Jack had picked Treya up and placed her on the bed over an hour ago, but he hadn't left her side. In fact, even Charger was curled up beside her.
There was more than a hint of worry in Jack's warm brown eyes as he watched over her as he sat on the edge of the bed.
They had been on Vedara for the better part of two weeks. During that time, Katreya had hardly slept . . . barely ate. She was too focused on the journal and the clues, trying to figure out where on Vedara they needed to go. Though that was important, Jack didn't think it should be done at the expense of herself.
However, he hadn't tried to stop her much. Each and every time he had tried, he'd been met by great resistance and just decided he'd have to wait until she finally crashed, which she now had done. But what concerned Jack the most was that she looked so pale and thin . . . He couldn't believe the difference just a couple of weeks could make in a person.
Today, he was going to put his foot down and make sure she rested or at least did something to distract her mind. She needed a day where she wasn't focusing on her brother's journal or her brother for that matter . . . because if she kept going at the rate she was, he knew she would destroy herself and then she wouldn't be able to help anyone, and he wouldn't be able to help her.
Charger whined softly against Katreya. Jack pat the Shepard on the head and smiled gently.
"She'll be okay," he said. "She just needs to rest . . ."
But Charger didn't look convinced as he laid his head back down.
Almost three hours later, Treya woke up with a start. Where am I? she thought for a moment since her dream had had her back on Timuck III, but then reality came crashing back . . . Michael . . . She almost started crying, but caught herself as an arm went around her.
"Shhhhhh . . . It's okay," Jack said softly, as he pulled her into his arms. "It's going to be okay . . ."
"How is it going to be okay?" she said, finally crying. "I'm not making any headway . . . I know we're suppose to be here, but I can't find the start point. The clue is so vague and so much could have changed in all this time . . What if I can't ever find it and . . . Michael -"
"Don't think about that," he said gently, caressing her back, trying to get her to relax. "He'll be okay . . . He will. You just have to believe that."
She was quiet for a moment as she sniffed; her tears finally stopping. Finally, he tilted her face up to him. Though her eyes were still a little red, she was no longer crying. He couldn't resist touching her face, and leaning forward to kiss her.
She easily melted into his touch. For these moments, he always managed to make everything disappear except them. But after his tender kiss, he pulled back and gazed into her dark eyes. Even though he was smiling, she searched his eyes for what was going on.
"What?" she finally asked.
"Even running yourself to exhaustion, you still look beautiful," he said.
She smiled brightly. "I must have been really tired. I don't remember getting in bed."
"That's because you fell asleep at the table," he replied. "I picked you up and carried you in here. You needed to sleep . . . Really; you've been running yourself too hard, Treya."
"I'm fine," she replied, trying to dismiss his concern. "In fact, I should get back to the journal and-"
"I don't think so," he replied. "Not today . . ."
"What do you mean, you don't think so?" a touch of annoyance in her voice.
"You need to relax . . . You're running yourself into the ground and it's not going to do anyone any good if you continue to do that," he said.
"But I have to find-"
"The next clue? I got that," he replied. "But you're killing yourself here . . You need to stop and take a break. And you know, thinking about something else for awhile might even help clear your mind for when you finally go back to that journal-thing . . ."
Treya was silent as she gazed at him. A good part of her knew he was right, and she had to admit that lately Jack had been right about several things . . . But she was so afraid of losing Michael . . . Her brother was her last remaining family member. What was she going to do?
"I was thinking we could just spend a day hanging around Vedara and take in some of the more leisurely activities. The Vedarans are known for their Artwork and craftsmanship. In fact, maybe you could do some shopping. All women love to shop, don't they?" he asked.
At that, Treya couldn't help herself and giggled softly. "Most women I know of," she replied.
"And are you one of those women?" he asked.
"Sometimes," she replied, her eyes sparkling. "Depends on the day."
"Then why don't we find out if this is one of those days," he said, smiling. "I'll leave you to get changed and then we'll get out of here. Come on, Charger," he said as he got off the bed, but Charger didn't move. "Charger," he said again, but again, the Australian Shepard wouldn't move. With that, Jack sighed. "Fine, stay here," he grumbled and walked out of the room.
Treya couldn't help a giggle as she scratched the dog behind his ears. "Do you like me, or something?" she smiled, as he licked her face.
Jack and Treya were strolling down a street at the edge of Marasae, the main city of Vedara. It was close to the edge of the jungle that covered great spaces of the planet. This section of town was filled with many craftsman busily working . . . But these were not the things that were sold as souvenirs on the busy main streets to tourists. These were the items that were reserved for those that knew how to order them . . . or those lucky enough to come to this street.
