T I T L E           DARK STARS F A N D O M           The Chronicles of Riddick P A I R I N G           Riddick/Vaako R A T I NG           NC-17 W O R D   C O U N T           22,881 words S U M M A R Y With his first command as Lord Marshal, Riddick orders the ghost army to the Threshold, unknowingly following a tradition set by all of the previous Lord Marshals. During the journey, he and Vaako are forced to watch each other's backs as enemies intent upon seizing the Necromonger throne close in around them. However, when they do eventually reach the Threshold they have to face their greatest danger yet as they learn the terrible truth about UnderVerse. N O T E S Many thanks to my two wonderful betas, Taibhrigh and Siluria, for all your input and for keeping me on the right track with this story! And to Artmetica for her stunning artwork! Spoilers for both movies - Pitch Black and TCOR.

****

No one could have failed to hear Dame Vaako's anguished cry when she realized that Vaako had failed in his bid to become Lord Marshal, for it echoed in the silence of the Necropolis. Riddick watched Vaako approach, fully aware of Dame Vaako's machinations and hunger for power but instead of raising the heavy battle ax against him, Vaako sank to one knee before the Necromonger throne--before him. Shock rippled through the Necropolis before the vast number of warriors, nobles and concubines filling the great hall followed Vaako's lead and Riddick had a feeling that--somewhere--Imam and his god were laughing at him, and at the ghost army bowing before him.

The silence lengthened and a flick of a glance upwards showed that at least one Necromonger was not prepared to bow before him. Dame Vaako stood rigid with fury, looking down at him and Riddick could almost feel the blazing contempt for a breeder battling against intrigue in her dark eyes. He'd kept his eye on Vaako since the commander first opened his mouth in the assembly hall on Helion Prime and he had already figured Zhylaw's First Among Commanders was not great leadership material. If he had succeeded in killing Zhylaw then he would have been the puppet on the throne, and she would have been the one pulling his strings.

Perhaps she was wondering if she could pull Riddick's strings instead.

Riddick gazed across the kneeling mass and knew they were waiting on his first command. He bit back on a temptation to tell them all to go fuck themselves, though part of him wondered if they would obey even that without question. As for loyalty until their underverse came? Loyalty to what? If Vaako's actions were to be taken into consideration then loyalty was not to the individual--not to the Lord Marshal. Not to him. It was to the Necromonger religion and the promise of paradise beyond what they called the Threshold.

He could work with that--except for the part where he didn't believe in anything except the blade in his hand.

Furyan.

Memories of a dead people still raced beneath his skin like liquid fire, boiling his blood with a rage barely held in check. The rage of an entire race, she had said, and yet when he had needed that rage in his fight against the former Lord Marshal, it had not been there. At least not like it had been on Crematoria where his whole body had shook from the power surging through him before exploding outwards in a wave of pure energy. The question that flitted through his mind now was 'why him?' Why not The Purifier, who had stood for years beside Zhylaw the Last, the destroyer of their people? He wondered, had Zhylaw even known that he had a Furyan by his side all that time? Probably not.

"My Lord Marshal?" Vaako looked up from beneath dark lashes, looking a little skittish.

Yeah, the natives were getting restless but Riddick needed time to think so he let instinct guide him, recalling Vaako's words from the first encounter on Helion Prime as he described Zhylaw as a Holy Half-Dead.

"Take me to the Threshold."

Vaako raised his head fully, surprised at first but then frowning deeply.

"You do know how to get there?" Riddick challenged.

Vaako's eyes flicked behind the throne in the direction of the command center but Riddick already knew what would be standing proud from one of the consoles--an elaborate kill switch that would set off those conquest icons on the surface below, and destroy every living thing on the planet. Maybe in the whole system. He was not sure how busy Zhylaw had been during his absence on Crematoria.

"And Helion Prime?"

"Will still be here when we get back."

Vaako nodded tightly, taking this as permission to stand. His movement galvanized the rest into a flurry of activity with soldiers, nobles and concubines moving in different directions, yet each seemed to know what task they had to perform. Except for a small group that loitered, and Riddick guess that these had been Zhylaw's concubines and servants who no longer knew their place in Necromonger society. It seemed Vaako had noticed them as well and he turned to Riddick seeking orders.

Riddick wanted rid of them but he had a feeling Vaako might take his words literally and space them. "Find them other duties."

Vaako hesitated for a moment as if he had expected a different set of orders. Eventually he nodded. "yes, my Lord."

The Necropolis emptied until he was left with only the bodies of the dead--Zhylaw and Kyra. Or was he alone? Movement on the mezzanine caught his eye and he knew Dame Vaako still watched him in anger, or maybe not. Maybe she had new plans running through her beautiful head by now, on how to get rid of him so Vaako could take his place, or get rid of Vaako so she was free to pursue him. He wouldn't put it past the scheming bitch, and he wasn't stupid. She wouldn't be the only one with her eye on the Lord Marshal's power and position, or the only one holding him in contempt as a... What had she called him? Yeah. A breeder.

Even in slam there were kids, brought into the world through no choice of their own though most were taken away within days of their birth. A few managed to hide their kids from the guards and from what he'd seen from his own informative years, they weren't necessarily the unlucky ones. He'd seen no kids among the Necromongers--not even among those brought in for conversion. But then, bringing life into the universe kind of went against the idea of cleansing it of all life, and the Necromongers had no time for raising kids when they could replenish the ranks from among the conquered and converted adults.

He had a soft spot for kids. It was why he'd killed Johns rather than let the merc have at Jack...Kyra. Still made him snarl that Johns simply assumed Riddick would ghost the kid just to save their worthless hides. Even animals protected the young of the species, so what did that make Johns... or these Necromongers?

More movement caught his eye and he watched as a group of lower ranks stared between him and the bodies littering the floor.

"Someone take out the garbage," he ordered, pointing towards Zhylaw's body, and he was surprised when none looked uncomfortable or angry at his words or tone. But it seemed to fit with what little he'd seen of their beliefs--the body being merely a prison for the soul, and just an empty shell when the soul had moved on. Seemed he had set Zhylaw free though he'd yet to figure out when a death was considered timely. Or maybe that view depended on the individual.

Zhylaw's death was timely and so was Johns. Kyra's was not--and neither was the Imam's, or Fry's.

Another group waited, just visible out the corner of his eye and he nodded, letting them approach and take Kyra's body away. He decided he didn't need to know what they did with the bodies but was strangely gratified that they handled her with such reverence. He heard the light footsteps from above receding into the distance as Dame Vaako finally stopped gnashing her teeth and left, probably to start putting her new plans in action. For several full minutes he was truly alone with even Aereon absent. He suspected there'd be evidence of her sending communications to the Elementals of the change in management around here. Those Elementals loved to calculate and for that they needed raw data.

Soft footsteps alerted him to Vaako's return and Riddick smiled grimly.

"My Lord. All of our troops are now on-board. We are ready to leave on your command."

Interesting, Riddick thought as he remembered how Zhylaw had closed up the ships, abandoning many of his men upon a world he intended to destroy. probably saw them as more life to be cleansed from this 'verse. It appeared that Vaako did not share his former Lord Marshal's view that these warriors were expendable. Maybe it was pragmatism, or maybe there was still some humanity left inside Commander Vaako after all.

"Then you have it," he stated, enjoying the way Vaako tensed, obviously ill at ease with the change in leadership despite his earlier obeisance. Skittish. Definitely skittish...but maybe Riddick should have mentioned to Toombs that he liked skittish.

*******

When Vaako finally found time to return to their chambers, Dame Vaako was waiting for him and from the thunderous expression on her face he knew she was displeased with the turn of events. She bared her teeth, almost snarling as he began to unsnap his body armor, no doubt waiting until he was more vulnerable before attempting to sink her sharp teeth into his flesh both literally and metaphorically.

"Failure," she snarled. "He was weak from the fight and from...grief," she spat out the final word. "You should have struck him down but instead you bow to him like a coward."

He moved fast--the long column of her exposed throat beneath his hand. All he needed to do was squeeze and she would no longer be a thorn in his side but he resisted the temptation to crush her larynx.

"You forget your place, Dame Vaako."

Her eyes blazed with fury. "I have a name."

He tightened his grip just enough to see a little fear creep into her eyes. "You have only what I give you."

There was no equality in Necromonger society. Her title and the authority she so casually abused belonged to him alone as First Among Commanders, and lately he had found her devotion to Necroism lacking in due respect. She twisted their philosophy to suit her own ambitions, playing her little mind games and believing she had him wrapped completely around her finger but she would be sorely mistaken. He chose to do her bidding only when her machinations followed the path that he would have already taken as a Necromonger, but their end goals had always differed.

She saw the death of the old Lord Marshal as untimely--an execution to transfer the power of leadership into her hands by proxy through him. He saw Zhylaw's death as timely, for the older warrior had reached the end of his destiny with the fulfillment of that Elemental's prophecy. Riddick had proved the better warrior by anticipating where Zhylaw would project himself as Zhylaw scurried to save his by then worthless position in this 'verse. The plunge of Irgun's knife through Zhylaw's skull was almost transcendental, only lacking its full power because Vaako's attention was on his falling battle ax when the fatal blow landed many feet away across the Necropolis.

You keep what you kill was the First Law of Necroism, so long as the kill came at close quarters with a hand weapon such as a blade. There was no pride or reward for those who killed at a distance using gravity guns--or conquest icons. He sneered because he'd had Riddick in his gun sights on Crematoria but had hesitated to shoot a second time when he could offer an honorable and timely death to a worthy opponent. Or perhaps his hesitation had been an unconscious desire to see if Riddick was the Furyan mentioned in that prophecy? Certainly, the Elemental Aereon seemed to believe Riddick was the one, and who was he, Lord Vaako, to argue with the meddlesome prophets of this 'verse.

With a final shake, he let Dame Vaako go and she cowered like a dog, still baring her teeth but no longer so eager to attack unless he turned his back. Perhaps he should order her to the purification chambers so she could better understand her position in Necromonger society and reacquaint herself with its goals and beliefs. All of those within the Necropolis had heard her outburst of denial and others would seek to use that against him as they curried favor with the new Lord Marshal, intending to replace him as his First Among Commanders. Already he had noticed the slightest hesitation in obeying his orders and had killed one soldier as an example for those not following the Second Law of Necroism--obedience without question.

She drew herself up regally, smoothing down her skin-tight dress before sinking gracefully into the seat at her vanity table. It took her only moments for her to pin her hair back up to perfection. Her eyes glittered dangerously as she cast a glance at his reflection in the mirror, a sneer twisting her perfect lips as her fingertips brushed over the circle of bruises forming at her throat like a macabre necklace. They would be barely noticeable against her dusky skin but she would know they were there and perhaps she would remember her place before one of the other Commanders used her as a weapon against him.

Willing to admit his tiredness if only to himself, he finished stripping away his clothing and entered the small bathing area to sluice away the sweat and grime of the day. Water was a precious commodity even on-board the Basilica ship and as a concession to his wife, he often left most of their daily allowance for her bathing. Not that she fully appreciated the gesture. Drying quickly, he slipped beneath the warm bed covers and turned his back on her, aware that she would do him no harm for without him she would forfeit her prestigious place in Necromonger society. The Third Law of Necroism would stay her hand--loyalty until UnderVerse come. By becoming his wife she had sworn her loyalty to him, and if he should turn up dead with even a hint of suspicion that she had played a pivotal role in his death then she would meet an untimely end and her soul would be barred from crossing into UnderVerse.

She had only two ways of getting rid of him while still retaining her powerful position in Necromonger society. If he should meet a timely death in battle then she could petition the Lord Marshal and become one of his courtesans or high-placed servants. The only other method would be if another defeated him in single combat and claimed her as the reward. However, after her outburst in the Necropolis, the only warrior who might still stake a claim on her was the new Lord Marshal. He had shown a great interest in her during their first meeting on Helion Prime, sniffing at her like she was a bitch in heat and letting her lead him almost to his death in the Quasi-dead chamber. Vaako might have held Riddick in contempt for being so easily led by another, displaying weakness, except many could accuse him of the same offense and it would be only a half-truth.

Still, his musings had brought him full circle to her words earlier. Vaako had seen Riddick fight and so he knew they would be evenly matched under normal circumstances. However, Riddick had been exhausted and damaged by his battle with Zhylaw--and by grief for the woman Kyra--so the odds had been high in Vaako's favor of besting him in single combat. If he had attacked in the Necropolis then the seventh Lord Marshal of the Necromongers would have been Lord Vaako but Vaako would not have seen it as an honorable killing. He had already set an unhealthy precedent by waiting for Riddick to weaken Zhylaw before he attacked with what he believed would be the killing blow. Yet, perversely, he might still have been swayed by loyalty if Zhylaw had not turned to him with such a great show of fear and desperation that was unbefitting of a Lord Marshal. Instead, Zhylaw's emotions merely confirmed what Vaako already knew--that it was Zhylaw's due time. In comparison, killing Riddick so soon after the battle would have been seen as the actions of a coward--someone unfit to lead the Necromongers to UnderVerse. If he had taken that path then he would have seen no loyalty or obeisance from the other commanders and purifiers. Instead he had deemed it better to wait until Riddick had regained his strength and then challenge him with full honor. Except he had not anticipated Riddick being aware that the first command of any new Lord Marshal was to be taken the Threshold where he would travel into UnderVerse and become a Holy Half-Dead--like Zhylaw the Last and the previous Lord Marshals.

