The Incredible Space Raiders from Space!

by Wesley King

  Jonah heard Willona sniffling. He saw tears in Jemma’s eyes, and Martin’s quivering lips. He knew it wasn’t fear. Or even betrayal. It was that they all thought they’d been chosen to save the universe. That they all had a mission. It was like Jemma has said. They were tired of being pitied.

  They wanted to be special. And the commander had taken that away.

  The commander started shaking with silent tears. “I’ve already lied to five groups,” she whispered. “I watched them get on the shuttles with their bonkers and head down to those planets. My father played along with it and ordered the crew to do the same. He didn’t want any more trouble. And it worked. They saluted me as they left.”

  Her voice finally cracked, and she started to cry. Jonah met eyes with Sally Malik, who gave him a sad smile, as if to confirm the story. The tribunal was over. Everywhere Jonah looked, he saw scared children in old brown uniforms. The uniforms were too big. The badges were hastily made and stitched on. Their shoes, if they had them, were worn and dirty. Their hair was unkempt and greasy. Their eyes haunted.

  They were orphans again. It had all come back. The pain they’d all faced. The loss they’d felt.

  All they had wanted was a family. A purpose. And now they were just crying kids in adult clothes.

  But it was different for Jonah. He’d spent so much time being isolated and called a spy and wondering if he was here by mistake that he’d never quite believed he was a real Space Raider. Not like the others. But looking around, he finally understood what this was all about.

  Jonah stepped forward. “I thought Space Raiders don’t cry.”

  Everyone looked up at him. They looked angry. Like he was rubbing it in.

  “There’s no such thing as Space Raiders,” Martin said quietly, standing at the front of the crowd. He looked like a little boy again.

  “There was no such thing as Space Raiders,” Jonah corrected. “There is now.”

  Martin frowned.

  “We were all specially chosen,” Jonah said. “Picked from the entire solar system. We have uniforms. Bonkers. Rules.”

  The commander was watching him now.

  “What we didn’t have was a ship,” Jonah continued, gesturing around the Bridge. “We do now. We didn’t have a mission. We do now.”

  “What mission?” Willona asked.

  He turned to her. “To save the other Space Raiders, of course. To bring them all home.”

  “To Earth?” Alex said.

  Jonah laughed. “Where are the Incredible Space Raiders from?”

  “Space,” the commander murmured, still watching Jonah.

  He put his hands out. “Welcome home.”

  He saw the others look around. He saw the word “home” on their lips.

  “Now,” he continued, “who here is a Space Raider?”

  There was a long moment of silence.

  Then Martin stepped forward and saluted. “Martin the Marvelous, reporting for duty.”

  “Willona the Awesome,” Willona said, saluting, “reporting for duty.”

  Like a tide, the rest of the Space Raiders shouted their names. Soon they were just shouting. Then they were high-fiving and laughing and jumping around. They were acting like kids. Willona wrapped Jonah in a fierce hug, burying her head into his shoulder. She pulled back and met his eyes.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  He just nodded.

  “Hold up!” Lieutenant Gordon said, stepping into the middle of the room. “There’s one more thing we have to do. We need to name a new commander.”

  Lieutenant Potts swelled his chest. “Well, it should fall to the next in charge—”

  “We’ll have a vote,” Lieutenant Gordon said curtly. He turned and looked at Jonah. “I know who has my vote. If you want Jonah the Now Incredible, raise your hand.”

  There was no need for a second vote. Hands shot up everywhere. Erna the Strong raised hers instantly. So did Lyana the Forgotten. The only ones in the entire room who didn’t were Ben the Brilliant and Lieutenant Potts, who looked around sourly. Even the commander raised her hand.

  Lieutenant Gordon nodded. “Then I name Jonah the commander of the Incredible Space Raiders from Space, and the captain of the Fantastic Flying Squirrel!”

