{"id":1083,"date":"2025-01-28T22:42:16","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T03:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/?p=1083"},"modified":"2025-01-30T06:37:53","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T11:37:53","slug":"song-of-many-verses-chapter-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/song-of-many-verses-chapter-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Song of Many \u2019Verses, Chapter 1"},"content":{"rendered":"<style type=\"text\/css\">\np {\n  border-bottom: 0;\n  border-top: 0;\n  display: block;\n  padding-bottom: 0;\n  padding-top: 0;\n}\np.indented {\n  margin-bottom: 0;\n  margin-top: 0;\n  text-indent: 1em;\n}\np.indented-offset {\n  margin-bottom: 1em;\n  margin-top: 1em;\n  text-indent: 1em;\n}\np.block {\n  margin-bottom: 1em;\n  margin-top: 1em;\n  margin-left: 2em;\n  margin-right: 2em;\n}\np.center-block {\n  margin-bottom: 1em;\n  margin-top: 1em;\n  margin-left: 2em;\n  margin-right: 2em;\n  text-align: center;\n}\np.letter-block {\n  margin-bottom: 0;\n  margin-top: 1em;\n  margin-left: 2em;\n  margin-right: 2em;\n}\np.indent-block {\n  margin-bottom: 1em;\n  margin-top: 0;\n  margin-left: 2em;\n  margin-right: 2em;\n  text-indent: 1em;\n}\np.poetry {\n  margin-bottom: 1em;\n  margin-top: 1em;\n  margin-left: 3em;\n  margin-right: 2em;\n  text-indent: -2em;\n}\np.right {\n  margin-bottom: 1em;\n  margin-top: 1em;\n  text-align: right;\n}\nhr {\n  align-content: center;\n  width: 50%;\n  background: linear-gradient(to right, #4474BE 0%, #243a68 100%);\n  height: 3px;\n  margin-bottom: 1em;\n  margin-top: 1em;\n}\ntt {\n  font: 0.857em menlo, monaco, consolas, monospace;\n  margin: auto;\n}\nh2 {\ntext-align: center;\n}\nh2.chapterhead {\nmargin-bottom: 2em;\ntext-align: center;\n}\nh3 {\n  text-align: center;\n}\nh3.afterword {\n  margin-bottom: 1em;\n  text-decoration: underline;\n}\nh3.headline {\n  margin-bottom: 0;\n}\nh4 {\n  text-align: center;\n}\nh4.headline {\n  margin-top: 0;\n  margin-bottom: 1em;\n}\n.nowrap {\n  text-indent: 0;\n  display: inline-block;\n}\nli {\n  list-style-type: number;\n  padding-left: 1em;\n  margin-left: 0;\n  margin-bottom: 10px;\n}\na {\n  text-decoration: none;\n}\n<\/style>\n<p><b>Title:<\/b> Song of Many \u2019Verses<br \/>\n<b>Author:<\/b> Ardath Rekha<br \/>\n<b>Chapter:<\/b> 1\/?<br \/>\n<b>Fandom:<\/b> <i>Pitch Black<\/i> (2000); <i>The Chronicles of Riddick<\/i> (2004); <i>The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury<\/i> (2004)<br \/>\n<b>Rating:<\/b> M<br \/>\n<b>Warnings:<\/b> Adult themes, controversial subject matter, harsh language<br \/>\n<b>Category:<\/b> Het<br \/>\n<b>Pairing:<\/b> Riddick\/Jack<br \/>\n<b>Summary:<\/b> Three men, from different worlds and with different motives, cross paths on the hunt for Audrey MacNamera\u2026 alias Jack B. Badd.<br \/>\n<b>Disclaimer:<\/b> The characters and events of <i>Pitch Black,<\/i> <i>The Chronicles of Riddick,<\/i> and <i>The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury<\/i> are not mine, but belong to Universal Studios.  I just <i>wish<\/i> I were in charge of their fates.  No money is being made off of this.  I\u2019m writing strictly for love of the story.<br \/>\n<b>Feedback:<\/b> Absolutely, the more the better!  Shred me, whip me, beat me, make me feel grammatical! I post \u201crough,\u201d so I can always use the help. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n<input type='hidden' bg_collapse_expand='6a8e4dea5ef915034955960' value='6a8e4dea5ef915034955960'><input type='hidden' id='bg-show-more-text-6a8e4dea5ef915034955960' value='Long post is long. Click to read the story.'><input type='hidden' id='bg-show-less-text-6a8e4dea5ef915034955960' value='Hide the story again.'><button id='bg-showmore-action-6a8e4dea5ef915034955960' class='bg-showmore-plg-button bg-green-button  '   style=\" color:#D9ECFB;\">Long post is long. Click to read the story.<\/button><div id='bg-showmore-hidden-6a8e4dea5ef915034955960' >  <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"chapterhead\">1.<br \/>\n<u>The Wreck of the <i>Santa Clara<\/i><\/u><\/h2>\n<p class=\"indented\">There was a storm brewing miles out over the Caldera as John MacNamera approached the Tailwind Tavern. If he was lucky, he thought, it might wait to strike the base until after his launch window. But luck was suddenly treating him as a passing acquaintance, at best. After the last several hours, he wondered if it had deserted him altogether.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The inside of the pilots\u2019 dive bar did nothing to ease that feeling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The place was only a third of the way occupied, during what\u2014for most bars around Caldera Base, at least\u2014was Happy Hour and the busiest time of day. In the Tailwind Tavern, it felt more like Last Call was approaching. The bartender was wiping down the counter, carefully cleaning around a man who appeared to be taking a nap by his half-filled drink. Further down the bar, two women eyed him with suspicion. One table held a group of men playing a card game. Aside from a few lone drinkers, most with dinners in front of them, the place was empty. Toward the back, a lone diner was barely visible in one of the booths.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">He took a deep breath and walked back to the booth and the man he was supposed to meet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cMazigh?