For Vaako, this would be his second voyage to the constellation of dark stars near the edge of the galaxy. He had undertaken the first journey when he was little more than an acolyte beginning his warrior training after his home world had fallen to the Necromongers. He recalled the rumors spreading through the fleet at the time of Kyrll's ritual suicide, only days after Vaako had left the purification chamber for the first time. Zhylaw had faced a public tribunal but had been exonerated of being an accomplice in what might have been murder and which included the charge of falsifying a pyro-doc found close to Kyrll's corpse that named Zhylaw as his successor. Once the fleet was on its way to the Threshold, Zhylaw had ordered the execution of his accusers--impaling their bodies on the jagged columns circling the Necropolis, just like Riddick's woman Kyra. However, as a deterrent to all others seeking to undermine his leadership with false accusations, Zhylaw had left the bodies hanging on the columns until the flesh began to rot from their bones.

He dimmed the light, aware that Dame Vaako had retired to her private chambers in an adjoining room. He had the right to demand she sleep in his bed but, in truth, he had grown tired of her plots and subterfuge. He did not wish to spend the remainder of this night listening to her schemes and plans when all his body demanded of him was sleep. His thoughts flitted on the edge of his drowsing mind.

Once Riddick had crossed the Threshold then they would no longer be equally matched in combat, so Vaako knew his chances of demoting Riddick to the ranks of the dead would diminish with each passing day. Logic dictated that he strike within the next few weeks--before they reached the Threshold--or forfeit the position of Lord Marshal, except logic also dictated that he would not be the only one coveting the Lord Marshal's throne.

Commanders Toal, Scales and Scalp Taker were excellent fighters, having risen through the ranks in the same way as him by merit in combat and in battle. They would see Riddick as unworthy despite Vaako's initial show of subservience but, like him, they most likely had not wished to risk dishonor by striking immediately after the fight with Zhylaw.

As sleep reached out to claim him, Vaako realized he might be in the unenviable position of having to protect Riddick from attack by the others or risk meeting an untimely end--executed as a potential threat to whomever defeated Riddick and became the next Lord Marshal. With a final sigh, he knew his life had just become extremely complicated.

*******

As a soldier before ending up in slam for killing his superior officer, Riddick had learned that the best way to keep people from thinking too hard was to keep them too busy to think at all. Preparing the fleet for a long journey to the Threshold took time and energy. All but a skeleton crew on each ship would go into cryosleep to reduce the usage of precious resources such as air, water and food. That suited Riddick just fine as it meant he had fewer people to watch. These Necromongers were good though. Efficient. Each seemed to know exactly what was expected of them, obeying the orders of their superiors without question.

It made life less complicated.

He knew that those remaining awake during the journey would include the ones most likely to issue a challenge for the position of Lord Marshal. However, this obedience without question and loyalty until UnderVerse come was making it harder to determine where the threat might lie. If he had to make an educated guess then the challenge would come from one of the four commanders--or all of them--though maybe not as an alliance. They worked well enough together in battle yet underneath all that fanaticism churned an even darker set of emotions--a hunger for power, and maybe for knowledge of what lay beyond their precious Threshold as only a Lord Marshal was permitted to look beyond it into UnderVerse. Each would want to have that for himself, and the power of this holy half-dead that came with it.

Certainly Scalp Taker and Scales fell into the first group for their eyes weren't dulled enough to hide the lust for power shining from within. He knew they saw him as weak because he had not gone through their pain rituals. Riddick was half tempted to take them to a small colony on the edge of the Darber system, and to a man who had turned the infliction of pain into an art form. Marlish could teach even these Necromongers something about agony, and having suffered at the hands of this sadistic master, Riddick figured he could teach these Necromongers about enduring it. Still, it was at times like this when Riddick wondered why he had allowed Marlish to live. It would have been so easy to slide a knife between the old man's ribs--to stand by and watch the life force flow out of him--but he figured Marlish had needed his own lesson in enduring pain; Riddick had crippled him instead, knowing he would think of Riddick with every painful step he took until the end of his days.

Perhaps not so strangely that thought reminded him of Johns and how he'd been a real bad ass merc before he turned to opiates to control the pain of the knife tip Riddick had left lodged near his spine. It was almost a shame when he'd had to cut Johns and leave him for the monsters on that dark world but Johns had never been a man of his word. Despite his assertions that he'd tell the authorities that Richard B. Riddick was dead, Riddick knew he'd renege on that promise the first chance he got. After all, Johns was in it for the money, not for the sentimentality. Good intentions and heroics wouldn't pay for the drugs flowing through his veins or the expensive lifestyle he lived when not bounty hunting. Anyway, Riddick had taken a shine to the kid that Johns had wanted him to ghost and feed to those creatures.

A stab of sorrow twisted in his chest, cutting as deep and sharp as any shiv. He turned his thoughts away from Jack--Kyra--and the raw wound of her loss so soon after losing the Imam. Instead he let his thoughts return to the four commanders, wondering which of them would make the first move. Scales and Scalp Taker would be pacing the floors of their quarters by now, working out strategies that would give them the opening they needed to kill him and take what they believed was rightfully theirs. Neither were cowards and Riddick expected the attack to come from one of them eventually but they hesitated for good reason.

Vaako had shown the worth of allowing one man to weaken their enemy in advance, perhaps dying in the attempt while the other waited for the right moment to strike and snatch victory away. He wondered how long they would wait, watching the other to see who would break first and make that attack.

Toal was an unknown element, revealing nothing and it was possible that he had no ambition beyond the prestige and power already afforded to him as a commander. Still, Riddick had learned not to underestimate anyone. Vaako, on the other hand, had shown his hand when he attacked Zhylaw but Riddick had a feeling that of all of them, Vaako's motives were the most pure. He had not attacked his former Lord Marshal out of malice or avarice but out of belief, seeing Zhylaw as too weak to lead the Necromongers to this Necromonger paradise. That made Vaako more dangerous than all of the others combined and Riddick knew he had only two options with Vaako--convert or kill.

Killing would be easier and far less complicated but where was the challenge in that?

Riddick leaned forward on the throne, tilting his head to the side as he smiled carefully. "Explain it like you're talking to someone who's never been converted to this religion of yours."

He watched Vaako's shoulders and neck tense, seeing the slightest clench of the jaw in irritation or annoyance. Interesting, he thought. He took the opportunity to study Vaako more closely, seeing beyond the formidable image of a Necromonger warrior and commander. Without the concealment of the heavy body armor, the form-fitting clothes outlined every curve of muscle and angle of bone to perfection but Riddick had yet to see any Necromongers carrying excess weight or softness--other than those newly converted from the Helion system. They would lose that softness soon enough under the punishing regimes set up to keep the troops battle-ready. His eyes drifted up to Vaako's face. Aesthetically, Vaako was extremely good looking. Strong yet gentle features made austere by the razor sharp buzz cut of his hair at the sides and the deathly paleness of his skin. Dark circles rimmed eyes that glittered with religious fervor but Riddick imagined they would be bright and feverish under other more pleasurable circumstances too. His lips were a perfect Cupid's bow at the top, while soft and full at the bottom. His scent was clean yet rich with raw masculinity and sex, making the remembrance of Dame Vaako's artificial scent cloying and putrid in comparison from her use of heavy oils and fragrances.

Riddick wondered if Vaako tasted like as good as he looked and smelled.

He saw Vaako's eyebrows draw together in confusion, wondering how much of his lust he might have revealed. Fortunately, Vaako's snake of a wife was not present as Riddick suspected she would have seen his slip and filed that away as a weapon for the future.

"My lord... Oltovm the Builder, the second Lord Marshal, described the Threshold as Surrounded by great tidal forces of space, treacherous to navigate near but exotically beautiful, hinting at the dark wonders that lurk beyond." Vaako's tone held a little frustration as he repeated his words for Riddick. "When Covu the Transcended took his murdered family across the Threshold into UnderVerse, they returned to life--"

Riddick interrupted. "Now let me get this straight. Looking for some place safe to bury his wife and kids, he stumbles across this Threshold into some paradise universe where his dead family comes back to life. He returns minutes later looking years older and determined to kill all life in this universe."

"He decreed that all life in this 'verse was a spontaneous outbreak, and an unguided mistake that needed correction." Riddick could almost hear the quote marks. "The Natural State was death and what came afterward."

Riddick leaned back, humming in disbelief. "I can think of a different scenario. A tortured man filled with grief takes his dead family across the Threshold. His mind snaps and he returns with some insane idea of saving everyone from the same grief by destroying all life, like he was doing the rest of us a favor."

"Five Lord Marshals have looked beyond the Threshold and returned to continue his crusade."

"Have they? Oltovm spent his regime building a portal around this Threshold and an armada. He killed himself before he had to go out killing everyone else. The next one..."

"Naphemil the Navigator."

"...Was only around a short time and more interested in planning than doing so he gets ghosted by Baylock the Brutal." Riddick smiled menacingly. "Seemed to me this Baylock would have enjoyed destroying worlds with or without a religion. All he needed was this ghost army. When he gets himself killed, everyone takes the word of this Threshold guardian that next in line is Kryll. Again, great planner, great builder, not so interested in actually going out and killing people. Handy that he committed suicide and left Zhylaw in command."

Zhylaw and Baylock could have been brothers in blood-lust alone. Both of them had been more interested in destroying worlds than building anything. Riddick wondered if both got a hard on when they pushed down on that planetary destruct button, or whether they got off harder on strangling babies with their own birth cords, like Zhylaw had done on Furya. Seemed from an outsider's point of view that the whole destroy everyone part of this Necroism religion was based on the insanity of three leaders out of six.

Vaako looked uncomfortable, making Riddick realize he was deliberately holding back on the defense of his religion for good reason. Vaako could not afford to be exiled to one of the other ships in the armada by openly disagreeing with the new leader of their faith--not if he wanted to be in the right position to attack and take over that leadership role. He was biding his time, looking for the right moment to strike, which made Riddick wonder why he had not attacked while he was at his weakest after the fight with Zhylaw. Baylock and Zhylaw would not have hesitated to use that advantage against him, and he suspected that Commanders Scalp Taker and Scales would not hesitate should that chance come again. He figured they had only held back last time because they would have been forced to face Vaako and that battle ax afterwards, which meant Vaako was a serious challenge to them physically. A better hand-to-hand fighter perhaps. Certainly Vaako could be his match though Riddick would have the advantage if the lights went out.

"Hmmm. Guess I'll just have to wait for answers 'til we get to this Threshold."

There was that twitch again as Riddick reminded Vaako that time was running out if he wanted to challenge him on near-equal terms. If Riddick returned from this UnderVerse with the same astral powers as Zhylaw then Vaako's chances of defeating him in open combat were next to nonexistent. He would be forced to orchestrate a ritual suicide for him instead but Vaako didn't seem the type to take such a questionable path. He had too much pride and honor.

"So, how long 'til we reach the first marker?"

"Two weeks at the current speed of the armada."

"Two weeks." Riddick knew he should order his commanders to enter cryosleep for the duration but he would rather face them while the vast majority of their forces and supporters were sleeping. Anyway, he had a feeling Scales and Scalp Taker would decide to eliminate Vaako before they turned against him. Only problem was that he was beginning to like Vaako.

*******

Vaako should have anticipated himself as a target but he had carelessly assumed that any of the others would simply wait until they were Lord Marshal before having any possible contenders for the position executed. In hindsight, he realized he should have been on his guard the moment his wife started acting so suspiciously in his presence. She must have known what was going to happen as soon as he stepped beyond the relative safety of their chambers this evening and, most likely, had orchestrated it with one of his main rivals days before.

The knife blade cut the air just in front of his throat as he threw himself backwards, using the momentum to twist back into a defensive stance as the blade stabbed towards him once more. Raising his forearm, he blocked a second knife, hissing as it sliced through the heavy cloth to the skin beneath. Another attacker leaped in to slash at him from the other side but Vaako spun on his heel and punch him in the throat, crushing his larynx. The force of the blow pushed the man backwards into another assailant, taking both of them down but Vaako knew it was a temporary reprieve. Silently, he cursed his wife when he realized his own blade was missing from its sheath, having not noticed her remove it when she distracted him with bold and almost feral kisses before he left her only a few minutes ago.

He cursed his own stupidity too. Normally, the corridor leading from his chambers to the Necropolis was teeming with Necromongers going about their duties but with all but a select few deep in cryosleep, this night it was empty with the lights lowered a fraction more than usual to conserve power. It had made the perfect place for an ambush and Vaako grimaced as Scales stepped out of the shadows and grinned at him from further along the corridor, waiting beyond Vaako's reach as his best warriors circled Vaako like hellhounds moving in for the kill. These were no ordinary Necromongers but highly trained and skilled sub-commanders, loyal to Scales and with one of them expecting to take Vaako's former rank of Commander as their reward while Scales became First Among Commanders. Even so, the odds might still have been in Vaako's favor had he possessed a weapon.

"There a problem here?"

Everyone froze, torn between the fight and the owner of the honeyed voice, their new Lord Marshal.

Riddick hummed; a deep, melodic sound that was becoming far too familiar to Vaako over such a short period of time as Riddick contemplated the tableau in front of him. "Odds don't look good, Vaako."

From the corner of his eye Vaako saw Riddick leaning against the wall, picking at his fingernails with the sharp tip of the knife he had taken from Irgun's back all those weeks ago. Light reflected off the intricate patterns in its golden surface, glinting off the lower lighting in the corridor.

