Vlactron was gone for many years, but Roog continued to work for the Zorgoochis, loyally waiting for Vlactron’s return. However, in that time, through the love and kindness of the Zorgoochis, Roog became a trusted employee and his loyalty switched to them. He eventually became a beloved family friend, training generation after generation the secrets of pizza making.
“I never had family,” Roog said, eyes cast downward. “Zorgoochi vas now my family.”
Years later, when Vlactron was indeed the most successful and powerful pizzeria owner ever, he secretly contacted Roog. He still wanted the Golden Anchovy, which by then had been hidden by Solaro from even his own family for many years for fear of putting them in danger. Solaro claimed that only a Zorgoochi could find it.
Roog continued his charade of loyalty to Vlactron because he knew that by then the Zorgoochis would never be able to defeat him without the Golden Anchovy. Roog cleverly managed to forestall Vlactron from destroying Zorgoochi Intergalactic Pizza by promising him that one day a suitable Zorgoochi would be born who would be able to find it. This also bought Roog time to find it first, but he failed.
“Wlactron vas growing impatient and vanted to destroy Zorgoochi.” Roog sighed. “Zo I told him vhen Luno vas young boy dat he vould be de vun to find Anchowy.”
“But how did you know I would?” Luno asked.
“Becauze you haff same zuper-zenzative noze like Solaro,” Roog replied. “Dat ees vhy I train you harder den all udder Zorgoochi. You hed to be de vun. Bezides, time and Wlactron’s patience vas running out.”
Now all that was needed was a good enough reason for Luno to find it. Roog knew Luno loved his father, so he planted the idea in Vlactron’s head of holding Geo Zorgoochi for ransom in exchange for the Golden Anchovy.
“How could you do such a thing, Roog?” Connie shouted.
“Because, Mrs. Z, I knew dat Mr. Z and rest of Pyramid vould be safer verking for Wlactron on mudder ship den in der own pizzeria.”
Connie reluctantly admitted that once the Pyramid members were kidnapped, the attacks on pizzerias ceased and the members were all indeed unharmed. Well, except for Geo. The pizzerias couldn’t function without them, but Roog argued that “dey ver steel zafe becauze Wlactron needed dem to verk for him.”
To Roog’s relief, Luno located the Golden Anchovy. However, on the way to the Quantum mother ship, Roog pocketed the real one and gave Luno a fake to unwittingly deliver to Vlactron, who had never actually seen it, so wouldn’t have known if it was the real one or not.
Then Roog’s plan was to hold off Vlactron from using it or discovering it was a phony long enough to get the real Golden Anchovy, Geo, Luno, and himself back to Industro12 to figure out their next move, but Vlactron became suspicious of Roog’s loyalty and imprisoned him.
“I don’t get it,” Luno said to Roog. “Why didn’t you just hold the Golden Anchovy yourself?”
“No, no, no,” Roog said, looking down. “Roog iz not vorthy of such ting.”
“Well, then why didn’t you tell me to hold the Golden Anchovy when I found it in the pond behind the pizzeria?” Luno asked.
“Vhy?” Roog chuckled, handing the jar down to Geo. “Becauze, boy, you are not ready yet.”
“You’re right, Roog, but maybe Luno is ready to protect it,” said Geo, handing the jar up to Luno, who slipped it into his pocket.
“I’m sorry I doubted you, Roog,” Luno said, shaking Roog’s old crusty claw, but then it turned into a hug.
“Do I still haff job at pizzeria?” Roog asked sheepishly.
“For as long as you want,” said Connie, reaching out and hugging him, which Chooch then turned into a group hug.
“When life gives you lemonade,” sighed Chooch, “you … um…”
“Who wants pizza?” Geo shouted, to which there was a resounding “me!”
As everyone made their way back to the trash barge, Geo looked up at Luno.
“So how did you bring down Vlactron anyway?” he asked.
“Oh, I just used the old Zorgoochi Pizza Toss!” Luno smiled.
“I’m so proud of you, son!” Geo said with a twinkle in his eye as he hugged Luno’s knees.
As Luno trailed behind the happy crowd, he heard a sound so small he wasn’t sure he heard it at first. He went to investigate.