\u201d he asked as he approached. It was an odd name; Lady Shirah had told him to pronounce it as if he was saying <i>Mazeer,<\/i> with a hint of something guttural at the end of the <i>r<\/i>. The seated diner inclined his head in a nod and gestured for MacNamera to join him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">He sat down across the booth from his contact, studying the pilot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Mazigh appeared to be in his late thirties. His close-cropped black hair was threaded with silver, his olive skin unwrinkled except at the corners of his eyes and mouth. His features, like his name, seemed to point to an Old Moroccan heritage. He was almost absurdly good-looking, enough that MacNamera had to wonder why he was scraping by out in this corner of nowhere and not starring in adventure vids coming out of New Hollywood. His daugh\u00ad<span class=\"nowrap\">ter\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">It was hard to even think of her without something catching his heart in its fist and squeezing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">His daughter would probably have watched every vid, multiple times over, starring a man who looked like this guy. At least, so said the girl\u2019s mother, who seemed worried that Audrey had come back from her time away more than a little strange. Her definition of \u201cstrange\u201d made him wish, once again, that he\u2019d never left Audrey on Deckard\u2019s World in the first place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWould you like something to eat?\u201d Mazigh asked. He had a tagine of fragrant stew in front of him, half eaten, beside a glass of something that smelled strongly of mint but not at all of alcohol.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">MacNamera shook his head. \u201cI\u2019m fine, thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">In truth, he had no appetite at all. He probably ought to eat something, but the thought of food was repulsive at the moment. His mind was too utterly consumed by the worries that the last day\u2019s worth of messages had brought him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Mazigh, he realized, was studying him every bit as intently as <i>he<\/i> had been studying the man. \u201cTell me about your daughter,\u201d the pilot finally said. \u201cWhat has happened to her, exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he admitted. \u201cNot <i>exactly.<\/i> She was back with her mother on Deckard\u2019s World, going to college, and suddenly she disappeared. Her mom says she left one message, telling her to take her younger daughter and go into hiding. Audrey said something in the message about someone from the last time she\u2019d been missing coming <span class=\"nowrap\">back\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cThis is not the first time your daughter has disappeared?\u201d Mazigh leaned forward, his eyes\u2014just a shade or two lighter green than Audrey\u2019s, MacNamera noticed\u2014intent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cNo. It isn\u2019t.\u201d He gritted his teeth. Before \u201cM\u201d and the Lady Shirah had directed him to this contact, his own attempts to recruit help had been an abject failure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>\u201cThis the same daughter who went missin\u2019 six or so years ago and was gone for nearly two years?\u201d one pilot had asked. \u201cI remember you stakin\u2019 out every transport that came in, that whole time, in case she was on board. Turned out she\u2019d never even left Deckard\u2019s World. Why you goin\u2019 kitin\u2019 after her this time?\u201d He and his friends had laughed and had gone back to ignoring MacNamera in favor of watching a jai alai vid.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cShe disappeared a month before her thirteenth birthday and was missing for twenty-two months. Her mother knows very little about what happened to her during that time, but this time, she went offworld. Booked passage to New Queensland on a ship called the <i>Santa Clara.<\/i> It vanished one Star Jump into its route.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">At the mention of Star Jumps, the other man\u2019s eyes cut over to his.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cA long jump?\u201d he asked with odd intensity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">MacNamera shook his head. \u201cThey weren\u2019t even half a day out from the system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cAnd no contact since? No beacon check-ins?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cIt came out of the jump fine, checked in with that beacon, and never checked in with the next, the one that would have led into the second jump.\u201d MacNamera felt his stomach twisting again at the thought of all the things that might have happened, might be happening.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWhatever happened occurred in U1 space, then,\u201d Mazigh mused. \u201cI may see why I was recommended to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou came <i>highly<\/i> recommended,\u201d MacNamera replied, still a little confused about that. \u201cBoth by the investigator on Deckard\u2019s World who contacted me after Audrey disappeared, <i>and<\/i> by Lady Shirah.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">That made Mazigh blink; apparently he found that as surprising as MacNamera had. \u201cThis investigator. What\u2019s his name?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cDidn\u2019t tell me more than an initial. M. Audrey\u2019s mother told me he\u2019s been assigned to her case for years, ever since she reappeared. I\u2019ve never been able to find out much about him, and I <i>have<\/i> tried. He\u2019s Federacy, but that\u2019s all I know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Mazigh\u2019s frown had deepened. He lifted his glass of\u2014was that mint tea?