"A knife would increase them greatly," Vaako replied tightly, wondering if the Lord Marshal would intervene or simply watch the carnage. Certainly he had no reason to intervene as he had to see Vaako as a potential rival. Plus with Vaako gone, Dame Vaako could become his concubine or wife.

"Should have noticed you were light," Riddick stated and Vaako accepted the reprimand with a bitter smile.

Yes, he should have noticed that the familiar weight of his knife was missing from its sheath but her kisses still had the power to intoxicate him--though he knew it was a pleasurable side effect of the drugged perfume she sprayed over her body. It was a stupid mistake and if he survived this attack then he would ensure she paid dearly for her treachery along with Scales, who had no doubt promised her position and power in return for her assistance in killing her husband. The only problem was that Vaako was unlikely to survive to take his revenge--though Scales was looking nervously between him and Riddick, probably wondering whose side Riddick would take in this fight--if at all. The answer came seconds later with the flash of Irgun's blade. Vaako snatched it out of the air and lashed out at the closest attacker, slashing him across the throat before plunging the knife into the chest of another. He kicked the body away, holding the hilt tight as the knife slipped from its sheath of dying flesh. Ducking, he felt the movement of air as a knife flashed where he had been standing, spinning and kicking at the assailant's legs, bringing him down and plunging Irgun's knife through an eye socket. The eye came out attached to his blade as Vaako rolled, not fast enough to avoid the knife glancing off his back, deflected by a shoulder blade. The pain was intense and yet nothing in comparison to that experienced within the purification chamber so he ignored it, his roll bringing him to his feet to face his final assailant. With a snarl, Vaako launched himself at the warrior, knocking the warrior's blade aside and sending Irgun's knife hilt deep into the man's chest through the vulnerable hole in the battle armor beneath the arm.

Vaako stood up slowly as the last of his attackers dropped lifeless to the floor, knife dripping blood onto the marble of the corridor and from his own wounds. He glanced over his shoulder to where Scales had stood but found the man sprawled on his stomach with a knife protruding from his back. A slow clap had him glancing towards Riddick and Vaako tilted his head in acceptance of the unwanted praise, aware that he owed his life to Riddick for evening out the odds between him and the five assassins loyal to Scales. He glanced back at the body of the former Commander.

"Scales?"

"Figured I'd save myself the aggravation of hunting through the ship for him."

From the position of the body it was obvious that Scales had tried to escape rather than face Vaako--or Riddick--in single combat yet Vaako still felt mild irritation at losing the opportunity to hunt him down and challenge him. Instead, Riddick had made the kill and, therefore, could keep whatever Scales owned--his concubines and servants, his warriors and possessions though in Riddick's case, the rank of Commander was immaterial as Riddick already held the greatest rank among them.

"Why?" Vaako asked, knowing Riddick would understand the question. Why had he intervened on Vaako's behalf? Why had he chosen him over Scales when they had already met in combat several times and proved they were equals?

"Why not?"

Vaako gave an angry sigh. It was a typical response from Riddick, telling him nothing as if Riddick was deliberately baiting him. Then he wondered if he had answered his own question. Perhaps Riddick had sided with him because he knew him--knew his fighting technique--which gave him a greater advantage over an unknown element such as one of the others. He should not have underestimated Riddick's intelligence for they were all breeders once upon a time, taken from their worlds and converted to Necroism--for all breeding among Necromongers was banned during the second regime of Oltovm the Builder many decades earlier meaning there were no Necromongers born to this religion.

Riddick held out his hand and Vaako handed the blade back to him hilt first as a show of trust. After all, if he had wanted Vaako dead then he would have stood by and let Scales's men cut him down. Vaako watched as Riddick turned his back on him and walked away, his words drifting over his shoulder.

"Going to have to watch that wife of yours, Vaako."

Vaako grimaced. Riddick's words implied that he would not agree to her execution, and if she lived then Vaako would have to remain vigilant, perhaps reducing the danger by having her transferred to another ship in the armada. His lips tightened. He planned to watch her reaction when he returned to their chambers very much alive. If he could not kill her then at least he could anticipate watching her face when he used his right to cast her off as no longer worthy to be his wife. With Scales dead and a rumor quickly spread that she had been involved, she would be unlikely to find another noble so willing to take her in, even as a servant. She was not without her means and wiles though and he fully expected to see her wrapping some newly promoted sub-commander or ship's captain around her exquisite finger. However, Riddick's words also raised concerns that the Lord Marshal might take on Vaako's beautiful but deadly, soon-to-be ex-wife once he discarded her. If that happened then Vaako would not have the luxury of seeing her exiled from the Basilica to another ship and she would flaunt her new position daily, using it to undermine any attempt he made to replace Riddick as the next Lord Marshal.

Now it seemed as if Riddick had already turned most of Vaako's plans upside down by protecting him from an attack instead of him protecting Riddick. As he turned back to his chambers, intending to deal with his wounds personally, he couldn't help but wonder if he had underestimated Riddick on more than one level. Perhaps Riddick could become a more fitting Lord Marshal than he considered originally. Perhaps once Riddick had gone beyond the Threshold, he would understand their religion and see the actions of the previous Lord Marshals in a different light.

He snarled and punched his fist against the metal wall, ignoring the bone-deep ache.

He already held Riddick in respect for his prowess as a warrior and--possibly--as a strategist, but perhaps he was beginning to like him as a man too.

*******

The first navigation marker--which was technically the last one placed--was hidden on a dead planet in the Neibaum system though Riddick could tell by the circles of destruction that the Necromonger ghost army had laid waste to that world decades earlier, leaving nothing of value behind--unless toxic waste and that massive, ugly statue of Baylock held any monetary value. Not even miners like the two on the Hunter-Gratzner--Shazza and Zeke--would have bothered with such a hellhole. It made Crematoria look positively hospitable, as long as you could stay in the buffer zone between night and day. Neibaum Prime had no buffer zone.

The planetary wide destruction had happened during Kryll's regime--according to the history Vaako was fond of spouting at every opportunity, no doubt hoping to educate him in all the Necromonger ways. Riddick grinned as he thought back to the first two weeks of his regime, enjoying the way Vaako's tense jaw would jump, the muscles twitching in annoyance when Riddick seemingly misunderstood some boring yet important fact. Vaako had caught on eventually, realizing that he was being played for a fool. Took it badly at first but now those soft lips twitched as if fighting back a smile when Riddick pulled that same treat me as if I was totally uneducated routine with Scalp Taker and some of the other nobles who had decided to stay awake. Least it showed that some of these Necromongers had a sense of humor even if it was hidden as carefully as this navigation marker.

If they had not known to look for the marker in Baylock's eye then they would not have found the directions leading them to the next.

It had taken the armada seventeen solar days to reach the Neibaum system, faster than one of those merc skiffs but then those were only good for short hops. The ships in this armada were built for the long haul between the systems, yet sleeker and faster than economy transporters like the Hunter-Gratzner. Riddick couldn't help thinking that if Johns hadn't been counting the credits to feed his drug habit then maybe he would have put them on faster transport and seen that next payday. Still, Johns' loss was his gain.

In deference to Riddick's light-sensitive eyes, the lights were turned down low and he let his eyes drift over the top of the holographic display hovering above the tactical table to where Vaako was poised deep in thought. Vaako had shown no sign of discomfort from the knife wounds and bruises gained in yesterday's fight, nor had Riddick seen any sign of Dame Vaako--dead or alive--though he knew Vaako had not returned to his chambers last evening. Perhaps he had thought better of confronting his dangerous wife while he was wounded, aware that she might have made additional arrangements for disposing of her unwanted husband rather than put all of her faith in Scales. If she was still alive then she was keeping a low profile, probably scheming her way out of the mess she'd made for herself.

No one had mentioned Scales but it was likely the whole Basilica knew he was dead along with some of his top sub-commanders. However, as Riddick had been the one to order a clean-up crew to that corridor to dump the garbage they might not be aware of Vaako's involvement. Unlikely. Still, it made Riddick wonder if he was going to see a repeat performance with Scalp Taker looking to promote himself to First Among Commanders at Vaako's expense--or maybe last evening's activities had given him pause for thought. Possible, he thought, especially as Toal and Scalp Taker were keeping both him and Vaako at a respectful and healthy distance as they discussed the next step in this pilgrimage to the Threshold.

"The Piran system is fifteen days distance at the pace of the slowest ship in the fleet." Vaako looked up, meeting his eyes. "If we leave the slowest ships here, we can reach Piran VI in twelve days."

Riddick nodded. The thought had occurred to him before but he hadn't wanted to leave the armada orbiting Helion Prime in case someone got trigger happy in his absence and set off those conquest icons. After all he'd promised Imam that he'd take care of his family and so far he'd kept his word. Didn't make much difference if he left half the armada here at this dead world of Neibaum Prime.

"Then leave them here," he ordered and gained a sharp nod from his three remaining commanders. Riddick watched as they moved to fulfill their duties, unable to stop his eyes from following Vaako in particular with his tall, lithe frame striding out without flinching even though the armor had to be chafing across that back wound. Perhaps he shouldn't be surprised that he liked watching Vaako in motion, recalling his grace and prowess in the fight yesterday, and on other occasions when that focus was on fighting him.

Once Vaako was gone from sight, Riddick returned to the Necropolis where he sat down on the throne. He activated the database terminal, having decided to spend the waiting time reading more of the Necromonger history so he knew what he could expect once they reached this Threshold. Several minutes passed while his orders were carried to every ship in the fleet. He had a feeling there would be a longer delay while certain personnel changes took place, with each of his commanders wanting to ensure they would have sufficient men loyal to them in the ships moving on with the Basilica.

He recognized the tread of footsteps across the marble flooring and delayed looking up until Vaako was standing at the base of the steps leading up to the dais.

"My Lord, the fleet is almost ready to depart."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Vaako nodded and turned, striding away quickly.

"Vaako," he called out before the other man could leave the Necropolis, his low-pitched voice echoing perfectly as if the acoustics had been built to amplify the voice of whoever sat on the throne. Some distance away, Vaako stopped and turned back to face him, his eyebrows knitted together questioningly. "Don't leave her behind."

Vaako raised his head a notch, chin lifting in irritation, proving that he'd had every intention of transferring Dame Vaako onto one of the ships remaining at Neibaum Prime--or perhaps he had already done so--but it would be a mistake. It would give her a greater opportunity to plan a nasty surprise for when Vaako returned. Vaako had probably never heard the saying, keep your friends close but your enemies closer, and Riddick didn't feel like educating him right at this moment.

Vaako nodded tersely, obviously fighting a reluctance to obey that particular order without question.

Within another ten minutes, the faster ships of the fleet were heading out towards the edge of the galaxy, and Riddick was left alone to contemplate his growing attraction to the man most likely to attempt to kill him before they reached the Threshold. However, as the Necropolis lights dimmed into a maintenance cycle, the soft scrape of a shoe on the Necropolis marble floor made him smile.

Or maybe not, he thought as he saw a number of shadows move beneath the grotesque statues of former Lord Marshals. Vaako was in the command center, still issuing orders to the fleet and he held onto too much honor to send assassins in his place. No. When Vaako decided it was time to act then he would issue a formal challenge in front of the warriors and nobles with the winner keeping what he killed. He would want no dissension when he took his place at the head of this ghost army. Though Riddick was now convinced that Vaako would be a caretaker only, willingly giving up the leadership and crossing over into his vaunted UnderVerse when a more suitable Lord Marshal had been found to replace him to continue with the campaign to rid this 'verse of all life.

When the lights dimmed even further, Riddick tensed. By rights the lack of light ought to give him an advantage but these Necromongers knew that so he had to assume that they had a different plan in mind. He could hear them moving, could hear the soft inhalation and exhalation of their breath as they drew closer. His intuition kicked in and instead of watching them approach with the clarity of his shined eyes, he pulled on the goggles, even so he flinched when the first white beam of light activated straight into his face just as the first assailant attacked. The curved blades were in his hands, slicing through the air to cut deep into flesh as the first attacker fell dead at Riddick's feet. He spun tightly, the arc of his trailing arm slicing across the throat of another as a second white beam stabbed at him, piercing even the darkness of the goggle's lenses but he had closed his eyes, relying purely on sound and scent to guide his blades. The familiar sound of a net-gun made him roll and crouch, hearing the spikes twang on the metal of a column even as agony rippled through his side where another spike pierced his skin. He could hear the gun loading up for a second shot along with the scuffle of more feet and he knew he could not afford to be netted, not if he had any hope of surviving this encounter.

The clatter of the net gun dropping to the floor was followed almost immediately by the heavier thump of a body. Riddick could almost smell the confusion when the attackers realized that Riddick was no longer fighting this battle alone. A gurgle from his left was the death of an attacker stabbed through the larynx. The soft grunt of exertion and a snarl identified his ally--though now they were fighting back-to-back, he could smell the scent that Vaako preferred when he bathed and the headier musk of masculinity that he associated with Vaako.

"Took you long enough to get here," Riddick stated laconically as he slashed out at another attacker.

Vaako snorted in disbelief as a final attacker fell to his blade, leaving them standing back-to-back in a silence broken only by their quickened breathing. In the beams from the powerful flashlights Riddick could see scattered bodies in pools of spreading blood. Slowly the lights of the Necropolis began to brighten until the full extent of the battle could be seen. Between them they had taken down seventeen attackers and Riddick was disappointed to note that one of those was Toal.

Riddick turned to face Vaako, narrowing his eyes as he cataloged the blood running freely from several new knife cuts.