  The cheer resounded through the bridge and down the hall. Countless hands reached out and shook Jonah’s shoulders and patted his back and ruffled his hair. Victoria wrapped him in a tight hug and gave him a quick kiss, and they cheered even louder. It probably wasn’t appropriate, but it was also one of the happiest moments of Jonah’s life.

  But as they cheered and shouted for Captain Jonah, he knew he had to tell them. He had to tell them that he was the wrong Jonah Hillcrest. That there was only one place he wanted to take the Fantastic Flying Squirrel.

  Home.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  * * *

  * * *

  JONAH SAT ALONE IN HIS old bedroom in Sector Three, curled up on his bed and staring out the window. His journal was laid out on his lap.

  When the celebrations had died down, Jonah had given out his first orders. The commander had been put in her bedroom in the crew’s quarters and was guarded constantly by Erna the Strong. Jonah had mixed feelings about her. She had clearly been trying to save the orphans from further pain, but she’d also been assisting her father in taking them peacefully to the PER planets. Jonah was also afraid she might try to release her father from the brig, even though she swore she wouldn’t. For now, locking her up was the best option. The other Space Raiders didn’t have mixed feelings. They had been betrayed, and so they despised her.

  His second order had been to name some new positions. He had named Alex as the new pilot of the Squirrel, Ria as the navigator, Martin as the new lead engineer, and Willona as the communications specialist. She had started crying when he’d given her the job. That was definitely another one of the happiest moments of Jonah’s life.

  His first officer was Lieutenant Gordon, while his other officers were Samantha, Lieutenant Potts, and Lieutenant Ebo. He figured they could help him assign other jobs to Space Raiders from the other sectors. Erna the Strong was, of course, the head of security, and Jemma was officially named ship tailor, at her request. The rest of the Space Raiders were assigned to security, bridge duty, engineering, maintenance, or food.

  But first and foremost, they were all Space Raiders.

  He also invited Sally to officially join the Space Raiders, and she accepted gladly, though she did inform Jonah that she refused to ever call him captain, sir, or commander. Jonah named her the official ship adviser. But after the commotion had settled, he pulled her aside. There was one more thing that didn’t add up.

  “Why did you go along with it?” Jonah asked her quietly.

  Sally looked away. “Like she said: I was there. When Captain White Shark told everyone where we were going and why we were chosen, they panicked. It was awful. I remember everyone screaming and crying. When they tried to leave the sectors, the pirates beat them and shot them and locked them up. I had another friend here: Niraj.”

  Jonah frowned. That was the boy who had lived in his room.

  “He tried again and again to get home. To take over the bridge or steal a shuttle or even to join the crew. He had younger sisters. He wanted to get back to them.”

  “What happened?”

  For the first time since Jonah had met her, Sally’s brown eyes started to water.

  “They shot him,” she whispered. “Right in front of us. After that, I realized there was no point fighting the crew. They were too strong. So when Sara let me out, I decided to just hide. I wanted to keep the new Space Raiders safe, so I came up with the idea of the Shrieker. We wanted to keep Space Raiders out of the halls. Sara came up with most of the rest, but I did help. I cried for days every time they took them down to those planets. I felt like I helped the captain. But I didn’t know what to do.”

  She looked at Jonah.

  “Until you came along and show
ed me we didn’t have to be afraid.” She turned away again. “I understand if you don’t want me on your crew. I helped her lie.”

  Jonah paused. “I know why you did it. And you just saved our lives. You’re a Space Raider now, Sally Malik. I’ll have Jemma make you a uniform.”

  Sally smiled. “Thanks, Jonah.”

  When that was done, he’d asked for some time alone. Everyone had to start training for their new jobs, especially the bridge crew, so there was no rush. Jonah needed time to think. How could he tell them now that he wanted to go home?

  He tried to write in his journal, but he didn’t know what to say. He wanted to see his parents. He wanted to apologize for thinking they had given him away. He wanted to say all these things in person. But how could he leave?

  A knock sounded at the door.