\u2014and took a thoughtful sip. Then he seemed to come to a decision. \u201cDo you have a picture of your daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">MacNamera pulled out his comm, opening it to the image he\u2019d been looking at all too often since the news had come and turning it toward Mazigh. A young woman\u2019s face appeared on the screen, beautiful if he did say so himself, with enormous green eyes, prominent cheekbones, a pixie-pointed chin and a quirky smile, dark blonde hair flowing to her shoulders. Audrey in her first college yearbook photo. He could still see the tiny maker of mud-pies and catcher of fireflies hidden behind the newly-adult face.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Six years ago, after coming out of cryo and learning that his daughter had become a missing person not long after he\u2019d left Deckard\u2019s World, he had been terrified that she\u2019d been on her way to Furya. Even Lady Shirah\u2019s promise to intercept and hide the girl if she arrived, before the Quantifiers could learn she was there, hadn\u2019t eased his anxiety. The new situation was even more petrifying.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Mazigh\u2019s breath hitched for a second. \u201cThis \u2018M\u2019 asked you to come to me, specifically? As did Lady Shirah.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The man nodded. \u201cI understand now. I will, of course, help you. No one\u2019s child should be alone in the ghost lanes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Mazigh gestured to the barkeep; a moment later, he was settling his check as his food was packed up for him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou <i>are<\/i> licensed to fly a Star Jumper?\u201d MacNamera asked, aware that somehow everything had just sped up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Mazigh nodded and slipped his payment card back into a small wallet, taking another card out and offering it to MacNamera.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">It was a pilot\u2019s license, identifying him as Yedder Mazigh, born in New Casablanca on Tangiers Prime, rated to fly most military and commercial craft.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>Retired military. Like I was, <span class=\"nowrap\">before\u2026<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">He shut that down, shut all of it down. There wasn\u2019t all that much he regretted about the last six and a half years of his life, except how they had impacted <span class=\"nowrap\">Audrey\u2026<\/span> and, apparently, were still impacting her. But he couldn\u2019t think about it without it starting to tear him to pieces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWhat\u2019s your price?\u201d he asked as he gave Mazigh back his license.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The pilot shrugged, slipping the license back into his wallet and pocketing it. \u201cI\u2019m sure your offer is a fair one. Shall we go? I presume you already have a ship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Feeling a little stunned, MacNamera nodded, rising as Mazigh rose. They were, he realized, exactly the same height. \u201cA Dassault Z-437. Can you fly one?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cI can, and I have.\u201d Mazigh led him toward the exit. \u201cIt\u2019s a good choice for a rescue mission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou need to stop and get anything?\u201d MacNamera asked, still trying to figure out how things had turned around so quickly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Mazigh nodded at the bartender, who fetched a duffel bag from behind the counter and handed it to him. \u201cI have everything I need in here.\u201d He said something to the bartender in another language, one MacNamera didn\u2019t recognize, and got a reply in the same language. \u201cNo need for us to delay further. My affairs are in order.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The man, MacNamera soon discovered, was not especially talkative. The walk back to Caldera Base, less than half a mile away, was silent, but gave him a chance to observe his new companion. Mazigh moved like a trained soldier.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWhere\u2019d you serve?\u201d he asked as they neared the entrance to the base.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cTangiers Space Service,\u201d Mazigh said. \u201cSol Track Protective Division.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>A combat pilot,<\/i> MacNamera thought. <i>Still young enough to be serving. Can\u2019t even be forty yet.<\/i> \u201cWhy\u2019d you leave?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cL-4 injury,\u201d Mazigh said after a tiny pause. \u201cIt healed, but not before I got so sick of being behind a desk that I resigned my commission. I piloted commercial ships for a few years after that. <i>They<\/i> said I was fit enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">People at the base seemed to know and like Mazigh, something that eased MacNamera\u2019s nerves a little more, although it made him wonder why they had never crossed paths before. Nothing could ease his nerves completely. Every time he thought of his daughter, they jangled again until he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. But it only took an hour for everything to be settled and for them to be given a launch window. Lady Shirah had been true to her word and had smoothed the way for him with Federacy Command; he had already been placed on emergency leave and his Lieutenant was prepared to take over.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">As they approached the Z-437\u2019s ramp, though, Mazigh turned to him with a serious look.