*text
{
	*0 ""
	*0 ""
	*0 "       The Chronicles of Riddick        "
	*0 ""
	*0 "           Alan Dean Foster             "
	*0 ""
	*0 ""
	*0 ""
	*0 "   Based on a motion picture screenplay "
	*0 "        written by David Twohy          "
	*0 ""
	*0 ""
	*0 ""
	*0 ""
	*0 ""
	*0 ""
	*0 "Chapter 1"
	*0 ""
	*0 "No matter how long or how hard they "
	*0 "strive, no matter how extensive "
	*0 "their education as a species, no "
	*0 "matter what they experience of the "
	*0 "small heavens and larger hells they "
	*0 "create for themselves, it seems that "
	*0 "humans are destined to see their "
	*0 "technological accomplishments always "
	*0 "exceed their ability to understand "
	*0 "themselves."
	*0 ""
	*0 "Certainly there was no "
	*0 "understanding, no meeting of the "
	*0 "minds, on the world called Aquila "
	*0 "Major. There was only the "
	*0 "devastation of one mind-set by "
	*0 "another. Proof of it took the form "
	*0 "of a statue fashioned of advanced, "
	*0 "reinforced preformata resin. It was "
	*0 "an imposing piece of work, for all "
	*0 "that it had been reproduced by its "
	*0 "originators on many other worlds. "
	*0 "Too many other worlds, according to "
	*0 "some. Not nearly enough, according "
	*0 "to those who had put it in place, "
	*0 "its massive footing firmly rammed "
	*0 "into the resistant soil of Aquila "
	*0 "Major."
	*0 ""
	*0 "It was a Conquest Icon of the "
	*0 "Necromongers. Over five hundred "
	*0 "meters tall, it gaped openmouthed at "
	*0 "the utter desolation and wreckage "
	*0 "that spread outward from its base. "
	*0 "Whether it was seen as wailing in "
	*0 "despair at its surroundings or "
	*0 "moaning in triumph depended on "
	*0 "whether one was a surviving citizen "
	*0 "of that world's once-splendid "
	*0 "capital city, now reduced to waste "
	*0 "and ruin, or a member of that "
	*0 "peculiar space-dwelling group who "
	*0 "called themselves followers of the "
	*0 "faith known as Necroism."
	*0 ""
	*0 "They had been preparing for such "
	*0 "moments for a very long time. They "
	*0 "had burst out of the great darkness "
	*0 "to impose themselves on the "
	*0 "civilized worlds with a forcefulness "
	*0 "and cool brutality that was as "
	*0 "stunning in its single-mindedness as "
	*0 "it was in its efficiency. Aquila "
	*0 "Major was not the first of their "
	*0 "conquests, nor would it be the last. "
	*0 "As long as there were worlds to be "
	*0 "freed, as long as humans lived who "
	*0 "dwelled in ignorance of their true "
	*0 "destiny, the Necromongers would "
	*0 "continue with their work."
	*0 ""
	*0 "Unlike so much of the humankind who "
	*0 "had spread explosively throughout "
	*0 "the galaxy, the Necromongers were "
	*0 "driven by genuine purpose beyond the "
	*0 "need to merely exist. They believed "
	*0 "fervently in their work, and went "
	*0 "about it with a determination and "
	*0 "competence that was breathtaking to "
	*0 "behold. In the majority of cases, "
	*0 "literally breathtaking. Furthermore, "
	*0 "there was no meanness in them, no "
	*0 "suggestion of brutality for its own "
	*0 "sake or of sadism. Like all true "
	*0 "believers since the beginning of "
	*0 "time, they saw only good arising out "
	*0 "of the destruction they inflicted. "
	*0 "Everything they did was for the "
	*0 "benefit of the destroyed, they knew. "
	*0 "Nor was their great work devoid of "
	*0 "irony."
	*0 ""
	*0 "For it was the dead who triumphed by "
	*0 "passing on, while only the most "
	*0 "dedicated forced themselves to carry "
	*0 "on the work by continuing to "
	*0 "live-until due time."