During their walk, Jack had come across a lovely necklace. Without waiting for her approval, he bought it for her. When he gave it to her, the delight in her eyes was enough to make him smile. As they walked on, she saw a place selling unusual items . . . Several of the items were artifacts. As she looked them over carefully, she asked where they had been found. The man just shrugged his shoulders and pointed into the jungle.
"People go in . . . some do not come out . . . Others bring back things like this," he said.
She bought a statuette of what must have been a goddess of fertility - she had a cat's face, but the body of a woman, yet also the tail of a feline. She also displayed a swollen belly - one that looked as if she were with child. Treya also bought a piece of mud brick that had writing on it and the last was an ancient medallion of gold and silver encrusted with an array of colorful jewels.
Finally as they left, Jack looked at her. "Wow, you certainly got a lot," he replied.
"I can never resist good artifacts . . . Besides, they could help us in our search," he said.
He suddenly raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "What are you thinking of, that you're not supposed to be thinking of?"
She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Old habits die hard," Treya replied.
Jack smiled and nodded. "Okay, I'll let you get away with it this time."
She laughed softly. "You know, I could use something to drink . . "
"Good, there's a café around the corner," he replied.
She looked at him curiously.
"Didn't I tell you I knew my way around?" he said.
"Well, yeah, but . . ."
Jack smiled as he took her hand again. "Come on," he replied. "You'll like it. They serve great food."
The café was a small affair. There were only half a dozen tables, but it was clean and it had a homey feel . . . one that reflected the Vedarans. The smell coming from the kitchen was good too - sweet and spicy, and it actually made Katreya's mouth water. As soon as they were seated, a waitress came to them.
"What would you like?" she asked, her dark hair pulled away from her face. She had bronze skin and ice blue eyes. There were also streaks of black skin down the sides of her neck. It was the mark of the Vedarans species.
"What's that fantastic smell?" Treya asked.
"That would be the Carokai soup," she replied.
"I'll take a bowl of that," she replied. "And some hot berry tea."
"I'll have the same, but with coffee instead," Jack said.
"And how would you like your coffee?"
"Black," he replied.
She smiled. "I'll have your orders up in a minute." With that the waitress walked away.
Treya turned her attention back to the mud brick as she pulled it out of the bag and looked at it. As she studyed the writing on it, she seemed to be completely engrossed.
"That interesting, huh?" Jack asked as the waitress brought their drinks and left again.
"Well, this is in the same language as that tablet my parents had. You know, the one that's a clue to the Temple of Light," she said. "Those people were definitely on this world once . . . Maybe even founded it . . "
"What does the rock say?" he asked, not sure if he was really interested as he sipped his coffee. But he listened for Treya's sake.
"It's almost like a riddle," she replied. "To find what you seek, then seek what you find . . . But you can't look out, you must look inside . ." She stared at it a little longer when suddenly she ran her fingers over the bottom edge. Suddenly, she pushed her thumb into it. With a little force, it gave; crumbling away. She crumbled more away, as the dried mud pieces splattered the table and the floor. As she got enough of the side cleared, she tipped the brick on its end over her outstretched hand. Suddenly, out slipped a small device unlike anything they'd seen before. It was dark colored, but trimmed with gold. On its surface there seemed to be a holographic map.
"And these were ancient people?" he asked.
"I never said they were primitive," she smiled. "On top of that, they did get to different worlds so this shouldn't be that much of a surprise."
"Okay . . . but what is it?" he asked, getting more interested as he watched the surface colors change, bringing forth a new image.
"It's a map of some kind," Treya smiled. "And look! It leads into the jungle, almost at this spot! I bet this would lead us where we need to go!" The excitement in her eyes showed brightly. "We could grab a few things for a hike and head out!"
"No," he replied.
"What do you mean no!" she replied in disbelief. "This could be the break we've been waiting for!!"
"Not right now," he replied firmly. "Today you're going to rest. Tomorrow we can go for the hike. You're already exhausted. Its one thing to walk down a city street, but it's another to go traipsing around the jungle. Look, a day isn't going to make that much of a difference except maybe in your health. So, just . . . Spend the time with me today. Okay?"
Treya sighed. "All right . . ." she agreed grudgingly.
As the waitress came with their soup, they ate in silence after clearing up the table of the mud brick debris. But Treya could sense that perhaps Jack had been right. She didn't feel like herself . . . and she was physically, if not mentally tired.
He watched her for a bit as he finished his soup. She'd barely gotten half way through her own, before he saw the exhaustion in her face again.
"Maybe after this, we'd better go back to the hotel," he said. "You could use a little more rest I think."
She smiled and took his hand. "You know, I wouldn't mind going back to the hotel," she said as her eyes met his. "But I wasn't thinking of resting . "
Jack looked at her with a smile of his own, picked up her hand and kissed it. "Finish eating first," he replied.
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