Abducted - Escape From Kraile

Chapter 20

So there it was, just as I'd suspected. But how had they found out so quickly? Not that it mattered, we were busted. Now, all that remained was the formality of how they'd kill us. Because I had no doubt about it... we were dead meat.

"Your claims are quite troubling General," Leonidas said, without missing a beat. "But I can assure you that you are mistaken. And that your actions here will have serious consequences for your career. To unnecessarily detain an Elder is a violation of—"

"No, Trillian," the General interrupted. "It is you who face serious consequences... for your lies and deceit. And you will soon be executed for high treason against the Alliance, along with the human child and those of his kind that are now sleeping in your shuttle."

A wave of dizziness washed over me. He knew everything. Every last detail. But how? Had the Miir betrayed us? For the first time, Leonidas seemed to be at a loss for words. He had to know the General wasn't bluffing.

Then I got my answer. From somewhere off to the side, two figures approached Drac's chair and stood behind him. You could have knocked me over with a feather. To say I was stunned would have been a huge understatement. One was a Miir, but it wasn't Morticus. It was Malick, and standing next to him was an alien I'd have known anywhere... Harvey.

The leader of the Once-Welcomed leaned in and whispered something to the General, who emitted his horrible laugh again, and said, "Then again, maybe we will keep the human child alive for now."

How I managed to not have a heart attack, I don't know. In a haze, I heard the giant spider-general say something about engaging the tractor beam, right before Leonidas killed the video connection with the Krailian warship. Then his long fingers flashed across the navigation panel, and the shuttle lurched into motion.

"Luke, I am sorry," Leonidas said. "It appears I have failed you. We have been betrayed, and have no hope of outrunning a Krailian warship. Soon they will lock onto us and drag us in. I fear there is no escape, but I will do my best."

I didn't answer, I couldn't. After everything I'd been through, we'd gotten so close, only to have my hopes and dreams crushed like a bug on a windshield. It was almost more than I could take, and to top it all off it appeared that Harvey had thrown me into the deal as payment for his and Malick's treachery.

I sat there, dumbfounded. I'd never been so afraid, defeated, or at such a loss for words. What could I say? What could I do? Soon, we would all be back in the Krailian prison. It was over.

I can't fault Leonidas, he tried everything he could think of. He spiralled and banked and tried to widen the distance between us and the Krailian ship, but it didn't seem to be working.

A computerized voice said, "Three clicks till intercept."

Leonidas swerved right, then pulled off a corkscrew maneuver that was gut wrenching. He threw every trick in the book at them. But in the end, we were outmatched by the larger ship. To make matters even more nerve-racking, every few minutes, the computer would update the count.

"Two clicks till intercept."

Our luck had run out.

Suddenly, a beep came from the front panel. We were being hailed, and Leonidas opened the channel.

"Trill seven-four-two, this is Miir Alpha."

"Is it Morticus?" I asked.

Leonidas nodded his head and replied to the hail. "This is Trill seven-four-two, Miir Alpha. Be advised that we are being followed by a Krailian warship. They will achieve lock in one-point-five clicks."