79) Say Good Bye To What You Were

Riddick's first order of business after making sure Universe lived was to get him away from the Alliance. To that end he had been smuggled, without Lenore, aboard the Walden and hidden in one of the rooms on the upper decks.

To say Mal had been surprised to find him there had been an understatement. But he couldn't say much about it, the Walden not being his ship. Most of the crew had done their best to avoid Mr. Universe. His treatment at the hands of the Alliance hadn't changed him one bit. And his manners were as eccentric as ever.

Universe had managed, in the short amount of time he'd been alone on the boat, to augment and otherwise improve the cortex systems from the basic version to something approximating reliable, as far as it could be done with only programming. And he'd tuned into the news that they'd all missed. The results of the Miranda wave as the 'puppet theatre' was calling it.

It looked as if there could be another war.

Riddick wasn't as concerned with that as Mal thought he should be. If there was a war it wouldn't be because no one was trying to make peace. Both sides would need to compromise and, in his experience, neither was eager to do so. Ever. So something would need to be done to keep things from exploding and then avalanching into outright hostility. Setting course for Persephone and Eavesdown's repair docks gave him time to think of what he and River had planned.

"Second thoughts?" River asked softly from behind him, her soft lips kissing his temple as she stole around his chair and settled in his lap.

"Nah," He shook his head. "Gotta be done. The whole mess'll just start all over again if we don't do something."

"Don't want that. Not another war." River shook her head. "Laws in place now practically guarantee there will be though. Must be changed."

Riddick growled, sane or not, River was still a Reader and the amount of pain that Mal broadcast every time he thought of there being another war, of potentially losing another war, was a near agony to River. "You know he won't leave the ship, even if we get the rest of them all settled at Wing's old estate or the house we got offa Burgess while repairs are made, he won't go."

"And I'll have some respite from his…emotions." River nodded. "Dart Courier waiting for us at the estate. Delivered two days ago."

"Good shape?" He knew he should have known better than to ask when she rolled her eyes at him.

"Would I buy you junk to fly?" She remonstrated and he grinned.

"Only as a disguise."

It took everyone to fix Serenity. Everyone and then some. The Operative had authorized the repairs to be made on his account, the Parliaments account Riddick guessed, and that had gone a long way towards keeping Serenity's books in the black. Zoe had replaced the shattered bridge window herself, exorcising the ghost of fear that wouldn't die every time she remembered that harpoon impaling her husband's chair. They'd left the cannon at Haven, and it was already back in its place of protection, repaired almost as good as new.

River had been responsible for most of the rewiring, she and Ciara were slender enough to slip into Serenity's crawlspaces to replace what had been burned out or simply torn loose during the crash. He and Shea had done a lot of the welding and heavy lifting, Shazza, Simon and Kaylee had worked on Serenity's engines and Mal had done a lot of everything else. He'd worked hard to scrub off the Reaver-like red paint that had been scrawled all over his ship's hull, what was left of it after the crash and sandpaper effect of the ground scraping along the metal. But he had been responsible for giving Serenity new life once, and there was no one, not even Kaylee or River, who knew the ship better. Any change or upgrade had gone through him.

Serenity had needed a new thruster and new landing gear, plus assorted other parts which had burnt out when the engine room caught on fire. Everyone's bunks, the infirmary, the lounge and the galley had been tossed higgledy piggledy when they'd sort of crash landed on Universe's moon. It was actually easier to list what hadn't been damaged that what had. The entire ship looked like a giant toddler had picked it up, pulled parts off of it and shaken it like a rattle before slamming it back down.

Universe, for all that his expertise would be welcomed, was admonished to stay hidden on the estate. The Walden was docked at Eavesdown, undergoing her own retrofit for purposes of their own and Universe would only get in the way there. Riddick was pretty sure his old friend would end up stealing another moon or probably a space station knowing him.

It had been Wash who'd reminded them, somewhat blurrily as this was before his surgery, to go get Lenore before Universe got himself caught trying to retrieve her. Bundling the Lovebot into a sack with some of Universe's belongings hadn't been hard. It had just been a matter of making a quick trip from the hanger up to Universe's quarters and back down to Serenity to stash Lenore in one of the smuggling compartments.

Inara had come to visit them and as a favor to Mal, gone up with some of the programable paint and patched up the badly damaged sign for the ships name. She had the neatest touch of all of them besides River and it was something she could do to feel helpful without straining herself.

The Miranda wave had hit Badger hard. His younger sister, her husband and children had gone to Miranda to settle, drawn by the promise of a new life and a planet with clean air and plenty of jobs. To hear that the terraforming disaster that had killed her and his nephews and niece was a lie to cover the most despicable type of act had infuriated the normally calm crime boss. His reaction was to contact Riddick and River and ask them exactly what it would take to make sure the men responsible were punished. Needless to say, they had not informed Mal of that communique. Or their response to it.

