{"id":1210,"date":"2025-02-08T11:05:50","date_gmt":"2025-02-08T16:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/?p=1210"},"modified":"2025-02-08T11:30:50","modified_gmt":"2025-02-08T16:30:50","slug":"song-of-many-verses-chapter-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/song-of-many-verses-chapter-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Song of Many \u2019Verses, Chapter 2"},"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}\np.excerpt {\n  margin-top: 1em;\n  margin-bottom: 0;\n  margin-left: 3em;\n  margin-right: 3em;\n}\np.excerpt-right {\n  margin-top: 0;\n  margin-bottom: 1em;\n  margin-left: 3em;\n  margin-right: 3em;\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> 2\/?<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, violence<br \/>\n<b>Category:<\/b> Het<br \/>\n<b>Pairing:<\/b> Riddick\/Jack<br \/>\n<b>Summary:<\/b> Even a blessing from the god of the Necromongers can\u2019t quite stop some Lords\u2019 mutinous impulses building against some of Riddick\u2019s reforms. Two weeks in, things come to a head.<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='6ad319e5e129f3010665306' value='6ad319e5e129f3010665306'><input type='hidden' id='bg-show-more-text-6ad319e5e129f3010665306' value='Long post is long. Click to read the story.'><input type='hidden' id='bg-show-less-text-6ad319e5e129f3010665306' value='Hide the story again.'><button id='bg-showmore-action-6ad319e5e129f3010665306' 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-6ad319e5e129f3010665306' >  <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"chapterhead\">2.<br \/>\n<u>The Mutineer and the Mermaid Queen<\/u><\/h2>\n<p class=\"excerpt\">Every few months, someone shows up claiming that they know exactly how my \u201ctricks\u201d work. They think they\u2019re going to make a name for themselves proving it. None of them have ever been ready for the discovery that they aren\u2019t tricks at all, and that everything happening on my stage is real.<\/p>\n<p class=\"excerpt-right\">\u2014Minnie Sulis, Introduction, <i>Magic Is Real<\/i>, 2075<\/p>\n<p><tt>U1c.27358<br \/>\n2075.02.18<br \/>\nLas Vegas, Nevada, USA, Earth<\/tt><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be in here right now, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">In the mirror, Howard smirked and leaned against the dressing room door frame. \u201cAre you about to reveal a set of breasts I <i>haven\u2019t<\/i> seen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Min laughed, touching up her lipstick. \u201cYou never know. It could happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">She\u2019d made stranger things appear, after <span class=\"nowrap\">all\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cNot today, though.\u201d His eyebrows went up. \u201cThis is a family-<i>friendly<\/i> performance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYech.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cSpeaking of family,\u201d he continued, grinning, \u201cI hear some of yours is in the audience tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Now <i>there<\/i> was a depressing thought. \u201cMy cousins, mostly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Unfortunately, none of them were Wittiers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cReunion afterwards?\u201d He seemed oblivious to how unpleasant a thought that was for her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cMaybe,\u201d she hedged. \u201cYou want to meet them?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Howard pretended to swoon, pressing his hand to his heart. \u201cShe\u2019s finally introducing me to her <span class=\"nowrap\">family\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Oh. So it was like <i>that.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Min rose from her chair, aware that she only had a few minutes left to get ready. Not the best time to deal with Howard\u2019s insecurities. She winked at him as she settled her top hat on her head and picked up the rhinestone-encrusted wand that had rested next to it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>Okay, <b>some<\/b> parts of my act are just <span class=\"nowrap\">props\u2026<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cDoes that mean you\u2019ll introduce me to yours?\u201d she asked him, keeping her expression light and teasing as she approached him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">His smile died. \u201cThey\u2019re a bunch of holy-roller nutcases who\u2019ll probably think you\u2019re a witch. Why would you <i>ever<\/i> want to get to know them?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cI <i>am<\/i> a witch,\u201d she laughed, reaching up to stroke his cheek. \u201cBut you\u2019re not the only one with a horror show for a family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cMizz Sulis?\u201d The assistant stage manager appeared in the dressing room doorway, just in time to prevent Howard Collins from possibly disarranging her hair and lipstick. \u201cFive minutes to curtain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cThank you, Emily.\u201d Not that she <i>wanted<\/i> to dodge one of Howard\u2019s kisses, but reapplying her makeup to make sure she looked <i>family-friendly<\/i> wasn\u2019t high on her list of ways to spend those last five minutes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">He smiled, understanding that it was time for her preshow routine. \u201cSee you after the show, babe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cThey\u2019re going to come swarming in here, you know,\u201d she told him with a deliberate shudder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cI wouldn\u2019t miss it.\u201d He winked and left the room.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cThat makes one of us,\u201d she muttered. Some of her cousins were perfectly lovely, especially the ones on her <i>father\u2019s<\/i> side, but Joren always creeped her <span class=\"nowrap\">out\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>Don\u2019t think about them right now. It\u2019s time to prepare.