	*0 ""
	*0 "The Lord Marshal knew this better "
	*0 "than anyone. While longing for his "
	*0 "own time of passing to arrive, he "
	*0 "continued to consecrate his "
	*0 "continuing existence on the present "
	*0 "plane of existence by seeing to it "
	*0 "that as many as possible of his "
	*0 "unaware, improperly informed fellow "
	*0 "humans preceded him onward toward "
	*0 "bliss. During the preceding days, "
	*0 "many had done so here on Aquila "
	*0 "Major. A great many. "
	*0 ""
	*0 "Clad in battle armor that was "
	*0 "intended as much to instill fear and "
	*0 "intimidate any who cast eyes upon it "
	*0 "as it was to protect its wearer, he "
	*0 "stood scowling thoughtfully at the "
	*0 "scene of desolation and redemption "
	*0 "that flamed below him. The fires "
	*0 "were beginning to die out. While the "
	*0 "capital had been taken, opposition "
	*0 "to the balm and comfort his people "
	*0 "brought remained strong in other "
	*0 "cities and in isolated pockets "
	*0 "across the planet. There was still "
	*0 "much work to be done on Aquila "
	*0 "Major."
	*0 ""
	*0 "As to its final outcome, the Lord "
	*0 "Marshal had no doubt. Some worlds "
	*0 "resisted the bringing of the message "
	*0 "more obstinately than others. A few "
	*0 "proved sensible and buckled under at "
	*0 "the mere sight of the Necromongers' "
	*0 "ships. Such worlds were much more to "
	*0 "the Lord Marshal's taste. While they "
	*0 "were to be admired for having "
	*0 "reached a newer, higher state of "
	*0 "being, dead resistance fighters were "
	*0 "no use to the great cause. The "
	*0 "deceased were to be envied, but "
	*0 "could not be recruited."
	*0 ""
	*0 ""
	*0 "Nevertheless, by craft or cajoling, "
	*0 "by force or by bribery, the faith "
	*0 "was advanced. Aquila Major was only "
	*0 "the latest, not the last. No time "
	*0 "was to be wasted here. As soon as "
	*0 "the last pockets of resistance had "
	*0 "been eliminated, the armada would "
	*0 "move to the next, carrying "
	*0 "enlightenment and revelation to the "
	*0 "disbelieving. How he longed for his "
	*0 "own moment of finality, for his turn "
	*0 "to be done with this sordid, "
	*0 "unnatural temporal plane!"
	*0 ""
	*0 "But he could not simply embrace that "
	*0 "of which he knew so much. Having "
	*0 "striven to rise to the exalted "
	*0 "position of lord marshal, it did not "
	*0 "behoove him to surrender it "
	*0 "voluntarily. By the edicts of his "
	*0 "kind he was compelled to master all "
	*0 "that it offered, by offering his "
	*0 "talents to the cause. This he would "
	*0 "continue to do. That he would not be "
	*0 "the one to finish the work he knew "
	*0 "well, as had the various lord "
	*0 "marshals who had preceded him. That "
	*0 "he would be joining them eventually "
	*0 "he also knew."
	*0 ""
	*0 "But first, there was much work to be "
	*0 "done."
	*0 ""
	*0 "Vaako stood nearby. A fine "
	*0 "commander, as dedicated as one could "
	*0 "ask for and a superb solo fighter in "
	*0 "his own right. While his attention "
	*0 "was focused on the Lord Marshal, "
	*0 "that of the saintly Purifier, who "
	*0 "stood nearby, was directed at the "
	*0 "destruction below. Neither man "
	*0 "spoke. There was no need. They had "
	*0 "done what needed to be done, and saw "
	*0 "no reason to comment on it."
	*0 ""
	*0 "Nor did the Lord Marshal have "
	*0 "anything to say. The fire and smoke, "
	*0 "the ruined buildings and flaming "
	*0 "vegetation beneath them were more "
	*0 "eloquent than anything those "
	*0 "beholding it could have voiced. "
	*0 "There were times when it was best to "
	*0 "say nothing, he knew. Time enough "
	*0 "for discussion later, when the last "
	*0 "of Aquila Major's resistance had "
	*0 "been eliminated."
	*0 ""
	*0 "Turning, he moved up the steps on "
	*0 "which he stood. His commanders and "
	*0 "the chief spiritual adviser of their "
	*0 "people followed. Once they were "
	*0 "within the Basilica, the massive "
	*0 "portal, through which they had "
	*0 "briefly emerged to view in person "
	*0 "the horrendous yet beautiful vista "
	*0 "below, closed tightly behind them, "
	*0 "sealing them in the ship that was "
	*0 "their home and their purpose."