Shazza was splitting her time between helping with Serenity and working with Badger. She was the reason the repairs on the engine kept clicking along in spite of Kaylee and Simon's 'smooch breaks' as Kaylee called them. Badger had come by with Ruby and hugged his cousin tightly for a long while before managing to get Mal's back up. But he'd also offered work when they were back on their feet. Moving sheep this time apparently.

Riddick smirked as he fixed another panel in place and began to weld the joins. He and River would not be aboard for the sheep smuggling adventure. Smaller than cows they might be but sheep were just as dumb. And smelly. Not something either of them were interested in experiencing.

He grinned as he caught sight of Simon cuddled with Kaylee on the observation area couch, smooching, as Kaylee called it. Simon was as good as his word. Once he and Kaylee were both recovered he'd happily succumbed to her seduction attempts. He'd also snuck out and bought a ring to give her when he felt she'd accept a proposal. Simon's bright red face as River teased him that Kaylee was making sure he could fulfill his husbandly duties before even thinking of marriage was something Riddick recalled with much fond amusement.

Shea had already proposed to Ciara and let slip that one of Book's last acts as a Shepherd had been to marry them on Haven before they'd gone off to rescue Inara. The two Kerry natives had been wiser than they'd let on, knowing River being triggered in the Maidenhead was the beginning of the storm. As Shea put it, "Even if we weren't married long 'fore we got kilt, 'leastways we's married in God's eyes."

Kaylee had gotten a little, okay more than a little, weepy eyed at that and hugged them both tightly. Mal had stood there looking uncomfortable while Wash welcomed Shea belatedly to the club of married men aboard Serenity. "We've got you, me and Rick now. We outnumber the unmarried men." That had tickled Shea quite a bit.

Riddick watched as Mal hauled in the last of the repair equipment. Mal knew he was there but it was interesting to note just when the Captain's instincts kicked on and clued him into the figure who'd been watching Serenity as he stepped closer to the ramp.

Mal didn't turn, though he did stop, his hand near his gun. Riddick had to give him credit, he knew exactly who it was watching them. Though he supposed after taking a sword to the middle the Operative's aura, so to speak, would be pretty unforgettable. Finally, Mal spoke when it became clear the Operative wouldn't, "If you're here to tell me we ain't finished—then we will be, real quick."

The Operative moved to stand just under the canopy created by the nose of the ship, rain falling behind him. Riddick moved from his spot in the shadows and smirked as the Operative's eyes went to him quickly, startled at the sight of him, and then went back to Mal. "Do you know what an uproar you've caused? Protests, riots—cries for a recall of the entire Parliament."

Riddick shrugged as Mal turned around, "We've seen the broad waves."

"You must be pleased," The Operative looked anything but.

Mal was wincing, Riddick bet his wound was troubling him some, no matter how many painkillers Simon gave him, nothing but time and rest would heal all the aches and pains. And the repairs they'd been doing hadn't helped matters. Rest had been in short supply as Mal tried to do the work of two men repairing Serenity. The signs of discomfort faded as the Captain spoke, a faint bitterness in his voice. Reality wasn't always sweet, and the 'Verse didn't give happy endings for more than a sunset, "'Verse wakes up a spell. Won't be long 'fore she rolls right over and falls back asleep. 'T'ain't my worry."

Riddick regarded the Operative as the man spoke, weighing the truth of his words, "I can't guarantee they won't come after you. The Parliament. They have a hundred men like me and they are not forgiving."

He gave a quick nod to Mal, who simply smirked at the man, "That don't bode especially well for you—giving the order to let us go, patching up our hurt..."

The Operative shrugged, a casual movement that contrasted oddly with his elegant manner of speech and dress, "I told them the Tams were no longer a threat — damage done." He glanced at Riddick, "Your…exploits, Mr. Riddick, I'm afraid are too much a matter of public record to simply expunge. But Simon and River Tam—they're from a good family and such an aberration from routine can be easily swept up as youthful exuberance. Strangely enough there was very little to clean up. The Parliament might listen, but—I think they know I'm no longer their man."

Mal didn't react to that overmuch. It was plain he didn't have any sympathy for the Operative, "They take you down, I don't expect to grieve overmuch. Like to kill you myself, I see you again."

"You won't. There is—" His small was grim, "—nothing left to see."

Mal began his ascent into the ship as the Operative looked up at Serenity's name, for once she was wearing her own sigil rather than an alias. The question, when it came, was clearly not the one Mal expected, "'Serenity'. You lost everything in that battle. Everything you had, everything
you were... how did you go on?"

Riddick stepped away from the ramp as Mal hit the button to close the inner doors, giving the Operative an unimpressed glance, "You still standing there when the engine starts, you never will figure it out."

