I left my vehicle behind in the trees, hidden from the crash site. There were two skyhoppers parked on the ground amid the wreckage of the site and ground crews were picking apart the place to salvage supplies and materials. Krakoshans in hazard suits walked laboriously around the place, hefting large buckets and pieces of equipment that I didn't know about. Somehow, nobody looked happy to be there, cleaning up the downed skyhopper.

Of course, I wasn't actually here to scrounge around the crash site. I was here for leads. I didn't know the area and I had no idea where to start looking for my friends, Peter, or anyone. My only option was to get as close to the Krakoshans as I could and dig around for clues. Unfortunately, the only place around that I knew had Krakoshans was the crash site.

Even staring at it now, I felt my instincts screaming at me to run away, to put distance between myself and the Krakoshans before they could pod me too, but I mercilessly stomped down on that inner voice. I had no other choice. If I was going to stand a chance, I needed to do this.

Seeing the ship for the first time since I'd crashed it made me realize how much of a mess this was. Both wings were completely gone, lying on the path of debris behind the ship where they'd been torn off. The rear boosters looked burned and partially crumpled, and the nose of the skyhopper had dented inwards all the way to the cockpit. There weren't any fires anymore, but I could see the sides of the ship were burned and shredded, most of the hatches and flaps ripped off or bent at odd angles.

The ship had carved a path of debris for over three hundred meters, which meant that the jungle came to an abrupt end at the edge of the crash site. Decimated trees and shredded leaves littered the ground everywhere, making every step taken by the Krakoshans on the site an audible crunch. There were a handful of guards on duty, all carrying plasma rifles and looking very bored.

At the foot of the ramp near one of the skyhoppers, a trio of laborers loaded salvaged material on board, pushing them up the ramp as a burly Krakoshan oversaw the work. The burly one was almost two heads taller and three times as wide, and when he barked, the other Krakoshans around him shrank back, like they were afraid of him.

As the last pod went up the ramp, I snuck away from the site, running back to my vehicle. I needed a distraction and I didn't really expect I'd be able to keep this bike anyway.

"This will never work," I growled to myself, but I kicked the bike forward.

The vehicle started to move, the engine rumbling as it chugged along slowly. I quickly dove off and hit the ground running, dashing away into the jungle nearby to put some distance between myself and the bike. In moments, it would roll into view of the guards, and I would only have a short window of opportunity. I jogged through the dense jungle, hoping the foliage was enough to prevent anyone from seeing me circling around the tree line toward one of the intact skyhoppers, one of the ones they'd used to land troops here. Just a little bit more, and then I'd be-

"Urvosh!" someone shouted.

Uh oh.

I sidled closer to the tree line, creeping carefully to the edge until I caught a glimpse of a guard running past, cradling his rifle as he went on his way to check on the disturbance. For all they knew, one of their charging superbikes had just rolled back into camp without a rider. Now was my chance. They hadn't spotted me yet.

Steeling myself, I risked another peek, eyeing the lowered ramp of the skyhopper. Maybe ten meters or so. The guards were distracted. Now or never.

I ran.

My feet crunched through the debris on the jungle floor, each step cursing my stupidity, but I didn't stop or slow down until I reached the ramp, thumping up the steps hoping that nobody cared enough to turn around and see the little skinny kid running into one of their ships. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, the feeling that I was just a step away from being caught hounding my thoughts. Then I was inside, staring at the loading bay of the small skyhopper.

It was just like the one I had crashed, with the benches laid out along the edges lined by camouflage tarp and dim lighting. The far wall had a weapons locker, holding two plasma rifles and a few clips, and the door to the cockpit was open, revealing the familiar panels of blinking lights and readouts. Unlike the last time, however, a stack of crates sat in the corner of the loading bay, probably filled with supplies, equipment, or materials salvaged from the wreck, and there were six pods laid out horizontally in the middle of the space, the panels on the lids illuminated and blinking.

Cautiously, I stepped forward, peering into the viewport of the nearest pod. Inside, an auburn-haired girl lay at rest, eyes closed and peacefully arranged. Bekah. The glass was frosted from the cryogenic gas used, but they were still alive.

