Chapter One

She sat in her sparsely furnished apartment, and for once she was still, not a constant force of motion. Waiting was hard. After 5 years of waiting, you wouldn't think a few more minutes would make any difference. But it did. It made a big difference. Her skin felt all prickly as though she were walking through stinging nettles, so Jack rose off the bed and paced back and forth through the living room. Every time she passed the Comm system on the wall by the door, she'd glare at it. 'Yeah, that'll make a difference', she mentally chastised herself for not having more control over herself and her rioting emotions.

The training she'd received, in the past few years, besides the usual combat training, had included yoga and meditation, which helped her keep her emotions in check. It doesn't bode well for business if you turn into an emotional wreck while wearing the badge of a Merc. Being female sometimes had it's disadvantages.

"Shit," said that out loud and made herself sit in a chair and wait. 'I will not do this,' she told herself. When the Comm beeped in, she jumped, swore a blue streak, and walked calmly towards the door.

"Yes?" she asked, pressing the button and speaking.

"A delivery has arrived for you. Want me to put it on ice?"

"Yes. Cargo bay 2 if you would...". Jack thought she sounded nearly normal now. Normal as it was likely to get from here on in.

"Sure thing Jack. Hope it's what you were expecting. Out."

"Me too. Out." With that over with, Jack checked her gear, knife and other necessities, and squelched a purely feminine instinct to check her appearance, and headed out the door.

Time to....what was that saying...? Doesn't matter. Time is up. Jack walked up the corridors of the space station, passing people without acknowledging them, whether she knew them or not. She walked with a great deal of purpose. She mentally told herself, 'Face it head on. Don't get faint hearted on me. I'll be ready for the loony bin I keep talking to myself like this. It's a bad sign.' Borrowing a phrase from Riddick, she thought it appropriate considering her destination and objective.

Arriving at Cargo Bay 2, Jack stopped, took a deep breath, and opened the door. It slid open with a soft whoosh of air. Manufactured air has a smell to it. And that wasn't all she could smell. People, men, have a particular scent. A good Merc could tell. Jack could tell the difference. She was very good.

She stopped just inside the door, letting it whoosh closed behind her. She'd been on this particular hunt for the past 3 years. Had been on this space station for the past 5. Ever since.........'Hmmm. Memories are going to fuck with me.....' She braced herself, closed her eyes, and let go of the present. 'This is part of it. This is a necessary part of it,' she reminded herself. 'Just let it happen.'

Memories rushing forward, hitting her harder than she'd expected, the past came punching through the present........

[5 yrs into the past]The skiff had limped towards the shipping lane, the survivors still were unsure of their immediate future. It was blind luck that had placed them in the path of that freighter. Blind luck.....or God, as Imam would have them believe. The 3 survivors were well received on the freighter. The crew was short handed so they put the trio to work for the rest of the voyage. It felt good to have a purpose. Jack felt needed, not an inconvenience. It wasn't her imagination that Riddick had begun distancing himself from Jack and Imam, the second they had sighted the freighter, Voyage III. Jack didn't get it at first. She thought Riddick was feeling bad because of Caroline. Hell, Jack felt bad about Caroline. Felt bad about the whole bunch of them. But in order for Riddick to feel bad, he would have had to be human. Or to at least seem human. Jack was beginning to doubt that. Had started doubting a lot of things in the days that followed their rescue. Doubting herself, hurt most of all. She could hang that one on Riddick.

At first Riddick had treated Jack like a pesky kid. Had tried to find things to keep Jack occupied so Riddick wouldn't have to deal with her. The harder Jack tried to stay close, the harder Riddick pushed her away. And when Jack is pushed, she pushes back. Lashing out at Riddick may not have been the wisest action Jack had ever devised, but it was the only thing her hurt pride would allow her. All she ended up doing was hurting herself.

It came to a head one day when Jack caught up with Riddick in one of the cargo holds of the station where Voyage III had put in. He was sucking on some floozy's neck. Immediate fire-like pain burst inside Jack's chest as she screamed at them, laying into Riddick with her girl size fists. Yelling and shrieking obscenities at the two of them. She didn't even know what she said, she simply saw red. And reacted.

Unfortunately so did Riddick. He swung back on her, maybe for her own good, and when his fist connected with Jack's jaw, she went down. And laying there, hot angry tears welling up in her eyes, staring up at an angry Riddick..........the world could have heard her heart break. It was.......a pivotal moment, in both their lives.

© 2000, Tracy L. Roberts

End Of Chapter 1