Riddick shook his head as the ramp went up and moved away from the ship, speaking over his shoulder, "You find something else to believe in." He informed the dark man quietly. "For Mal that's his crew. River an' me, it's each other. Don't know what it'll be for you."

The Operative had moved away when he did, "You won't be going with them?"

"With a target on my back?" Riddick glanced back at him, "And a hundred other Operatives all looking? Don't seem like the brightest idea. Me an' River, we're smarter than that." He smirked slightly, "Though from what River said, Parliament won't have their Operatives much longer. Spoken to any of them recently?"

The man looked faintly shocked and then resigned, "I have… after such events—one of my counterparts came to speak with me and he will speak with the others. Certain…adjustments must be made, considering one of us was defeated in combat, even if it was two against one. Will you try to kill all of us?"

"Got no need to," Riddick shrugged as he headed towards the seamier side of town. "We just want to go our way. River said your programming would unravel. And she was right. But she also said the Operatives were like dominos. If one falls, they all fall."

"And she is the finger tipping the first," The Operative realized with a shock.

"You might could say," The Furyan chuckled. "Parliament didn't think far 'nough ahead. Nobody ever figured on what'd happen if a Reader met up with an Operative. A Reader that weren't controlled by the Parliament. Kinda dumb really. With all the programming in your brain for any Reader to see, including how it can all be undone."

The Operative was still standing still with shock when Riddick drifted away in the crowds and by the time he was jostled and alerted, Riddick was long gone.

River was giggling when he finally got to the estate where they'd holed up for a spell. "Confounded him."

"Seemed like the thing to do," Riddick chuckled and scooped her up to kiss simply because he could. "Things clickin' along here zhì 'ài ?"

"Hmm…" She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Universe says the Walden is almost done being retrofitted."

"Then we can get to work pretty soon." He smiled at the thought. Mal and the crew were well out of it, but he and River still had plenty to do. Between she and Universe they'd dug out a library's worth of dirty secrets on the Parliament. And with the Operatives no longer reliable tools it would be much easier for them to do some judicious pruning of the governments far reaching branches. Not to mention there were plenty of Browncoats out there who wouldn't mind stirring up trouble even if it did mean another war. He wasn't interested in a war but a few folks causing diversions would be helpful. And they didn't need to know that's all they were. With the Parliament's eyes on them, they wouldn't be paying as much attention to what was happening under their noses. "The closer you think you are, the less you'll actually see."

"Been working on the Dart, Kaylee gave advice," River rubbed her lips over his jaw as he carried her into the kitchen. "New paint and she'll be easily disguised just like the Walden."

"And she'll fit in the lower cargo bay easy enough?" Riddick hadn't been certain that part of the plan would work until River had gotten hold of a turntable.

"Now that we've adjusted the shaft for the Bombay doors. Sail her in, land on the turntable, turn it on and she is spun around to fly out again," River nodded pulling up her cortex and showing him the plans. "Reinforce the deck plating and the back of the bay. Hydraulic lifts to raise and lower cargo to the upper bay. Changed the layout of the lower deck to accommodate the Dart."

Riddick nodded and tapped the area of the Bombay doors. Originally there'd been a shaft from the lower deck doors to the lower mid deck in order to lift and lower cargo. It was still there but now it telescoped up and down and they could seal it off or open it as they pleased in order to deal with cargo or create an airlock out of the lower deck to garage the courier ship. It lowered the height of the ceiling by about a foot but with its considerable height to begin with it wasn't that much of an issue. It had cost a pretty penny but between River husking and the income from Niska's appropriated holdings they weren't suffering for it. "Any trouble?"

"None that platinum could not fix," River shrugged, her words echoing his thoughts. "And we have plenty of that. Between Niska's money, Burgess's and my investments... won't have to worry for a while."

"Good. Like to get started as soon as we can. Get Universe set up on Herschel and go hunting." Riddick kissed his wife again simply because he could.

"We will shake the 'Verse to the its foundations when we are done," River grinned at him.

"Damn right we will." Riddick grinned back.

River smiled as she keyed in the last of the information and looked over her shoulder. Riddick might not care for the way the Walden moved, like a whale in a puddle, but he did love the amenities and tech they'd put on the boat. On the upper decks at least. The lower decks were all function. Anyone boarding them would find themselves on a working salvage boat, utilitarian and spartan. The upper decks were private, locked down and inaccessible without hours' worth of husking or the passkeys and codes.

"Just about done here my láng," She began to run her program. "Last of the information has been entered. The program should root out all the connections to Blue Sun."

"Key members of Parliament?" Riddick repeated the conversation she'd Read and repeated to him what seemed like forever ago. It hadn't been that long. Only three and a half months.