"Bekah!" I cried. Then, remembering that I was in an alien ship surrounded by alien troopers, I lowered my voice. She couldn't hear me anyway; she was unconscious. I breathed a sigh of relief, placing a hand on the pod lid. The Krakoshans that captured them must have been based around the crash site. That meant they really hadn't shipped them off to another base yet. I quickly checked the other pods, glad to see that two others held Tanvir and Calvin. They were all here.

I hesitated, revising my plan. This was a complication, but it was a good one. If they had yet to ship them away to another base, I could still free them now and we could fight our way out of here. Or we could just run away and live to last another day. Whichever was more convenient. Now all I had to do was find the button to release them.

As I hovered my hands over the panel, a series of hisses and growls reached my ears and I froze in terror. Two people, conversing in Krakoshan. The voices grew louder, and someone started barking orders. I had to hurry.

"Oh, Zeus," I muttered.

Outside, the ground crunched softly as people started walking in the direction of the ship. I was running out of time.

I glanced around wildly, looking for a place to hide. There was no room under the pods, and even less shadow to hide in. The benches were even worse, and the camouflage netting was just a ridiculous idea. I glanced at the crates, entertaining the idea of hiding in one, and my eyes alighted on the object sitting on top of one of the crates. My drawstring backpack. I almost ran for it, but the thump of someone's feet on the ramp made me change my mind. No time. There was only one place to go.

I opened up the nearest empty pod and stepped inside, reaching up and pulling the lid closed after myself. Just before it could close all the way, I slid a finger in the crack and held the space open, just so I wouldn't accidentally lock myself in. I settled in not a moment too soon: two Krakoshans emerged into view and stepped past me, their heads barely visible from my pod's viewport. Guards, from the looks of it. They were quickly followed by a smaller Krakoshan wearing a uniform and a scientist in one of the hazard suits. That was all I could see before the ship started to rumble, the light dimming and turning red as the ramp closed itself after them.

"Oh, Zeus," I whispered.

That wasn't the plan. I wasn't supposed to be caught like this. All that had to happen was for a Krakoshan to figure out that I wasn't asleep like the others and I'd be done for. My legs shook from fear, enough so that I thought if I were standing, I'd probably collapse. This already wasn't going well.

The Krakoshans started conversing in the back, their low and guttural voices barely reaching my ears over the din. Before I had a chance to register what was going on, the ship lurched, and I realized we were taking off. They were probably taking the pods back to one of their bases. Oh, Zeus. I was in so much trouble. I could feel the thrusters firing and the turbines humming, propelling the skyhopper into the air. The lurch of takeoff turned my stomach, the force of our acceleration pushing me against the side of the pod. Every time I was jostled around, I bit down on my tongue, sure that the Krakoshans would come and investigate my pod and find me.

The flight lasted only a short while, but it seemed like an eternity before the thrusters began firing in reverse, the ship slowing down as it prepared for a landing. As the turbines powered down, I heard the rumble of the ramp opening and the telltale clicking of the Krakoshans hefting their rifles. Eventually, I heard the troopers grumbling to themselves as they started tramping around the back, pushing the pods out. One of them shoved my pod out along with the rest, nearly giving me a heart attack, but after a second, I realized they still hadn't noticed me.

From the small viewport of my pod, I watched the skyhopper roll out of view, only to be replaced by the dull gray metal ceiling of a hangar. Then, my view swirled as my pod was suddenly righted, and I found myself facing half a dozen Krakoshans lined up, standing in formation behind another Krakoshan in a navy-colored uniform. The Krakoshan in uniform would have appeared more imposing had it not been for the fact that the heavily muscled troopers standing in line behind him were all taller and broader in the shoulders.

Just as the Krakoshan steering my pod finished setting me upright, I remembered to close my eyes, pretending I was unconscious. The Krakoshans outside began to converse in their harsh language and eventually, my curiosity got the better of me and I cracked my eyes open just a bit, watching the proceedings with wariness. My hand crept toward the plasma pistol I had holstered along my waist, drawing it slowly and carefully so I wouldn't make too much noise.

The uniformed Krakoshan was discussing something with one of their lab-coat guys, gesturing animatedly at the pods. Then, he stepped forward, accompanied by another Krakoshan in a light brown uniform as they walked over to the pods as if to examine them. My breath caught. Would he notice that my pod's lid was ajar? Or that I wasn't unconscious like the rest?