"Why?" he asked. Why had Vaako intervened when this could have been his chance to see a true Necromonger take over as Lord Marshal?

Vaako stared hard at him, lips twitching invitingly. "Why not?"

"Touche."

Vaako raised both eyebrows, possibly unfamiliar with the word but not the sentiment behind it. With a nod of respect Vaako walked away, and this time Riddick stared in open appreciation and even greater determination to find a way to keep Vaako as his First Among Commanders rather than his potential executioner.

*******

Oltovm, the second Lord Marshal, had constructed a portal around the Threshold during his regime so the Threshold could be opened and closed at will and he left a guardian to watch over the only known entrance to the UnderVerse to protect it from marauders. A new law had been added by Oltovm that day that no Necromonger save a Lord Marshal could gaze into the wonder that was UnderVerse, for the Lord Marshal was the only one who could cross the Threshold before his due time and return to this 'verse as a holy half-dead. Over the decades a replacement guardian had been chosen among the Necromonger elite to take up the highest position below that of Lord Marshal. As a reward, his body would be carried across the Threshold in his due time to live again just as Covu's wife and children were reborn. Zhylaw had appointed the current guardian from his First Among Commanders five years earlier, promoting Vaako to lord and commander in Lord Esau's place.

Vaako wondered what Lord Esau would think of this new Lord Marshal.

The portal dampened the worst of the tidal effects emanating from the Threshold when it was closed, but not all of it. Vaako watched the steadily increasing figures on the forward sensors with interest, knowing they were drawing close after adding many more weeks in their journey to the outer edge of this 'verse. The cleverly concealed second and third navigation markers had pointed the way and it was a relief to know the pilgrimage was coming to an end.

The last time he had made this journey he was barely more than a child. If he had been a year younger when his world fell then the Necromongers would have left him on his home planet to die with the rest of his people--with those too old or too young, with the sick and infirm, and those who simply refused to convert, preferring to die rather than betray what they believed in. He was saddened for them, not because they were dead but because they had died before their due time and would not find their way to UnderVerse. He would not meet them again in the next life.

This time he came to the Threshold as the second most powerful Necromonger on-board the Basilica, yet still it gave him no more privilege than he had known as a newly purified acolyte. He would not see UnderVerse for that honor was for the Lord Marshal only.

Vaako ordered the armada to stop when he saw the last marker ahead of them. From this point onwards only the Lord Marshal's ship could move forward and even then it had to do so aftward first as a show of respect. The Basilica would navigate with sensors blind, relying on the guardian to ensure they did not meet an untimely death. After that, Riddick would need to go on alone.

Vaako approached Riddick in the Necropolis, bowing his head in respect and only raising it once Riddick acknowledged his presence.

"My Lord Riddick. Shall I prepare a vessel for your journey into UnderVerse?"

Riddick stared hard at him, with the light glinting off his shined eyes making him look almost inhuman yet still strangely enticing. His brows had knitted together; his lips pursed a fraction as if he was awaiting some cataclysmic event before answering. Vaako knew his thoughts. He knew Riddick was wondering if this was the moment when Vaako would considered him to be at his weakest, allowing Vaako an opportunity to remove him from power. What Riddick did not seem to realize was that Vaako had watched him carefully over the past two months and had decided that Riddick was exactly what the Necromongers needed for a leader. Someone who was strong willed and strong minded. Someone with a commanding presence and with the mental agility of a brilliant strategist to back it up. Riddick was all of that and more now that he had stopped fighting Vaako and his teachings and had started to listen instead. Riddick was the breath of fresh air that the Necromongers needed to ensure the campaign finished successfully.

At least these were the given reasons why Vaako stayed his hand instead of issuing the challenge for leadership, but he could not deny that he also found Lord Riddick fascinating. He enjoyed watching him move, seeing the slide and flex of muscle beneath coffee-colored skin. He liked Riddick's quick mind and his sly humor, the quirk of his lips when he matched wits with someone trying to belittle him, making them small instead. Yes, Riddick was fascinating and beautiful, sleek like a predator and just as deadly. Knowingly or not, he was as sensual as the former Dame Vaako, who he had cast off as his wife only a few days following her unsuccessful attempt to have him killed by Scales.

He recalled the moment when he told her to leave his chambers, not surprised that she had anticipated this and had already removed all the things she valued in case he cast her aside with no possessions. Her wardrobes had been emptied of her fine dresses and her vanity unit missing much of the jewelry and potions used to increase her allure. She had not even hissed or scratched at him, smirking instead as she exited gracefully, taunting him to follow.

He had followed her from the chambers to the Necropolis, but then she had been no stranger to the Necropolis these past two weeks, finding reason to parade before Riddick, noticeably gaining his attention. His eyes would follow her as she glided into his presence, and often she would brush against him, purring demurely, stroking a finger down his arm or chest in order to captivate him and glancing up through her dark lashes coyly. Vaako had fallen for this same routine four years earlier when he was a sub-commander and she an acolyte from a newly converted world.

Riddick had glanced up as she entered, following her as she glided across the marbled floor, stalking him like a true huntress. He had cast a single glance in Vaako's direction, lips curving into a smile when he figured out that she was no longer Dame Vaako. It still surprised Vaako that Riddick had flicked away her hand as she trailed her fingers over his chest and had pushed her aside with a, "Not interested, lady. Not my type."

She had hissed then but Riddick had caught her by the wrist before she could scratch him.

"I wouldn't if I were you."

Shaking with both rage and embarrassment, she had twisted free of his grasp and stalked off.

Riddick had warned him not to leave her behind at Neibaum Prime and, in hindsight, Vaako understood his motives. But now that Riddick had shown no interest in making her his consort, he didn't interfere when Vaako ordered her to another of the ships in the armada where Vaako could keep a watch on her activities without having to guard his own back. Not that she wasn't capable of enticing another into committing her dirty work for her, just as she had with Scales. Personally, he would have preferred to have her executed.

As ever, she seemed to have a fall back plan and quickly found a newly promoted sub-commander to groom into the next lord and commander, just as she had groomed him. However, Vaako's thoughts were not on her problematic existence but rather on the words that Riddick had spoken to her in the Necropolis.

"Not my Type."

Vaako wondered what was Riddick's type. So far the new Lord Marshal had shown no obvious interest in any female--or in any male either.

The pairing of two males had ceased to be frowned upon after procreation was deemed intolerable, negating any requirement for heterosexuality and leaving each to choose his or her pleasure. During his regime, Oltovm had taken several males as consorts alongside females but the historians had noted that he had preferred them to his females, taking greater pleasure from their harder, more muscular bodies. Even Zhylaw had taken one male as consort many years before becoming Lord Marshal, only to lose him in due time in battle on Furya.

Occasionally Vaako caught Riddick watching him. He noticed Riddick following his movements across a room or simply eying him with intrigue, and he wondered when he began wishing that Riddick's sexual interest lay in his direction instead of with the females that clamored unsuccessfully for Riddick's attention.

It seemed that many had already decided that this breeder--who had refused to enter the purification chamber--was worthy of being their Lord Marshal. Already there was talk amongst those who remained awake that the prophesy of Zhylaw leading the ghost army to UnderVerse had failed. Aereon had offered no prophesies in replacement, only her usual cryptic remarks that the Necromongers had misread the previous one. The exact wording had been that they would reach UnderVerse in the fullness of the Sixth Regime. The Necromongers--and Zhylaw in particular--had taken that to mean that he would lead them into the next 'verse but now Vaako could see that fullness could also have meant completion, that they would not reach UnderVerse until after the Sixth Regime had ended with the death of Zhylaw.

Whether this meant they would reach UnderVerse in the Seventh Regime or the eighth, ninth...hundredth was anyone's guess as that particular prophesy was simply too imprecise. However, spreading this new interpretation of the prophesy that it fell after the completion of Zhylaw's regime had at least given most Necromongers faith in Riddick and in the Seventh Regime. In turn it deterred most of those in the lower ranks who might have challenged Riddick otherwise.

Scalp Taker was a different matter and Vaako knew that time was fast running out if the other commander had entertained any hope of killing Riddick before they reached UnderVerse--unless Scalp Taker was planning on settling for a lower rank and had set his sights on becoming Riddick's First Among Commanders instead. Certainly the rank had its privilege for if he survived then, eventually, he would become the new guardian and be granted access to UnderVerse on his timely death. For this reason, Vaako made certain he would be ready for any assassination attempt the moment Riddick left the Basilica and crossed the Threshold.

Even though Riddick would be gone for only minutes in their time, that was all it took to end a life. His life.

"Want you on-board that ship."

Vaako blinked, uncertain if he had heard Riddick correctly. "My Lord. It is not permitted for anyone other than the--"

"Oltovm made that law. I'm rescinding it."

"I cannot follow you into UnderVerse."

"Why not?"

"Only one may cross--"

"Covu and Oltovm crossed together. Isn't that what your history books tell you?"

"Only one returned."

"So worst case scenario, one of us gets to stay there. Don't expect that one to be me....and I didn't think you'd object to reaching your UnderVerse...in faster than due time." Riddick leaned in, focus intense on him. "Are you with me, Vaako?"

Vaako stared hard in confusion. He was being offered every Necromonger's dream and yet here he was hesitating like a child.

"Are you with me?" Riddick asked more strongly.

"Yes. Yes, my Lord Riddick."

"Then you'd best get that ship ready."

"Yes, my Lord." Vaako bowed his head and walked away quickly, mind still reeling from the order given. Already the Basilica was slowing as it approached the Threshold aftward first. In truth Vaako had already ordered a ship prepared for the Lord Marshal but he should have learned never to assume anything with Riddick. Now he would have to change the small, one-seater craft for a larger one capable of holding two passengers.

He stopped dead as the enormity of this moment struck him. He was about to cross the Threshold at Riddick's side, fulfilling every Necromonger's dream. He was about to enter UnderVerse.

*******

Riddick glanced across the cockpit of the small two-man ship, surreptitiously watching Vaako as he performed all the necessary pre-launch checks. Silently, he wondered how Vaako would react if Riddick told him he had brought him along purely because he could not protect his First Among Commanders on-board the Basilica once he had crossed this Necromonger Threshold. He knew Scalp Taker had already set in motion plans to kill Vaako as soon as Riddick was out of the way but, unlike Scales, Scalp Taker had no plans for making it an honorable kill in any form. He had no intention of challenging Vaako to single combat or even to waylay Vaako with assassins armed with knives. Scalp Taker had planned to kill Vaako from a distance while his victim's back was turned, and while all of Vaako's attention was focused on awaiting Riddick's return from UnderVerse rather than on the danger lurking some distance behind him.

Riddick had learned all of this from an unexpected source--a sub-commander who was bucking for one of the holes in the chain of command left behind after the deaths of Scales and Toal.

Not one to take things at face value, he had already figured out that the former Dame Vaako--now consort to sub-commander Seltun--was manipulating events behind the scenes. It took him a while longer to work out why she'd want to save her ex-husband until it dawned on him that it wasn't out of some misplaced sense of honor or leftover emotion from remembering the good times she had shared with her former husband. She was too cold and ruthless to dwell on such trivial matters. No. With Vaako dead, Scalp Taker would become First Among Commanders and as he had a particular disliking for Seltun's new consort, the chances of Seltun gaining promotion over a sub-commander who showed greater loyalty to Scalp Taker was next to zero.

With Vaako dead, sub-commander Seltun would not become Lord Seltun, and his lowly wife would not regain her title of Dame--and all the power that went with it. It was a clever move on her part though Riddick was unconvinced that she had not planted the seed and method of betrayal into Scalp Taker's mind in the first place, manipulating everything.

Aereon had been no help at all--except for certain offhanded comments made before she left weeks earlier that his chances of retaining a strong grip on this ghost army and for bringing it back from the edge of madness were vastly improved by having Vaako by his side. He'd already figured that out by himself.

Seltun's warning had left Riddick with limited choices. He could kill Scalp Taker before leaving, or he could take Vaako with him.

Of course he could have killed Scalp Taker and still taken Vaako along for the ride across the Threshold. But that would have left no one of sufficient rank and, more importantly, of predictability behind to watch over this ghost army while they were gone--except for the newly promoted Lord Seltun. Though perhaps that was Dame Seltun's intention all along. Riddick knew that, eventually, he might have to kill her and that seemed a great shame but if it came to a choice between her and Vaako, then Vaako would win every time.

He hummed under his breath--smiling when Vaako turned to him, frown fully in place in a way that made his nose scrunch up and his lips pout. Cute. Riddick wondered how Vaako would react when he realized Seltun was now one of his commanders, and that Dame Seltun had full access to the Necropolis once more.

The ship dropped away from the Basilica, caught immediately in the eddy of currents emanating from the slowly opening Threshold. He didn't interfere as Vaako fought the tidal pull, trying to keep the small craft under control as it was drawn towards the gaping maw ahead. From here Riddick could see only darkness beyond but as they drew closer he saw the pinpoints of stars and colored ribbons of the nebulae slowly spreading out before them.

Vaako was in communication with the guardian, Lord Esau, fighting to keep the ship on the course outlined on the view screen as the safest approach path. He glanced up once through the cockpit window and froze for a moment, awestruck, proving that even Necromonger warriors, who had seen the worst and bloodiest of battles, were not immune to beauty. Yet the light of blazing stars leaking through the rip in this universe could not compare to beauty of this man seated beside him. The red spectrum added healthy color to alabaster skin, making it glow with vitality without deepening the dark shadows of pain and fatigue around Vaako's eyes. The beauty beyond the Threshold paled against the sight of soft lips parted in awe, and eyes widened in almost boyish wonder.