In that time, she'd closely monitored the Operative's movements. From Persephone it was an easy hop into the Core's cortex systems and between she and Universe, no secret was safe. Certainly not the images from the cameras so abundantly seeded through Core Worlds. He hadn't been exaggerating when he'd told Mal the Parliament had a hundred men like him. They had more truly. And once the Operative had spoken to the others, the weave began to come unraveled and they were all their own men once again. More subliminals sent through the cortex feeds had hastened the deterioration of the behavior modification. It had been a sight to see all the rigidly controlled Operatives act like normal folks.

There had been some panic, flurries of waves between agents, confirmation of what was happening to them and with it, a growing resolve. No one who had seen the Miranda wave could ignore it. Following that, no one could ignore the Parliament's part in it. Not even Operatives with newly recovered memories.

The unrest in the general populace hadn't abated much and though the government was making noises about reform, nothing was really being done. Granted months were like minutes in government processes and unwinding red tape could take years, but after seeing for certain that Reavers were real and just how they'd come to be, no one was feeling patient.

"One is already dead. Terrible accident," River murmured. "Another has…retired, abruptly. Four left for us to deal with if someone else doesn't get to them first." She brought up faces and names on the screens, dossiers flowing in green letters.

"We'd better get to it then, really don't want another war on our hands," Riddick suggested.

River nodded her agreement. "The Walden is set on a course to Ita moon, slow and ponderous."

"Then let's get in the courier and make some speed." Her mate ran a fingertip over her jaw and she grinned at him.

"Got a name for her too," She slide the portable cortex into her satchel.

"Yeah?" He picked up the bags he'd dropped inside the doorway. "A real one?"

"Not an alias to be donned and removed upon a whim," River agreed as they walked down to the lower deck. "Call her Dagger's Point. Because they won't see us until we draw blood."

Riddick's chuckle was low and evil and sent lovely shivers down her spine. "Now that I like." He flipped switches as they walked, setting security systems for each deck as they traveled through the ship. "Had a thought about the Walden, renaming it if we wanted."

"Cannot call the boat Miranda's Wail. Dead giveaway." River smirked at him over her shoulder and was given a shrug in return.

"Still a good name," He smirked back at her. "I was thinking, Prospero's Daughter."

"Still obvious to anyone with an education," She debated. "But since we'll be going under false names more often than not…"

"Why the hell not." Riddick nodded. "Something to see to after we get underway."

The lower deck was almost cavernous since they'd taken down the walls dividing it into different cargo holds. Maybe they'd put a few up again, but they had plenty of room for containers and the Arrowhead Courier was more important than legitimate cargo. She keyed in the codes and locked the doors behind them and gave her husband a grin. "The game's afoot. Follow your spirit, and upon this charge. Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'"

Riddick dropped their bags in the tiny cabin and headed for the bridge. "He which hath no stomach to this fight, let him depart; his passport shall be made. And crowns for convoy put into his purse: We would not die in that man's company. That fears his fellowship to die with us."

"Which is why we did not bring Mal in on this," River commented as she followed him. She took a moment to send Universe a message and received a text in return, "Universe wishes us luck and says he'll keep watch here. Will wave if there are any issues."

"Then let's get underway," Riddick was already starting the ships launch sequence while River set the controls, turning the hold into an airlock. "I'm itching for a fight."

"For blood he means," River grinned as she finished her half of the work. "Time to go a hunting."

"And I'm gonna be a big bad wolf," Riddick shot her a grin as he hit the button for the airlock doors and guided their newly christened ship out of the hold.

They picked up the tail coming off of Osiris, and Riddick made a noise of irritation in his throat and moved to lose it only to be stilled by River's hand on his shoulder. "Set a course for Bellerophon…we can land in the dessert. Haymer sent a wave, he has news for us. We can meet with him after."

Riddick nodded and keyed the course in, setting the engines to hard burn and grinning as their tagalong had to act fast in order to keep up. "So, who's following us Qīng Xiāng?"

"Operative," She grinned at him as she took a seat. "Surprised a Dart can move so quickly."

"So those upgrades we made to the engines definitely worth it," He chuckled as he piloted the ship. "We'll need to hit a fuel station after we meet up with Haymer."

River nodded and made a note of it in the cortex. Not that she really needed to with her memory but it was a habit they'd picked up from Wash. "Hmm… Foreman on Herschel wants to know if he has the go-ahead to start up that horse breeding program."

That was one of the things the two of them had been talking over and he nodded, "Unless you can see a reason not to. If it doesn't do well it won't cost much in the long run."

"Good tax write-off, start up a business," River was keying in the text wave as she spoke. "Will tell him to scout out good stock, start small and expand slowly. And try to hire locally if possible."

He nodded, "How's Badger holding up?" He'd heard the little man's voice over River's cortex as she took a wave.

