by Huw Powell
‘Goodbye, captain,’ said Baden, stuffing more gum into his mouth. ‘Don’t worry, when I report the black hole, I won’t tell the Interstellar Navy which way you went. You see, my salvage operation may be legitimate, but my ancestors were from Zerost.’
Granny Leatherhead gave him a knowing smile and disappeared into her ship. By the time they reached the bridge, the two vessels had already drifted apart.
‘Let’s see if this old rust bucket works,’ she said, rubbing her hands. ‘Nichelle, resume our original course.’
‘Aye, captain.’
Nichelle tested the engine with a few bursts of thrust, before accelerating away from the Rough Diamond III. The cargo hauler creaked a little more than usual, but the ship held together as it gathered speed. No one was sorry to leave the black hole behind.
Chapter 22
The Tego Nebula
The Dark Horse cruised through space, avoiding the main trade routes. They were heading for Papa Don’s to continue their search for Altus. Scargus and Manik fussed over the engine like anxious parents, while Nanoo repaired the ship’s defences. Most of the crew relaxed in their quarters, but not Jake. He wandered aimlessly about the ship with his handheld computer tucked under his arm, lost in thought.
Jake felt responsible for putting the others in danger. If it wasn’t for him and his gold pendant, they wouldn’t be on the run from the Interstellar Navy. Too many people had died already. How many more would be forced to suffer?
Jake was so distracted, he didn’t realise where he was going, until he walked on to the bridge.
Granny Leatherhead was sulking in the captain’s chair. She hadn’t got over the fact that they had thrown away her gold. Farid and the others had assured her that there hadn’t been any other way to escape the black hole, but she refused to listen, claiming there was no point growing a day older without her retirement fund.
‘It’ll be OK,’ said Jake.
‘Will it now?’ Granny Leatherhead glared at him. ‘What do you know about it, you pint-sized pain-in-the-aft? You’ve been nothing but trouble since you set foot on my ship.’
‘When we find Altus, I’ll pay you double the amount you’ve lost.’
‘Double, eh?’ She scratched her eyepatch with a claw-like finger. ‘I like the sound of that, your shortness, but what if we can’t locate your precious planet? What will you do for me then?’
‘I’ll stay on this ship until I’ve paid you back,’ said Jake. ‘But it won’t come to that. We’ll find my planet, I know it.’
Granny Leatherhead seemed to deflate, as though the fight had been knocked out of her. For the first time, the tough pirate captain looked like a fragile old woman.
‘I can’t spend your faith,’ she said, and withdrew to her quarters.
Jake stared at the crystals on his gold pendant, hoping the answer would leap out at him, but they just sat there sparkling in the dim light. What was it that he was supposed to know? What made him so special? How could he unlock the secret location of his home planet, when so many others had failed?
Whatever the answer, Jake had to figure it out quickly. The crew had just destroyed the Interstellar Navy’s best warship, making them the most wanted pirates in the seven solar systems. The Space Dogs needed a place to hide and fast.
‘Hey, Nichelle. Is it much further to Papa Don’s?’
‘Not far now.’ The pilot sat hunched over the controls with her eyes fixed on the main display. ‘We got lucky and caught a space wave.’
‘A what?’
‘A space wave,’ she said. ‘When a sun flares up, it creates an invisible force that ripples through space, a sort of solar tide. We’ve been riding a space wave for the last hour.’
‘Oh, right.’ Jake attempted to flop into the empty seat, but instead fell in slow motion, like a leaf from a tree. He sighed.
‘Is everything OK?’
‘Yeah, I suppose so,’ he said, holding on to the armrests.
‘Really?’
‘Yes, no, oh I don’t know.’ Jake strapped himself into the seat. ‘You’re all expecting so much from me and I don’t want to let anyone down, but what do I know about ruling a planet? I can’t even remember what Altus looks like, let alone lead its people. What would you do?’
‘You’re asking me?’ Nichelle puffed out her cheeks and blew into the air. ‘Listen, I’m only a pilot and I don’t know any more than you about being a ruler, but I suppose I would be excited to see my long lost relatives.’
‘What if they don’t want to see me?’