	*0 ""
	*0 "Rumbling to itself, the immense "
	*0 "Basilica vessel that had been "
	*0 "hovering over the once-striking and "
	*0 "now thrice-struck capital city "
	*0 "lifted skyward. Slowly at first, but "
	*0 "with a gathering speed and momentum "
	*0 "that were as formidable as the "
	*0 "purpose for which it had been built. "
	*0 ""
	*0 "              * * *"
	*0 ""
	*0 "There are habitable worlds, and "
	*0 "there are uninhabitable worlds. "
	*0 "There are also worlds that can be "
	*0 "rendered marginally habitable, but "
	*0 "never should be. Foremost among the "
	*0 "latter was a hellish, geologically "
	*0 "schizoid, melted and re-formed "
	*0 "planetary body of unremarkable size "
	*0 "and appearance whose astronomical "
	*0 "designation no one bothered to "
	*0 "repeat because it had long since "
	*0 "been supplanted in the vernacular by "
	*0 "the name that had been given to it "
	*0 "by its inhabitants. Or rather, its "
	*0 "inmates."
	*0 ""
	*0 "Crematoria."
	*0 ""
	*0 "On most worlds, the time just before "
	*0 "sunrise is a period of calm and "
	*0 "preparation. Of quiet introspection "
	*0 "and looking-forward. A time to "
	*0 "awaken and gather oneself in "
	*0 "readiness for a bright, new day. On "
	*0 "Crematoria, pre-sunrise was a time "
	*0 "to be denied, avoided, shunned. This "
	*0 "was one world where dawn killed."
	*0 ""
	*0 "The two prison guards lugging their "
	*0 "burden along the rough path that "
	*0 "wound its tortured way through the "
	*0 "scarred, twisted lava field knew "
	*0 "that. They moved with the urgency of "
	*0 "men assigned to an unpleasant duty "
	*0 "that they had tried, and failed, to "
	*0 "avoid. The fact that their load "
	*0 "consisted of one of their own "
	*0 "engendered no special feelings of "
	*0 "additional sympathy on their part, "
	*0 "even though they knew it could just "
	*0 "as easily have been one of them. The "
	*0 "fact that the dead man was a former "
	*0 "colleague and friend did not make "
	*0 "his demised corpus any less heavy."
	*0 ""
	*0 "Relieved at having reached their "
	*0 "destination, they finally halted "
	*0 "near a shallow depression that had "
	*0 "been machine gouged from reluctant "
	*0 "rock. The small hollow was not "
	*0 "empty. It was filled with ash, from "
	*0 "which protruded a few angular "
	*0 "objects. On closer inspection, one "
	*0 "became recognizable as a human "
	*0 "femur, another as part of a skull. "
	*0 "The rest were well on their way to "
	*0 "being reduced to the powder that was "
	*0 "slowly engulfing them. No artificial "
	*0 "agency had been employed to reduce "
	*0 "these remnants of what had once been "
	*0 "human beings to their constituent "
	*0 "chemical components. None was "
	*0 "needed."
	*0 ""
	*0 "They only had to wait for sunrise."
	*0 ""
	*0 "From the container they had been "
	*0 "carrying, the two men extracted the "
	*0 "body of a third and dumped him "
	*0 "unceremoniously onto the pile, "
	*0 "sending up a small cloud of dust. "
	*0 "The body was not intact. It was "
	*0 "marred by deep bruises and multiple "
	*0 "lacerations. One glance was enough "
	*0 "to tell that these wounds had not "
	*0 "been incurred in a fall or some "
	*0 "other accident. The unfortunate had "
	*0 "been involved in a fight that, as "
	*0 "clear as the sharp-edged horizon, he "
	*0 "had lost. Among the few effects that "
	*0 "still adorned his corpse was a "
	*0 "visual ident that read \"V. Pavlov.\" "
	*0 "Some wag back in the prison had "
	*0 "ventured to say that the guard had "
	*0 "died like a dog. No one had laughed."
	*0 ""
	*0 "The anxious pair who had been "
	*0 "charged with conveying the former V. "
	*0 "Pavlov to his final resting place "
	*0 "looked around uneasily, plainly in a "
	*0 "hurry to get away from where they "
	*0 "were. There was no thought of "
	*0 "digging a grave. It would be a "
	*0 "wasted exercise. None would arrive "
	*0 "to bear witness over it or view it. "
	*0 "Anything they might erect over such "
	*0 "an excavation would quickly go the "
	*0 "way of the body itself. Crematoria "
	*0 "would see to that."