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">She turned toward the lighted mirror, beginning to take a slow, deep <span class=\"nowrap\">breath\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">And gasped instead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Behind her and to her right, reflected in the mirror, stood a young woman. Tall and slender, in her late teens or early twenties, she had shoulder-length blonde hair, enormous green eyes, and an angular, elfin face and wore a strange, tight gown made of what looked like blue-green scales.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Min whirled, <i>how did you get in here<\/i> poised on her lips.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The room was empty.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><tt>U1<br \/>\n2522.11.29<br \/>\nG. Long. 127.1\u00b0 G. Lat. -27.1\u00b0<br \/>\nMirach System<\/tt><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Jack opened her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling like it had been hours since her last.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cShit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>At least,<\/i> Lucy said from somewhere above her, <i>she only saw <b>you<\/b>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">There was that. \u201cShe\u2019s got a <i>lot<\/i> of power. More than I was expecting. Still only two \u2019verses wide in her five-shape, though.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>As you were, once. The man. I sensed that he is important to our search.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYeah, I\u2019m pretty sure that was Howard Collins. Kyra\u2019s \u2018pa.\u2019\u201d Jack frowned, recalling everything she\u2019d overheard. \u201cSeemed pretty anti-religion for someone who\u2019d end up a New Christy Pilgrim.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>It appears that they both changed their minds about religion at some point. She repudiated her power, as well.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cSomething big has to have happened to push them that way,\u201d Jack reflected. \u201cProbably something traumatic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">It was her third time observing Minnie Sulis; she\u2019d already determined that Kyra\u2019s mother had had an <i>arsenal<\/i> of esper abilities. About the only thing that Minnie hadn\u2019t been able to do yet was cross more than one threshold between \u2019verses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>And that is what we must learn more about,<\/i> Lucy agreed. <i>What happened during the months she wouldn\u2019t write about in her books.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Jack glanced over at the three books, resting on \u201cher\u201d table by \u201cher\u201d couch. The tomes had been fascinating, the diary astonishingly helpful for honing some of her own abilities, but they had left her certain that something critically important had occurred and been left out of them\u2014or possibly, in the case of Minnie\u2019s diary, torn out of it\u2014something that had derailed Minnie\u2019s life and might even have provoked her cousin Joren\u2019s heinous acts. Something she needed to know more about before she tried to bring Kyra back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cDamn.\u201d Jack climbed to her feet and stretched. \u201cI was really hoping we could bring her back soon. Still too many variables in <span class=\"nowrap\">play\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>It will not be long.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cFeels like it\u2019s long already. How much time <i>has<\/i> elapsed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>In U1, it\u2019s less than a minute after you sat down to begin.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><span class=\"nowrap\">\u201c\u2026the<\/span> <i>hell?<\/i> How come I\u2019m so hungry?\u201d Jack had been sure she\u2019d missed lunch somehow.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>For you, it\u2019s been six hours.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cEven for my <i>shell?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>Your six-shape and your shell are linked, even when they seem separated. You lived six hours in that minute.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Jack grimaced even as her stomach rumbled a complaint. \u201cGood to <i>know.<\/i> That means I have to limit how long I visit anywhere in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>If we decide on a long journey, storing your shell in the Core Chamber will be enough. The rays will keep it replenished.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Fortunately, the ridiculous fourteen-person banquet that had been wheeled in for breakfast had plenty of leftovers, apparently only a few minutes older than when she\u2019d gotten up from the table. Jack found herself digging into them hungrily. \u201cSo I\u2019ll stay fed and rested in there, and hang out with a few hundred of your brothers and sisters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">She\u2019d have to figure out just where she\u2019d <i>put<\/i> her \u201cshell\u201d in there. The Core Chamber was pretty crowded since she and Dame Vaako had orchestrated the relocation of all of the Moribund\u2019s captured apeirochorons into it. And Jack\u2019s <i>head<\/i> had felt a little crowded as hundreds of new <i>Apeiros<\/i> woke from their torpid states and became curious about her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cMaybe that\u2019s where we should do all of this,\u201d Jack continued after a moment, after swallowing down some food. \u201cAm I gonna get sleepy six hours early today?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>Audrey Hepburn MacNamera, I have watched you pull all-night movie marathons with your roommate Janice on dozens of occasions in the last year and a half. And other all-night activities that I have no wish to describe, even more often. You will be just fine in that regard.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">That startled a laugh out of her, fortunately while her mouth was empty. \u201cDid you just trot out my full name like my <i>mom?