‘Garbish,’ she tore her eyes away from the screen. ‘Just because your uncle sounds like a total jerk, it doesn’t mean the rest of your family will be the same.’
Nichelle had a point. Amicus had only mentioned Kear, but there could be other Cutlers living on Altus.
‘What’s that?’ asked Jake, as something popped on to the long-range scanner. ‘Is that a ship?’
Nichelle took a look and smiled.
‘That, my friend,’ she said, ‘is Papa Don’s illegal spaceport.’
The Dark Horse had reached the safety of the colourful Tego Nebula. Papa Don’s illegal spaceport was still open for business and rotating like a giant carousel. The crew had gathered on the bridge, but Granny Leatherhead remained in her quarters, leaving Farid in charge of the ship. Nichelle held the cargo hauler at a safe distance from the port, in case the space mafia enquired about Kella.
‘Now what?’ she asked, sitting back from the controls. ‘Where do we start our search?’
Farid glanced at Callidus, who turned to Jake, who was skulking at the back of the bridge with his hands in his pockets. It was the moment Jake had been dreading, the moment he was supposed to come up with all the answers. He could feel the weight of expectation in the room.
‘I’ve been thinking about nothing else,’ he said, as everyone gathered around him. ‘I know that Altus exists, but I just don’t know how to find it.’
There was an awkward silence, which seemed to last forever, before Capio spoke.
‘All this time studying that poxy pendant and you still don’t have a clue? Not even the slightest inclination?’
Jake shrugged. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘You’re sorry?’ Capio twitched slightly. ‘I’ve had to put up with space pirates, naval warships, illegal spaceports, alien shipwrecks and tentacled monsters . . . all for nothing?’
‘Jake, are you sure there isn’t something you’ve missed?’ asked Callidus. ‘A minor detail in your past that you might have overlooked?’
Jake tried to think, but it was difficult to concentrate under so much pressure.
‘Well?’ pressed Farid.
‘Yeah, come on,’ said Capio. ‘Let’s hear it.’
The crew closed around Jake, casting him in shadow.
‘It’s not his fault,’ said Kella, standing next to him. ‘He never claimed to know the location.’
‘Yes, give Jake chance,’ urged Nanoo, joining them. ‘He work it out.’
‘Hey, that’s not a bad idea. We can work it out,’ said Kella, pointing to the handheld computer. ‘Jake, you lived with cyber-monks. Don’t they use technology to solve problems?’
‘I’ve already tried,’ he sighed. ‘But there’s nothing logical about Altus.’
‘Well, let’s try again,’ she said, snatching the handheld computer and tapping the screen. ‘Tell me what to do.’
Jake knew it was pointless to argue with her.
‘OK,’ he said. ‘First, we need to establish the facts. Fact one, we don’t know the location of Altus.’
Kella gave him a reproachful look and then typed as she talked. ‘Fact two, the Interstellar Navy believes that Altus is somewhere between Remota and Papa Don’s spaceport.’
‘Fact three,’ said Callidus. ‘Jake’s gold pendant and the Altian shipwreck contained the same symbol: three circles inside a larger circle with a swirling border.’
Kella paused for further input.
‘Anyone else?’
None of the crew spoke.
‘Fact four, we believe in you, Jake Cutler,’ croaked a voice in the doorway.
Jake turned to see Granny Leatherhead standing by the hatch, dressed in her full pirate outfit and holding her skull-shaped space helmet.
‘You do?’
‘Aye,’ she said, blinking at him. ‘I’m counting on you to put these clues together and replace my retirement fund. Don’t let me down, Kid Cutler.’
The crowd parted to give Jake room to think. He wandered over to the main display and stared hard at Papa Don’s. Was there something special about the space mafia and their illegal spaceport? What secrets were held within those curved metal walls? It looked so peaceful and unassuming suspended in front of the Tego Nebula, framed by its golden corona, like a crown of light.
‘That’s it,’ he cried, his purple eyes bursting with excitement. ‘I know where to find Altus.’
‘Just like that?’ said Capio.
‘But we haven’t finished making the calculations,’ protested Kella, waving the handheld computer.