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou do understand, I assume, that in a moment I will become the captain of this ship,\u201d the man said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">That brought MacNamera up short. \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cAnd in spite of <i>your<\/i> rank, you will be required to follow my orders. So I want to be clear that I will not issue orders all that often, but when I do it is because they are necessary. For your safety, and mine, and your daughter\u2019s when we find her. The law, however, will require you to follow them when I do. I want there to be no misunderstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cFair enough.\u201d It was something he hadn\u2019t thought about in his headlong rush to save his little girl\u2014an adult now, yes, but barely\u2014but he really should have.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>Gotta do what I gotta do.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Prior to liftoff, he was surprised to see that Mazigh checked the engine area and, in particular, the Star Jump drive, resting his hand on it for a moment with an odd gesture and murmuring something under his breath. But that, he ultimately decided, was the only non-textbook thing about the pilot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Launch was uneventful, Furya\u2019s usually stormy skies seeming almost cooperative and the storm over the Caldera still distant. They cryo-slept in their seats on the way to the <i>Santa Clara<\/i>\u2019s last known position, skipping over the week it took to get there. MacNamera was glad of the cryo; a week of fretting about his daughter\u2019s fate might have driven him mad.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The space between the end of the <i>Santa Clara<\/i>\u2019s first Star Jump and the start of the second was vast, covering fifty million kilometers in each direction. Mazigh began running a sensor sweep of the region immediately. MacNamera found it difficult to sit still, so close to answers and yet still unable to grasp them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cSo,\u201d he observed after a while, trying to fill the silence before it could unhinge him, \u201cyour <span class=\"nowrap\">name\u2026<\/span> doesn\u2019t sound very Arabic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cIt\u2019s not,\u201d Mazigh answered, his mouth quirking slightly. \u201cIt\u2019s Tamazight. Or, as most of your people would say, Berber.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Huh. There was an oblique rebuke in there somewhere, he thought. \u201cWhat\u2019s it mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cIt was gifted to me by a good friend of my family. \u2018Yedder\u2019 means \u2018he will live.\u2019 And \u2018Mazigh\u2019 is an auspicious surname among my people. It means \u2018he is free.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cThe whole name was a gift?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Mazigh smiled, turning back to his controls. \u201cThe most important part of it was. What do you know of the circumstances of your daughter\u2019s first disappearance?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">MacNamera groaned, leaning back in his seat. \u201cTruth is, not much at all. Last time she just dropped out of sight. Her mother thought she\u2019d run away, <span class=\"nowrap\">but\u2026<\/span> when she came <span class=\"nowrap\">back\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWas something unusual about her return?\u201d Mazigh seemed focused on the scans he was running, but MacNamera had the odd feeling that the man was paying closer attention than he seemed to be.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYeah. It turned out that she\u2019d been in WitSec for most or all of the time she was missing. Nobody could get her tell them where she\u2019d been or what had happened. One of the conditions of her return was that she could never talk about any of it at all. And once a week, a Federacy operative came to the door to escort her to a rendezvous with her \u2018handler,\u2019 who her mother never once got to see herself. That \u2018M\u2019 guy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cAn extraordinary situation for a child her age to find herself in,\u201d Mazigh said after a moment. \u201cIs there much espionage, or organized crime, on Deckard\u2019s World?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cI never knew of any, but that isn\u2019t my field anyway.\u201d MacNamera let out another gusty sigh. \u201cDo you think the first disappearance and this one are connected? Something from back then showing up, like she said?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cPossibly. You said she told your ex-wife to go into hiding with her younger <span class=\"nowrap\">sister\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cI never said she was my ex-wife,\u201d MacNamera snapped, frowning. Who <i>was<\/i> this guy?<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Mazigh smiled at him, shaking his head. \u201cYou didn\u2019t have to. You referred to her as \u2018her mother,\u2019 not your wife, every time you have mentioned her. And this little <span class=\"nowrap\">sister\u2026<\/span> you have not referred to her as your daughter, either. A half-sister from another marriage, I presume?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Well, damn. He\u2019d gotten all suspicious for a moment over a good deduction. Just because Mazigh seemed more committed to the mission than he ought to <span class=\"nowrap\">be\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cApparently, your daughter was afraid for <i>their<\/i> safety as well as her own when she disappeared. Did this \u2018M\u2019 say whether she used her own name, or a false name, when she boarded the <i>Santa Clara<\/i>?\u201d Mazigh continued running scans as he spoke.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cHer own name,\u201d MacNamera said, seeing where Mazigh was going. \u201cShe was laying a trail, wasn\u2019t she? Trying to draw someone away from Deckard\u2019s World. Away from her mom and sister.