Morning

            

          Daylight filtered through a couple of cracks in the walls and ceiling. Jonathan opened his eyes and looked around in the faint light. He sat up in the pile of dry grass. He listened for sounds of the storm but he heard nothing other than a couple notes of birdsong on the other side of the wall.

            For the first time in a year, maybe two, Jonathan was not just calm, but serene. The woman he loved, without a doubt, lay sleeping on a blanket with a faint smile on her face and dry grass in her tousled hair, certainly unaware of his adoration at that moment. Time itself stopped briefly. He was torn among his choices of waking her, kissing her, touching her, or letting her be. 
              Lost in his thoughts, Jonathan realized his life had changed forever overnight. It could never be the same as before they had joined. Madness had taken over his intent to love her slowly and gently. Riaan was as equally as passionate, as if whatever was locked inside of her had been set free. In turn, her joy set him free as he'd not remembered was even possible. 
              He finally saw the room they had been held in. It was maybe 6 by 9 meters, with a hard dirt floor, and a large double door at the farthest end. Jonathan scrambled off the pile of grass carefully so as to not disturb Riaan. He rattled the door, finding it locked on the outside. He scoured the perimeter but found nothing suitable for anything larger than a mouse to squeeze through.

            Blue and white light began to sparkle in a tiny spot on the floor. A communicator appeared in its place. Archer picked it up and flipped the device open. He pushed a small button to hail the ship.

            “Archer to Discovery,” he said as loudly as he dared.  Looking around, he listened for Orions talking or walking outside.

            “Admiral, are you alright? We didn’t hear from you but couldn’t come down in the storm.”  He recognized Captain Mitchell’s voice.

            "The Orions have us locked up in a barn,” Archer told him. “Dr Riaan and I could use a hand getting out of here.” The chain and lock rattled on the double doors. “Hurry!”

            “Archer,” came Harrad-Sar’s voice.  “The storm is over,” and the doors opened to the hulking man. He marched in, a weapon drawn, and stood triumphantly in the morning light that burned Archer’s eyes. A few meters behind, Riaan woke from the noise and light as well. “It’s time to go, Old Friend. The ship is waiting,” he said, waving the phasor to direct him out the door. “Her too! I might be able to get a good bargain for a doctor on the Rigelian market.”

            “You wanted me, Harrad-Sar, you can take me, but she goes back to Starfleet, not to Rigel.”

            “Oh, here we go again, Archer. I let you keep your commander, but your doctor is too fine to pass up. She’ll be worth a small fortune. Not as much as you, but-“

            Archer sprang at the giant with fury. Catching Harrad-Sar off guard, he threw himself at his neck and knocked them both down together in the dirt. The henchman were nowhere in sight as back up. Riaan darted towards them and picked up Harrad-Sar’s phasor.  While the two of them wrestled, she aimed the pistol at the big green target and squeezed the trigger button. A burst of yellow light shot out and hit the Orion in the back. He was quickly stunned, and crashed forward on top of Archer, pinning him to the floor.

            “Jon!” and she ran to the pile of arms and legs scuffling in a cloud of dust.

            “Can’t…breathe!” came a strangled voice on the floor. “Shoot him again!” Archer commanded with all the voice he could muster. “Shoot him!”

            Riaan blasted the yellow fire on him again, causing enough nerves to jump Harrad-Sar’s body that Archer could free himself, except for one arm. She dropped the phasor and ran to Jon’s aid, pulling with him and bracing herself with her foot against the Orion’s torso. With a modified combat roll, Archer freed his arm, tearing off half a shirt sleeve on some piece of the brute’s jewelry or cyborg enhancements. He scrambled to his feet kicking up more dust.

            “Let’s get out of here,” Archer commanded and with a hop, he picked up Harrad-Sar’s phasor and then grabbed Riaan’s arm on his way out of the barn. They skidded a little in the loose dirt. Archer didn’t know which direction their shuttle was, or if the other Orions were on it, behind the building, or on their way to the Orion mother ship. He looked around quickly, and started to head for a group of foothills. “This way!”

            “Can’t you just call Discovery?”

            “I will in a second but we have to get away from here.” They scrambled up some rocky hills that would have been an impossible place to land a shuttle. Half a kilometer from the stable he could look out over most of the ruins. “Do you see a shuttle?” he asked Riaan.