	*0 ""
	*0 "\"Should we, uh, say something? I "
	*0 "mean, I knew Vladimir pretty well. "
	*0 "He wasn't a bad guy.\" On Crematoria, "
	*0 "this might be considered a high "
	*0 "compliment: one that could be "
	*0 "applied equally to guard or "
	*0 "prisoner."
	*0 ""
	*0 "His companion was gazing nervously "
	*0 "eastward. The dull maroon glow that "
	*0 "had been seeping over the ragged, "
	*0 "distant mountains was beginning to "
	*0 "pale toward crimson. Very soon now "
	*0 "it would fade to pink, then yellow, "
	*0 "and then to white. When it turned "
	*0 "white, anything organic would do "
	*0 "well to be as far underground as "
	*0 "possible."
	*0 ""
	*0 "\"Sure. Recite a whole sermon, if you "
	*0 "want.\" He indicated the motionless "
	*0 "body of their former colleague. \"I'm "
	*0 "sure Vlad won't interrupt you. Take "
	*0 "all the time you want. I'll wait for "
	*0 "you-inside.\" A curt nod indicated "
	*0 "the coming dawn."
	*0 ""
	*0 "His friend was already starting to "
	*0 "backpedal, physically as well as "
	*0 "spiritually. \"Maybe I'll say "
	*0 "something later. I knew Vladimir. He "
	*0 "wouldn't want us to be late for "
	*0 "breakfast.\""
	*0 ""
	*0 "The other man had already started "
	*0 "for the nearby access tunnel. \"Shit, "
	*0 "if it was you or me, he'd already "
	*0 "have gotten the hell out of here.\" "
	*0 ""
	*0 "It was as appropriate a description "
	*0 "of their situation as it was of "
	*0 "their surroundings. "
	*0 ""
	*0 "              * * *"
	*0 ""
	*0 "Down Below was business as "
	*0 "usual-which is to say, messy, loud, "
	*0 "crude, and unpleasant. Used to their "
	*0 "surroundings, the three guards "
	*0 "muscling the transfer box did not "
	*0 "comment on it, did not bemoan their "
	*0 "fate. They were being paid good "
	*0 "money to endure a routine of daily "
	*0 "crap, money that was piling up in "
	*0 "distant credit accounts even as they "
	*0 "toiled to move the box. They often "
	*0 "let their thoughts drift toward such "
	*0 "accounts. It helped them to get "
	*0 "through each day. Sometimes such "
	*0 "thoughts were all that helped them "
	*0 "to get through each day."
	*0 ""
	*0 "No noise came from within the box. "
	*0 "No trouble. That suited them just "
	*0 "fine. Occasionally, one would bend "
	*0 "slightly to peer at one of the air "
	*0 "vents that riddled the container. "
	*0 "Its contents did not look back. Just "
	*0 "as well. There were rules. As a "
	*0 "guard on Crematoria, you bent the "
	*0 "rules at considerable risk to your "
	*0 "comparatively elevated status. Bend "
	*0 "them far enough and you might find "
	*0 "yourself on the other side of the "
	*0 "social divide. That would be more "
	*0 "than uncomfortable: it would be "
	*0 "fatal. So the guard kept his "
	*0 "thoughts to himself and concentrated "
	*0 "on the work at hand."
	*0 ""
	*0 "As they passed one of the kennels, "
	*0 "something with eyes bright with "
	*0 "murder moved closer to the bars of "
	*0 "its cage and began to howl. Its "
	*0 "neighbors joined in. No human throat "
	*0 "was capable of producing such "
	*0 "sounds, though human ears could hear "
	*0 "them. One of the guards snapped a "
	*0 "curse in the direction of the center "
	*0 "cage. Shining eyes swiveled to focus "
	*0 "on him. The guard met the luminous, "
	*0 "unearthly stare for a brief moment "
	*0 "before looking away. He was not "
	*0 "concerned. The cages were strong, "
	*0 "and the howling things within, "
	*0 "insofar as they could be controlled, "
	*0 "were allies."
