Treya's eyes opened and she saw unfamiliar surroundings. For a moment, she didn't remember where she was, but soon the memories began filtering in. As she sat up, the room felt as if it were spinning a bit. She closed her eyes, but it didn't seem to help the feeling in the slightest.
Suddenly, she could smell coffee. As her eyes opened, she saw the man who had rescued her, a cup of coffee in hand with a couple of pain relievers.
"Thought you could use these," he said handing them over. There was still a flicker of amusement in his warm brown eyes.
"Thanks," she replied gratefully, taking the medication and sipping at the coffee. It was strong and tasted good. As she started feeling more like herself, her eyes surveyed the ship once again. She hadn't remembered much of her arrival. She had been in a state of shock and panic. But what she saw of the ship, it seemed in good condition. Better condition than her shuttle, she thought, and it was clean and tidy.
"By the way, we're about an hour away from Serenity," he said, sipping his own mug of coffee. "Thought I'd drop you off there. You can make whatever report you need to make there and... well, you'll be okay."
She wasn't convinced after what had happened, but she didn't dare say a word. She just kept sipping at her coffee.
"So what exactly happened to your ship again?" he asked curiously.
"Well, it started with me getting my brother's journal with is blood on it," she replied. "Then when I went to his dig site -- we're both archaeologists -- his camp was destroyed; everything a wreck. But he had a special place that only I knew about where he kept this one artifact, and I went to retrieve it. It used to belong to our parents. As I went to leave the planet, some ship out of nowhere fired on me! I couldn't believe it!" she exclaimed. "I mean, I've never had to deal with anything like that before. I did manage to get away, though I'm still not sure how... but then everything seemed to go wrong on the ship and the next thing I knew the warp core was breaching. I thought I was dead for sure and then you rescued me. I mean, that's the whole story as I know it."
"Could they be trying to kill you for that artifact or his journal?" Jack asked.
She shrugged. "I don't see why anyone would want to kill over either," she replied. "I mean, the artifact itself is very old and the inscriptions can only be read by a handful of people in the galaxy; my brother and I being among them. It's a remnant from the Minosites and was supposed to be a clue to the Temple of Light," she said.
"That's supposed to be a source of power and riches, right?" he asked, having done some reading on ancient myths throughout the quadrant.
She nodded as she finished off her coffee.
"Well, that's your answer," Jack replied.
She sat there stunned. "But this place may not even really exist, and even if it does it might not be what people would expect. That culture's idea of power and wealth could have been much different than current values," she said almost panicked.
"Well, I can tell you from experience, it doesn't stop the people that want those things bad enough," his eyes gazing at her with seriousness.
"They then might have killed my brother, since I have what they want!" She was almost on the verge of tears.
"Oh, come on... I doubt that," he said, though he knew it was a possibility. But he couldn't stand to see a woman cry. It made him feel as if he had to fix what was wrong. "As far as you know, he could be perfectly fine and in hiding."
"But the blood on his journal--"
"Paper cut," he replied.
"The wrecked campsite?" she asked.
Jack paused for a moment. "Wind -- a big gust of wind," he said, not entirely convincingly, though figuring it was as good an answer as any.
"Then where did everyone go?" she asked.
"Do you always have to make things so complicated?" he asked.
"It's just my brother... He's my only family and if I lose him..." Her eyes began to mist again.
"I'm sure he's fine," he said trying to be reassuring. "Why don't you go freshen up? The head -- I mean, the bathroom is just beyond that door."
Treya went to stand up, but her feet weren't ready to hold her just yet and she slipped. By instinct, Jack caught her in his arms. For a moment their eyes locked on one another.
"Thanks," she said barely above a whisper.
"You're welcome," he replied.
For the first time since rescuing her truly noticing how brown her eyes were. He helped her up to her feet once again, making sure she was stable. With a gently smile, and making sure her feet were ready to hold her, she made her way to the door and disappeared behind it. Jack watched her the entire time, simply justifying to himself that he was doing it to make sure she was okay. Finally, he turned his attention back to the flight console and took a seat in the pilot's chair.
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