"Beautiful," Riddick murmured, and saw Vaako nodding his agreement without realizing that Riddick was not referring to the unknown stars reflected in Vaako's dark eyes.

Vaako cleared his throat and dropped his attention back to the controls. "We will be crossing the Threshold in three...two...one."

Riddick felt the shift through every cell of his body, as if every atom had stretched and reformed differently somehow; he gritted his teeth and pushed back against the pain that flared through him. It reminded him of how it felt when Zhylaw tried to pull his very soul out of his body. Glancing across at Vaako, he saw the other man sitting rigid with his brow knitted in pain, resolutely refusing to show any other sign--like a true Necromonger. Then the pain disappeared as suddenly as it had come, leaving both of them slumping and gasping softly as they were released from the vice-like grip. Beside him Vaako flexed muscles and rolled his shoulders to ease out the strain of the last few moments, and Riddick laughed softly when he realized he was doing the same intuitively, both of them attuned enough to their own bodies to know when it needed a little additional stretch or exercise to work out the kinks.

Vaako looked to him questioningly, and Riddick answered. "Rough ride." He gained a self-deprecating smile in response but nothing more before Vaako turned back to the amazing sight before them. Ahead stretched a whole new universe. "Head for the nearest habitable planet."

Vaako nodded and Riddick watched as the small craft banked slowly, moving towards a bright binary system. "Fourth planet," Vaako stated softly and together they watched and waited as the world grew larger in the view screen. When a number of unidentified objects rose from the planet's surface, heading towards them, Riddick felt no surprise. Logic dictated that the previous Lord Marshals would have taken this same path from the Threshold.

Riddick had a feeling that he was about to meet whatever had convinced all those before him to return to their own 'verse and slaughter every human being in their path--in the name of Necroism. Unlike the previous Lord Marshals, Riddick intended to resist rather than serve whatever was heading straight for them.

*******

Vaako looked to Riddick for guidance as seven small, strangely-shaped craft moved into position around them, wondering if Riddick would ask for evasive maneuvers but the new Lord Marshal spoke low and soft, "No sudden moves. Let's play follow the leader."

Exhaling softly, Vaako obeyed without question, wary of the six spacecraft pacing them on all sides whose cockpits remained darkened so he could not see what manner of creature piloted them. He knew it would be foolhardy to assume the creatures were humanoid when his own 'verse had its--admittedly limited--share of alien beings. The Necromongers tended to pass by those alien worlds as the Necromonger religion spoke only of cleansing all human life, believing that these aliens did not possess a soul that could be saved. Although eventually they would have to ensure that no humans had taken refuge on those worlds. Secretly, Vaako had always wondered how his people would know when they had extinguished all human life from their 'verse. All of the teachings of Covu--and of the Lord Marshals who had followed him--had stated there would be a sign, but none had ever mentioned in what form that sign might come to them. Something metaphysical such as a dream? Something more tangible such as a strange comet or light in the sky? Or perhaps the Threshold would expand or new tears in the fabric of space would appear to allow the faithful to pass through to UnderVerse, though that would serve no useful purpose as only the Necromonger armada would remain in their 'verse.

The lead craft took them through the cloud covering the surface of the planet. Beneath the white clouds the surface was a vast body of water, sparkling a deep blue as the yellow sun held sway over this side of the world, swiftly moving through indigo as the second, red sun appeared and then disappeared from above the world's horizon as water turned to dry land, plunging that land into profound darkness. Yet still they circled the planet's surface until Vaako could make out a faint glow on the horizon that swiftly brightened. As they drew closer to their final destination, he saw lights fanning out from a central point like dewdrops on a spider's web, and they descended towards one of the patches of darkness near the center. The other spacecraft hovered until Vaako had set his ship down before all seven sped away in different directions, disappearing into the shadows cast by the beads of light. Glancing towards Riddick, Vaako was not surprised to see he had removed his goggles and was staring into the darkness with a tiny smile playing about his soft lips. The intensity of Riddick's gaze through the cockpit window gave Vaako ample opportunity to study the strong profile with its softer lines. He was drawn to the curve of Riddick's skull--the pale, coffee-colored skin gleaming in the alien glow, catching the finest fuzz of new hair growth that would not be visible in natural light. Vaako almost dropped his gaze when Riddick turned to him without warning, catching a glint of silver reflecting back from his shined eyes. The wry twist of those perfect lips almost into a sneer proved Riddick had seen something in Vaako's expression, some recognition of the tumultuous feelings of desire bubbling beneath the surface--desire that had been growing steadily since their first meeting on Helion Prime.

"Later," Riddick stated cryptically, leaving Vaako adrift, uncertain if later heralded a good or bad sign but aware that he had no choice but to obey as the deeper shadows were moving, with stray light reflecting off smooth armor.

Vaako hadn't registered the humming sound before but he sensed it now, growing slowly louder, vibrating through the ship's metal hull, through the deck plates to travel through his body. As the creatures moved out of the shadows, Vaako swallowed hard. Smooth armor became chitin covering thorax and abdomen, the hum coming from beating wings, but the likeness to insects ended there as the creatures mostly walked upright on two legs with only a single second set of appendages placed at the top of the thorax like arms--but with the hands ending with three slightly clawed fingers. One of those fingers acted like opposable thumbs on a human, wrapped around what Vaako could only assume was an energy weapon.

"Your orders, my Lord?"

"Guess we go meet the bugs."

Riddick pushed up from his seat, towering over Vaako for a moment before swinging Vaako's chair around and leaning down, balanced on the arm rests to either side of Vaako's body. He leaned in and pressed a hard and dirty kiss against Vaako's lips, teeth dragging on Vaako's lower lip when he pulled back.

"Just so you know what I want to discuss...later."

Riddick stepped away before Vaako could gather his senses and reel him back in for another kiss. Instead, all he could do was simply watch as Riddick pulled on and sealed the Necromonger breastplate, thigh and forearm armor that he'd taken a shine to in preference to the more elaborate body armor once worn by Zhylaw. Vaako was already in full armor so he stood up slowly, halting behind Riddick as the hatch unsealed and slid open. Riddick straightened a fraction but otherwise he remained loose-limbed, poised to attack or defend should the need arise. When he stepped out onto the alien world, Vaako followed, coming to a halt several feet behind and to the side of Riddick's right shoulder, allowing Riddick room to maneuver should they be forced to fight their way back to the ship.

One of the humanoid-insectoid creatures moved forward, tilting the almost human-looking head poised on the thin column of its neck. A nictating membrane flickered across its overly large eyes and it chittered--but Vaako could feel the words forming inside his head.

"Welcome to..." The name translated to water jewel. "Our queen awaits you."

"Lead on." Riddick gave a small bow, eyes flicking back towards Vaako before he stepped forward, reminding Vaako--uncomfortably--of their first meeting on Helion Prime when he had followed Riddick and his ex-wife as she escorted him to the Necropolis. He had a suspicion that a similar trap lay in store for both of them this time, for he could already feel a growing presence in his head, gaining strength as they moved towards the structure near the center of what he could only describe as a web now that he had seen some of its inhabitants. It reminded him of the mental pressure exerted by the quasi-dead, of the way they could seep inside his head and draw out the thoughts he tried to hide. Fortunately, Zhylaw had never become so suspicious of him that he had ordered him to be questioned by the Greater Quasi-Deads--the five that filled the chamber separated from the Necropolis by ornate partitions wrought in the same metal as the Basilica. Those creatures had once been human but, like the Lensors, they had left much of their humanity far behind to take on new roles, except for the Quasies it was a role they had chosen rather than one forced upon them. The order had come into being after Covu's journey into UnderVerse, though it had taken over a decade before the first of those monk-like Necromongers had gained sufficient telepathic skills to be of use.

He recalled that his former wife had a morbid fascination with the Quasies, taking every opportunity to watch them as they questioned various prisoners for Zhylaw. Since Zhylaw's death no one had made use of the Greater Quasi-Deads except for long distance communication between the Basilica and the remainder of the fleet left behind at Neibaum Prime.

Vaako preferred it that way as they made his skin crawl, even though as a strategist he could see the advantage of being able to interrogate an enemy so swiftly and easily. Also, without the Quasies, the battle against the Carthodox within the Neibaum system might have had a far different ending. Long distance communication between Quasies--that could not be intercepted--had given the Necromongers a distinct advantage over the Carthodox, turning the tide of the war.

Now he wondered if Covu had brought something back from this place--some gene therapy that was tested out on that order of Necromongers to make them Quasies.

Keeping his grip light yet firm on his gravity gun, he followed Riddick and the strange creature into the darker corridors, aware that Riddick could see far more than a normal human. It was a strange time to realize that he had grown to trust Riddick to watch his back, just as he felt bound by more than honor and obligation to protect Riddick from harm.

The creature led them through a maze of corridors, eventually opening out into a large chamber where a single, massive creature sat waiting for them while smaller, wingless versions flitted around her.

"Necromonger," she greeted with a voice as smooth and sweet as honey; Vaako could hear the word echoing through his mind. "I am most disappointed that you have not all come to me yet." Her head tilted. "The one you call Zhylaw promised your campaign would be over soon and he would return with...a great many humans."

Riddick stepped forward. "Zhylaw lost his head. I'm running the show now."

"And are you ready to bring the humans here?"

Both Vaako and Riddick spun round as a familiar voice came from behind them. "They'd like it here."

"Kyra?"

She smiled warmly and reached out towards Riddick. Her expression was the one Vaako recalled from those final moments in the Necropolis, of someone who had laid the last of her ghosts to rest and had found a modicum of peace. Her small hand alighted on Riddick's forearm but he tensed and let her hand drop away without reaching back for her. Riddick's lips twitched sardonically in a way that was becoming far too familiar to Vaako, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. In response, Kyra smiled softly and stepped back, beckoning Riddick to follow. Vaako straightened; he planned to be only a few steps behind until Riddick told him to back off. He didn't trust this situation in the slightest though the reason for his disquiet was ebbing away beneath a relentless pressure inside his head, fogging his thoughts. Kyra's hand reached for Riddick's, wrapping her fingers around his and Riddick glanced once towards the queen before letting Kyra lead him away. Vaako spared a single glance towards the queen too, wishing he could make out her expression but her face was too alien for an accurate assessment of the emotions behind her thoughts. If anything, she looked calculating, reminding him of the Elemental that had attached herself to Riddick for several weeks before taking her leave. Not that Aereon would be staying away for too long. The meddling Elemental seemed fascinated with both him and Riddick from some reason, watching them both closely with a knowing smile that made Vaako uneasy. She knew something, or thought she did, and that bothered him because all they could ever drag out of her were the same cryptic remarks that had beguiled Zhylaw into believing he had a greater destiny than the one that came to pass.

Vaako shook his head, annoyed at how easily he was distracted.

Kyra led them along strange corridors that seemed more organic than fabricated, eventually stopping inside another smaller chamber that had to be the equivalent of guest quarters. A single large bed dominated the room and Kyra flicked a narrow-eyed glance towards him as if he was an unwelcome intrusion. Perhaps that was the case as normally a Lord Marshal came to this place alone. Only Covu had allowed another to look into UnderVerse while he still lived but Oltovm had never crossed the Threshold. He had waited on the edge while Covu strode through to paradise, and he had committed ritualistic suicide on the Threshold years later. Of the Lord Marshals, only Covu, Baylock and Zhylaw had ever crossed and all three had returned as holy half-deads, filled with the blood lust and renewed zeal to see the Campaign pushed forward at an accelerated pace.

Recalling the history of the Necromongers, that thought made him feel uneasy, for the first time wondering if Riddick was correct when he labeled those Lord Marshals as madmen.

*******

Kyra. He had known her for such a short time as child--Jack--and woman and yet she had made such an impact on his life. He had her, Imam and Fry to thank--or blame--for him finding his humanity after so many years fending for himself and looking to his own survival first and foremost. When he thought she'd betrayed him, joining up with first mercenaries and then with this ghost army, he had felt even more emotion.

She died trying to save him, just as Fry had given her life by coming back for him. He owed both of them, and Imam too, but always figured the only way he could repay them was to try and be a better person by putting the lives of others before his own. Trouble was, he hadn't met many he'd willingly sacrifice himself to save. Certainly wouldn't have lifted a finger to save Johns. Blue-eyed devil never could be trusted.

"Kyra?"

She had led him through strange corridors to this chamber but seemed a little uncertain now as she flicked a cold gaze towards Vaako. On hearing her name she turned back to him and smiled.

"Another chamber will be prepared for your...companion."

"No. He stays here."

She frowned, her brow creasing in concentration. If he was watching her through ordinary eyes then he would not have noticed the change but for a split second Kyra was gone and something alien stood in her place.

"How did you get here?" Riddick asked, trying to keep his thoughts calm and focused, ignoring the pressure inside his head that warned him that someone or something was skull-fucking him. He recognized the feeling from those emaciated creatures in the sarcophagi adjacent to the Necropolis. They were hidden beneath silver, gauze-like shrouds but Riddick wondered if his shined eyes would have seen more than frail humans if he had taken a closer look.

"I died in due time and this is my reward. The beauty of UnderVerse as promised." She smiled serenely.

"Then all who die in due time come to this place?" Vaako asked, though it sounded more like a demand for information. He seemed quite agitated.

Kyra--or the thing pretending to be Kyra--turned to Vaako. "Yes. All of them."

