As soon as the shuttle doors closed, I took off the heavy robe and set it aside. I wanted to hurry and wake everyone, but Leonidas told me to wait. He said that once we were on the Miir ship, he'd show me the proper way to release them from the body bags.
"You and your family are safe now," he said. "Rest." Then he hurried off to the bridge and we lifted off.
For the first time in a long while, I was alone — except for nine floating bodies. I paced the floor, fiddling with my hair and cracking my knuckles. At last, my nervous energy burned off. I felt suddenly weak. All the tension, hope, fear, and everything I'd felt from the moment I'd found the aliens in my barn, came rushing to the surface. I dropped to the floor next to my parents, buried my head in my hands, and cried. I let it all out, in one of those snuffly, awful cries that makes your throat hurt and your eyes burn. All the pent-up stress and frustration I'd been holding in flowed out of my body.
When my emotions finally dried up, I was more exhausted than ever. But it was a different kind of exhaustion. The kind that comes from emotional release and healing. For the first time since the ordeal began, I allowed myself to think about going home and sleeping in my own bed again. I felt like I could sleep for days, if the nightmares stayed away.
Suddenly, Leonidas's voice came over the intercom. Something in his voice jolted me to my feet. "Luke, come to the bridge immediately. Bring the Elders cloak."
I grabbed it and ran, heart pounding, blood pumping. I couldn't recall ever hearing Leonidas sound so... not calm. Bursting on to the bridge, I fought to catch my breath. The first thing I noticed was that he still had his Elders cloak on. "What's the matter? What happened?"
"It appears that we were followed by a Krailian warship, and they are hailing us on a visual com channel. I am not sure what they want. But before I accept their communication, you must put on the Elders cloak and buckle in."
My heart sank. He might not be sure, but I was. What? Did they forget to say be careful, or watch out for that first star on the left, it's a doozy? No, they had somehow discovered the truth. I could feel it in my bones.
I quickly slipped on the heavy cloak and buckled into the seat next to Leonidas.
"Remember, do not speak," he said.
"Okay."
My hands trembled under my cloak, as a million questions raced through my mind. What had given us away? Would we all go back to prison? Would they blow the shuttle to smithereens?
I waited silently while Leonidas pushed a few buttons, causing the front display of the ship to flash. Suddenly we were viewing the bridge of another ship, and what I saw sent chills cascading through my body. Sitting in the captain's chair was the largest Krailian I had ever seen, and I'd seen some big ones. He must have been eight feet tall, and as wide as a truck. He wore something I hadn't seen on any of the other spider-aliens — a wide yellow band that matched the color of his eyes. It wrapped around his midsection and displayed an insignia. I was fairly certain it marked him as a high-ranking officer.
Leonidas obviously knew who he was, because he addressed him by name. "Greetings, General Drac," he said, reverting to his Elders voice. "To what do we owe the honor of your communication?"
The Krailian general laughed. At least I assumed that's what it was. His body shook, and a sound like a crazed dolphin, only deeper and more sinister, came out of him. "You can dispense with your lies, Trillian. We know you are not Elders, and that you dressed yourself in stolen robes to rescue the humans."
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."
"Acknowledged, Trill. Stand by to dock. You will only get one chance, so make it count. We are cloaked and shadowing your flight path. As soon as you see us appear, head straight for the landing bay. We have cleared the site for you. Do the best you can."
"Gratitude," Leonidas said. "We will be ready."
The connection dropped.
We waited.
I dug my nails deeper and deeper into my legs.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl.
Then, just as the computer called out "Point-five clicks till intercept," the Miir ship uncloaked in front of us. They were matching our speed at first but, as they began to slow, we moved up on them quickly.
I wasn't sure if it was luck or Leonidas's skill as a pilot, but we made it into the landing bay. Of course, stopping was another issue. And as he killed the engines and set the ship down as fast as he could, sparks flew. Thankfully, some engineer somewhere had installed an emergency impact wall. That's what saved us. We had a few bumps and bruises, but nothing major.
"Are you okay?" Leonidas asked.