"Angry still. Ready to so something…unwise. Told him we are working on the problem, several of the men responsible eliminated already. Gave him the names." River still spoke in shorthand now and then when she was thinking hard on something else or Reading someone. Truthfully, he found it a bit comforting, that she didn't try to be perfect all the time when he was around.

"That settle him some?" He punched in the co-ordinates for their little landing zone on Bellerophon, the spot Serenity had waited while they'd pulled the job on Yo-Saff-Bridge.

"Somewhat," River nodded. "He wishes change and is impatient as he sees nothing being done in Parliament." It was a sentiment they were both sympathetic to. And one of the reasons they'd let Badger know parts of their plans for change.

"Well maybe our tagalong can do something about that," Riddick suggested as they came in for a landing. A quirk of the planetary orbits had put Bellerophon much closer to Osiris than usual, barely an hour's hard burn. That would only last a month or so and then the distance would increase again. The stop at the fuel station was more so they could reach Ariel which was spinning in a far orbit due to the same quirk.

"It is possible." River smiled as the ship settled onto the ground with nary a shudder. "Smooth as silk. No one flies like my Mister."

"Well I ain't no Hoban Washburne but I do all right," Riddick chuckled. He looked out onto the dessert, "Here comes our tail. Nice little boat."

"Alliance Aerospace Fighter," River commented. "Used exclusively by Operatives these days."

Riddick whistled under his breath as he headed for the air lock. "They'd have to be, gorram things are so expensive."

"We can still go faster," His wife shrugged, her voice more than a little smug, and rightfully so. She'd worked out how to improve their engines beyond what anyone would expect of their little Dart Courier.

"Well let's go see what he wants," Riddick checked his weapons reflexively and watched as River keyed in the unlocking sequence, adding several codes as precautionary measures. No one would be able to get onto the Dagger's Point but them. Anyone who tried was in for a painful shock. Literally.

When they exited their ship, the Operative was waiting for them, his familiar face more worn and tired than they'd ever seen, even immediately after the Miranda wave. "Wǔ' ān," She greeted the Operative politely. Riddick didn't bother with such niceties, simply glaring at the man from behind his goggles.

"Miss Tam, Mr. Riddick," The Operative gave them a slight though respectful bow. "I…wished to say that I have noted your…activities of late."

"Long way to come to say that," Riddick commented. "And its Missus," He nodded at River. "My wife."

"Ah, my apologies, there was no record…" He stopped as logic prevented him from continuing, "But of course, there wouldn't be." His head shook, "I'm still growing accustomed to…"

"Having more than half a brain?" River suggested. "Intuition and emotions?"

"I would say yes to all of the above," A dry smile tilted his lips. "I surmise that you are aware, you're not the only one…to engage in such work?"

Riddick chuckled outright, "Yeah, saw a few of the fellas we'd a mind to deal with had already been prey to a couple accidents."

"My fellows are…not forgiving of such…deceptions." The Operative shrugged. "And while they are still reeling from the home truths we were made to see; some form of action is required."

"Try getting the law about only 'full citizens' of the Alliance being able to vote repealed." Riddick suggested, "If the Alliance is determined to govern everyone, then everyone ought to have a say in the government." He folded his arms, shivs within easy reach, "For if you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this, but that you first make thieves and then punish them."

"Thomas Moore's Utopia," The Operative murmured. "Yes, I can see that would be a start."

"I would also suggest you and your…fellows, study the governments of Earth That Was. Particularly that of the United States. One of the only governments that was still working in the manner it was intended from its conception." River's cool voice was like water, soothing and gentle and he felt some of his frustration ease. It would do no good to take his irritation with the entire government out on one man. Not when that man could actually effect change.

"How do you mean?" The Operative seemed open to suggestion, but a bit unsure of what her suggestion meant.

"The Alliance began as the Angelo-Sino Alliance. For China and America." River seemed in the mood to give a history lesson. "Two of the mightiest nations from Earth-That-Was. Assimilated other countries under their banner. Joined forces to build the Ark ships." She eyed his spectacles and keyed something into her cortex, her fingers making a little 'shooing' motion towards the Operative and text began to flow across his spectacles. "Read the Constitution of the United States of America. The founding of their government. They had their elected Parliament and Prime Minister. But they were separate bodies, one for making laws, the other for carrying them out. And a third, for the interpretation of law. Legislative, Executive and Judicial."

"Interesting…" The Operative's voice was preoccupied as he read the text. "What is described here…"

"Hasn't been done in centuries," River said flatly. "But Parliament needs to change. The government of America became corrupt in some instances, but it could not be corrupted entirely, due to the way the system was established. Everything in balance. And while corruption might have existed, it could also be cleansed."

"To survive as a nation…for so long…with such a precarious method of determining leadership," The Operative sounded awed and Riddick grinned.