It became louder as he approached a half-open door, which gave a soft creak as Luno pushed it open.
Behind a massive control panel, surrounded by dozens of static-filled monitors, sat a small figure, her back to Luno. She was crying.
“Um, excuse me,” Luno said, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. “Are you um, okay?”
When she spun around, Luno saw that she was a Reptilicon, just like Vlactron and his guards, but she was different from them. The first thing Luno noticed was her eyes, so big and yellow, and full of tears. The second thing was that she had a slight aroma of string cheese.
“Oh, I-I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize anyone else was left on the ship. Alive, I mean. I thought I was all alone.”
“Um, well, we were all just kinda leaving,” Luno said. “I—um, I’m Luno.”
He awkwardly offered his hand for her to shake.
“Oh, I know who you are, Luno,” she replied. “You’re the human boy who had that silver scungilli thingie.”
“Golden Anchovy,” Luno corrected her.
“I’m Elvina.” She smiled, placing her small soft claw in his hand.
Luno pulled his clammy hand away and wiped it on his space suit, embarrassed.
“I’m not sure if it would do any good for me to apologize for Vlactron,” Elvina said. “He may have been an evil, bloodthirsty, tyrannical warlord hell-bent on controlling pizza throughout the universe and wouldn’t think twice about murdering anyone in cold blood who stood in his way, but, you see, he was my uncle and the only one left in the universe to look after me since my father…”
Elvina burst into tears and buried her face in Luno’s chest, sobbing. Luno had absolutely no idea what to do. He just waited for her to stop.
Once recovered, Elvina explained that she never knew her mother and then her father had died a few years ago, so when she was old enough, she searched the galaxy for her only known living relative, her father’s brother, Vlactron. Elvina lamented that ever since, she’d led a lonely life, living on the Quantum mother ship under the thumb of her evil uncle.
“And now I have no one.”—she sniffed—“I face this cold, dark universe alone.”
You know what to do, Luno thought. Now do it.
“Um, would you,” Luno stammered, “like to, um, stay with me and my family? I mean, until you…”
“I’d love to!” Elvina squealed, hugging him, and then cried some more.
And Luno thought this would get her to stop crying.
“Luno!” Connie’s voice echoed in the hallway.
“In here, Mom!” Luno called.
Luno’s parents appeared in the doorway with the rest behind them.
“We’re ready to go,” Connie said, then noticed Elvina. “And who is this?”
As the crowd gathered around the doorway, Luno explained that she was Vlactron’s niece, who was practically held prisoner on the Quantum mother ship and that she was now an orphan.
“Again,” Elvina added.
“You poor thing,” Connie said, caressing Elvina’s scaly cheek with her palm.
“She doesn’t have anybody or anywhere to go,” Luno said. “Could she stay with us?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Connie agreed and then she and Elvina hugged.
“At last,” Elvina choked through her tears, “I have a real family!”
“At last,” said Connie, “I have a daughter!”
Geo reached up and managed to hug her kneecaps, but Roog kept his distance, muttering, “Yes, yes, velcome to family.” Then Elvina reached out to Luno and gave him the biggest hug of all.
“But, Luno,” Zoola gasped as she pushed her way through the
crowd, “she’s a Reptilicon, just like Vlactron!”
Elvina narrowed her eyes at Zoola and her tail switched back and forth, but then she turned to Luno and began bawling again in his arms, while elbowing Zoola out of the way.
“I-I can’t help what species I am!” Elvina blubbered.
“Oh, she didn’t mean anything,” Connie said, patting Elvina on the back. “Do you like lasagna, sweetheart?”
“Oh, yes, Mrs. Zorgoochi,” Elvina sniffled.
“Call me Mom,” she said.
“Okay”—giggled Elvina—“Mom!”
Neither Luno nor anyone else saw Elvina smack Zoola with her tail as she and Connie went off to pack her bags.
Geo poked Luno’s leg.
“That was a kind thing you did, son,” Geo said proudly. “You have a good heart.”
“Yeah!” Chooch said and patted Luno on the back, then helped him up off the floor.
