3. Jack: "Total Eclipse"

Seti Station was a claustrophobic mass of unwashed humanity, much seedier than anyone let on. Jack threaded her way through the crowds with less ease than she once had. She kept feeling stabs of odd nostalgia for the time, five years earlier, when she'd worked crowds like these, snitching wallets from unwary tourists to finance her happy hobo existence. At least she knew what to watch out for, now.

She was heading for berth G-927, docking-place of the Total Eclipse, her new ship. She hadn't met with the Captain yet, but he'd left an electronic message inviting her to check the ship out before their meeting. She'd hesitated, but then decided to go ahead and do it. If it had been her ship, she doubted she'd let some neophyte kid on board to explore, but maybe this guy was trying to set her at ease.

The name bugged her a little. If she believed in bad omens, it would have upset her. Jack and eclipses didn't get along very well. Her parents had died the day after their mining colony had watched a spectacular lunar eclipse. Once upon a time that last day together had been a treasured memory, until she came to realize that eclipses were always harbingers of death and destruction for her. The last one she'd seen had been followed by the deaths of half a dozen people she'd come to care deeply about.

Fuck it. It was just a name. Maybe Captain Mason would change it if she found it really bothered her.

The ship was small and kind of old, but clearly well-maintained. She walked around it, studying the signs of hull-patching and modifications. Either this guy had lots of money for excellent mechanics, or he was one himself. Probably the latter. That was fantastic news; she'd be able to learn some ship maintenance, too.

Finally she went to the ramp and punched in the code he'd given her. The ramp descended slowly and she got her first look inside.

Kind of dark. Maybe he paid for his excellent maintenance by cutting corners in things like lighting. She boarded, closing the ramp behind her.

"Lights to full," she called out, just to see if it would get any brighter. It did, but not by much.

It was pretty nice, though. Much more spacious than she would have thought. The cockpit appeared to be on the upper level. This area looked like it was mostly used as a cargo hold. There were a few cases in storage, wrapped and strapped down. She wondered how soon he was planning on leaving, and how much he'd be carrying.

There was one area that looked almost like a dojo. That would be cool. Maybe he could further her education in the martial arts. She was starting to really look forward to meeting him.

She climbed to the upper level and got her first glimpse of the working and living quarters. The cockpit was very small; the rest of the space had been adapted for daily use. It was a bit Spartan. Captain Mason didn't appear to have much in the way of knick-knacks. Lots of reading materials, she noticed. There were three doors sectioning off parts of the ship. She tried one and found herself looking into what was obviously Mason's personal quarters.

She shut the door quickly, even though there had been nothing embarrassing about what she'd seen. It was just a bedroom, one used by a man, and very tidy. With her luck, Mason would turn out to be a neat-freak.

The next door revealed a rather spacious bathroom. There was even a full-size shower, an oddity for a ship. She glanced around the main room again, noting the size of the furniture, the high placement of books and sundry. It looked like Mason was probably a pretty large man. He'd certainly had a large bed for a spaceship...

She was reaching for the third door when she heard the ship's ramp opening. Looked like she'd be meeting her Captain a little earlier than anticipated. She put her pack down on one of the cockpit seats and headed for the ladder.

"Captain Mason?" she called down. "Hey, it's Jack Kowalczyk. I took you up on your offer to look around. I hope that's okay."

Silence. She thought she heard footsteps, but she wasn't sure. Shit, was someone trying to rob the ship? She could have sworn she'd locked the ramp behind her...

She noticed an object that looked like a blackjack near the ladder and grabbed it, holding it close to her chest as she rapidly descended. With any luck, whoever was down there wouldn't be expecting her to be armed...

The second her feet touched the cargo bay floor she whirled around, balancing her body the way Riddick had taught her. She still almost fell.

The two stared at each other for a long moment. His eyes briefly flicked away from hers when the blackjack fell from her nerveless fingers, and his mouth quirked.

"Not bad reflexes, kid," he drawled.

Jack was sure her heart had stopped. She opened her mouth but couldn't get anything to emerge. She closed it again. This was her captain, she realized. She should have known all along. She should have known the second she learned the ship's name.

Finally her mouth would work properly. She gasped out the only thing she could, the one word that was filling her whole consciousness.

"Riddick..."