	*0 ""
	*0 "His tone spiced with agitation, the "
	*0 "man in the lead looked back at the "
	*0 "box. \"Oughta know better by now. You "
	*0 "act like an animal, gonna slot you "
	*0 "up like one. Rules. Shoulda worked "
	*0 "it different.\""
	*0 ""
	*0 "While carrying out his duty, the "
	*0 "speaker's nearest companion was also "
	*0 "experiencing a moment of unusual "
	*0 "thoughtfulness. \"Poor fuckin' "
	*0 "Pavlov. Never had a chance, "
	*0 "one-on-one like that.\""
	*0 ""
	*0 "The first speaker was less than "
	*0 "sympathetic. \"He shoulda watched "
	*0 "himself. Always relyin' on his size, "
	*0 "underestimatin' the opposition. "
	*0 "Never, never do that. Size don't "
	*0 "mean nothin' if you ain't got the "
	*0 "moves.\" Glancing back, he directed "
	*0 "his words to the inhabitant of the "
	*0 "box. \"You know all about that, don't "
	*0 "you, Big Foe? You get what you give "
	*0 "'round here. But when you get it-aw, "
	*0 "that's the thing. When.\" It was not "
	*0 "a direct threat, but the ugly "
	*0 "implication in his voice could not "
	*0 "be ignored. However the inhabitant "
	*0 "of the box felt about it, the "
	*0 "observation was greeted only with "
	*0 "more silence."
	*0 ""
	*0 "Still muttering to himself, the "
	*0 "other guard in front continued to "
	*0 "remember his overconfident dead "
	*0 "colleague. \"This one's always been "
	*0 "trouble. I knew it from the first. I "
	*0 "smelled it.\""
	*0 ""
	*0 "Behind him, another guard thought to "
	*0 "comment, to make a joke. In the end, "
	*0 "he kept his thoughts to himself. "
	*0 "Pavlov had always gone looking for "
	*0 "trouble. Finally, he'd found it. "
	*0 "While helping to move the transfer "
	*0 "box, the guard was careful to keep "
	*0 "his distance from it."
	*0 ""
	*0 ""
	*0 "They reached their destination: an "
	*0 "empty kennel. Around them, the "
	*0 "howling of the unseen things with "
	*0 "the shining eyes intensified. Intent "
	*0 "on their work, the guards ignored "
	*0 "the inhuman baying. Moving the box "
	*0 "was one thing. Safely transferring "
	*0 "its single occupant from box to "
	*0 "kennel was something else."
	*0 ""
	*0 "Setting the box down in front of the "
	*0 "open kennel slot, three of the men "
	*0 "positioned themselves at intervals "
	*0 "around the container while their "
	*0 "remaining two companions warily "
	*0 "moved to open it. Safeties were slid "
	*0 "simultaneously off box and weapons. "
	*0 "Operating together, the pair at the "
	*0 "front of the box worked the seals "
	*0 "until the doors clicked open. Almost "
	*0 "immediately, they stepped back. "
	*0 "Fast."
	*0 ""
	*0 "The occupants of the kennels howled "
	*0 "louder. Fingers tensed on triggers. "
	*0 "Eyes focused with unblinking "
	*0 "intensity on the minimally "
	*0 "acceptable space between open kennel "
	*0 "and open box."
	*0 ""
	*0 "Nothing happened."
	*0 ""
	*0 "Maulsticks came out and were jammed "
	*0 "through the box's air vents. "
	*0 "Muttered invective filled the air. "
	*0 "Delaying the inevitable meant that "
	*0 "less insufferable duties were also "
	*0 "being delayed. Already in a bad "
	*0 "mood, the recalcitrance of the box's "
	*0 "occupant was making the guards' mood "
	*0 "worse. "
	*0 ""
	*0 "It was not improved when the box's "
	*0 "inhabitant managed to grab the end "
	*0 "of one maulstick, turn it around, "
	*0 "and jab its owner in the hand. The "
	*0 "guard howled at the pain, a feeble "
	*0 "parody of the hellish growling that "
	*0 "filled the chamber, and grabbed his "
	*0 "injured hand. Blood appeared that "
	*0 "was not the prisoner's. "
	*0 ""
	*0 "Disgusted, the man in charge of the "