  “Come in,” Jonah said, putting the journal aside.

  Willona smiled as she walked in and slid the door shut behind her. Then she plopped down on the bed.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “Hey.”

  Willona looked at the window. “Feels like a long time ago that I woke you up in here, doesn’t it?”

  Jonah smiled. “Yeah. A lot has changed.”

  “But not everything,” she said quietly. She was playing with her fingers in her lap. “Do you want to go home, Jonah?”

  Jonah looked at her in surprise. “What?”

  Willona rolled her eyes. “I know you better than anyone. You didn’t come down here to take a nap. You want to go home.”

  He fell silent for a moment. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “I know,” Willona said. “But I just wanted to let you know that we’re with you. If you want to go home, the Space Raiders will follow. We’ll still come back for the others. But if you want to go home, we understand.”

  Jonah looked at her. “I guess I need to decide soon.”

  “Probably,” she said. “Martin’s already figured out how to make this thing fly.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” Jonah said. He thought about something and looked at her. “Where do you come from, Willona? Everyone else told me. What were your parents like?”

  Willona shook her head. “Still breaking the rules. I come from space, Jonah. That’s my home now. Where I come from doesn’t matter at all.” She paused. “But they were very nice,” she said quietly. “I was an only child. They were very loving. They always told me I could be anything I wanted. That I just had to focus on my goals. That if I did that, I would be happy.” She looked at Jonah. “When they died, I just wanted to be happy again. I wanted to be something great. And now I’m the communications specialist on the greatest ship in the fleet. I think my parents would be proud of me.”

  With that, she hurried out of the room, marching with her head held high.

  Jonah smiled and leaned back. There was just one more person he had to talk to.

  • • •

  Erna the Strong stepped aside to let Jonah through the door, giving him a very professional salute as she did. Jonah had told everyone they didn’t have to salute or call him sir, but some Space Raiders insisted on formalities.

  Jonah walked inside, and the commander looked up from the corner. It was a nice bedroom. The cold gray walls were painted pink, and a frilly lace blanket lay over the cot. A desk with a computer sat beside it, along with a stack of journals.

  The commander was sitting on the floor, her arms wrapped around her legs. Her eyes were puffy and red from tears, and her raven hair was matted to her cheeks and forehead. She looked like a little girl who had grown up too fast.

  He’d realized it when he was talking to Sally. The commander had another name. She looked up, and her eyes widened when she saw what Jonah was holding. A tiny smile split her lips as he handed them to her.

  “Mr. Monkey,” she whispered, hugging the pink monkey to her chest. “And my notebook.” She met his eyes. “I couldn’t risk taking them to Sector One. How did you know?”

  “It started adding up,” Jonah said. “I realized you had to be the space princess.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “My mom gave this to me. It’s all I have left of her. When she passed away, everything started going wrong. They built new passenger ships and nobody wanted to fly on this old thing. My dad had put all his money into it, so we had nowhere else to go. I used to hear him crying after she died, shouting and screaming that he wanted her back. He did that for weeks. And then one day he just woke up, and he was cold. He wasn’t my dad anymore. He was hired by the commission, and he found a new crew. Then we started picking up kids. He told me he was finding me some friends. He just didn’t tell me what he was doing with them. Not until it was too late.” She looked up at Jonah. “I’m sorry.”

  “I know,” Jonah said, sitting down at the desk. “I need to ask you a question.”

  She nodded, still hugging Mr. Monkey.

  “If I take the Squirrel back to Earth, what will happen to the Space Raiders?”

  The commander thought about that for a moment. “The commission will send a team to take the ship back. They don’t want the public to know about Project Weed, so they’ll cover it up. The Space Raiders will be locked in the sectors and sent to PER-7.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Jonah murmured. “How many shuttles are there?”

  “Two,” she said, glancing at him. “One that could make it back.”

  “Could I fly it alone?” he asked.

  “Yes.” She met his eyes. “But you can’t leave.”