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>Yes. And yes, I must concede that your circadian rhythms have advanced six hours. It is something none of us have known until now. Only three of us exist outside of the apeirochorons, and none of us have engaged in this kind of travel before. The Quintessa Corporation has strictly limited our movements to a linear progression in time. And our <span class=\"nowrap\">bodies\u2014<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou live thousands, maybe even millions, of years. It\u2019s not like you\u2019re gonna notice all that much if that clock speeds up by a few hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>This is true.<\/i> Lucy\u2019s <i>n<\/i>-shape flickered on the edge of her vision. Jack wondered if there would ever come a day when her regular, three-dimensional eyes could see her sister and understand what she was looking at.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cSo. Now what? Another run through that timeline?\u201d She poured a glass of mint tea from the ornate <i>berrad<\/i> she\u2019d acquired, reminding herself not to be surprised that it was still hot. The hours might have passed for her, but not for it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>Soon. Not yet. Did I understand correctly that Joren Kirshbaum was attending the performance that night?<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYeah.\u201d Jack rose and walked over to the small pile of books on her couch. \u201cShe signed this one \u2018all my love,\u2019\u201d she continued, flipping to the front pages of <i>Magic Isn\u2019t Real<\/i>, \u201cbut I heard her thinking about how creepy he was. I want to know more about that. What they really were to each other. Hey, is Joren Kirshbaum still alive? It\u2019s been four centuries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>Yes. Like the others of his cursed lineage, he is connected to the \u2019verse you like to call Hell.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cSo he\u2019s been out there this whole time,\u201d Jack mused. \u201cBy now he has to have figured out what his \u2018inventions\u2019 are really doing to the multiverse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>I doubt he cares.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYeah, that tracks. I still want to know how it all <i>started.<\/i>\u201d Taking the book with her, she sat back down by her glass of tea and took a sip.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Jack had spent much of the last two weeks, since <span class=\"nowrap\">her\u2026<\/span> <span class=\"nowrap\">wedding\u2026<\/span> reading all three of the books written by Minnie Sulis, n\u00e9e Minerva Kirshbaum-Wittier, and trying to find just the right \u2019verse in the U1 \u201ccluster\u201d from which to extract an alternate version of Kyra. The more she dug into the Kirshbaum family history\u2014something that was shrouded from the public in her time, but which Minnie had been intimately connected to\u2014the more she became certain that she needed a \u2019verse where <i>most<\/i> of the events that had led to the Quintessa Corporation\u2019s founding had transpired, enough that Kyra would still have the innate control over apeirochorons that all Kirshbaums apparently possessed. After several days, she and Lucy had settled on one that mirrored U1\u2019s timeline almost exactly until Kyra was roughly six years old, chosen because it branched off when, for a variety of different possible reasons, she never left Old Earth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Riddick had been busy with his own things for much of that time, making the most of his new control over the Armada and his new \u201cinsider\u201d standing among the Necromongers. She mostly saw him at night, when he returned to her side voracious <span class=\"nowrap\">for\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">There was a knock on the suite\u2019s outer door. It opened and Lola leaned in. \u201cDame Riddick?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>Oh really, now?<\/i> Lucy sounded amused from somewhere above her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWe\u2019ve had this discussion, Lola. I\u2019m still Jack.\u201d She smiled to take any possible rebuke out of her words. People were awfully hung up on her rank these days. But it bugged her, more than a little, that her own name seemed to be vanishing behind the cloak of <span class=\"nowrap\">his\u2026<\/span> even if it <i>was<\/i> good camouflage. The more she became Dame Riddick, the less people seemed to care who \u201cJack B. Badd\u201d might have been before then, and the more thoroughly the trail back to Audrey MacNamera remained broken.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">That was a good <span class=\"nowrap\">thing\u2026<\/span> wasn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cTrying to set a mood, actually,\u201d Lola replied with a grimace. \u201cYour Lord Husband has requested your presence in the throne room. I think the raiding parties are returning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Jack groaned. At least, she thought, they\u2019d waited to come back until <i>after<\/i> she\u2019d finished setting up the new quarters over in Eden. Hopefully there would be enough beds. And, hopefully, the Ennead Kids had gotten enough practice with the new <span class=\"nowrap\">\u2026choreography\u2026<\/span> she\u2019d given them. \u201cAt least I managed to get lunch in <span class=\"nowrap\">first\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cLunch?\u201d Lola looked confused. \u201cWe just finished breakfast half an hour ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Damn it. That was right. \u201cSix and a half hours ago for me. Astral projecting is some weird shit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">She drained her glass of tea and then stood up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Lola moved to her side as she emerged from the suite. In another moment, several other people had fallen into a kind of formation around her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">All queens had entourages, Dame Vaako had told her when she\u2019d uncharacteristically complained about it all. Audrey MacNamera loved being surrounded by people, but even she needed moments when she could sneak away on her own. The Dame\u2019s comment had made her think of the morning, right before she\u2019d met the <i>Apeiros<\/i> for the first time, when she\u2019d told Takama that she didn\u2019t want to be a <span class=\"nowrap\">queen\u2026<\/span> and Takama\u2019s response.