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cIt would appear so. That suggests a genuine threat, one probably connected to her prior missing time. Are you sure that she wasn\u2019t offworld during that period?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cNobody\u2019s sure of anything,\u201d MacNamera grumbled. \u201cHer mom told me she insisted that if she ever talked about anything that had happened while she was gone, people could end up dead, and that if everybody kept trying to get her to talk, she might get disappeared again. She never wavered from that once.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cInteresting. And she was how old, again?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cA month shy of thirteen when she disappeared. Almost fifteen when she came back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cKids that age are very rarely good at keeping secrets,\u201d Mazigh mused. \u201cExcept for the truly important ones.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Maybe it was meant as a reassuring statement, but MacNamera was only feeling worse with each passing moment. If whoever had driven Audrey into WitSec had found her, and was dangerous enough to force her headlong flight off-<span class=\"nowrap\">planet\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cI have something,\u201d Mazigh said. \u201cA distress beacon. Very weak, <span class=\"nowrap\">but\u2026\u201d<\/span> He began flipping switches and plotting a course.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">It took another hour to reach the beacon. MacNamera\u2019s heart pounded in his ears the whole time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cOh fuck,\u201d he breathed, as the <i>Santa Clara<\/i> finally came into view.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The vessel drifted in the darkness, barely visible, no lights illuminating it. If its bulk hadn\u2019t blocked out the stars behind it, they might not have seen it at all. As they approached and their lights touched it, a gaping breach in its hull became glaringly obvious.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>My little <span class=\"nowrap\">girl\u2026<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><span class=\"nowrap\">\u201cTislilel\u2026\u201d<\/span> Mazigh murmured, before maneuvering the Z-437 closer. Once in range, he deployed multiple tethers and brought their airlock within a few meters of the jagged rent in the hull.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cLet\u2019s suit up,\u201d he told MacNamera. The combination of determination and dread in <i>his<\/i> face was confusing, as if <i>he<\/i> was the one expecting to find the body of his own daughter within.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">All power was out within the <i>Santa Clara.<\/i> There was no artificial gravity, and the only light came from their suits. The ship, it appeared, had still had at least partial power when it had begun to depressurize; bulkhead doors had closed around the breach, but one of them had only closed 90% of the way.  There was no more pressure differential on the other side to prevent them from reopening now, but very little appeared to have been blown into space.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">They found half a dozen corpses behind one of the bulkhead doors, floating and frozen, all shot in the chest with energy pulses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">None of the dead were Audrey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Two of the bodies appeared to belong to an elderly couple, matching wedding rings on their gnarled and frozen hands. The other four were children.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWhat kind of mon\u00ad<span class=\"nowrap\">sters\u2026?\u201d<\/span> MacNamera heard himself gasping. He had seen far worse things, but the murder of children was something he could never possibly become inured to. Mazigh, he noticed, had bowed his head and had his fists clenched tightly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cCome,\u201d the pilot said after a moment. \u201cWe must see the rest of the ship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">They spent hours quartering every level but found no more bodies. Mazigh was able to restore the artificial gravity when they passed through the engine <span class=\"nowrap\">room\u2026<\/span> and seemed oddly disturbed by the apparent removal of the Star Jump drive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cPirates?\u201d MacNamera asked Mazigh as they reached the flight deck. That thought filled him with new terror. His daughter was young and beautiful enough that he feared the uses such criminals might be making of her. It was a struggle not to imagine <span class=\"nowrap\">it\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cDoubtful,\u201d Mazigh said, shining his light around. \u201cPirates would not have murdered the children unless they had also murdered everyone else. The horrible truth is that for pirates in the trafficking business, children are <i>primary<\/i> targets. I\u2019ve rescued enough to know. If whoever did this had any intention of trafficking your daughter or the others, they would have done the same with the children. This is something different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">MacNamera watched as, turning away, Mazigh began reactivating the flight deck\u2019s emergency power systems.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cThe batteries are nearly drained, but there should be enough to let us see the ship\u2019s final <span class=\"nowrap\">hours\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cGood,\u201d a strange, raspy voice said from the doorway. \u201cLet\u2019s take a look at what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">MacNamera was impressed to see that Mazigh was an even faster draw than <i>he<\/i> was.