"Then why--?"

Riddick cut off Vaako before he could finish his accusation. "I'm a little thirsty. You have anything to eat or drink around here?"

"Of course. I shall bring both." Kyra bowed and left quickly.

Before Vaako could speak again, Riddick was by his side with fingers pushed against his lips, he waited until Vaako got the message before removing his hand. In a harsh whisper, Vaako asked the question he wanted answered.

"If all who die in due time are here then why does this queen want a living army?"

"She never said she wanted them alive."

Vaako froze, that cute frown back in place but Riddick didn't have the time to appreciate the full beauty of the man standing before him, not when he had a bad feeling about this place. He watched as Vaako shook his head, closing his eyes tight before rubbing his close-shaved temples with the heel of his hands.

Vaako opened his eyes. "Covu saw his murdered wife and children come back to life. Baylock saw his sister and mother...and Zhylaw was reunited with his Lord Kelso, who was killed on Furya."

"Who have you seen?" Riddick demanded.

Vaako shook his head. "Only the one you called Kyra."

Riddick hummed. "Except that's not Kyra."

"Then who is it?"

"Not a who."

Vaako stiffened. "We must leave this place."

"Not until I find out why they want us all dead."

"I'm guessing they don't want to eat us," Vaako added with a wry glance.

Riddick tilted his head and grinned, liking the underlying humor that proved Vaako was not fully the automaton that many would believe. "There's hope for you yet, Vaako." Of course Vaako didn't understand. His eyes screwed tight.

"My head. Pressure inside is growing stronger."

"Who would you have seen here if you'd come alone, Vaako...as Lord Marshal? Family? Friends? A lost lover?"

Vaako opened his eyes and stared straight at Riddick, eyes burning into him with an intensity that Riddick had seen blazing only for his Necromonger faith before this moment. "You. I would have seen you."

Riddick fell silent for a moment. "Well. Guess you would have been here over my dead body." He glanced sideways at Vaako. "Still want to kill me?"

Vaako shook his head. "No."

"So you think I make a good Lord Marshal," Riddick teased, enjoying the telltale twitch that showed amusement and irritation combined but the moment lasted only a moment before Vaako groaned and rocked unsteadily. Concerned, Riddick pushed him towards the large bed and told him to lie down, knowing it had to be a lot of pain for any Necromonger--let alone Vaako--to make such a sound.

"What is it, Vaako?"

"Pressure. Thoughts telling me that all humans must die."

"Why?"

"Feed."

"Thought we decided they didn't want to eat us."

"Not us. Stars. They consume... energy from white and yellow stars."

It was Riddick's turn to frown, realizing what had unsettled him when they crossed into UnderVerse. Although he could see plenty of stars, they seemed darker than those in his and Vaako's own 'verse, mostly red giants and super-giants--dark stars in a dying universe. Worlds fit for human habitation tended to be around the white and yellow dwarfs like Sol and Helios, like Furya and Neibaum. If UnderVerse was dying then they needed to move to another in order to survive. He considered the size of the web spanning out across this world's single land mass. It could hold millions yet maybe this numbers was still not high enough to take on the billions of humans spread across the white and yellow dwarfs of Riddick's 'verse. Maybe they had needed to thin out the opposition before they invaded.

It made sense, and if he was right then he and Vaako needed to get out of here fast and figure out a way to seal the Threshold against them. A tremor in the air warned him of someone--something--approaching so he turned and smiled slightly as the creature wearing Kyra's form appeared in the doorway holding a tray. She--it--glanced towards the bed where Vaako had fallen into a semi-comatose state.

"Just resting. Had a lot on his mind."

Kyra placed the tray on a table close to the door, touching a light control panel before walking towards Riddick. Upon reaching him she placed her small hands onto his forearms and gazed intently into his eyes.

"I am still with you," she breathed softly and, for a moment, he wanted to believe her but in the slowly darkening room he could see the pattern of heat from her body--and it was not human. "Once you have freed all humanity from life you can return here and be with me--forever."

He flipped his arms and snatched her wrists, holding her tightly. "Bugs aren't my type."

With a chitter, the illusion fell away and he found himself holding the queen by her thin arms. Her three pincer-like fingers clicked wildly. More of the creatures appeared in the doorway but he turned the queen around, pulling a wickedly curved blade from its sheath at his thigh and holding it against her neck.

"Any sudden moves and she dies." He glanced towards the bed and was surprised to find Vaako standing beside it with his gravity gun aimed straight at him. Insanity shone from his eyes, reminding him of Zhylaw, and Riddick knew Vaako had succumbed to the same brain washing that had affected Zhylaw, Covu and Baylock.

"The Campaign must continue. We must cleanse our 'verse of all human life so they might pass into the glory of UnderVerse and live again."

Riddick's first thought was to try to reach Vaako the way he had reached for Kyra in the Necropolis but Vaako on his feet solved the problem of how to keep hold of the queen as a hostage while he got both of them back to their ship. He turned his attention to the queen, whispering into what looked like a hearing orifice.

"Preaching to the converted, lady."

"Then let go of me."

"Depends if you're still planning on ghosting me."

"You know what we want," she stated with the implication that she had decided Vaako would make a more malleable Lord Marshal. He let her turn so he could face her but kept the blade close.

"Yeah. Can see that yellow sun isn't gonna last forever at the rate your consuming it. Guess you'd already exhausted the red giant further out, and the rest of the 'verse. Getting desperate. Lucky we've got plenty of what you need, circled by dead worlds courtesy of your ghost army."

"The Necromongers have been faithful to us, but why would you continue with the Campaign now that you know of our subterfuge?"

Riddick gave the nastiest smile he could manage. "Got a few worlds I'd like to ghost. Got no reason to mourn the rest." He allowed his memory of injustice, of pain and humiliation, of running for his life from enemies too numerous to mention--mercs and prison crime lords. He let it all filter to the top of his thoughts, knowing she would read them. She would see the suffering he had felt under the hands of other humans--Johns with his deceits and rape fantasies, Toombs with his greed and lack of compassion for even his own people. Others too, like Marlish and his obsession with causing pain to others--being paid had just been icing on the cake for Marlish. He let her see the dreams of Furya, of graves as far as the eye could see and babies strangled even as they entered the world or cut from their mothers' wombs only to be impaled on knives.

"Yes," she whispered. "You have no reason to see them live. Vermin, scurrying across the universe, taking their plague of violence and destruction to the very stars that would give us life."

Vaako's gun had lowered with confusion rather than insanity shining from his dark eyes. She turned to Vaako, her mouth mimicking a smile. "Yes. He is your Lord Marshal, who will lead you to paradise. Go with him. Be his First Among Commanders."

Keeping a tight rein on the thoughts that would betray his own subterfuge, Riddick let her go completely and raised his chin to Vaako.

"You with me, Vaako?"

Vaako bowed his head. "Yes, my Lord Riddick."

"Then let's blow this joint and get back to work. Got a lot of worlds to ghost."

As the small two-man ship headed back towards the Threshold, Riddick wondered how he was going to undo the creature's brain washing and destroy them before they realized the truth.

*******

Vaako's head was still pounding but he had never been so sure of his destiny until this moment. With Riddick leading them, Vaako had no doubts that the Necromongers would reach the end of the Campaign and would reach UnderVerse perhaps within just a few more years. They would find their paradise among the dark stars of this new universe, leaving all the sorrow and pain of the old universe behind. It was the dawn of a new age and Vaako would be by his Lord Marshal's side as they witnessed the end of humanity in the old 'verse and the start of new life in this one.

With renewed faith, he had followed the small procession from the chamber back to the two-man ship, no longer concerned that Kyra had disappeared--replaced by the bloated figure of the alien queen. She walked beside Riddick, not bothering to acknowledge her subjects as they lowered their heads in obeisance when she passed. It took but a moment to fire up the engines and, quickly, he and Riddick left the slowly dying world behind them, heading back towards the tear in space and time that they called the Threshold. As the distance between them and the planet increased, the pounding in his head decreased, and with it the desire to finish the Campaign at all cost began to diminish too. He still believed it was necessary to convert or kill but the reasons seemed a little less clear now.

Instead of passing through back into their own 'verse, Riddick brought the small craft to a stop, letting it drift on the tidal currents that were far weaker in comparison to those experienced on the other side of the Threshold. Perhaps this lack of danger was why it took Vaako a moment to realize that his thoughts had not been on their journey but rather they were caught on trying to unravel a vague sense of guilt he felt in Riddick's presence. He straightened, staring out across space towards the rift between the universes.

"Why have we stopped?"

"Need time to plan our next move...and a day here is only a few seconds on the other side."

Riddick stood up and stretched his powerful body. More of the fog lifted from Vaako's mind as he watched muscle ripple under smooth, honey-colored skin, imagining the warmth of that body pressing against his own cooler flesh. He swallowed hard, hands fisted against his side to fight the temptation to reach out and touch. As Riddick's subordinate, it was not his place to make the first move, only to ensure Riddick knew of his interest. Not that it would have mattered as a Lord Marshal could simply take whomever he desired.

Vaako wanted Riddick to feel more than just desire for him. He wanted to be the only one Riddick desired--his sole consort--just as Zhylaw had chosen only Kelso until death parted them. Riddick had moved a few feet away to the tiny aft compartment but he turned now and stared across the small craft at Vaako; his shined eyes glinted, reflecting the pulsing alien light of the Threshold. A tiny smile played about his full lips and with slow, deliberate moves he began to unfasten the body armor, laying it to rest out of the way. Beneath the armor Riddick wore only a vest and loose-fitting pants, not liking the restriction of the skintight clothing worn beneath the armor by the majority of the Necromonger warriors.

"Why don't you get comfortable," Riddick stated softly.

Vaako recognized it was a statement not a question, a request but not a demand. He knew he had the choice of refusing but he felt drawn to his feet, dropping the gun he'd forgotten was still in his hand, and stripping away his armor until he stood before Riddick in the one-piece Necromonger garment. Although slightly shorter, Riddick exuded power and an animal magnetism that drew Vaako towards him. Vaako closed his eyes as strong hands cupped his face, fingers brushing over his ears and spreading across the shaved sides of his head before drawing him down into their second kiss. This time Vaako was not taken by surprise; this time he kissed back as hard and as dirty as Riddick, his own hands wrapping around Riddick's smooth skull tightly, refusing to let him pull back as they devoured each other with a hungry kiss.

Eventually they had to pull back--breathing ragged and harsh as their fingers loosened their tight grip to give soft caresses over cheek and temple. Riddick stepped back further, one hand trailing across Vaako's chest as he circled behind Vaako, reaching for the fastening at the nape of Vaako's neck. Smoothly, he unsealed the pliant material only halfway to Vaako's waist before circling back in front of Vaako. Riddick's hand pressed against Vaako's chest before sliding up, grasping the neckline and dragging down the thick cloth, exposing Vaako's chest yet restraining him too, trapping both of his arms by his sides. Vulnerable yet unafraid, Vaako gasped as those agile fingers played with fine chest hairs before finding a nipple and rubbing it between thumb and forefinger with just the right pressure to give pleasure rather than pain. Riddick leaned in and Vaako shuddered as he heard Riddick take in his scent before tasting his skin, tongue licking over the other nipple once before Vaako felt the sting of teeth scraping over the sensitive bud.

Riddick pulled back again, putting an arm's length of space between them. He licked his lips as his eyes traveled over Vaako's body, lingering on his exposed chest and trapped arms. "Sexy," he murmured, low and throaty. "But not the way I like it." He reached forward and helped Vaako free his arms, smirking when Vaako reached for him immediately, and Vaako heard him humming low in his throat as Riddick nuzzled against the sensitive marks left behind by the purification process.

Vaako had expected Riddick to be rough and brutal, having no experience of anything different for his ex-wife had been his only partner, and she had liked to bite and gouge. He had anticipated strong fingers digging into muscle with bruising strength, of ragged nails scoring his flesh, and teeth marking him. He had expected to fight for what he wanted so he was confused when Riddick touched him with firm yet gentle hands, with the scrape of teeth that didn't break his skin and with the pads of fingers instead of sharp nails. Riddick stepped back and pulled off his vest, discarding it to leave them both naked from the waist up. He took Vaako's hand and placed it on his smooth chest, palm flat.

"Touch me."

Vaako couldn't refuse such an order--his fingertips already tingling with the feel of that silken skin, sliding smoothly in the fine sheen of sweat beading on warm flesh. Somehow they ended up chest to chest, arms wrapped tightly around each other as they kissed savagely. Vaako thrust his hips forward, groaning into the kiss as he felt the answering hardness of Riddick's erection pressing against him.

"Naked. Want us naked now," Vaako demanded, no longer caring that he was supposed to be subordinate to Riddick; that he was supposed to let Riddick take what he wanted.

Riddick gave an appreciative hum and sank down into one of the seats, quickly pulling off his boots before standing and stripping off the rest of his clothing. Gloriously naked, he pushed Vaako into the seat he had just vacated, kneeling down and taking off Vaako's boots, pushing them aside. He forced Vaako to raise his ass so he could strip off his clothing completely then urged Vaako to spread his knees apart.

"Been a long time since I did this." Riddick leaned in and licked a stripe from base to tip, before swallowing Vaako down and drawing back immediately, releasing him with a loud, obscene pop. "Taste's good." He went down on Vaako again, hands firm on Vaako's thighs to prevent him from thrusting up, leaving him no choice but to endure the building waves of pleasure until, with a guttural moan, Vaako saw stars go supernova behind his tightly close eyes as he came hard, pouring himself down Riddick's throat. He collapsed in the seat, boneless and sated, limbs pliant as Riddick straddled Vaako's thighs, thrusting against Vaako's belly until Vaako felt the tension in Riddick's body followed by the flood of liquid heat between them.