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>A mermaid doesn\u2019t need to be a queen to raise a tsunami,<\/i> she thought as she led the way to the throne room. <i>But if she <b>is<\/b> a queen, can she raise a supernova? \u2019Cause I might need to today.<\/i><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou got something on your mind, Vaako. What is it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The Lord turned to look Riddick\u2019s way, unease on his face. It seemed like all of the would-be Firsts were still struggling to comprehend the fact that he could hear their thoughts when he chose to. Not that he\u2019d needed to this time. Vaako\u2019s body language was practically screaming at him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cI imagine it is the same concern that I have,\u201d Toal said when the silence began to drag out. \u201cThese raiding parties are accustomed to being able to <span class=\"nowrap\">take\u2026<\/span> certain <span class=\"nowrap\">liberties\u2026<\/span> with captives who have been identified as \u2018breeders.\u2019 Even now that everyone is to be converted, I worry, and I think he does too, that the liberties may still be taken by those who have chosen not to understand the reasoning behind the changes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">It was almost like listening to one of Jack\u2019s memories of <i>General<\/i> Toal talking. \u201cFor their sakes, I hope they didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cAnd if they did?\u201d Scales asked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou\u2019ve seen what I did to the last crew who pulled that shit. Your god won\u2019t mind. Seemed awfully entertained, even, last time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The three men shared uneasy glances.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou got a specific raiding party in mind?\u201d Riddick asked. \u201cSome Lord who thinks he ain\u2019t gonna die before his \u2018due time\u2019 no matter what he does?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cUnfortunately, yes,\u201d Vaako finally said. \u201cI assume you remember Lord Navok. From the night when you killed Lord Breslin in the Greensleeves Stew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cLord Navok.\u201d Yeah, he remembered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>\u201cThis is part of the Necromonger Way. Do you really think you can change <b>us?<\/b> Will you die trying?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">He\u2019d wanted a good excuse to take the fucker out ever since then. But he didn\u2019t much like what finally having that excuse meant. \u201cWe\u2019ll see if he makes it through the day. Gotta admit, though, I didn\u2019t know the name of the guy whose head I cut off \u2019til just now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cHe was not especially missed,\u201d Toal admitted, his lips twitching with suppressed amusement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cAnd Navok?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cAn effective if unimaginative commander,\u201d Vaako volunteered. \u201cProfligate with his troops\u2019 lives. He attained his rank in large part because the sixth Lord Marshal liked his company. They shared many philosophical stances.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cLike killin\u2019 kids? And fuckin\u2019 \u2018breeders?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The uneasy look passed through the three men again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYes,\u201d Scales said. \u201cWe have been hearing whispers, since you took your <span class=\"nowrap\">wife\u2026<\/span> your human <span class=\"nowrap\">wife\u2026<\/span> that Navok intends to challenge you on ideological grounds. For not converting. For keeping a human woman but refusing to allow anyone else to. For closing the <span class=\"nowrap\">stews\u2026<\/span> and for ending the killing of children.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou think Jack\u2019s human?\u201d He wasn\u2019t entirely sure what she was anymore. Or what <i>he<\/i> was, for that matter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Toal shook his head. \u201cWe know better. We have seen. Perhaps if more saw what she is capable of, it would <span class=\"nowrap\">help\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cI can\u2019t just broadcast what she is and does to the whole \u2019verse,\u201d he snapped. \u201cI\u2019m <i>protecting<\/i> her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cAnd we wish to help you do so,\u201d Vaako said. \u201cBut none of us know what you are protecting her <i>from.<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>Everything. Fuckin\u2019 <b>everything.<\/b><\/i> He didn\u2019t even know where to begin. Sometimes it seemed like there was nobody out there who <i>didn\u2019t<\/i> want a piece of his wife. And he sure as fuck couldn\u2019t tell them that one of the things he was protecting her from most of all was their own god.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><b><i>She is in no danger from me<\/i><\/b>, the Moribund spoke up in his head. <b><i>I cannot eat her now that she has hatched into her six-shape. If that is what you think I still wish to do.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">And yet he could still feel the creature\u2019s hatred and resent\u00ad<span class=\"nowrap\">ment\u2026<\/span> of <i>her.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou\u2019ll know soon enough,\u201d he told the men in the meantime. \u201cAn\u2019 she might be about to make that show you want, anyway, if the raiding parties brought any kids back with \u2019em.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cThere will be several,\u201d Vaako told him. \u201cI have spies on all four ships. Which is how we know that you <i>will<\/i> need to make an example of Lord Navok.