Sequel to Treasure Planet: The Real Treasure.
Raphaelle is living happily with Jim. That is, until someone kidnaps her and steals her away from him. A dark figure from her past has mysteriously appeared, and decided to take a sudden interest in her...
Before they had made it to the center of The Coral Galaxy, the Glacier's lookout spotted the pirate ship heading towards them. Luckily, the pirates had not yet seen the Glacier. Before they had a chance to, the Captain revealed another special function that the ship possessed. It had a cloaking device which would enable them to follow the pirates completely undetected, visually and on radar. So they pursued the pirate ship for about a day before the pirates landed on yet another lifeless planet within The Coral Galaxy. Most of the planets near the center of the galaxy were fairly barren, since the atmosphere near the middle was not very conducive to plant life.
Jim watched as about a dozen pirates got off the ship, including Captain Blackmore. The mere sight of the blond pirate made his blood boil.
He had been restless all day, longing to take action but unable to. Captain Amelia had insisted that stealth and the element of surprise were on their side and that they should take advantage of that. Jim agreed and knew that this was the best plan, but his instincts were begging him to move.
The pirates walked far off until they were completely out of sight. After waiting a few more minutes, a small group of crew members loaded into a longboat and boarded the pirate ship. Once aboard, everyone spread out so that Raphaelle could be found faster and they could escape before the pirates returned. While Captain Amelia would have loved to capture Captain Blackmore and bring him to justice, this was first and foremost a rescue mission. Plus, they weren't equipped with the force necessary to arrest the entire crew, and it would be almost impossible to take Blackmore without dealing with the rest of the pirates.
So Captain Amelia went to check the captain's quarters while the other crew members kept a sharp eye out for any pirates that may have been left behind to watch the ship. Delbert had opted to remain on the Glacier and help guard it, which was probably for the best; he wasn't always the most helpful in situations that demanded a high amount of stealth.
Jim was one of the few tasked with searching the ship for Raphaelle. He was better suited for the job, since he had a quick reaction time and was able to work well under pressure; not to mention he was extremely motivated to find her. He checked a couple of rooms to see if she might have been in one. Most of them were storage rooms filled with artillery and other supplies. However, one of them was a red and gold bedroom. It looked like it might have recently been used, since the bed wasn't made and there were some clothes littering the floor. But as far as he could tell, there was no one inside. Just in case, he checked the bathroom and then the closet. The first thing he spotted hanging in there was the dress Raphaelle had been wearing the night she was kidnapped, but that was the only indication that she had been there.
He decided he would search the ship's brig next since it was very likely Blackmore might be keeping her there.
He started to turn the corner that would take him down the stairs to the brig, but quickly ducked back behind it. There was a pirate standing guard in front of the door at the bottom of the staircase. Apparently he hadn't seen Jim, since there was no sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. Jim pulled his pistol out of his belt and set it to stun. He peeked around the corner before taking aim and shooting. The laser hit the pirate square in the forehead, immediately knocking him out before he even realized what had happened. He collapsed to the ground. Jim quietly walked down the stairs, hoping to avoid alerting any other pirates nearby of his presence. He checked to make sure the pirate really was out cold. He was, but Jim used the butt of his pistol to hit him in the head, just in case. That would at least keep him unconscious a little longer. He took the ring of keys from the pirate and, after many tries, unlocked the door to the brig.
He jogged down the hall, glancing into each cell on the way. He got discouraged as he passed each empty cell. He almost lost all hope, until he spied something in the last cell at the end of the hall.
Picking up his speed, he anxiously searched for the right key and jammed it into the lock. He threw the squeaky door open excitedly and stepped into the room, a triumphant smile on his face.
But his smile disappeared as he took in the sight before him.
Raphaelle was sprawled across a filthy mattress on the ground, and she had never looked more pitiful. There were angry scratches on her cheek, and her face was full of dried tear stains. Her shirt was torn and bloodstained from a large gash along her right arm. Jim had never seen her look so frail and vulnerable, and didn't think that anyone could look more fragile or susceptible.
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Until she opened her eyes.
They weren't their usual bright and jubilant blue color. They were dull and grey. And when they focused on him, the excitement and joy he had been expecting to see didn't appear. Instead, her eyes were filled with pain and fear.
She slowly lifted herself up with her arm that wasn't injured and stared at him intensely. Jim opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off with words that he never expected to hear from her.