Still straddled across Vaako's lap, chests heaving, Riddick leaned in to rest his forehead on Vaako's shoulder, and once their breathing had eased, he kissed him gently. Riddick's hand drifted down Vaako's flank to his ass.

"Next time I want a piece of this."

Vaako smiled, recalling similar words in the hall on Helion Prime. "Then a piece you shall have," he replied warmly, echoing his words from many months earlier though the meaning was far different. As he relaxed back in the seat with the welcome weight of Riddick's firm body pressing against him, the fog in his mind lifted completely, taking away the confusion of the past few hours, and with it came the horror of realization. He had held a gun to Riddick, fully intending to use it.

Riddick sat up and stared down. "Hope you're not having second thoughts."

"I would have killed you."

"No. They would have killed me using you as their weapon. You were being brainwashed. Had to get us both out of there before they finished the job."

"Zhylaw?"

"Was probably there for weeks, maybe months before he returned to our 'verse. Plenty of time to ensure he was a full believer in their plan. Probably used someone he once loved against him...like they tried to use Kyra with me."

Vaako felt his heart slump in his chest at the thought. "You loved her," he stated bluntly.

"Not the sort of conversation I want to have while sitting naked on top of you." Riddick cupped Vaako's cheek and leaned in to kiss him, sighing heavily when he gained little response but Vaako felt too much despair to react. Riddick drew back, relenting. "Loved her like a sister. Want you as a...consort."

Vaako closed his eyes as relief swept through him; Riddick leaned back down, resting forehead to forehead. "Still with me, Vaako?"

"Yes."

"Good." They remained that way, deep in thought, breathing in each other until Riddick pulled back sharply and stood up, reaching for his clothing. "Now all we have to do is figure out a way to close this Threshold...permanently." He froze mid-movement, with a frown crossing his face.

"Riddick?"

In one fluid motion, Riddick pulled up his pants before turning back to Vaako--his expression thoughtful. "Zhylaw led the attack on Furya...but not as Lord Marshal."

Vaako nodded and repeated the story his ex-wife had delivered during Vaako's journey to Crematoria to cleanse Riddick of his life. "There was a prophecy from the Elementals that a child born of Furya would cause his downfall and untimely death."

"Aereon," Riddick murmured. "But why would she tell Zhylaw this when the end result would be so predictable? The death of all Furyans."

Vaako finished pulling on his clothing and said nothing. He had no idea why those meddlesome Elementals did anything but he had a feeling Riddick was close to working it out.

Riddick finished dressing and sank into the pilot's seat. "There's something we're missing." He engaged the engine and the small craft started towards the Threshold. "And something tells me the answer lies back in our own 'verse."

*******

With the portal closing behind them, navigating the tidal forces on the other side of the Threshold was not quite as bad as Riddick recalled from hours earlier, yet he noticed his and Vaako's reactions were faster, more fluid, showing ghost lines as they moved. It reminded him of Zhylaw and his status of holy half-dead before Riddick promoted him to full dead. He wondered if that was what he and Vaako were now. Holy half-deads. Except Riddick felt nothing holy about himself though he'd happily worship the man seated beside him.

Ahead of him he could see the armada with the Basilica aft-facing, and nestled between him and the armada--in a strange calmness within the vortices--lay the station built by Oltovm, where Lord Esau stood guard over the portal. Riddick set course for the station. If Oltovm had never crossed the Threshold then maybe he had found an ulterior motive for placing a portal over it--a reason to seal the entrance from all but a Lord Marshal. Perhaps he'd had his doubts and had put in place a means to close the Threshold permanently should the need arise.

There was also Oltovm's ritualistic suicide to consider. He could have simply named his successor and journeyed into UnderVerse, never to return. Instead he chose to kill himself on the Threshold. Why? Unless he knew there was no paradise on the other side; that the stars were dark because they had already been consumed by those bugs that he and Vaako had encountered; that the stars on the other side were dead or dying. Or maybe someone murdered Oltovm and had made it look like a suicide. With all Riddick had learned about these Necromongers, he wouldn't put it past a few of them to use such an underhanded method to gain power, though it must have backfired for Naphemil had taken control. Naphemil was another who made no attempt to cross the Threshold, stopping only long enough to gaze into UnderVerse, but his reign had been short lived and his death brutal, leaving a bloodthirsty murderer in control of the ghost army.

Vaako remained silent by his side, not questioning Riddick's change of direction, perhaps even anticipating it. He felt humbled to know Vaako trusted him, perhaps even loved him. He snorted softly to himself. Yeah, even killers could dream but, for once, that dream seemed possible to obtain. Maybe it was just the recent pleasure talking but it seemed that anything might be possible while he had Vaako by his side.

The docking bay opened and Riddick guided the small ship inside, waiting for breathable atmosphere before unsealing the hatch. The airlock opened and an impressive older man stepped through into the docking bay to greet them.

"My Lord Riddick." He bowed his head but when he looked up his eyes sought out Vaako. "I assume my due time has come and I will be allowed to enter UnderVerse."

Riddick smiled, realizing Esau had confused the reason for Vaako's presence, believing him to be his replacement as guardian. "Not exactly." Riddick could feel Esau's disappointment even though the aging warrior tried not to show it. Riddick strode beside Lord Esau as they made their way to the main control room, with Vaako only a few steps behind.

"No Lord Marshal has ever taken a living companion across the Threshold--and returned with that companion."

"From what I've heard, half of them never crossed the Threshold even alone."

Esau looked a little uncomfortable. "This is true."

"So Esau. I may call you Esau," Riddick asked slyly.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Have you ever been tempted to take a peek?"

"Only the Lord Marshal may gaze into UnderVerse."

"So in all these years out on the edge of the galaxy, you never felt the temptation to open the portal and take a look?"

"My Lord Zhylaw placed a great responsibility in me. Obedience without question--"

"Yeah, yeah. Loyalty 'til UnderVerse come," Riddick parroted back. "Ever wonder what was on the other side?"

Esau raised his chin higher. "Paradise."

"Or maybe not." Esau's halted abruptly, his head jerking towards him, and graying brows knitted together in a frown. "Maybe you were lied to. Maybe there's nothing on the other side except dying stars and an army of bugs getting ready to swarm into this 'verse."

"My Lord jests."

Vaako answered for him. "No. I have seen this with my own eyes. Creatures that manipulate the mind... like Greater Quasi-Deads. Star killers who have consumed their own stars and wish to find a new feeding ground in this 'verse."

"This... cannot be true."

Riddick carried on walking and Esau caught up quickly. "Maybe you should take a look."

"Only the Lord Marshal--"

"Can make the laws. And I'm telling you to open the portal and take a look across the Threshold." He paused feeling a bubble of humor building up inside. "I can always kill you afterwards and make it a timely death if that's what you'd prefer," he added with a sly grin. By now they had reached the control room and Riddick saw Esau hesitate, glancing towards him once before gathering his courage and reaching for the controls. He watched as the portal opened, averting his eyes automatically before obeying Riddick's order.

"Dark stars."

"Yeah. And when the last yellow sun is depleted, they plan on moving over here to start on all those suns circled by once inhabited but now dead worlds." Riddick stood by Esau's shoulder as they both gazed into UnderVerse. "They've been using you to destroy the opposition--humans."

"This was supposed to be our paradise." Esau shook his head, confused. "Zhylaw--"

"Was brainwashed, and the rest of you tortured until you willingly believed in the lie. Convert or die." Riddick had not been certain he could get through to Esau but hoped that twelve years away from the purification chambers--and from the pain that reinforced the beliefs--might make him more susceptible to hearing and seeing the truth. It had been a gamble but Riddick could see that it had paid off. Esau was not zealously fighting against his words. Loyalty to his previous Lord Marshal had kept him in the dark all these years, and loyalty to a new Lord Marshal was now opening his eyes.

"So how do we close this Threshold once and for all, and stop the bugs?" Riddick asked.

Vaako stepped forward. "Perhaps we can seal the portal."

Esau shook his head. "During the fourth regime, Baylock ordered the construction of portal controls for the other side of the Threshold. Five engineers from among our people were given the reward of UnderVerse before their due time in exchange for their work." He looked to Vaako first before turning to Riddick. "Even if we seal the controls on this side, and destroy this station, it would make little difference to what lies beyond the Threshold."

Riddick hummed thoughtfully. "Then we need to collapse the Threshold."

Vaako shook his head. "Even the combined firepower of the fleet would not be sufficient. It would require the power of--"

"An entire people." Riddick barked out a laugh, shocking both Vaako and Esau, who stared across at each other in concern. Suddenly Riddick understood everything. Aereon and her Elemental race had known, somehow, and had manipulated events to this end. He gazed out across the tidal vortices and into the beautiful yet dying UnderVerse.

"Finally figured out why they wanted all Furyans dead. Rage of an entire people concentrated inside one man. One Furyan."

Somehow, he was the key to saving this 'verse. All he needed to do now was figure out how to trigger that rage.

*******

Vaako stared hard at Riddick, recalling the way Riddick's body had started to glow and tremble on Crematoria before releasing a pulse of energy that knocked all of them off their feet. He had lost a couple of men who had landed badly--unable to recover before the sun came over the horizon and fried them--but otherwise, it had done little harm. Certainly he had not felt the ground tremble or any internal heat or pressure inside his body, just the percussive force of the blast. So how was this rage supposed to be powerful enough to close a rift in time and space?

Riddick must have seen the skepticism in his expression as he smiled wryly with a twist of perfect lips. "Don't ask me how it's going to work. I just know it will."

And that was it really. Trust. Trusting in Riddick. Trusting in Riddick's instincts that had yet to let him down--and trusting in his own. Problem was he had no idea if Riddick would survive and that was unacceptable, and confusing because he had spent all of his adult life believing that death in its due time was a worthy goal. If the Elementals had orchestrated this moment, culminating in Riddick sacrificing himself to save an entire universe, then it would be a noble death, one that came in due time.

Lord Esau straightened. "I hope this is true for it appears the creatures you spoke of have decided to wait no longer. They are amassing on the other side of the Threshold."

Vaako shared a concerned look with Riddick, seeing him tighten his lips. "Warn the armada," he ordered Vaako but Vaako delegated the task to Esau. Riddick was already running towards their small spacecraft and Vaako was not about to let him go alone. If Riddick should die then they would face their due time together.

Riddick spoke menacingly, blocking the hatchway. "Don't have time for this Vaako. You need to stay in case and repel any of those bugs that get through."

"I belong at your side in this battle."

"Obedience without question," Riddick spat out viciously, and Vaako felt the spittle on his face stunning him for a moment. The slam against his chest caught him before he could react and he stumbled back, punching his fist against the sealed hatch. He raced to the front, staring at Riddick through the cockpit window.

"Riddick!"

The rigidness on Riddick's stony face ebbed away and his hard eyes softened as he reached out and pressed his palm against the window. "I'm coming back...for you," he mouthed. "Only for you."

Vaako couldn't reach the window to mirror the action but held his palm out anyway, hoping Riddick understood, and eventually he had to move away as the engines came on line. He retreated back to the control room where Esau was attempting to convince the Basilica ship to turn and face the coming battle. Vaako stepped up.

"Who is this?" Vaako demanded.

"Commander Seltun."

"Seltun?" Vaako twisted his lips wryly, realizing that his ex-wife must have manipulated events to gain promotion for her new consort. Still, it could have been much worse as at least Seltun had been fairly competent as a sub-commander. He wondered when Riddick planned on telling him this.

"Turn the fleet to face the Threshold. It appears all our philosophies have been based on the lies of those influenced by an alien species bent on invading this 'verse. UnderVerse is no paradise, and we have been pawns in a plan to weaken the resistance of this 'verse before they attacked in great number."

"The Lord Marshal..?"

"You will obey me!" he demanded forcefully and saw Seltun bow his head in acknowledgment, glad they were close enough to use visual communication rather than the Quasi-Dead, who could no longer be trusted because of their possible telepathic link to the enemy. Moments later Esau reported that the Basilica was turning to face the Threshold. "And the invaders?"

"They are launching smaller attack vessels. Estimated time before they cross the Threshold is three minutes."

"And Lord Riddick?"

"Is moving towards them."

Vaako gave a ragged sigh, his heart thumping painfully in an emotion he'd thought he'd overcome decades earlier--fear. "Arm weaponry. Protect the Lord Marshal's ship at all cost." He opened communications to the Basilica and found Scalp Taker waiting for orders. "Launch attack fighters. Protect the Lord Marshal."

Scalp Taker nodded sharply and started giving orders. Moments later, Vaako watched as thousands of attack craft peeled off the surface of the conquest icons accompanying the armada.

"Larger enemy cruisers are moving towards the Threshold," Esau stated calmly.

"Scalp Taker, prepare heavy cruisers to engage enemy ships. Tactical Execution Order Beta Zero Four Nine Zero."

"The Covu, Naphemil and Oltovm are moving into position. The Kryll is standing by, waiting for battle orders."

"Acknowledged."