“I look forward to studying a member of the Reptilicon species in close proximity without the possibility of death,” said Clive, pecking at his device.
“Are you sure dis ees good idea, Mr. Z?” Roog asked.
Geo waved away any doubt. “Of course!” he said, and marched ahead with the others.
“So now that Vlactron has been defeated and we have the Golden Anchovy”—Luno turned to Roog—“everything can go back to normal, right?”
Roog sighed and wearily shook his head, then said that the Golden Anchovy was power. Solaro used its power to do good things with it, but the same power could be used to destroy planets, enslave people, and even control the universe. Solaro wanted to use it to help others, but Vlactron wanted to use it for himself.
“And that’s the difference between a good guy and a bad guy,” Luno said. He then turned to Roog and asked, “So this isn’t over, is it?”
“Eet hass only just begun, boy,” Roog said, placing a claw on Luno’s shoulder. “Eef anyvun find out dat Golden Anchovy ees not only real, but hass been found, dere vill be udders who vill come to take it.”
* * *
In Elvina’s room, Connie and Elvina cheerfully chatted as they put her belongings in a case.
“Will you excuse me, Mrs. Zor—” Elvina caught herself. “I mean Mom. I need to get a few things from the other room. I’ll be back in a jiffy!”
Elvina gave Connie a little wave as she slipped into the bathroom and quietly locked the door. She rolled back her sleeve and pressed a button on a small device around her wrist.
A hologram of the head of the most vicious, disgusting, and otherworldly lizard-like creature appeared before her in the beam of light emitted from the device.
“Yes?” it asked.
“Vlactron has failed to obtain the Golden Anchovy,” Elvina said.
The head grumbled in disappointment.
“I have a plan to get the Anchovy,” Elvina assured the creature. “But it may take some time.”
A horrible grimace formed on his pasty lips, exposing hundreds of sharp, crooked teeth.
“Time is running out for me as it will for you, my daughter,” he said, “if you do not obtain the Golden Anchovy soon.”
Then he disappeared.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My name may be the only one on the cover of this book, but I cannot take full credit for its creation. Luno, Zorgoochi Intergalactic Pizza, or even the Mezzaluna Galaxy would not exist if it weren’t for people whose talent, generosity, and patience helped me write and illustrate my first novel.
I’d like to thank my team at Feiwel and Friends, but first and foremost, my editor, Liz Szabla, who pushed me to push myself to realize my vision for this book. Our many conversations about aliens, robots, and the future of mankind over dill pickles and chopped liver sandwiches were instrumental in helping me realize my vision of the Mezzaluna Galaxy.
Publisher Jean Feiwel provided me with the opportunity to finally fulfill my dream of publishing a science-fiction novel that I would’ve wanted to read growing up.
Rich Deas inspired me to create images befitting of his wonderful designs. Thanks also to design assistant Anna Booth.
Assistant editor Anna Roberto lovingly looked after my book as it was shepherded through production.
I would also like to thank managing editor Dave Barrett, production manager Nicole Moulaison, and Lucy Del Priore, director of school and library marketing, for whose talents I am so deeply grateful.
I’d also like to thank my confidant, ally, sounding board, and literary agent, Rebecca Sherman of Writers House, for all of her sage advice, hard work, and patience, but mostly for her faith in someone who was primarily known as an author and illustrator of picture books.
I consider myself very fortunate to have people in my life who are not only incredibly talented, but generous with their talents, like Andy Guerdat, Tony DiTerlizzi, and Dave Gordon.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank my wife, Susan, and our children, Michael and Lucy, for their honesty, love, and inspiration, but mostly for making me want to be the best author, illustrator, as well as the best person, I can possibly be.
I hope to get there some day.
A FEIWEL AND FRIENDS BOOK
An Imprint of Macmillan
ZORGOOCHI INTERGALACTIC PIZZA. Copyright © 2014 by Dan Yaccarino. All rights reserved. For information, address Feiwel and Friends, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to [email protected].
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available
ISBN: 978-1-250-00844-2 (hardcover) / 978-1-250-00845-9 (ebook)
Feiwel and Friends logo designed by Filomena Tuosto
First Edition: 2014
mackids.com
eISBN 9781250008459
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