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou really didn\u2019t have to dance around that topic, you know.\u201d Riddick felt a smile tugging at his lips. \u201cBeen wantin\u2019 an excuse to ghost that fucker for a year now. You could\u2019ve just said \u2018Merry Christmas.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cHe will have a plan,\u201d Scales said, frowning. \u201cAccomplices.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cSounds like a party.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYour Jack could end up in the middle of it,\u201d Toal pointed out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">He kept the pang of worry that sparked in him off of his face. They\u2019d gone over every parameter; she\u2019d be fine. \u201cGuess she\u2019ll definitely get a chance to show off what she can do, then.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">He was curious to see what it would be, himself. If nothing else, the girl was inventive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">And she was so much else, too.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"indented\">Instructions had been sent to have all four raiding parties, and all of their prisoners, brought to the throne room one group at a time, with Lord Navok\u2019s party last. The floor itself had been cleared for them, all of the usual onlookers retreating to the upper level and side corridors. Dame Vaako, however, had staked out a convenient spot so that she could fall in with the Dame Riddick when she made her entrance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Jack, as the girl still insisted friends call her\u2014and Dame Vaako was relieved to still number among those\u2014turned a sweet smile on her as she joined the group. \u201cGood morning, Chantesa!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cGood morning, Jack.\u201d She glanced over Jack\u2019s shoulder at the girl\u2019s bodyguard. \u201cLola.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cDame Vaako.\u201d Lola nodded at her. The former police woman was slowly thawing toward her, but took her duties far too seriously to ever be completely friendly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>Good,<\/i> Dame Vaako thought. <i>Today of all days, she needs to be as alert as possible.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Jack blinked and looked at her. \u201cWhy? What\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Of course. The girl could read thoughts. That made things a little simpler. She concentrated on her mental words, hoping she could communicate as clearly as possible the things she dared not say out loud. <i>My husband believes that one of the other Lords intends to stage a coup today.<\/i> She visualized Lord Navok in her head, including his main lieutenants in the image.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWell, that\u2019ll keep things interesting,\u201d Jack murmured, before humming a few bars of melody.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Around and behind her, the nine performers in her entourage picked up the tune for a few more bars. Jack nodded, looking satisfied. Beside her, Lola looked more alert than ever, poised for battle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWhere are your two other friends?\u201d Dame Vaako asked. \u201cVanessa and Poly?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cMaking final preparations for the kids,\u201d Jack told her as they approached the throne. \u201cWhich is good because they\u2019ll be out of harm\u2019s way. You want to duck and cover with them?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">It wasn\u2019t even a little tempting. \u201cWhen not at my husband\u2019s side, my place is by yours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">That earned her another of the girl\u2019s sweet smiles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cThings will probably get hairy,\u201d Lola warned both of them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cSooner or later, an example\u2019s going to have to be made,\u201d Jack sighed. \u201cGuess we\u2019re all better off if it\u2019s sooner, right? So we can get back to business.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Lola shrugged, her gaze turning to Dame Vaako. \u201cAre you armed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cI have a weapon or two on me,\u201d she said, feeling a little <span class=\"nowrap\">smug\u2026<\/span> but a little worried. Her weapons were most effective as surprises, in close quarters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Lola reached into a pocket and drew out a small sidearm. \u201cEver fired one of these?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cI haven\u2019t,\u201d Dame Vaako admitted. \u201cIt looks like a miniature version of the guns our troops carry into battle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what it is,\u201d Lola told her, putting it into her hand. \u201cIt can\u2019t actually do a Necromonger any lasting harm, but it packs a punch and will at least knock one across the room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cThank you.\u201d No matter how chilly Lola\u2019s expressions toward her might be, Dame Vaako reflected, arming her like this was a huge step.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Even as Jack and her entourage finished arraying themselves on one side of the throne, the soldiers in the hall came to attention. The heavy bootsteps of the Lord Marshal and his three top commanders sounded on the stairs behind the throne. They came into view, the commanders moving to the opposite side of the seat of power even as the Riddick positioned himself in front of it. Her husband caught her eye, a question on his face. Had she warned Jack?<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">She nodded and gave him a small smile. All would be well. The girl would be protected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">He looked relieved but gave her an admonishing look, cautioning her not to be too confident.