	*0 "delivery quintet moved forward. So "
	*0 "did a companion. Maulstick still "
	*0 "slung at his belt, grim faced, the "
	*0 "latter was raising the muzzle of his "
	*0 "riot gun. "
	*0 ""
	*0 "He did not need to use it. Which was "
	*0 "just as well, since he didn't have "
	*0 "time to bring it to bear on its "
	*0 "presumed target. That individual "
	*0 "streaked from the interior of the "
	*0 "box into the waiting kennel, a blur "
	*0 "that would have been difficult even "
	*0 "for the most alert marksman to draw "
	*0 "a bead on. "
	*0 ""
	*0 "Monitored by automatics, the kennel "
	*0 "door slammed shut. Lockseals slipped "
	*0 "into place. They were old and well "
	*0 "used, but they functioned "
	*0 "efficiently enough. Transfer "
	*0 "completed, the guards let out sighs "
	*0 "of relief. The delivery had gone off "
	*0 "more or less as planned. The idiot "
	*0 "who'd been jabbed by his own "
	*0 "maulstick had only gotten what he'd "
	*0 "deserved for his carelessness. A "
	*0 "hand that would sting for a few days "
	*0 "was a cheap enough lesson. "
	*0 ""
	*0 "Relaxed now, ignoring both the "
	*0 "safely secured prisoner and the "
	*0 "howling of her inhuman kennel-mates, "
	*0 "they moved to vacate the area. "
	*0 "Behind them, their delivery pressed "
	*0 "against the narrow space between the "
	*0 "restraining bars. She was, in her "
	*0 "own way, pretty. Just like a finely "
	*0 "crafted stiletto. One would want to "
	*0 "sleep very, very carefully with "
	*0 "either. Maybe she was seventeen. She "
	*0 "certainly was not sweet. At the "
	*0 "sight of a human abandoned in their "
	*0 "company, however unreachable it "
	*0 "might be, the things that inhabited "
	*0 "the surrounding cages redoubled "
	*0 "their alien howling. Eyes glistened, "
	*0 "damp with unfulfillable expectation. "
	*0 "The girl reacted."
	*0 ""
	*0 "\"Can we SHUT UP THE GODDAMN NOISE?\" "
	*0 ""
	*0 "Delivered with the force and "
	*0 "sharpness of an ascending razor, the "
	*0 "unexpected demand was fulfilled-for "
	*0 "about two seconds. Then the howling "
	*0 "resumed, wilder and more crazed than "
	*0 "ever. Within the narrow cage, the "
	*0 "girl sat down on the hard, smooth "
	*0 "floor, a surface as unyielding and "
	*0 "uncomfortable as that of Crematoria "
	*0 "itself. Putting her hands over her "
	*0 "ears, she closed her eyes and began "
	*0 "to rock back and forth, slowly, "
	*0 "reciting something silently to "
	*0 "herself even though there was no one "
	*0 "else to overhear. "
	*0 ""
	*0 "\"Big Foe,\" indeed."
	*0 ""
	*0 "              * * *"
	*0 ""
	*0 "The snow came in waves, like "
	*0 "breaking foam absent the surf. It "
	*0 "swirled around the disgruntled "
	*0 "mercenary like wet sand. On high "
	*0 "alert, his thoughts occupied "
	*0 "elsewhere, he hardly noticed the "
	*0 "squall. He was wary but not afraid. "
	*0 "While the storm cut his personal "
	*0 "visibility down to next to nothing, "
	*0 "his instruments cut through the "
	*0 "white-out as if the day had dawned "
	*0 "clear and sunny. "
	*0 ""
	*0 "He was cold, however. Despite his "
	*0 "high-tech arctic gear, the wind and "
	*0 "damp found ways through to his skin, "
	*0 "burrowing beneath layers of clothing "
	*0 "to sting like ants. His hands were "
	*0 "steady, however. It would not have "
	*0 "mattered had they been shaking, "
	*0 "because the gun he carried was "
	*0 "designed not for accuracy but for "
	*0 "spread. It would stop anything that "
	*0 "materialized in front of it within a "
	*0 "140-degree range of spray. Telltales "
	*0 "on its top and side indicated that "
	*0 "it was powered up and ready to kill."