Granny Leatherhead joined Jake at the main display. ‘Does it have something to do with Papa Don’s?’
‘No, it’s behind the spaceport,’ said Jake.
‘But there’s nothing there except –’
‘Yes, that’s right.’ Jake grinned. ‘Altus is inside the Tego Nebula.’
‘What?’ said Farid. ‘Inside it?’
Jake pointed to the image of the Tego Nebula on the main display. ‘Do you see its corona? Amicus Kent said that not every cloud has a silver lining. I didn’t realise what he meant until now. He’s right. This cloud has a golden lining.’
‘So it does,’ said Kella. ‘It’s beautiful.’
‘I had assumed the swirling border on my gold pendant was just for decoration.’ Jake held it up for everyone to see. ‘But the swirls could easily represent a cloud wrapped around a planet and its three moons.’
‘Yes, of course,’ said Callidus. ‘The word Tego means to conceal. I can’t believe it’s been here all this time, hidden inside that cloud of space dust.’
‘You mean we’ve found it?’ checked Capio. ‘We’ve located planet Altus?’
The bridge erupted with cheers and excited chatter.
‘Hold on, you horrible lot,’ croaked Granny Leatherhead. ‘Let’s not get carried away. It’s a good theory, but where’s the proof, eh? How can we be certain that he’s guessed it right?’
‘I don’t have any proof,’ said Jake. ‘Why don’t we just fly into the Tego Nebula to see if Altus is inside?’
‘Fly into the Tego Nebula?’ exclaimed Nichelle. ‘I’m afraid it’s not that simple, Jake. The nebula is far too dense and ionised with electricity. We would have to do everything manually.’
Farid nodded in agreement. ‘Who knows what would happen once we were inside. If the ship got into trouble, we would be stranded.’
‘What other option do we have?’ asked Callidus. ‘How long before Papa Don notices us? How long before the Interstellar Navy turns up? You were all prepared to risk everything over the black hole – is this any different?’
‘Yes,’ said Farid. ‘We’re being asked to risk our lives on the instincts of a thirteen-year-old boy.’
Granny Leatherhead turned to Jake.
‘Well, Kid Cutler?’ she said. ‘How sure are you that there’s something inside that cosmic candyfloss?’
Jake glanced at the swirling clouds of the Tego Nebula, wishing he could see through them and catch a glimpse of a planet. The mass of bright colours felt familiar and calming to him.
‘I’m positive,’ he said.
Granny Leatherhead considered this for a moment and then turned to Nichelle.
‘Set a course for the heart of the nebula.’
‘But . . . aye, captain.’
The Dark Horse moved past the illegal spaceport to the edge of the Tego Nebula, which was far greater than anything else they had encountered. Nichelle made disapproving noises each time the lights flickered and she swore out loud when the scanners scrambled.
‘This is impossible,’ she protested. ‘It’s suicide. There could be anything inside that cloud and we wouldn’t know until we hit it.’
‘Nichelle’s right,’ said Farid. ‘The ship is still damaged from our battle with the ISS Colossus. It would only take one stray asteroid to scupper us.’
Callidus nodded thoughtfully. ‘Technology can’t help us on this occasion, but there might be another way.’
He turned to Capio and smiled.
‘Whatever you’re thinking, the answer is no,’ said his curly-haired companion. ‘I mean it, Cal. I’ve had enough of your reckless stunts. No, no, no, absolutely not.’
Chapter 23
The Lost Planet
Callidus and Capio stood in the airlock dressed in spacesuits, while Jake helped Maaka ‘Metal Head’ to check their space helmets.
‘Here we go again, throwing ourselves into space,’ complained Capio.
‘Trust me, this will work,’ said Callidus. ‘I’ve kept us alive this long, haven’t I?’
‘Yes, but it’s you who keeps putting us in danger. Tell me it’s still about the crystals, Cal. We must have earned our reward by now.’
Jake and Maaka stepped outside and sealed the inner hatch. Two amber lights flashed on the ceiling and the outer airlock door cracked open.
Capio swept up his lifeline. ‘I really hate the universe sometimes.’
‘You’d better get moving,’ said Granny Leatherhead over the intercom. ‘Farid has picked up a couple of naval warships on the long-range scanners.’