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cBring in the first group of raiders,\u201d Riddick commanded his soldiers. \u201cLord Vosloo\u2019s ship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">In a moment, Vosloo and his platoon entered, accompanied by twice as many captives. Only a few of them looked the worse for wear, most of them men who had undoubtedly tried to go down swinging. There were half a dozen children among <span class=\"nowrap\">them\u2026<\/span> and a baby.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Jack moved forward to stand next to Riddick. \u201cBefore I take custody of the children, who are their parents? And who\u2019s the baby\u2019s mother?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">She\u2019d played the right card; as cowed as the prisoners might have been, they were willing to speak up once their children were in play. Jack beckoned them to her, speaking softly with them for a few minutes. Strangely, even though the conversation should have been audible from a few feet away, Dame Vaako couldn\u2019t catch any of it. From the looks on the faces of other nearby courtiers, including her husband on the far side of the throne, no one else could, either. Riddick, she noticed, seemed to have no trouble following what was happening.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">After a moment, all of the parents filed back to join the other captives, except for one woman who remained by Jack\u2019s side.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cMy Lord Marshal,\u201d Jack said, her speech suddenly formal, with the polish of many rehearsals, as she turned to Riddick. \u201cI beg a favor of you. Until this woman\u2019s child is weaned, I ask that she remain unconverted and in my care along with her baby. Will you let me claim her as mine?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Even before Riddick could answer, though, Dame Vaako felt it: her god approved.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cOf course, Dame Riddick.\u201d There was a hint of amusement on the Lord Marshal\u2019s face.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cThank you, my Lord,\u201d Jack said, dropping in a formal curtsey before the throne. Then she gathered the children, leading them, and the mother with her baby, back behind the throne and through the doors to the Chamber of the Quasi-Dead. Strangely, Dame Vaako thought she caught a glimpse of <span class=\"nowrap\">\u2026trees<\/span> and <span class=\"nowrap\">birds?\u2026<\/span> through the doors as they passed between them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou\u2019ve done well, Lord Vosloo,\u201d Riddick said. \u201cFollowed all my commands. What reward would you like?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Lord Vosloo stepped forward, his expression both pleased and carefully formal. \u201cI wish to be elevated from Captain of the <i>Green Viper<\/i> to Commodore of a flotilla.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Riddick\u2019s smile widened. \u201cSure. You\u2019ve demonstrated your command skills. We\u2019ll discuss which captains you want under your command after the show\u2019s over. And who else on your crew has earned rewards and promotions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The captives were marched out of the throne room by Purifiers who had been standing by. Vosloo and his crew climbed the stairs to one of the upper levels.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>I hope he\u2019s really on our side,<\/i> Dame Vaako found herself thinking. Outward obedience wasn\u2019t always mirrored by inward motives; hers hardly ever had been, after all.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cHe is,\u201d Jack murmured, coming to stand beside her again. \u201cThe next two crews are, too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cHow do you know that?\u201d she whispered back, but all the girl did was smile and tap her finger against her temple a few times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">She was right, though. The next two presentations played out similarly, although thankfully there were no more babies and only four more children. Lord Jianming wished, as his reward, captaincy of a larger and more powerful ship in the fleet, while Lord Gurn asked for permission to retire from his captaincy and join the Elder Ranks aboard the <i>Basilica.<\/i> Riddick seemed unsurprised by their requests and already prepared to accommodate them. And then there was only one raiding party left to see to.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">During the prior audiences, there had been noise throughout the room, whispers and bits of chatter and gossip. Everything became still and silent as Lord Navok entered the throne room with his crew and captives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">It wasn\u2019t absolute silence. More than one of the captive women  was crying. Several of them had clearly been badly used. There were no children among them, and no men. Just more than a dozen brutalized women. All of them, Dame Vaako noticed, clad in tattered blues and greens.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The message wasn\u2019t even particularly subtle. Lord Navok\u2019s raiders had brought back nothing but \u201cbreeders,\u201d all of whom had been dressed as effigies of Jack and then abused accordingly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cHmmm,\u201d was all Riddick said for a moment as he surveyed the group. There was no sign that the message bothered him. \u201cLooks like someone didn\u2019t <i>quite<\/i> do his job to spec.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Navok frowned. That was his cue to take offense. \u201cI have been Captain of the <i>Widowmaker<\/i> for two <i>decades.<\/i> I know exactly how to do my job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYeah,\u201d Riddick said, the barest hint of a smirk touching the corner of his mouth. \u201cBut see, your job <i>changed<\/i> a little, and it sounds like you didn\u2019t understand your new instructions. Do you need them explained to you again, Navok?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">No <i>Lord.<\/i> No <i>Captain.<\/i> No <i>Commander.