Chapter 02: The Treasure Hunt
The humming of the Scavenger’s Edge’s newly repaired systems filled the cabin as Kira Lorne worked her way through the ship’s controls, slowly bringing it back online. Jaxon Holt stood across the room, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp, scanning every movement she made. She could feel his gaze on her, but she ignored it. There was no time for distractions. Not now. Not when the stakes were so high.
“Got your systems running again,” Kira said, breaking the silence. She turned in her seat to face him. “Now, care to explain what you meant by a treasure hunt?”
Jaxon didn’t move right away. Instead, he pulled a small data pad from his jacket, his fingers running over the screen with a practiced ease. The device lit up in his hand, and a map of the asteroid belt appeared—dozens of coordinates marked with blinking red dots, each representing a different section of the field.
“You’ve heard of the Ruins of Xanara?” Jaxon asked without looking up.
Kira raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued despite herself. “Who hasn’t? Legendary treasure. Ancient technology. Thought to be nothing more than a myth.”
“That’s the story, yeah,” Jaxon said, his lips twitching into something like a smirk. “But what if I told you the ruins are real? And what if I told you I’ve located them?”
She leaned forward, her curiosity now impossible to suppress. “You’ve found Xanara?”
“I haven’t found it, but I’ve got a lead.” He tapped a specific spot on the map. “Right there. It’s buried deep in the Tholian Asteroid Belt. It’s said to be protected by some of the most dangerous terrain in the galaxy, and no one’s ever made it out alive—until now.”
Kira narrowed her eyes, skeptical. “So you brought me on board for a death mission, is that it?”
“Not a death mission,” he replied, glancing up from his device. “An opportunity. You know this field better than anyone. You’re the one with the skills to navigate through it.”
Kira hesitated, chewing over his words. She’d spent years in these treacherous asteroid fields, always staying one step ahead of danger, but this was different. The Ruins of Xanara were infamous—not just for their danger but for the untold power they were said to harbor. Every scoundrel and treasure hunter in the galaxy had searched for it, and most had never returned.
“What’s the catch?” she asked, keeping her voice steady.
“No catch,” Jaxon said, his gaze unwavering. “But I don’t work with amateurs. You help me find the treasure, you get your fair share.”
“You don’t strike me as someone who gives out shares,” Kira said, her tone sharp.
He shrugged. “In this case, I make exceptions.”
Kira leaned back, running her hand through her short, messy hair. She didn’t trust him—not yet—but there was something in his eyes, a quiet confidence that suggested he wasn’t bluffing. And, as much as she hated to admit it, the idea of Xanara being real stirred something deep within her. She’d spent her life scavenging in the forgotten corners of the galaxy, hunting for relics and treasures long abandoned. But the Ruins of Xanara? The myth had always been out of reach. Until now.
“Fine,” she said, standing up and walking toward him. “But I don’t make deals unless I know exactly what I’m getting into.”
Jaxon looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and for the first time, she saw a flicker of something unspoken in his eyes. A hint of admiration, maybe. “You’re not scared of the danger?”
Kira met his gaze head-on. “Scared of danger? Not at all. But you might want to be scared of me if you don’t hold up your end of the deal.”
Jaxon’s lips twitched again, almost imperceptibly. “Good. Because you’ll need every bit of your courage.”
Kira took a breath and crossed her arms. “Let’s get this treasure, then.”
The Scavenger’s Edge roared to life, its engines powering up as they left the safety of the nearby spaceport. The asteroid belt loomed ahead, a jagged maze of rock and debris that threatened to tear apart anything that ventured too far into its heart. Kira’s hands moved expertly over the controls, guiding the ship through the first few sections of the field with ease. She’d done it a hundred times before. But this time was different.
Beside her, Jaxon remained silent, his focus fixed on the data pad in his hand as he cross-referenced the coordinates. The tension between them was palpable. They had no choice but to work together, but that didn’t mean they trusted each other. It was an uneasy alliance at best.
“Coordinates set,” Jaxon finally said, his voice low. “Stay sharp. We’ll be entering the most dangerous section of the field in a few minutes.”
Kira nodded, her fingers gripping the controls tighter. The ship shuddered as it passed through a dense cluster of asteroids, each one spinning at dizzying speeds, some barely missing the ship’s hull. A few stray rocks hit the outer shields, but the ship held steady.
“So, tell me about Xanara,” Kira asked, her voice cutting through the tension. “What’s so special about it?”
Jaxon glanced up, his expression unreadable. “It’s not just treasure. It’s what the ancients were trying to protect—technology capable of reshaping the universe. Weapons. Knowledge. But it’s not just sitting there waiting for us to take it. There’s a reason no one has come back from the Ruins. They say it’s cursed.”
Kira’s lips curled into a smile. “Cursed, huh? Sounds like just the kind of place I like.”
He didn’t respond, his attention once again locked on the map as they navigated through a particularly tight cluster of asteroids. The ship jolted slightly as they squeezed between two massive rocks, narrowly avoiding collision. Kira’s pulse quickened, but she kept her focus, her mind razor-sharp as the asteroid field threatened to swallow them whole.
They continued in silence for several hours, moving deeper into the heart of the field. Kira could feel the weight of the impending discovery pressing on her, the thrill of the unknown, and the danger of what lay ahead. She wasn’t sure what she expected from this partnership, but with every passing moment, it became clearer that she wasn’t just in this for the treasure. There was something about the way Jaxon worked—his quiet determination, his refusal to give up—that pulled her in. It was as if they were two halves of the same whole.
As they neared the coordinates, Kira slowed the ship to a crawl, scanning the area with the ship’s sensors. She could see nothing but rock and debris.
“This is it,” Jaxon said, his voice barely above a whisper. “The entrance is hidden, but it’s here.”
Kira’s eyes widened as she stared at the swirling mass of asteroids. “How do we find it?”
He smiled faintly. “We don’t need to find it. It’ll find us.”
With those words, the ship lurched forward, as if the very asteroid field was pulling them toward the unknown. And in that moment, Kira realized: the real treasure wasn’t just the Ruins of Xanara—it was what she was about to uncover within herself. Something she never expected. Something that might change everything.
And with that thought, the stars ahead flickered as the ship dove deeper into the heart of the Tholian Asteroid Belt.