  “Why not?”

  She laughed. “Do you think this is over? The commission will send a ship to take the Squirrel back either way. Maybe pirates. Maybe soldiers. They can’t have kids running around on a spaceship, especially ones who know a secret that the commission is trying to hide. They’ll take the Squirrel back and send the Space Raiders to PER-7. The PER planets—we don’t know what’s on them. We don’t know what you might find down there. And there are other things in space much worse than pirates. Trust me.”

  Jonah paused. “What happened that day?”

  Her voice lowered. “They came fast. Attacked from the top level. Cut a hole in the ship. We were on a mapping expedition, looking for PER planets. My father and the crew fled down to the lower levels, trying to escape. Some of them didn’t make it. Regular doors didn’t stop them. We made it to the armory.”

  Jonah leaned forward. “Did you see them?”

  “No,” she whispered. “I just heard them.”

  Jonah nodded, the last piece of the puzzle falling into place. He’d wondered about the claw marks on the blue door and what was written in the diary. Part of her story was real.

  “What happened then?”

  “We stayed in there for two days. Finally, they decided to have a look. The creatures were gone. Their ship had taken off, and we’ve never seen them again.” She looked at Jonah. “But they’re out there, Jonah. The Entirely Evil Things. And this time there are two hundred kids on the Squirrel. It would be a lot worse. They need a captain. Someone who can lead them through all this. They need the special recruit.”

  “I’m not special—,” Jonah started.

  “Not because we had to go back for you,” she said. “I knew it was a mistake. But you’re special because you have a family. You don’t need this like the others do. It made you question everything. And it made you fight back. You can’t leave them, Jonah.”

  Jonah looked into her piercing green eyes, and he knew she was telling the truth. The thought of evil creatures roaming the stars was enough to make his skin crawl. But she was right. He couldn’t leave them. Not yet.

  Not until the other Space Raiders were safe.

  “Is there a way to send a message back to Earth?” he asked quietly.

  She nodded. “We’re out of range of a broadcast, but there are a few message pods in one of the storerooms. You can send one back to Earth.”

  “Thanks,” Jonah said. “Well, I better get back to the bridge.”
<
br />   “Can I ask you a favor?”

  “Sure.”

  She looked down at Mr. Monkey. “My father isn’t evil. He’s just . . . broken. My mom is dead. I’ve barely even spoken to him since this started. I think he feels alone. I’m not excusing what he did. I hate him for it. But he’s still my dad.” She glanced at Jonah and handed him the pink monkey. “Can you give him this? He knows my mom gave it to me. Just tell him that I still love him and it’s not too late.”

  Jonah took the monkey. “I can do that.”

  “Thank you.”

  “In a week or two I’ll talk to the others about letting you out.”

  “No rush,” she murmured. “I have some writing to do.”

  Jonah smiled and headed for the door. “Me too.”

  Dear Mom and Dad and Mara,

  I wrote you a bunch of letters on this ship, but I figure one will probably do. I guess you know what happened by now, but if not, I kind of took over the Squirrel. It’s a long story, but I’m a captain now, and we have to save the other Space Raiders.

  Actually, none of this makes any sense without the other letters. Doesn’t matter.

  What’s important is that I can’t come home. Not yet. I want to, but it doesn’t feel right abandoning my friends. I’m not the same scared little boy who left. Well, I’m still scared. And a boy. And I haven’t grown, at least not physically. But everything else has changed. And I think that’s a good thing. I would like to grow taller still. A few inches, even.

  Anyway, there are a few things I wanted to say. The first is that I love you. I know I accused you of possibly giving me away—actually, you wouldn’t have known that. Ignore that last sentence. But I know now you missed me, and I also know that I am very, very lucky to have parents like you. And you, too, Mara. Still not your boyfriend, though.

  The second thing is that I will come home eventually. I don’t know when, but I’ll come back. And don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’m pretty good with a bonker. Long story.