"I don't know... I mean... I think so."
"We must hurry. Check on your parents, then join me on the bridge as soon as you can. Do you remember the way?"
"I remember."
"One other thing," Leonidas added, "Whatever happens, do not remove your cloak."
"Okay."
Leonidas rushed off to the bridge.
I'd started to ask him why we needed to keep our disguises on, but I knew I'd better get down to the cargo bay and check on Mom, Dad, and the others. Upon arrival, I breathed a sigh of relief. All the body bags were still in upright positions and unharmed. Still, to set my mind at ease, I performed a cursory inspection of each one before joining Leonidas on the bridge.
When I got there, I found Leonidas and Morticus standing together. They were focused on a large viewscreen that showed three Krailian warships. A single blue beam of light emanated from each of them. The Miir was pointing and explaining the situation to Leonidas as I approached.
"Can you not break away?" Leonidas asked.
Morticus shook his head. "Maybe if it was a single Krailian warship, we could break loose from its tractor beam and have time to cloak. But from three, it is impossible."
It was obvious what had happened. When the Miir ship uncloaked to allow us an opportunity to land, General Drac's ship must have locked on long enough for two additional warships to arrive. Now, according to Morticus, we were trapped.
A moment later, one of the crew shouted, "Incoming communication from the Krailians."
Morticus sighed and stepped forward. "On screen."
It was General Drac, still sitting with Harvey and Malick behind him. When Morticus saw them, I could tell he was annoyed and disgusted. His beak twitched, making little clicking noises. It may not have been noticeable to the General and his traitorous friends, but I could hear it.
"Ah, Morticus," Drac said, smugly. "Your reputation is known to me. I was doubtful when Harvey first told me of your involvement, but now I see that he was correct. It is most unfortunate, but you will be charged along with these impostors."
If the Krailian General noticed Leonidas and me standing behind Morticus, he didn't acknowledge or speak to us.
"We are mercenaries for hire, General," Morticus replied, taking a step closer to the screen. "We were hired to provide transportation to the edge of Krailian space, nothing more. Harvey knows this well. After all, it was forgiveness of a debt owed to him that we received as payment for our services."
If the General learned anything new from what Morticus had said, he didn't show it... not surprisingly. Because if I had to guess, judging by the look on Harvey's face and the fact that Malick was also there, he'd already heard about our plan from beginning to end.
"If you mean to say that you are innocent in this deception, you are mistaken," the General said, his tone becoming angry. "Your vessel will be towed back to Kraile where you and your crew will stand trial for your part. How you were paid is not my concern. But how you will pay is something I promise to see to personally."
At that point, Morticus knew trying to talk his way out of the situation was useless. He went to a nearby panel and severed communication with the Krailian ship. Then he shook his head and disappeared into his captain's quarters.
I felt horrible. Not only had I not managed to save my parents, their crew, and myself, but I'd gotten many others caught in the process. Friends that would most likely be executed for helping me. I wanted to cry. But the emotional roller coaster of the past few days had drained me. There were no more tears, only sorrow.
A hand touched my shoulder, and I looked up to see Leonidas standing there. I knew he was sorry for the way things had turned out. He didn't have to say it. His touch said all that was needed. We'd gambled and lost. Now, I wished he'd left when Simon did. Because he didn't deserve this. None of them did.
"Luke," Leonidas said, softly. "It is not over."
"Yeah, but it will be soon enough," I said. "I don't think the Krailians are planning on throwing us all in jail to await a fair trial."
"Do not lose hope."
He was still trying to comfort me when a bustle of activity caught our attention. The Miir crew scrambled to their positions, and I saw one of them running toward the captain's quarters. A moment later, Morticus appeared and rushed to a nearby panel. The viewscreen flashed, and I stared in amazement. The Krailian ships that had us in tow were surrounded, and totally outmatched by at least two to one.
I looked at Leonidas "Who are they?"
"They are ships belonging to the Alliance."
"Are they going to help us?"
"Let us wait," he replied.