The Krakoshan's eyes fell on my pod and they narrowed.

Yeah, he noticed.

I threw the lid open with a shout, bashing the Krakoshan in the head as I brandished my plasma pistol. Almost immediately, the Krakoshans around me shouted in alarm, drawing their weapons rapidly, but no one fired yet. I landed an arm on the uniformed Krakoshan, pulling him down by one shoulder with my pistol jammed right up against his head.

"Don't shoot!" I shouted, barely noticing my own hysterical voice. "I'll shoot him if you do!"

"Valeesh!" my prisoner shouted, waving his arms. "Valeesh ni!"

The rifles stayed trained on me and my prisoner as the Krakoshans surrounding us started spreading out in formation, circling around. I tugged on the prisoner's arm and together, we stepped back onto the ship's ramp, keeping the circling soldiers from getting a clear shot past my hostage.

As soon as I was on board, I slammed the controls for the ramp, stabbing every button until the ramp retracted back into the ship. Great, now I was trapped.

"Very smooth," my hostage noted. "Now you are trapped."

I glanced at the Krakoshan, surprised.

"You speak Terran?" I asked.

"Of course," the Krakoshan answered. "I learned your language from the Cadmus Institute."

He was really good. In fact, his Terran was probably better than mine.

"The Cadmus Institute?" I repeated. "But it was attacked and everyone was killed-"

"Two months ago," the Krakoshan agreed. "And I graduated over thirty years ago."

"Oh," I muttered. "That...kind of does make sense."

I glanced back at the pile of crates, where my backpack was sitting. No one had thought to grab it when they were dragging the pods out.

"One moment," I muttered, pushing the Krakoshan against the wall. "Keep your claws on your head, please."

Slinging on my bag, I backed up toward the cockpit, making sure I never took my pistol off of my hostage. This whole plan was shot. Time to make a quick getaway.

"Oh, if I were you, I'd come up with a new plan right quick," the Krakoshan said. "You see, in a few minutes, my men will board the ship and you will be captured. Resisting will do you no good."

I eyed my hostage carefully. He had an average build for a Krakoshan, not the muscled one that you saw on the troopers out there, and he wasn't particularly tall for his kind, although he was still tall enough to stand almost a head taller than me. Being Krakoshan, he had a small snout with slits for nostrils and a maw of sharp teeth, and his yellow eyes were positioned almost on either side of his head with dark amber slits for pupils. Strangely, despite his less than humanoid appearance and hostage status, he seemed relatively non-threatening. He stood in a relaxed posture, arms folded and tail curled. I noticed that his claws had been filed down too.

"Yeah?" I called. "Say I do surrender. What's going to happen to me?"

"You will be processed quickly," he admitted. "But it is an alternative to being executed, hm?"

"No thanks, Lizard-face," I snorted.

I turned away from him and slid into the pilot's seat, trusting him not to attack me while I figured out how to pilot this thing. Thankfully, the ship was of the same model as the one I'd crashed, and everything was just how I remembered it was. I eyed the panels, trying to decipher what most of them did. At least everything seemed to be in working order, and on top of that, the engine was already running. Sweet. Then, I looked up and realized the hangar doors were closed.

"Great," I muttered. "Don't suppose this thing has any missiles..."

"Are you a pilot?" my hostage asked.

I stared at the controls, remembering the last time I was sitting behind this wheel. The crash had been my fault. Back at home, I was pretty comfortable with a flight simulator, where every crash was one I could walk away from. It was stupid of me to think that was all I needed to fly one of these things.

"Not anymore," I muttered, shaking my head.

"Leko Vysin," my hostage said.

"What's that?" I asked, fumbling with the controls.

"My name is not Lizard-face," he said. "My name is Leko Vysin."

"Sure," I muttered.

I pounded the console in frustration; I only knew how to fly a ship, not read a foreign language. Maybe it'd be easier to send out a signal, then worry about flying out of here.

"Are you having trouble?" Vysin asked. "The Krakoshan dialect is particularly difficult for Terrans, I hear."

"Shut up," I snapped.

From the viewport, I could see half a dozen Krakoshans outside, setting up what looked like a telescope, aimed directly at the cockpit. No wait. A cannon!

"Not good," I gasped.