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cEasy, guys,\u201d the stranger said, his hands moving away from his sides, fingers spreading to show they were empty. \u201cEasy. I\u2019m here lookin\u2019 for answers, too. You salvagers?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cNo,\u201d Mazigh said. \u201cYou?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cNah. Name\u2019s Toombs. I\u2019m lookin\u2019 for someone who was on this ship. What the fuck happened to it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">MacNamera started to put his gun away until he noticed that Mazigh had gone completely still.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>\u201cAlexander<\/i> Toombs?\u201d Mazigh asked, danger suddenly in his voice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cY\u2019heard of me?\u201d It was hard to make out much detail of the man\u2019s face through his pressure suit, but he seemed to be smiling. \u201cI\u2019m flattered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cDon\u2019t be. Give me one good reason not to shoot you right now, <i>merc<\/i>.\u201d The tight fury in Mazigh\u2019s voice was alarming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWhoa, whoa, whoa. What\u2019d I do to you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cNot to me,\u201d Mazigh said, keeping his gun trained on Toombs as he walked closer. \u201cTell us who <i>you<\/i> are looking for on this ship, and perhaps I won\u2019t shoot you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cNobody impor\u00ad<span class=\"nowrap\">tant\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cSay. Her. Name.\u201d Mazigh cocked the gun.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>Her<\/i> name?<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cFine! Fine. You win. A girl named Audrey Mac\u00ad<span class=\"nowrap\">Namera\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">MacNamera brought his gun back up and joined Mazigh in aiming at Toombs. \u201cWhat do you want with my daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Toombs froze, staring at him. \u201cWell, I\u2019ll be damned,\u201d he drawled. \u201cColonel John MacNamera in the flesh? They let you come lookin\u2019 for your girl this time?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou very likely will be,\u201d Mazigh spat. \u201cAre you the one she was fleeing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cProb\u2019ly,\u201d Toombs admitted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWhy?\u201d MacNamera demanded. \u201cShe\u2019s barely more than a <i>kid!<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Toombs looked over at him. \u201cYou got no idea where your kid was six years ago, do ya? Or who she was with.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cShe was in WitSec,\u201d MacNamera growled. \u201cI\u2019m pretty sure interfering with someone under Federacy protection is enough of a crime that <i>we<\/i> could turn <i>you<\/i> in for a bounty if we wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">For whatever reason, what he\u2019d said made Toombs bray with laughter. \u201cWitSec? That\u2019s a good one. I\u2019m bettin\u2019 that fakin\u2019 bein\u2019 in WitSec is an even bigger crime. Gotta say, your little Jack B. Badd has skills.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>Jack B. Badd???<\/i> How did this man know his childhood nickname? <i>Dear God, did Audrey use it as an alias?<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">He\u2019d told her so many bedtime stories about a boy with that <span class=\"nowrap\">name\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cMore than you know,\u201d Mazigh was saying to Toombs as he confiscated the other man\u2019s sidearm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i><span class=\"nowrap\">\u2026the<\/span> <b><span class=\"nowrap\">fuck\u2026?<\/span><\/b><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cDo I know you from somewhere?\u201d Toombs asked him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cDoubtful.\u201d Mazigh backed up to the control panel, keeping his gun trained on Toombs. \u201cUnderstand that whatever fate Audrey met on this vessel will be yours as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>What the fuck,<\/i> MacNamera found himself thinking, <i>is going on here?<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The screen flickered to life in front of them as Mazigh activated its controls. In a moment, a mosaic of images spread out, most of them entirely still. \u201cI have begun the playback two hours before the feeds end. <span class=\"nowrap\">Now\u2026<\/span> I am deactivating any feeds that aren\u2019t picking up any motion, until something appears on them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">In a moment, only the feed from the flight deck itself was live, where a single crew member was killing time tossing wadded up papers at a miniature basketball hoop.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cLooks like whatever happened, it was during the night cycle,\u201d Toombs observed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cLo, the Master of the Obvious speaks,\u201d Mazigh grumbled. His gun hadn\u2019t wavered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Another feed flickered to life as a young woman, dark blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, emerged from behind a door and entered a corri\u00ad<span class=\"nowrap\">dor\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cAudrey,\u201d MacNamera breathed. Near him, Mazigh murmured that strange word again. What the fuck was a <i>tislilel?