	*0 ""
	*0 ""
	*0 "It was a good thing all his "
	*0 "instruments were working. Never "
	*0 "bright, the light of this world's "
	*0 "sun shaded all the way over into the "
	*0 "ultraviolet, much as its fauna "
	*0 "tended to the ultra violent. Right "
	*0 "now there wasn't much to see by, or "
	*0 "to see. For the latter he was "
	*0 "grateful. With one exception. "
	*0 "Despite his advanced gear and a "
	*0 "wealth of personal experience in the "
	*0 "trade, Codd's quarry continued to "
	*0 "elude him. That it continued to do "
	*0 "so was beginning to grate. His was a "
	*0 "business in which personal as well "
	*0 "as professional pride was taken in "
	*0 "delivering the goods. This was one "
	*0 "delivery that was particularly "
	*0 "overdue. "
	*0 ""
	*0 "Something stained the low snowdrift "
	*0 "in front of him. Moving closer, he "
	*0 "flashed his organalyzer at it. "
	*0 "Blood. But whose? Or in the case of "
	*0 "this particular planet, what's? "
	*0 ""
	*0 "His communicator sputtered something "
	*0 "unintelligible. Preoccupied with the "
	*0 "stain, he moved closer and waited "
	*0 "for the organalzyer to deliver a "
	*0 "more detailed verdict. The "
	*0 "discoloration in the snow was dark "
	*0 "purple, but in the light of this "
	*0 "world's sun, that was no sure "
	*0 "indicator of origin. A second time, "
	*0 "the communicator in his ear buzzed "
	*0 "for attention. He tapped it with one "
	*0 "finger, as if by so doing he could "
	*0 "simultaneously clear the static and "
	*0 "deliver a smack to the caller at the "
	*0 "other end. Dammit, he was busy. "
	*0 ""
	*0 "\"Hang on, hang on. I'm on something "
	*0 "here.\" "
	*0 ""
	*0 "The screen on the organalyzer "
	*0 "cleared, uninformative statistics "
	*0 "and DNA details giving way to a "
	*0 "schematic extracted from a series of "
	*0 "exploration scans. The result was a "
	*0 "diagram of something big, alien, and "
	*0 "white as the snow sifting steadily "
	*0 "down around him ought to be. It was "
	*0 "bipedal and equipped with serious "
	*0 "dentition. One did not have to be an "
	*0 "experienced xenobiologist to deduce "
	*0 "that the latter were designed for "
	*0 "something more than masticating "
	*0 "vegetables. "
	*0 ""
	*0 "There was also a name-provisional, "
	*0 "as was usually the case with "
	*0 "examples of alien life-forms that "
	*0 "were rarely encountered, aggressive, "
	*0 "and disagreeably homicidal: Urzo "
	*0 "giganticus."
	*0 ""
	*0 "Unwilling to go away and let him "
	*0 "concentrate, the voice in his ear "
	*0 "finally cleared enough to demand, "
	*0 "\"Whatcha got, Codd?\" "
	*0 ""
	*0 "\"Sit on it a minute, willya, Doc-T?\" "
	*0 "Holding his weapon a little tighter, "
	*0 "Codd checked to make double sure "
	*0 "there was a high-explosive shell in "
	*0 "the launching chamber before moving "
	*0 "past the stain. Beyond, in a "
	*0 "slightly protected hollow, he found "
	*0 "something more impressive than "
	*0 "blood. A footprint, clean and made "
	*0 "too recently to have been filled in "
	*0 "by following snow. Its appearance "
	*0 "was formidable. "
	*0 ""
	*0 "\"Christ, all we need . . . Like this "
	*0 "job hasn't already been trouble "
	*0 "enough.\" Remembering the querying "
	*0 "voice in his ear, he raised his "
	*0 "voice above the wind as he spoke "
	*0 "toward the communicator's pickup. "
	*0 "\"Hey, Johns, you know that big "
	*0 "extinct thing? The one Preliminary "
	*0 "kept talking about? Well, it ain't. "
	*0 "Watch your spine, and I don't mean "
	*0 "when it's held up in front of you. "
	*0 "Between this and our other problem-\""
	*0 ""
	*0 "He broke off. Was that a shape, "
	*0 "moving within the storm? Quickly, he "
	*0 "checked his scanner. Nothing. Shit, "
	*0 "a man could get twitchy out here. "
	*0 "Even someone as experienced as him. "
	*0 "He took a step forward. Good thing "
	*0 "he knew how to-"
	*0 ""
	*0 "His scanner wailed at the same "
	*0 "instant he did. Before the feeble "
	*0 "lavender light of this world's sun "
	*0 "went out permanently, he had a brief "
	*0 "glimpse of something behind him. It "
	*0 "was massive, and white, and "
	*0 "perfectly horrible. Its mouth "
	*0 "flashed lethal ivory. "
	*0 ""
	*0 "The communicator's earpiece crackled "
	*0 "in the snow. There was no one to "
	*0 "hear or respond to the increasingly "
	*0 "fretful queries it emitted, even "
	*0 "though it was still attached to an "
	*0 "ear. Unfortunately, the ear was no "
	*0 "longer attached to anything except "
	*0 "the earpiece."
	*0 ""
	*0 "              E N D"
}