Cade glanced at Jaspar, whose mouth had rounded in shock.
“Your planet has seen the Krampusonian before?” Cade ventured to ask.
She shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know. Krampus is a myth, as far as I know.”
“Or not,” Cade muttered. “For you described their appearance accurately.”
“Wait, these invading aliens are horned monsters?” Colette’s turn to look and sound shocked.
“Yes, but they don’t take children to punish them,” Cade stated.
“Then what?”
Jaspar’s lips flattened. “Imagine the worst, and it won’t be enough. The Krampusonian are killers. And, as I told your general, you can’t reason with them. If they’re not stopped, your planet is doomed.”
“That’s bad.”
“Very.”
Colette glanced at the camera. “Think they’ll realize that in time to do something?”
“Even if they do, it might not make a difference. While your military has missiles powerful enough to destroy, their delivery system lacks the speed and precision needed to destroy an advanced vessel, such as the Krampusonian use, in space,” Jaspar explained with a shrug.
“You indicated in the general’s office that your ship has the ability to use nukes,” Colette stated.
“You met the general?” Cade interjected.
Jaspar nodded. “I did, but she didn’t heed my warning. She doesn’t trust us and thinks she can converse with the Krampusonian.”
“Ridiculous!” Cade huffed.
“In her defense, she is still getting to know you and has to explore her options.” Colette actually defended the stupidity of the senior officer.
“Her option is to let us help, or Earth is done for.” Cade shook his head.
Colette placed a hand on his arm. “Hopefully, the general comes to her senses before it’s too late. At least she knows you have a plan.”
“That isn’t certain to work,” Jaspar countered. “Using your nuclear weapons would require some modification, as we would need to create a delivery system, something Beta was working on when I left. If we succeed both in making those changes and acquiring the missiles, then we should be able to destroy the Krampusonian ship before it has a chance to reach orbit and commence harvesting the children.”
“Or the military will kill these Krampus monsters the moment they set foot on Earth,” Colette stated.
“The Krampusonian don’t retrieve them in person. They beam them aboard.” Cade knew their tactics.
The reply pursed Colette’s lips. “Are you sure about that? Our Krampus legends had him on Earth and stealing the kids while they slept.”
“Very sure. Most likely, one of their vessels crashed on the surface of your planet and one of them survived for a while before your populace managed to eliminate it.” Jaspar paced the short length of the room. “I can’t believe the humans have locked us away. We should be preparing for the Krampusonian arrival, instead of languishing in this prison.”
“What did you expect?” Cade couldn’t resist a sarcastic drawl. “You saw what they did to me.”
“I thought they’d listen to reason,” Jaspar growled.
“I’m sorry.” Colette’s head ducked.
“For what?” Puzzlement filled Cade’s query.
“For being the bait that got you caught.”
“Bah. That isn’t your fault. Beta saw the soldiers sneaking in on our meeting and gave me the option to remove myself.”