I jumped into the copilot's seat, ignoring my hostage temporarily. Luckily, cannons on every ship were universal. Locking onto the Krakoshans on my screen, I squeezed the trigger, sending powerful plasma blasts into their stationary cannon. Half a second later, a loud boom reached my ears as their gun exploded, sending the crowd scattering.

"Fighting back only delays the inevitable," Vysin suddenly spoke from behind me.

"Zeus!" I shouted, jumping to my feet as I locked onto the Krakoshan with my pistol. "What in Hades do you think you're doing?"

"Observing," Vysin answered, clasping his scaly hands behind his back.

"Observe a few feet away from me," I growled, pushing him back. "Haven't you ever heard of personal space?"

I turned my attention back to the navigations console, searching for a frequency dial. I found the radio, turning it on, but since I didn't know how to work it, all that came up was static.

"What exactly are you doing?" Vysin asked. "You can't fly a ship using a communicator. Or are you trying to contact your friends?"

"You," I said, getting up. "You read Krakoshan. Tell me how to patch into all frequencies."

The Krakoshan didn't say anything, but his face twitched slightly. If he were Terran, I would've thought he was raising an eyebrow at me.

"Now!" I shouted, pointing the pistol at his head.

Vysin sighed, walking over to the console. Reaching past me, he flipped the frequency dial onto a white label, then pointed at another series of dials and buttons.

"Use these to broadcast your message," he said. "But be aware, no one will be coming to your aid."

"Worth a shot," I muttered.

Tapping away at the controls, I began broadcasting every code I knew. Unfortunately, I only knew Kingsfield codes, but it was better than nothing. Hopefully, someone out there would pick this up and come to help.

"No one will be listening," Vysin said dryly.

"What makes you so sure of that?" I asked. "There's bound to be someone listening. Just you watch."

"But do you have the time?" Vysin said, smiling.

Suddenly the ramp on the back of the ship fell away with a clang, revealing a large scaly head. I screamed, firing off a shot at the head before I found the controls to the cockpit doors, shooting them closed.

"Smooth," Vysin noted. "You've trapped yourself again. In a much smaller space than before."

The Krakoshan seemed so smug, it was almost like he was right. Then, I glanced at the pilot's seat and realized he was wrong.

"Trapped, hm?" I said, mimicking his voice.

* * *

The top of the ship was surprisingly dirty.

"Ingenious," Vysin muttered. "Very clever, boy."

"Charlie," I answered, without thinking.

"Charlie," he repeated. "I see now my previous assessment of your rash thinking has fooled me thoroughly. Your friends down there; you were their leader, correct?"

I paused, considering it.

"Yeah," I replied. "Wasn't that obvious?"

Every ship had escape hatches in the cockpit ceilings. That was why cockpits were generally found at the tallest part of the ship; so pilots could eject in an emergency. Getting it open hadn't taken more than a few seconds, and climbing out had taken even shorter. Surprisingly, my hostage hadn't tried any funny business while I was busy climbing up onto the ship. He even climbed out without prodding, joining me on the roof of the cockpit.

Making our way to the nearest wing, I motioned for him to slide down ahead first, just in case someone decided to shoot at the first sign of motion. Vysin crawled ahead slowly, turning around as he neared the edge to let himself down. I followed soon after, copying his actions. Once we were both safely on the ground I was able to see why no one had noticed our escape; nearly two dozen Krakoshans were swarming all over the back of the ship, all the crew members from the other ships surrounding the outside of the ramp, eager for a glimpse of the action.

"What now?" Vysin asked.

I pointed at the doors connecting the hangar to the main compound and motioned for Vysin to go ahead.

"Quietly," I hissed, keeping my pistol trained on his head.

"Of course," he agreed, walking forward casually.

Stopping at the doors just long enough to swipe us in, he continued heading down the corridor with my pistol still on him. Taking a brief moment to close the door, I turned back around to see my hostage at a wall panel, keying in a sequence.

"Stop!" I shouted. "What are you doing? Get away from the wall!"

Vysin stepped away, a half smile on his face. Krakoshans didn't smile the way Terrans did, but it was hard not to see smug satisfaction written on his scaly face.

"What did you do?" I demanded.

"Just called for a a little backup," he answered. "Like I said, resistance is futile."

A massive roar shook the base, drawing my attention. Great. As if this day couldn't get any worse.

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