Vaako wished they had not left the two remaining heavy cruisers behind at Neibaum Prime but the Baylock and the newly renamed Zhylaw had been left to protect the slower half of the Necromonger armada. He cast his eye across the battleground, taking note of the position of all of the main players and ignoring all of the smaller fighters except for one. Riddick's ship had stopped in one of the tiny pockets of tranquility where the forces within the tidal vortex had canceled each other out. He was holding position as the enemy ships drew closer and Vaako breathed one small sigh of relief when the Necromonger fighters shot by him to engage the oncoming attackers. It was a small respite and Vaako hoped Riddick would be able to figure out what he needed to do to trigger this Rage of Furya before the Invader's main battle force crossed the Threshold.

The Naphemil engaged one of the insectoids' light cruisers. Vaako watched the ribbons of plasma weaponry stream across the darkness from the Naphemil, scoring across the surface of the alien cruiser. He could see gas venting from hull breaches but forced his attention away to the rest of the battle. The Oltovm was bearing down on another enemy ship but Vaako sensed that the insectoids were setting up a trap, spotting three light cruisers skirting the edge of the battlefield, moving into formation for a classic attack move. Quickly he warned Captain Tensra and watched as Tensra took evasive action, smiling when the captain managed to outwit the pincer movement of three light cruisers and turn it against them. One of the alien cruisers broke apart--shards of metal slamming into smaller attack craft from both sides. The darkness blossomed with short-lived plasma explosions before the vacuum of space snuffed them out forever. But the victory was short lived as one of the larger cruisers took its place.

"Status of the rest of the alien fleet."

"They will be crossing the Threshold in less than fifteen minutes."

Vaako cursed under his breath. The insectoid armada must have been amassing for decades on the other side of the Threshold, hidden behind the red giant that dominated the star system and waiting for the order to invade. His own fleet was greatly outnumbered and if Riddick could not find a way to close the Threshold permanently then all was lost.

"Lord Vaako! Four of the light cruisers have broken off the attack against the Oltovm and Naphemil. They are heading straight for us." The calm urgency in Esau's voice had Vaako focusing on the impending attack but he could see no ship close enough to intercept.

"Launch all countermeasures." He knew Oltovm had constructed this station with an impressive array of weaponry but even that would be no match against four of the enemy battle cruisers. Plasma streams struck out towards the attacking vessels, breaching the hulls in various places and he bit back on a triumphant cry as one began to slow and drift sideways, but Vaako could see the damage was insufficient to stop them all. The station shook with each hit sustained and he struggled to keep his feet beneath him, fingers gripping at the edge of the battle control station.

"Target engines," he ordered but he could see they were well shielded. His eyes widened when he suddenly recognized their strategy. The leading three ships had taken all the battle damage from the station's weaponry and now the remaining two of those three peeled away revealing the fourth ship. It had used the others as a protective shield and now it was plowing towards them at full speed, weapons blazing and intention clear. It was going to ram the station.

Esau saw this too. "My Lord Vaako!"

"Vaako!" Riddick's urgent voice came over the communications channel at the same time. "Get the hell out of there NOW!"

*******

Moments ago Riddick had been almost gloating internally at the tactical skill of his lover. Vaako might doubt his own leadership skills, preferring to leave the dubious honor of being Lord Marshal to Riddick, but as a warrior Riddick knew few who could surpass Vaako. He wondered if Zhylaw had seen the promise in Vaako--if he had used it to his advantage during the many battles fought by the Necromongers as they destroyed whole inhabited systems. Or had Zhylaw squandered Vaako's skills, leaving him to lead foot soldiers rather than orchestrate space battles?

With so many spacecraft engaged in battle it was impossible to keep track of all the enemy so even Riddick missed the smaller cruisers crossing the Threshold and circling around the main battle arena--until the last moment. He could see that they intended to engage with the Oltovm and protect one of their own heavy cruisers in the process. However, Vaako saw the trap and issued orders that would protect the Necromonger battle cruiser--for now. Riddick could see across the Threshold to where the rest of the alien fleet was swiftly moving towards the rift--too many ships, vastly outnumbering his ghost army--but he felt nothing inside. A little anger but nothing close to the rage he had felt on Crematoria when he believed he had led Kyra to her death because of his arrogant interference on Helion Prime, bringing the Necromongers to Crematoria. He hadn't figured then how important the death of one man might be to Zhylaw, having dismissed Aereon's prophesies as too fanciful.

So far Vaako had managed to hold his own against an ever-increasing number of enemy ships, with the powerful weapons on the station cutting through smaller ships with little resistance. However, it was not a battle he could win and if Riddick could not stop the bugs from pouring across the Threshold then, eventually, Vaako would be forced to order a retreat. It didn't help that the one advantage the Necromongers had used over other worlds--and the Carthodox--was now a disadvantage to them. The Quasies couldn't be trusted when their thoughts could be intercepted or altered by a species with far superior telepathic skills.

Over the ship-to-ship communications system Riddick could hear all the battle orders and realized he would never be able to focus on rage while his heart was warming in pleasure at the sound of Vaako's voice commanding Riddick's fleet. However, eventually the bugs would crack the secure voice communications and would be able to counter any tactics Vaako employed. Riddick had hoped he would be able to seal the Threshold before that happened.

With signals bouncing all over the place, caught by the tidal vortices or refracted by weapons fire, it wasn't possible to pinpoint where Vaako's command center was located so he should have been relatively safe. Perhaps if Vaako had made the station less of a threat then the bugs might have overlooked its existence altogether in favor of engaging the Necromonger cruisers. However, in this battle--with overwhelming forces already against them and even greater enemy reinforcements on the way--all firepower counted. The station had an impressive weapons array as it had been built to repel attacks from human vessels and to protect the Threshold at all cost. In this battle it was delivering serious blows to the bug fleet, able to fire a greater distance and slicing open a bug heavy cruiser that came too close. It was only a matter of time before the bugs turned their attention to eliminating the threat.

That moment came.

Riddick stared at the control screen that showed four of the smaller battle cruisers breaking off their attacks and turning as one towards the station. They formed an inverted triangle, three in a wedge formation while the fourth sat nestled between them, protected on all sides except for the rear. Individually, none of these cruisers were a match for the station's weaponry but they moved fast and with purpose. The Kryll was heading for them at full speed but Riddick knew it would not reach them in time. When the leading three ships peeled away, Riddick understood the significance immediately and broke communications silence.

"Vaako! Get the hell out of there NOW!"

The station continued to fire even as the suicidal cruiser bore down upon it and collided, the plasma flash of destruction sending out a shock wave that rippled through the battle, destroying smaller craft and crippling others. Riddick barely felt the pulse go through his own small ship, mind frozen in shock as debris spun out in all directions leaving nothing behind of either the bug cruiser or the station.

"Vaako," he whispered hoarsely as memories from only hours earlier overpowered him. He saw Vaako's beautiful smile, saw the heat of ecstasy erasing the pallidness from his handsome face. He felt the pleasure and warmth of Vaako's body pressed hard against him once again, followed by the cold realization that he would never know more of Vaako than that one moment in time. He would never have all that Vaako had offered. Grief overwhelmed him, building from emotions too long denied from years avoiding being a part of humanity--emotions released by Caroline Fry, by Imam and Kyra...but mostly by Vaako.

Rage followed--hot and furious--vibrating through every cell in his body and exploding outwards towards those who had taken Vaako from him, channeled by his half-dead spectral being against the tear in time and space. The Threshold began to ripple, sending out tsunamis of energy in all directions--through his 'verse and UnderVerse. He barely registered the ships caught in the powerful shock wave, thrown aside in the same way the Necromongers had been cast backwards on Crematoria. The Threshold wavered, explosions flashing and dying in an instant as the portal was crushed under the tidal pressure. With a final powerful ripple, the Threshold collapsed completely.

Proximity alerts blared inside his ship as it tumbled over and over, and Riddick debated doing nothing and letting fate take its course. He'd been a survivor for longer than he could recall--half-strangled by Zhylaw with his own birth cord and left for dead, captured and tortured by Marlish. He'd taken revenge on those who had harmed him, had spent years running and hiding from Mercs like Johns and Toombs. In between he'd lived for too many years in one prison or another--learning how to fight, how to protect himself against those who would use or abuse him. The animal side--the Furyan--had refused to give in, leading him to Vaako. The human side couldn't imagine going on without Vaako and, for once, it was the stronger part of him.

Beneath the harsh sound of the alarm he could hear voices over the communications channels. He recognized several--Scalp Taker and Seltun, Captain Tensra--all trying to deal with the confused aftermath of the battle, their orders often conflicting. The voice he needed to hear remained silent and as much as he hated to admit it, Riddick knew he owed it to Vaako to bring order from the chaos surrounding him. Their people needed direction. He yanked on the controls to avoid a large piece of debris.

"This is Riddick. Let's clean up this mess."

It took several more hours to wipe out the remaining bugs--those that had been caught on the wrong side of the Threshold when it collapsed. On Riddick's orders, the smaller Necromonger attack ships moved through the debris scattered across the spatial battlefield, seeking out those whose ships had been crippled. In the past the Necromonger army would have abandoned them but this event had severely shaken the very foundation of their beliefs. Their philosophy of convert or die had been based on the ulterior motives of an alien race. Life was no longer a throwaway commodity now that there was no paradise--no UnderVerse--to strive towards.

Stepping back on-board the Basilica, Riddick could read the shock on every face--the betrayal of everything they thought they knew and understood. Like ghosts they had seen the light and now they knew it was time to move on but were uncertain how to proceed. They turned to him in desperation. Riddick sank down onto the Necromonger throne in the Necropolis and buried his face in one hand as the weariness of the day fell heavily upon him. He looked up when he heard approaching feet, heart sinking in remembrance of that day when he had become Lord Marshal, and the sight of Vaako, the tall, proud Necromonger warrior bending to one knee before him.

It was Dame Seltun and he resisted the urge to grab her around the throat and strangle her, hating her for having all those years with Vaako and not appreciating that great gift. He expected to see her arrogant and scheming as usual but was surprised to see genuine shock and fear instead. Her world had ended too. All that she had gained in the purification chambers--the hardness and determination to succeed at all cost--had evaporated. When she dipped her head in a small bow this time, he could see that she was not faking obeisance. Perhaps once the shock had worn off then she would be back to her usual scheming self but, for now, he welcomed seeing some humanity and humility in her.

"My Lord Riddick." She said nothing more. Simply moved to one side in a show of support. Seltun bowed before joining her, presenting a united front that others followed, just as Vaako had done so many months earlier.

Commotion at the back of the quickly-filling Necropolis drew his attention and he watched as the crowd parted to allow Commander Scalp Taker access.

"My Lord. Our search vessels have discovered debris from the station--and two faint life signs within."

Riddick was on his feet immediately. "Vaako," he stated softly.

*******

At the final moment, as the cruiser loomed in the forward view screen, Vaako had felt arms of steel band around him, dragging him several steps back from the command console. The floor had dropped away from beneath his feet and he landed awkwardly, still caught in Lord Esau's arms within the tiny confines of what was probably an escape pod. It launched immediately but the explosion and shock wave from the collision sent the pod tumbling, inertial dampeners failing and throwing both of them around within the small space. Searing pain in his skull was his last memory before he fell into darkness.

"His life signs are weak, my Lord."

"But he's alive and that's all that matters to me right now."

Riddick? He tried to fight against the darkness but it pressed down on him, sending him deeper. He felt hands touching, tugging at his limbs, pulling at the armor encasing him and the pain blossomed beyond anything he had encountered during the purification process. Unable to endure, he sank back into the darkness.

Eventually he found a way to claw back up to the surface, ignoring the pain that came with awareness.

"About time you woke up."

Vaako blinked heavily, focusing on the handsome face right above him--on the beautiful smile and shining eyes.

Riddick's voice was soft and melodious. "Thought I'd lost you."

It took Vaako time to parse Riddick's words before memory returned and with it remembrance of the great battle that he had commanded in the hope of giving Riddick enough time to figure out a way to save them all.

"The Threshold?"

"Gone."

"Bugs?"

"Gone too. And before you ask, Lord Esau survived too, though he was more careful about protecting his skull." Riddick's lips twisted. "Aereon's back."

"Meddlesome..." he trailed off, not having the strength to curse the Elemental and her calculating race.

"Oh, I don't know. She had some new calculations to share. I like the sound of some of them."

"Any I should know of?"

Riddick tilted his head, his smile turning mischievous. "Said she could see years of prosperity and pleasure ahead for the Lord Marshal and his consort."

"And when do you choose this consort."

"Already chose him on-board a small ship in UnderVerse. Not looking to choose another unless he has objections."

Vaako couldn't speak for a moment, finally taking a sip of water before answering. "He has no objections."

"Then that's settled." Riddick leaned in and kissed him softly, sweetly, before drawing back. "Rest now." Fingers brushed over his face gently, tracing the path of his cheek to the curve of one ear, soothing him.

It was too hard to disobey that order, his heavy eyes closing. Thoughts tumbled around his head as he wondered what would happen to the Necromongers now that they had to rethink their beliefs, but as he sank back into the welcoming darkness, he let go of his fears. It wasn't the end of his people, just the beginning of a new path for them, and with Riddick leading the way, they would survive. Instead he focused on Riddick's words. For the first time since leaving the purification chamber as barely more than a child, he could look forward to life rather than death, to joy rather than pain, and to Riddick's love rather than cold passion.

The brush of warm lips and the murmur of Riddick's deep voice followed him down into a deep, restorative sleep. He slept soundly for the first time in decades, with his dreams filled with Aereon's promise of their bright future together, knowing Riddick would be there waiting for him when he awakened so they could both walk a new path together.

END

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