<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">His daughter looked around the corridor, walked over to a posted map, and then set off down the hallway. The feed followed her from camera to camera as she went. When she arrived at the galley, she read the \u201cClosed Until 6:00 AM Standard\u201d sign before sighing and walking over to a touch screen. A moment later she started down the corridor again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">They watched as she located vending machines and, taking a card from the bulky money belt under her Deckard Tech U sweatshirt, purchased an array of junk food that she carried to a nearby lounge. There were people in the lounge, but they had apparently been so still and quiet that the motion recorders on those camera feeds had lost track of them. Audrey settled onto a seat against one of the blank picture windows that looked out on the nothingness of Star Jump space, eating her junk food as she gazed out at it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Odd. It almost seemed as if she could see something through the window. She looked more attentive than someone staring out at nothing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">A man walked over to her and tried to make conversation. MacNamera found himself bristling; the guy was almost twice her age. But apparently he didn\u2019t get anywhere and retreated a moment later, his body language almost screaming discomfort. Audrey didn\u2019t start laughing until he and his friends had left the lounge.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Ten more minutes passed, and then the empty window filled with darkness as the <i>Santa Clara<\/i> returned to normal space. A moment later, Audrey leaned forward, <span class=\"nowrap\">frowning\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><span class=\"nowrap\">\u2026and<\/span> then leapt out of the window seat and ran for the comm panel. Even as she grabbed at it, the ship rocked violently. Suddenly dozens of the feeds were active.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The shipwide pandemonium made it difficult to follow what happened next. They caught glimpses from a few cameras of Audrey trying to reach the escape pods, <span class=\"nowrap\">and\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWell, fuck me,\u201d Toombs gasped.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cPass,\u201d Mazigh replied, but both men followed his gaze to one of the steadier feeds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Men in strange armor were climbing through the hull breach. As MacNamera watched, they spread throughout the ship, gathering up all the passengers and crew at gunpoint and forcing them back through the breach. One emerged from a darkened corridor where no cameras worked, propelling Audrey forward, his hand clamped onto the back of her neck. She looked frightened but unharmed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWho are these people?\u201d MacNamera grated out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cNecromongers,\u201d Toombs answered. \u201cAnd you\u2019re never gonna believe who their boss is these days.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">A final Necromonger emerged from the darkness, returning to the breach carrying a smallish box trailing wires.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201c<i>Baraka<\/i>,\u201d Mazigh muttered. \u201cWhat do they want with the Isomorph Drive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cHey,\u201d MacNamera growled. \u201cFocus. This is about my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cAs is that,\u201d Mazigh said, half to himself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWhat are they going to do to my girl?\u201d MacNamera demanded of Toombs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cGuess that\u2019ll depend on her old friend,\u201d Toombs said, shaking his head. \u201c\u2019Bout a year ago, word is the old Lord Marshal of the Necromongers got hisself assassinated by none other than Richard B. Riddick. He\u2019s in charge of them now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Some of the tension left Mazigh\u2019s frame. \u201cThen she may be <i>safe.<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/i> Who <i>was<\/i> this guy? \u201cYou even know who Riddick <i>is<\/i>?\u201d MacNamera knew all too well; He\u2019d had to redesign half a dozen security systems because of the man.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYour daughter,\u201d Toombs drawled, \u201cran with Riddick for a while back when she was missin\u2019. They were <i>friends<\/i>. Maybe more than.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWhat the fuck are you <i>talking<\/i> about?\u201d MacNamera demanded, even as he saw Mazigh nodding.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cShe was one of three survivors of the <i>Hunter-Gratzner<\/i> crash,\u201d Mazigh told him. \u201cRiddick was another. He protected her in its aftermath and attempted to see her to safety.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cAttempted?\u201d Toombs demanded. \u201cHe broke her out of a hospital and took her and another girl with him to Shakti Four\u2014what the fuck is so funny, guy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cShe never went to Shakti Four,\u201d Mazigh chuckled. \u201cAnd Riddick didn\u2019t break her out of the hospital. <i>She<\/i> broke out on her own.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Enough, MacNamera thought, was enough. He turned his gun away from Toombs and pointed it at Mazigh.