"Cheerly used me to kidnap Lana?” Thorn gasped. “My God, man, what are you talking about?"
"Lana's soft on you,” spat old Stilicho. “She didn't want to see you blasted this morning, and Cheerly knew it. So, according to that dying Uranian, Cheerly told Lana that he'd help you Planeteers escape if she released you. He got Lana to start secretly with him to this brig to let you out, and once he had her alone like that, he and his men grabbed her. They blasted down the field-guards and took her in his ship. He's taking her to Saturn!"
The raging old pirate turned from the window. “We're going to follow Cheerly's ship. And God help that Uranian when we catch up with him!"
"Stilicho, wait—” Thorn cried wildly, but the old pirate was already hobbling urgently away in the mists.,
A few moments later came the thunderous roar of many ships taking off in the distance. As it died away, Thorn turned to his comrades, his face stricken.
"She was going to help us escape,” he said in a slow, choked voice. “Even after I'd tried to steal her secret, she was going to help us get away. And because of that, she's in the hands of Haskell Trask's spymaster now!"
His eyes were wild. “Think of what Trask and that fat fiend Cheerly will do to her to wring the secret out of her! And all because of me. She'd never have been kidnapped if she hadn't tried to help me!"
"It's not your fault, John,” rumbled Gunner Welk, his hard face showing his emotion. “Cheerly would have found one way or another to get hold of her, even if we'd never come here."
"And Stilicho and Kinnel King and all the rest of those pirates are trailing him now,” Sual Av added quickly. “They'll catch him and bring the girl back all right."
"I hope to heaven they do,” muttered the big Mercurian. “For if they fail, and Cheerly gets that girl to Saturn, it means that the League, and not the Alliance, will get that radite from Erebus."