"Read about them, old histories. Nation was founded by people looking for a better life. Rebelled against the country they came from, fought their own Independent War and they won. Created that nation and it lasted until Earth-That-Was failed. Longer even." He told the dark man. "Seems like that's the sorta thing you and your fellows could learn from."

"It…should my counterparts agree, it seems a worthy goal," Dark eyes studied them. "And the two of you?" Unspoken was his question as to what they would be doing.

"We'll be around." Riddick shrugged, "Got things to do, places to be, and people to put in place."

"People like Duran Haymer?" The Operative asked with what might have been a half smile. Riddick stiffened at the implied threat and the Operative held up his hands even as River's expression hardened and her scent blazed with fury. "We have no intent to harm Mr. Haymer. He's a loyal, intelligent, thoughtful citizen of the Alliance. Our government needs people like him."

"Simon Tam was a loyal, thoughtful, intelligent citizen too," Riddick reminded him. "Didn't stop the Parliament from sending assassins."

"As I once told you, I am no longer their man," The Operative shook his head, "A fact they seem to not have entirely understood."

"That's all to the good," Riddick warned him. "I don't doubt they've got other nasty secrets hidden away."

River regarded the Operative thoughtfully but nodded her agreement. "Time for all Operatives to pool their knowledge. Intelligence unshared is intelligence lost."

He looked startled, as if it hadn't occurred to him that he might be in possession of knowledge his fellows didn't, and vice versa. "I believe you may be correct." He bowed again, "Thank you for your time and…your help."

As if knowing, and perhaps he did, that they wouldn't turn their backs to him, and he shouldn't turn his to them and present too tempting a target, he backed onto his ship. Only when it lifted off did they return to theirs.

"That was…interesting," Riddick commented as he took his seat in the pilot's chair again.

"Hmm… in a way slightly different than an 'oh-god-oh-god-we're-all-gonna-die' type of way." River agreed. "Shall we set it aside and go see Haymer? We must persuade him to take a greater interest in politics."

When they landed on Herschel in the empty field designated for that purpose River was exhausted. What had started out as a series of surgical blows struck to the heart of corruption in the Alliance had turned into a widespread operation to overhaul the entire government. They'd been on the move for more than six months.

The work they'd put in to alter the Walden had been worth its weight in platinum more than once. When the Walden swallowed up the Dagger's Point they effectively disappeared, especially since the Alliance depended on com buoys in order to reference nav sat trajectories. The Courier's pulse beacon had been removed before they'd ever begun to fly her and the Walden looked so old and decrepit a malfunctioning pulse beacon wasn't a surprise at all.

More than once their disappearing act had been the only thing that kept them safe. Riddick had been a good pilot before. Now there was nothing he couldn't make the little ship do. Disengaging the engines to float into the Walden's mid deck had become child's play. With his ability as a pilot and her talents at husking the cortex they were as ghosts in the machine. Universe had taken his leave from the ranch almost three months ago, having found another hidey hole to take over. This one was in the Kalidasa system, a privately-owned moon that had been strip-mined after terraforming and then mostly abandoned, it had another ion cloud around it and thus made the perfect place for a husker like Universe to put down roots. There were some folk who eked out a living panning for gold as it were but for the most part Universe was alone on the rock.

River rubbed her forehead and sent a wave off to the man, reminding him to make a list of needed supplies. Universe would happily live on protein bars as long as he had his cortex arrays and Lenore but he still needed more than that if he wanted to keep from being found.

"Remindin' Universe about his grocery list?" Riddick came up behind her and began to rub her shoulders and neck, his big hands pushing and rubbing at the knots in her spine.

"Hmm… he's forgetting he needs blankets, soap, and other necessities." River sighed in relief as her muscles began to relax.

"We'll take a week here at least, then run the stuff out to him," Riddick scooped her up. "But right now, time for my jùn jié wife to get some rest."

"As if you aren't brilliant in your own right," River smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

He chuckled as he carried her down through the Walden and out towards the house. "Got a wave from Badger and Shazza. They want us to come visit."

That was some welcome news. They'd had to make do with waves rather than see their friends and being able to talk in person and without layers of encryption slowing the process would be a relief. "Hmm… take the week and then go to Persephone?"

"That's what I figured," Riddick agreed and nodded at the housekeeper who'd opened the door for them.

River gave the woman a tired smile, "We haven't eaten, but anything is fine, sandwiches or something. We'll be retiring directly after."

"Yes ma'am," The older woman nodded and shut the door behind them, walking briskly off to the kitchen.

Riddick took the stairs with his effortless stride and pushed open the door the master's suite, settling her gently in one of the soft chairs. "I figure we pick up the supplies on Persephone, and take them out to Universe, see what we feel like doing after."

River nodded and nearly moaned in relief as he began to take her hair out of its chignon, standing behind her and pulling a brush through the waist length locks until she felt boneless. "You're going to make my brain melt," She mumbled and was rewarded with a warm wicked laugh.