I didn't have to wait long for an answer. The Miir ship received a hail from the newcomers, and Morticus brought them up on the front screen.
The speaker looked familiar — an Elder. His cloak was identical to the ones Leonidas and I wore. "Greetings, Miir ship," he said. "We have received word that you carry two of our brothers who were recently sent on a mission to Kraile. Are they safe?"
Morticus looked back and I saw Leonidas nod. "Yes, they are safe," he said. "We intercepted their shuttle after seeing that it was being pursued by a Krailian warship. We hailed them and offered our assistance, as we have no love for the Krailians. However, once we uncloaked, the Krailian ship was able to get a lock on to us and detain our vessel until reinforcements arrived. They claim that by helping the Elders, we have committed a crime. Any assistance you can provide will be accepted with gratitude."
The Elder bowed slightly. "Very well. We will speak with the Krailians. You may continue to listen on this channel."
The screen flashed again, and the video connection was severed. However, when the lead Alliance ship hailed the Krailians, we could hear everything that was being said.
First we heard the Elder, whose voice sounded vaguely familiar, address the Krailian leader. "General Drac, apologies for detaining your vessels."
"What is the meaning of this?" Drac said. "I demand to speak to the officer in charge!"
I couldn't see him, but I could picture him pacing furiously back and forth, waving his four arms in the air.
"We have come in search of two Elders who were sent on a sanctioned mission to Kraile," the Elder said, seemingly ignoring the Krailian's request. "I am Simon, the senior official in charge."
At that moment, the slightest touch would have bowled me over. Was it our Simon? Was that him under the cloak? It had to be! That's why I recognized the voice. Edging closer to Leonidas, I whispered, "Is it really Simon?"
He raised a hand slightly, which I took to mean shush.
After a moment, the General spoke again, "I see," he said, in a more civil tone. "Two Elders did indeed land on Kraile and were granted access to the humans. They wanted to verify that the prisoners had not been mistreated. They were allowed to go in alone, and then claimed to have found the prisoners dead. After our medics verified this, they requested to take the humans back to Trill for final rights. We agreed."
Another voice could be heard fading in and out in the background. "Not Elders! Impostors!" It must've been Harvey.
"After the Elders departed from Kraile," the General continued, "we received troubling news. We were told that they were impostors who had used an experimental serum to put the humans into a deep sleep, so that they would appear dead. We wish to verify these claims for ourselves. If they are untrue, we will release the Miir ship."
"With respect General," the Elder said, "you are well outside Krailian space. And if what you say is true, it is now a matter for the Council to decide on. As you know, impersonating an Elder is a very serious offense. Anyone found guilty of such a crime will be punished to the full extent of the law. We will take over the investigation from here. But you can expect a complete report of our findings to be submitted to your office."
Outgunned and outnumbered, there wasn't much the General could say or do. When he spoke again, he didn't hold back his frustration, but he knew he didn't have a leg to stand on. He had no other choice but to comply.
"Very well," he said, snippily. "We will release our locks on the Miir vessel. See that your investigation is thorough, and have the report delivered immediately upon completion."
As the Krailian warships disembarked, a huge sigh of relief escaped me. Once again, by the skin of our teeth, we'd managed to avoid execution. Frankly, I didn't know how many more close calls my heart could take. I was beginning to feel like a cat that had used up eight lives.
Not knowing what to expect next, I waited and watched as Leonidas said something to Morticus. After the Miir had spoken to the pilot, Leonidas came back over to where I stood.
"What's going to happen now?" I asked.
"We have cloaked and are continuing our mission," he said. "The ships belonging to the Alliance will not interfere. A report will be issued to the General. We are safe."
"Was that Simon?"
"Yes," Leonidas said. "We planned for such a contingency, and Simon was able to have ships waiting in the quadrant... just in case. It appears to have been a wise decision. But save your questions for another time. Because we must hurry and release your parents and their crew before it is too late. Go back to the shuttle. I will join you there."
I did have a ton of questions, but he was right.First things first. I left the bridge and headed back to the shuttle with a newspring in my step. We were going home.