<\/i> No title whatsoever. It was both a threat and an insult, and masterfully delivered. In the last two weeks, it had grown easier and easier for Dame Vaako to admit just how <i>good<\/i> Riddick was at being Lord Marshal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cI don\u2019t need your heresies explained, Riddick,\u201d Navok replied, trying to return the insult with the more familiar phrasing. But, Dame Vaako knew, that wouldn\u2019t really work. Riddick, like his wife, preferred no title at all. If Lord Navok had been hoping to goad him into a rage, calling him by the name he liked better was hardly the way to do it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cAin\u2019t heresies if your god\u2019s in favor of \u2019em.\u201d Riddick was smiling now. That, Dame Vaako reflected, was when he was at his most dangerous. \u201cAnd he is. Ask him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Navok scoffed. \u201cYou are not one of us. How would you know what our god wishes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>He can\u2019t hear you, can he?<\/i> Dame Vaako found herself asking Tokoloshe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><b><i>It is not that he cannot hear me,<\/i><\/b> her god replied, filling her with the awed delight she felt whenever He spoke directly to her. <b><i>He has chosen not to listen.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>What slime!<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><b><i>It will all resolve itself shortly.<\/i><\/b> There was a hint of anticipation in Tokoloshe\u2019s \u201cvoice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cI know that until thirty-one years ago, the Necromonger Way didn\u2019t involve killin\u2019 kids,\u201d Riddick was saying, that dangerous smile still on his face. \u201cSeems like a lot of heresies <i>proliferated<\/i> after that. I\u2019m just cleanin\u2019 it all up. So lemme ask you this, Navok. Are <i>you<\/i> a heretic?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou pollute that throne, you and that breeder <i>whore,<\/i> and you dare call <i>me<\/i> a heretic?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Riddick\u2019s eyes narrowed, but Jack started laughing. The look that Navok turned her way was one of pure hatred.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>It\u2019s about to happen,<\/i> Dame Vaako realized. In a moment, whether or not the Lord Marshal rose to Navok\u2019s bait, the mutinous Lord would either have to attack or bend his knee. And Navok wouldn\u2019t bend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cIt\u2019ll be okay,\u201d Jack whispered, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou know, I haven\u2019t actually fucked her on the throne yet,\u201d Riddick said in a musing tone. \u201cGreat suggestion, though. Bit hard to do without drawin\u2019 an audi\u00ad<span class=\"nowrap\">ence\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">With a roar of outrage, Navok grabbed a spear from a nearby guard and launched himself at Riddick.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Navok\u2019s platoon went on the attack as well. Scattered throughout the great hall, other Necromonger soldiers, apparently on his side, moved to join the fray.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Not enough. Not <i>nearly<\/i> enough. If Lord Navok had thought that he had popular sentiment on his side, he had been wrong.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">But, Dame Vaako thought with a chill, there were still enough to do some damage. And several of them were coming right at Jack\u2019s entour\u00ad<span class=\"nowrap\">age\u2026<\/span> and her with them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cShowtime,\u201d Jack said, her voice calm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cThought you\u2019d never ask,\u201d the leader of the Ennead Kids, Antonio, murmured.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">And all nine of them vanished, as did Lola.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">A strange, swift pandemonium followed. Spears disappeared from mutineers\u2019 hands only to sprout from their chests. Courtiers who had found themselves in harm\u2019s way vanished, reappearing seconds later in safer parts of the room, staring wildly about in confusion. In moments, only Navok himself was left of the mutineers, facing off against Riddick.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><b><i>I am being feasted well today,<\/i><\/b> Tokoloshe murmured in Dame Vaako\u2019s head as she watched the combatants.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><i>None of them went to the Underverse, did they?<\/i> she asked her god. Few people would be less deserving of that reward, she thought, than those mutineers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><b><i>Not a one. They will fall forever.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Riddick was toying with Navok, letting him almost get the upper hand before turning his moves against him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cI don\u2019t want to kill you now, Navok,\u201d Riddick said as they circled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cThe more fool you, then,\u201d Navok grated, lunging forward.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Riddick dodged easily, leaving a cut from his blade on Navok\u2019s cheek. \u201cThat ain\u2019t what I meant. See, you got some atonin\u2019 to do before you go. You need to live out everything you put those ladies through on your flight back here. Where\u2019s the fun in killin\u2019 you quick?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cBreeders are not \u2018ladies,\u2019\u201d Navok snarled. \u201cThey are nothing!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">He launched his spear at Riddick and spun to the side. Riddick dodged the shaft easily <span class=\"nowrap\">but\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Dame Vaako heard several of the other Ladies of the Armada scream as Navok lunged right at her, backhanding her aside. As she sprawled to the ground, tucking and rolling as best she could, he grabbed hold of Jack, pulling her against him and putting a knife to her throat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cJust like this warm breeder whore you call a Dame is nothing!