"Good. You need some food and rest." He began to unlace her boots. "I'd put you in the bath but I think you might fall asleep in there."

"Wouldn't be wrong," River was falling asleep where she sat.

When she woke up she was being aggressively cuddled by her husband, both of them wrapped in quilts in comfort on the wide bed. Riddick's soft chuckle sent heat to her cheeks as he nuzzled her. "Fell asleep before Mrs. Higgs could even bring us the sandwiches. Made me promise I'd bring you down for breakfast."

"Lots of work these past months," River sighed and kissed the pulse beating in his neck. "But we're nearly finished."

"Gotta admit, once you got them going in the right direction, those Operatives really know how to get things done." Riddick was grinning, she could feel it in his voice and thoughts. "Parliament still doesn't know what hit them."

"Dangerous to give so many men such intimate knowledge and leave them unrestrained by anything but their own minds," River knew she sounded smug but she didn't care. "Everything they were programmed to use upon the Parliament's behalf they are now using against them and Parliament still doesn't realize the half of it."

"I was wondering, none of them have tipped to the fact that their Operatives aren't theirs anymore?" Riddick sounded bemused, as if he couldn't conceive of people being so blind. Perhaps he couldn't, it went against his nature to practice such self-deception.

"So far only a few, but they were quickly misled, or in one case, eliminated when she proved so corrupt that she could not be swayed towards the Parliament's true purpose." River shrugged. "Politicians, very self-involved and uncaring about others until election day."

"Still, didn't think they'd get quite so far as they have," Riddick remarked thoughtfully, his hands petting her hair and skin.

"Many hands make light work," She smiled. "And once they pooled their information, and decided upon a course of action, they are very hard to stop." She looked up at him, "Funny, all they are doing is enforcing the law."

"And getting rid of a few laws that don't seem to serve any but a few wealthy pricks." Her husband seemed fairly satisfied by that.

"Implementing widespread change could take longer," River sighed. "We could be working on this for years."

His lips pressed to her forehead and she could feel the love he had for her, "Well, what else have we got to do? May as well do something useful."

She laughed softly, "True enough. Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus, and we petty men walk under his huge legs and peep about to find ourselves dishonorable graves. Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves, that we are underlings."

Riddick chuckled and kissed her, "Well, let's have a rest and then we'll get back to work."

River pressed up to him and smiled wickedly, "Don't feel like resting right now my zhàng fu ."

"Well let me see what I can do about that," He grinned and tumbled her onto her back.

Riddick looked around the field where the boats were parked, it was filled with people celebrating, half of them folks he didn't know all that well.

Shazza had thrown herself into his arms and hugged him tightly when they'd walked off the Walden. The joy on her face was almost eclipsed by the unfamiliar look of hope on the face of the man beside her. Malcolm Reynolds hadn't had anything to hope for in a long time, and less call to believe anything good would come of that last escapee of Pandora's box.

The ranch at Herschel had become something of a meeting place for Serenity and Walden. Now and then Monty and his crew would come by and everyone would camp out and have a big old party. Today they'd brought another ship along with them, piloted by a set of Browncoats who'd been blockade runners during the war. The little Knorr they flew looked like a puppy next to the Walden. But today was something special.

Shazza let go of him and wrapped River up in another hug before letting her go to beam at the two of them. "I don't know how you did it, but you did." She nudged Mal. "He's so stunned he's speechless."

No one had thought it could be done, Riddick glanced over at his wife, except for her. Even he'd had his doubts. It had taken years. But it was done.

The broadwave had gone out over every cortex screen, the 'puppet theatre' was slightly improved, with some actual investigative reporting as the concept of a free press gained momentum. Adopting the idea of free speech as a law and not just a vague concept had been a huge step in the right direction. And when the law outlawing speech criticizing the Alliance as sedition had been repealed it had taken another couple of giant strides.

Then the Operatives, aided by River's genius with a cortex and Riddick's ability to sniff out trouble, had begun to move the Parliament in a direction approaching democracy for all Alliance citizens, not just the ones who agreed with them.

Sometimes it was hard to believe it had really been six years since he and River had been busted out of the Academy. More than five years since the Miranda Wave.

But the Operative, their Operative as River and he had come to think of him, had been adamant. The day of their escape had been the day the government began to fall. No one was calling it a revolution. Or a rebellion. It wasn't even a war. Not unless a war was fought in boardrooms and statesmen's halls.

Funnily enough, it had been the wives of the Parliament who'd been their most valuable allies. River had searched the archives and found ample comparisons between Victorian Earth and Core Civilization. The women back on Earth-That-Was hadn't had much of a voice in their futures, considered property, stupid as cows. The women married to the members of Parliament hadn't had any trouble drawing correlations between those ancient women and how they themselves were treated. Hostesses, wives, mothers and never allowed to offer their opinion. Pretty bits of fluff unsuited for 'men's work'.

