around in capes and laugh <nobr>diabolically\u2026<\/nobr> but everybody here is scared.  Colonies are vanishing.  This one fears it might be next.  All they want to do around here is farm and mine, but they might still be next.  \u2018Specially because they\u2019re religious separatists.  The idea of converting to someone else\u2019s faith sparks the most vehement tirades I\u2019ve ever seen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Me, I got no use for religion, and they know it.  It bugs them but they need everybody they can get.  Which is why these walks always turn into recruitment spiels.  Join their fleet academy and they\u2019ll make the mandatory chapel optional for me.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">They need every hand they can get.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">And I gotta say, the idea of having a gun back in my <nobr>hands\u2026<\/nobr> I like it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cDo I have to wear a cross on my uniform?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cYes, but you don\u2019t have to believe in it if you don\u2019t want to.\u201d  She looks sad that I won\u2019t let her save me.  It\u2019s an old battle now.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cI can learn how to fly a ship?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cYes.  We need good pilots.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Most important point now. \u201cI get combat training?  And guns?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">She hides a smile.  \u201cYes, Jackie, you do.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">I look around at rolling hills and purple woodchucks, and wonder what Kyra would think of this little slice of ordained heaven.  The girl I remember would have scoffed at it.  But I would have too, before the slavers.  I want peace.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Even if I have to fight and kill and die for it, I want the peace of this place.  I rarely even wonder, anymore, what Riddick\u2019s doing.  I named one of the chucks after him, though.  He\u2019s a grumpy little guy but when nobody\u2019s looking he\u2019ll sneak over and rub against my leg.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">I could belong here, even if I don\u2019t want their God.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">\u201cOkay, I\u2019m in.\u201d<\/p>\r\n  \r\n<hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Training is grueling, especially because I do still have some nerve damage.  They try to be easy on me but I know the drill.  Keep up or drop out.  I\u2019m not going to be useless.  I\u2019m going to be the best.  Anyway, I\u2019m not the only teen they\u2019ve recruited.  If things go as badly as they seem to fear \u2014 and I\u2019m starting to understand why \u2014 they might have to put guns into the hands of their small children.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">I\u2019m not gonna let that happen if I can help it.  These wackos are too nice.<\/p>\r\n  \r\n<hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Pilot accreditation.  A silver medal in marksmanship.  My first flight patrol and I help take down another slaving ship passing through our spacelanes.  I\u2019m seventeen now.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">They\u2019ve never managed to find Kyra.  They keep looking, for me.  I\u2019m still not converted, and it still wigs some of them, but they consider me one of them now anyway.  I consider me one of them, too.<\/p>\r\n  \r\n<hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">The news came last <nobr>night\u2026<\/nobr> and it\u2019s bad.  Helion Prime has fallen.  Usually nobody around here has anything good to say about the place \u2014 religion, again, of course \u2014 but everybody was crying.  The darkness is getting closer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">I cried, too.  Imam was there.  Ziza, his little baby girl, was there.  Who knows, maybe Kyra escaped captivity and got back there.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">All gone now.<\/p>\r\n  \r\n<hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Now I\u2019ve seen it, seen the work of the Necromongers myself.  I landed on New Mecca and stared around at the twisted ruins.  Everything was so charred and blackened and torn that I couldn\u2019t even find Imam\u2019s house.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Nothing lives there.  Nothing will ever live there again.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">We wait, and watch, and prepare to fight to the death if we must.  It\u2019s only a matter of time.<\/p>\r\n  \r\n<hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">The most frightening news of all came last night.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">There\u2019s a new Lord Marshal of the Necromonger fleet.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Richard B. Riddick.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">That fleet was quiet for more than a month after the fall of Helion <nobr>Prime\u2026<\/nobr> but now its predations have begun again.  With Riddick at its head.  And they\u2019re coming this way.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Riddick.  Oh fuck.<\/p>\r\n  \r\n<hr style=\"align: center; width: 50%; background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%); height: 3px; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">The command council now knows about my history with him.  We don\u2019t know what it will be worth, but they\u2019ve given me a new mission, and I\u2019m training hard for it.  I cry myself to sleep every night, thinking of how much has changed, how much has been <nobr>lost\u2026<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">How much will be lost soon.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">My mission is simple.  Get to Richard B. Riddick, and make him recognize <nobr>me\u2026<\/nobr> and then, when his guard drops \u2014 if it <nobr>drops\u2026<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">Kill him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">They don\u2019t know if I can.  It\u2019s a huge long shot.  But I\u2019m probably the only one with even the slimmest chance of succeeding.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">I have to kill the man I never stopped loving.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">I remember lifting that gun, five years ago now.  Pointing it at Antonia Chillingsworth.  Ending her life to save his, and being happy that he lived.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">If I succeed, I don\u2019t want to survive doing so.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">I\u2019m so sorry, <nobr>Riddick\u2026<\/nobr> I\u2019m going to betray you. <nobr>Kyra\u2026<\/nobr> I\u2019m so sorry I\u2019ve never found <nobr>you\u2026<\/nobr> I hope you got away.  I hope you\u2019re living it up somewhere, far from this <nobr>war\u2026<\/nobr><\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">They\u2019re coming.  <i>He\u2019s<\/i> coming.  We maybe have a week until they get here.  The council says this is destiny.  God\u2019s will.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"text-indent:.25in; margin-bottom: 0;\">I still don\u2019t believe in their God.  But I\u2019m ready.<\/p><\/span>\r\n<div style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\r\n<div class='content-column one_half'><span data-post-id=\"3996\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-3996 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\"><a href=\"#pubdata\">\u00ab Publication Data<\/a><\/p><\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class='content-column one_half last_column'><span data-post-id=\"4127\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-4127 \"><p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0;\">&nbsp;<\/p><\/span><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div align=\"center\" class=\"button\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0;\"><a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/fan-fiction\/when-i-find-you-at-last\/#comments\">Leave a review<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Return to the Title Page Leave a review","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":308,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"bgseo_title":"Read Online: \u201cWhen I Find You At Last\u201d by Ardath Rekha","bgseo_description":"Jack isn\u2019t Kyra. She isn\u2019t dead. She isn\u2019t weak. But what she\u2019s going to have to do soon scares the hell out of her.","bgseo_robots_index":"index","bgseo_robots_follow":"follow","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1037","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","no-wpautop"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1037"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1037\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6316,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1037\/revisions\/6316"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/fanworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}