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Regaining her footing, Dame Vaako pulled out the tiny gun Lola had given her, but then groaned. It wouldn\u2019t do harm to a Necromonger, although it might knock Navok across the room, but how badly would it hurt <i>Jack?<\/i> She would have to use one of her hidden blades in\u00ad<span class=\"nowrap\">stead\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou know,\u201d Jack said, as if there was no knife pressed against her skin. \u201cIf you wanted me to warm you up, you could\u2019ve just asked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cAnother word out of you and I\u2019ll cut your filthy breeder throat!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cYou will never leave this hall alive,\u201d Vaako growled. Toal and Scales, meanwhile, were circling, trying to get behind Navok. \u201cAnd you will never see the Underverse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cWorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd\u2026\u201d Jack drawled, calling Navok\u2019s bluff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Dame Vaako heard her voice join the chorus of screams as Navok slashed his knife across Jack\u2019s <span class=\"nowrap\">throat\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">And nothing happened. Although she could have sworn the knife had bitten in deep, there was no blood. No wound. As if either the knife, or Jack, was a hologram that the other had passed through.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The tiniest flinch had rolled through Riddick\u2019s body. He was, Dame Vaako realized, deliberately holding himself back from charging at Navok. Now he folded his arms,  watching the two of them with a small, amused smile on his face, showing no sign of the tension he had to be feeling. \u201cWhen exactly did you infect Lola and the Ennead Kids with Threshold Syndrome, anyway?\u201d he asked Jack, almost as if they were alone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cEnd of last week,\u201d Jack said. \u201cYou got anything you want to say to this asshole?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Navok still had the girl in his grasp, staring between her and Riddick in confusion and growing horror. He was <i>trying<\/i> to stab and slash at Jack, but his blade kept passing through her without leaving even a mark, like a holo-prop. Around Dame Vaako, awed murmurs were spreading.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cNah,\u201d Riddick told her, his dangerous smile back. \u201cHe\u2019s still gettin\u2019 off way too easy. But I wanna <i>see<\/i> this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Jack grimaced. \u201cAs you <span class=\"nowrap\">wish\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">The knife\u2014definitely not a hologram\u2014clattered to the floor as Navok abruptly clutched at his head. No longer holding Jack against him, he staggered back, dropped to his knees, and screamed. And kept screaming. His open mouth seemed to glow as if his head was full of red-hot <span class=\"nowrap\">coals\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">It was. Fire was consuming him from the <i>inside.<\/i> Within seconds, Navok\u2019s screams cut off, his whole body locking up for an instant before he collapsed to the floor, the fire inside him now devouring all of him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">Jack shuddered and walked over to Riddick. He put his arm around her and she leaned her head against his shoulder. \u201cThat,\u201d she told him in a pained voice, \u201cwas a whole lot worse than I thought it would be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cI won\u2019t put you in that kind of position again, Jack, <span class=\"nowrap\">I\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cNot that part.\u201d Jack gestured at the disintegrating ashes that had once been Lord Navok. <i>\u201cThat<\/i> part. I hate killing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\"><b><i>But you do it so <u>well<\/u>.<\/i><\/b> Why did Dame Vaako have the sense that Tokoloshe was mocking Jack?<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cHow did you <i>do<\/i> that?\u201d Toal asked, staring at her in awe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cThere\u2019s a \u2019verse where Mirach\u2019s core is right here instead of a light-hour away,\u201d Jack said, staring at the ashes. \u201cI just needed one hydrogen atom from there. Shit. Sometimes I think maybe the Quantifiers are <i>right.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cNot even a little,\u201d Riddick murmured to the girl in his arms. \u201cJust hold on a few more minutes. We\u2019re almost done with the show.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">They had <i>known<\/i>, Dame Vaako realized. Even before she or her husband had tried to warn them, they\u2019d known that there would be a mutiny against them this day. And they had used it to deliver a warning of their own.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">And, it dawned on her, to test the fidelity of the subjects who had grown closest to them in the last two weeks. Including her and her husband.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indented\">\u201cNext time you want to get all theatrical,\u201d Jack grumbled, \u201cwe\u2019d better be doing a musical comedy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Title: Song of Many \u2019Verses Author: Ardath Rekha Chapter: 2\/? 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 2: \u201cThe Mutineer and the Mermaid Queen\u201d","bgseo_description":"Even a blessing from the god of the Necromongers can\u2019t quite stop some Lords\u2019 mutinous impulses building against Riddick\u2019s reforms. Two weeks in, things come to a head.","bgseo_robots_index":"index","bgseo_robots_follow":"follow","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fan-fiction","category-song-of-many-verses"],"permalink_manager":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210","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=1210"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1215,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210\/revisions\/1215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}