Jake watched the two men leave the airlock and then he headed back to the bridge. By the time he reached the top deck, Callidus and Capio had already climbed on to the nose of the ship, where they sat holding the tow cable. The static from the nebula blocked their helmet communicators, forcing them to use a more basic form of contact. Callidus flashed his helmet lamp and waited for Farid to return the signal with a torch.
The plan was as simple as it was daring. Callidus and Capio would guide the cargo hauler through the Tego Nebula, staying in front of the ship and feeling their way through the thick clouds. They would remain connected to the tow cable to avoid getting lost. If they came across anything unusual, they would use their helmet lamps to warn the others: one flash to slow down, two to stop, three to proceed and four for danger. It would be slow progress, but better to be cautious than dead.
With a final wave, Callidus and Capio launched themselves off the hull and propelled themselves with bursts of compressed air from two spare oxygen tanks. The two men disappeared into the nebula, leaving only the slack tow cable visible. Nichelle gave her throttle a gentle nudge and the Dark Horse drifted after them, its nose parting the multicoloured fog.
‘Keep watch for their helmet lamps,’ said Farid, as angry bolts of electricity streamed by the windows. ‘We’re reliant on Callidus and Capio to find the safest route. A move in the wrong direction could be fatal.’
‘Let’s hope there aren’t any kalmars in this space smog,’ croaked Granny Leatherhead. ‘Those two would make a tasty snack.’
‘I not think anything survive long in nebula without spacesuit,’ said Nanoo, watching the clouds through his X-ray device. ‘Not even space monsters.’
For several minutes the Dark Horse edged forward without hindrance. Nichelle did her best to maintain a straight course, but there was no way to be sure. Jake kept watch for signs of Callidus and Capio, catching the occasional hint of an arm or leg at the end of the tow cable. He tried not to blink for fear of missing a signal.
‘I see something,’ said Nanoo. ‘A light.’
‘Yes, I saw it too,’ confirmed Kella.
‘How many?’ asked Farid.
‘There was a single flash,’ said Jake.
Kella and Nanoo nodded in agreement.
‘OK, slow down, Nichelle,’ instructed Granny Leatherhead. ‘L
et’s take it steady until we know what’s out there.’
‘Aye, captain.’
It was impossible to tell how fast they were travelling through the clouds. According to their faulty instruments, they were either not moving at all or they had broken the light barrier, neither of which was likely.
‘What’s that?’ asked Jake, spotting a dark shadow ahead.
The gloomy shape swelled before their eyes, as though growing out of the nebula.
‘Two flashes,’ cried Kella. ‘I saw two flashes of light.’
‘Stop the ship,’ ordered Granny Leatherhead.
‘Aye, captain.’
Nichelle slammed on the reverse thrusters just in time to avoid a major collision. The Dark Horse nudged gently into the mysterious object with a deep metallic thud. In front of the cargo hauler, Callidus and Capio were clinging to a large chromium cylinder suspended in the clouds. It was too small to be a spaceship and too large to be an escape pod.
‘I hope it’s not some kind of s-s-space mine,’ stuttered Woorak.
‘It’s just a probe,’ said Granny Leatherhead. ‘Most likely launched from a science vessel to take samples from the nebula. It must have been struck by lightning before it could return.’
‘It’s eerie.’ Kella shuddered. ‘It looks so sad and lonely stuck in this cloud.’
‘I wonder how long it’s been here,’ said Jake.
‘Difficult to say.’ Farid moved closer to the window. ‘It could be old, really old, not to mention valuable. We should take it with us, in case we can’t find it again.’
‘No, we shouldn’t,’ said Granny Leatherhead. ‘The more time we waste in this death dust, the more likely we’ll be hit by lightning. Let’s leave the probe, before we get trapped here with it.’
Farid flashed his torch three times, signalling to Callidus and Capio to move forward again. The two men launched themselves back into the cloud and melted out of sight. Nichelle squeezed the thrusters and steered around the probe, following Callidus and Capio into the unknown.
‘Hey, what that?’ asked Nanoo, pointing at Jake’s chest.