Life at home became much more uncomfortable as the women made their opinions known. Being shown that a woman in high society of White Sun enjoyed less freedom and autonomy than a woman of means on the Border or Rim had outraged them. Professional women had a voice but it was through their guilds, and often those were led by men, or women who had no reason to care about anyone or anything but themselves and their guild. Being protected by someone else's self-interest didn't set well with any of them.

The Operative had chuckled when River had sent him word of what she'd done, starting with her own mother, and commented that the minute men forgot that the female of the species was more deadly than the male, the men were doomed to failure.

Simon and Kaylee and their youngest were chattering happily with Ciara and Shea. Ciara was noticeably pregnant and glowing. All of them were more relaxed and happy than Riddick had ever seen them. There'd been hard times after Miranda, restless murmurings of another war, Browncoats infuriated with the Alliance all over again. Serenity would have been on the drift but for the income from the ranch to keep her going between jobs. Having more mouths to feed hadn't made it any easier, but that hadn't stopped Zoe and Wash. Zoe hadn't told Mal, but she'd been pregnant before Miranda. And afterwards Simon had threatened to put her on bedrest if she didn't take it easy. But she'd made it through and their daughter was one of the prettiest children on Serenity.

River smiled at him, "Our revels now are ended. These our actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits and are melted into air, into thin air: and, like the baseless fabric of this vision, the cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples, the great globe itself, yea, all which it inherit,shall dissolve and, like this insubstantial pageant faded, leave not a rack behind." She took his hand, "The Alliance is dead. Long live the Alliance."

Riddick took her hand and kissed her knuckles, "Old age hath yet his honour and his toil; Death closes all: but something ere the end, some work of noble note, may yet be done, not unbecoming men that strove with Gods." She smiled up at him and he grinned. "We did it Qīng Xiāng."

"The Alliance is finally a democracy," River kissed him. "We have done the best we can. Wàng zǐ chéng lóng ."

"Well, if they get off course, some of those educational reforms ought to put them right again," Riddick grinned and she nodded.

"History is no longer programed by the victors," She agreed. "And now zhàng fu has a new job to learn."

"What's that?" He grinned down at her and wrapped an arm around her waist, moving towards Shea, Simon, Kaylee and Ciara.

"Zhàng fu must learn to become Bà ba," She told him blithely, her scent full of mischief and joy.

When he came to, Shea was roaring with laughter, Simon was smiling and Wash was shaking his head in commiseration. River smirked down at him and he couldn't help laughing where he lay. They had plenty of work to do yet, and there'd always be trouble somewhere, but he had River. His brothers were laughing at him, his sisters were giggling, his wife was pregnant and Mal was looking confused. There might still be work to be done but he wouldn't be doing it alone. He had family. He and River could stop running. They were home.

Author's Note: So we've come to the end and I'm actually posting five days early! I doubt I'll end up writing another big long story in this 'verse. Maybe a one shot or two but I've got so many other ideas percolating I want to keep going with them and not force anything with this one. I hope you enjoyed it and you'll check out some of my other stories if you still want River and Riddick.

Chinese Translations:

zhì 'ài (most beloved)

láng (wolf)

Qīng Xiāng (Sweet Scent)

Wǔ' ān (Good afternoon)

jùn jié (elite/outstanding talent/ genius)

zhàng fu (husband)

Wàng zǐ chéng lóng (lit. to hope one's son becomes a dragon (idiom); fig. to long for one' s child to succeed in life / to have great hopes for one's offspring)

Bà ba (Dad, pops, daddy)

Quote Sources:

The closer you think you are, the less you'll actually see – Now You See Me

The game's afoot. Follow your spirit, and upon this charge. Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!' – Henry V – William Shakespeare

He which hath no stomach to this fight, let him depart; his passport shall be made. And crowns for convoy put into his purse: We would not die in that man's company. That fears his fellowship to die with us. – Henry V – William Shakespeare

For if you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this, but that you first make thieves and then punish them. – Utopia – Thomas Moore

Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus, and we petty men walk under his huge legs and peep about to find ourselves dishonorable graves. Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves, that we are underlings. – Julius Caesar – William Shakespeare

The female of the species was more deadly than the male – Rudyard Kipling

Our revels now are ended. These our actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits and are melted into air, into thin air: and, like the baseless fabric of this vision, the cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples, the great globe itself, yea, all which it inherit,shall dissolve and, like this insubstantial pageant faded, leave not a rack behind. – The Tempest – William Shakespeare

Old age hath yet his honour and his toil; Death closes all: but something ere the end, some work of noble note, may yet be done, not unbecoming men that strove with Gods. – Ulysses – Alfred Lord Tennyson