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cOkay, enough of this shit. Who are <i>you<\/i> and how do you think you know my daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Toombs snickered, looking both amused by this turn of events and curious, himself, as to the answer. <\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Mazigh glanced uneasily at the mercenary. \u201cIt\u2019s a fair question, but I can\u2019t give you answers in front of this man. He isn\u2019t cleared to know them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">MacNamera aimed for the spot directly between Mazigh\u2019s eyes. At the very least, it would shatter the man\u2019s face plate if he fired. \u201cYou\u2019d better rethink your position or you\u2019ll be taking <i>everything<\/i> you know into the black.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">For a moment, Mazigh looked affronted. He gave Toombs a weighing glance and then sighed. \u201cVery well. On your head be it. I met your daughter five and a half years ago. On Tangiers Prime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>\u201cTangiers Prime?\u201d<\/i> Toombs practically exploded. \u201cNo fuckin\u2019 <i>way!<\/i> I was on Tangiers Prime <span class=\"nowrap\">and\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cAnd she was one step ahead of you the whole time,\u201d Mazigh said. \u201cShe and Kyra Wittier-Collins.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Kyra Wittier-Collins? The Black Fox of Canaan Mountain? His little girl had been palling around with Big Evil <i>and<\/i> the Black Fox?<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cThey had stowed away on the <i>Scarlet Matador,<\/i>\u201d Mazigh continued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cSon of a <i>shit,<\/i>\u201d Toombs griped. \u201cStowed away? No wonder we couldn\u2019t find them among the <i>passen\u00ad<span class=\"nowrap\">gers\u2026<\/span><\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">MacNamera had heard of the <i>Scarlet Matador.<\/i> This was not getting better. \u201cDidn\u2019t everybody <i>die<\/i> on that ship? Some kind of exotic pathogen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cThat\u2019s the official story,\u201d Mazigh told him, \u201cbut no. Only eighteen people among the passengers and crew died. Your daughter, and Kyra, saved everyone else. There was no pathogen. It was a Level Five Incident.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">A Level Five Incident? His daughter had <i>Threshold Syndrome?<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><span class=\"nowrap\">What\u2026<\/span> <i>the <span class=\"nowrap\">fuck\u2026<\/span><\/i> had <i>happened<\/i> six years ago?<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWho <i>are<\/i> you?\u201d MacNamera demanded again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Mazigh glanced uneasily at Toombs again before giving him a rueful smile. \u201cThe name you know me by, Yedder Mazigh, was gifted to me by your daughter when she saved my life one final time. She made the ID you examined, and which I have been using for the last five and a half years. My real name is Colonel Gavin Brahim Tomlin Meziane, and yes, I know that\u2019s a mouthful. You may call me Tomlin, as she preferred to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Toombs was staring at him, open-mouthed. \u201cAin\u2019t you supposed to be dead?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cIndeed.\u201d Mazigh\u2019s gun stayed pointed at Toombs as he walked forward toward MacNamera, once more indifferent to the gun aimed at <i>him.<\/i> \u201cYour daughter, among my people, is a beloved hero. She and Kyra saved hundreds of lives five and a half years ago, including mine. I owe her my life several times over. You have nothing to fear from me. I only seek to repay any portion of my debt to her that I can.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">MacNamera lowered his gun, stunned. \u201cAnd how are you gonna do that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cIf the Necromonger Armada has her, then that\u2019s where we will go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/i> Toombs practically yelled. \u201cAre you <i>crazy?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cI told you before, Toombs, you will share Audrey\u2019s fate, whatever it is. As will I. I owe her my life, and much more than that. There is no way to truly repay the debt I owe her. For her,\u201d Mazigh\u2014no, <i>Tomlin<\/i>\u2014said, locking eyes with MacNamera, \u201cI would storm the gates of Hell itself. I will go there with you now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">For the first time since he\u2019d gotten word of Audrey\u2019s second disappearance, John MacNamera felt a stirring of real hope.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cJust fuckin\u2019 great,\u201d Toombs grumbled, ruining a perfectly good Heroic Moment. \u201cHeld at gunpoint by a pair of suicidal <i>do-gooders.<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Tomlin rolled his eyes, shook his head, and then grinned at MacNamera. \u201cLet\u2019s go rescue your daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Title: Song of Many \u2019Verses Author: Ardath Rekha Chapter: 1\/? Fandom: Pitch Black (2000); The Chronicles of Riddick (2004); The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (2004) Rating: M Warnings: Adult t","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"bgseo_title":"\u201cSong of Many \u2019Verses\u201d 1: \u201cThe Wreck of the Santa Clara\u201d","bgseo_description":"Three men, from different worlds and with different motives, cross paths on the hunt for Audrey MacNamera\u2026 alias Jack B. Badd.","bgseo_robots_index":"index","bgseo_robots_follow":"follow","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fan-fiction","category-song-of-many-verses"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1083"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1208,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1083\/revisions\/1208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}