by Max Chase
“Are we safe now?” Selene whispered.
The measured voice of the Phoenix intervened. “Attention: receiving data from alien source.” Bizarre symbols began to scroll down the monitors.
Peri looked at the others. “Any idea what that means?”
Selene shook her head. “Not a clue.”
Diesel shrugged. “Just when I get a word or two,” he said, “it scrambles again.”
Selene pressed a few buttons to try to decipher the alien message. Then she gulped.
“What does it say?” Peri demanded. He had a feeling it meant even more trouble.
“Uh …” Selene’s voice was nervous. “I think it says, ‘Prepare … Prepare—’”
A harsh yellow light engulfed them. Peri squeezed his eyes shut, but the rays pierced through his lids and made him cover his face. Then, just as quickly, the light was gone. The three of them blinked cautiously. Their eyes widened in surprise.
The Phoenix seemed to be in a gigantic box. Red light was radiating from the distant walls. Maybe heat too, because blue sweat was trickling down Diesel’s face. Peri could feel his Expedition Wear sticking to his skin. Through the 360-monitor, he peered into the dimness, but he couldn’t see any openings. All he could make out were hundreds of crates and boxes: ammunition, spare parts, and a vast glass tank teeming with gross bugs.
They were in the cargo bay of the viper ship!
“Uh …” Selene finished her sentence: “‘Prepare to be beamed aboard’!”
Chapter 9
“Ephguxoopkeegok!”
An alien voice was broadcasting over the Phoenix’s intercom. Everyone jumped. It spoke in a harsh, booming language with sharp clicking sounds. The message was repeated again and again. It sounded more threatening each time.
Peri felt under his chin for the slight bulge of the SpeakEasy computer chip. All cadets, in their first week at the IF Academy, had a SpeakEasy implanted. As he tuned in the translation device, the crackling static made his skull vibrate. Then he found the right wavelength.
“Set your language controls to frequency 11.08.68,” he told his crew.
Diesel followed his order. Selene pulled a battered SpeakEasy from her tool belt and tied it under her chin. Now all three of them could understand the booming alien announcement: “Exit your ship! Come out with your hands up!”
“We have no choice,” Peri said flatly. “We have to surrender.” He shut down the ship’s accelerator modules. Then he quickly ran an air-quality test on the cargo bay.
The computer’s response was surprising: “Safe for you to breathe—but quite” … something. Peri couldn’t understand the last word.
Selene pressed a couple of buttons. Mechanical arms shot out of the walls and dressed her in Expedition Wear. Then they all marched down the corridor to meet their fate.
Diesel and Selene flanked Peri as the exit hatch appeared. The door swung open and a ramp glided down. They raised their hands.
As they stepped outside, the smell hit Peri like a punch in the nose. The hot air reeked of something terrible, like rotting food or filthy animals—only much, much worse. Selene gagged. Peri took tiny breaths through his mouth. Diesel stuffed two wads of Eterni-chew gum up his nostrils and smirked.
As they walked slowly down the ramp, the smell became overwhelming. But when Peri finally saw the aliens, the sight took his mind off everything else. A high-ranking officer with rows of gleaming medals pinned to his uniform was waiting. He was surrounded by more than a dozen armed guards. And they were like no species Peri had ever seen before.
Their necks were twice as long as a human’s, with two big lumps sticking out of their wrinkled flesh. The front of each lump was covered with a fine mesh that looked like a loudspeaker. Peri nodded to himself. No wonder their voices boom!
The creatures had crimson skin the same color as their ship, with splotches of black around their eyes and ears.
The officer advanced, and the guards followed. The aliens’ bodies were hard and muscular, almost human in shape. But their lower backs had hideous humps, which made them stoop as they walked. Their long powerful arms had two elbows that bent in opposite directions. Peri was pretty sure they’d be impossible to beat in cosmic combat—or arm wrestling. Even for Diesel. Besides, he and his friends were outnumbered four to one, and the guards carried what looked like electromagnetic zapsters. Fighting them was out of the question.
The two groups stood facing each other. The aliens had mouths but no lips or teeth. From each jaw flickered a rough-looking black tongue, which Peri somehow knew could reach really far.
“Mza-kåk, Mza’pûu!” Diesel mumbled so only Peri and Selene could hear. “Ugly sons of ugly mothers of ugly grandfathers …” He went back another five generations. Selene snickered nervously.
Peri stammered the IF motto: “P-peace in Space.” Or that’s what his brain said. His SpeakEasy translated it into a harsh jumble of grunts and clicks.
“Welcome!” the officer replied in English. His tone was friendly—but either his language device needed adjusting or he always spoke as if he was barking orders. “Be at ease! We must thank you! You helped destroy our enemy!”
Peri’s mouth dropped open in surprise. He immediately wished it hadn’t, because it let in more foul-smelling air. A friendly greeting was the last thing he had expected from aliens as ugly as these.
“Friends!” the alien continued. “Take down your hands!”
Peri lowered his hands. He felt relieved. “The Xions are attacking our galaxy too,” he explained, breathing as little as possible. “It was an ambush.”
“Awful!” the general responded. “Awful! I will introduce myself!” He smacked his hands together over his head, making everyone flinch. “I salute you!” he declared. Peri thought there was a faint sneer on his face, but it was difficult to tell.
“General Rouwgim!” the alien bellowed. “From planet Meigwor! In the Ubi Galaxy! And the name of your galaxy?”
Peri blinked. “Sorry?”
“The name of your galaxy?!”
Diesel butted in. “The Milky Way, General.”
“It is good!” General Rouwgim shouted. “The Sun, the Earth, the Pluto, the Mars!”
He started to walk around the Phoenix. Peri followed a few steps behind. Half the guards went with them, and the rest surrounded Diesel and Selene. Peri looked back. Selene gave him a tight smile that said, We’re okay. Let’s just see what happens.
“It is good!” The alien leered. His tongue waggled in his mouth. “We Meigwors are at war with Xion! They have fuel! So much fuel! We Meigwors are running out of fuel! The Xions do not share! If we Meigwors have no fuel, we will die!”
Peri was listening and nodding. But he felt uneasy, and it wasn’t just the smell. Or the fact that one of those horrible stinkbugs had scuttled out of the teeming tank and was making its way across the floor. There was something strange about the way General Rouwgim kept inspecting him and his crew and the Phoenix. His beady eyes, his barked commands, his armed guards …
Of course, it made sense for Peri and his crew to be allies with the Meigwors. But even though he couldn’t put his finger on it, he knew something wasn’t right.
Chapter 10
Without warning, General Rouwgim’s black tongue lashed out like a whip. Before Peri could react, it shot back into the alien’s mouth. The stinkbug was stuck to it, struggling with all its many legs.
“Excuse me!” the general gurgled. “I have a sweet tooth!”
And he swallowed the bug whole.
Peri cringed in horror. General Rouwgim was circling the Phoenix as if nothing had happened. Peri could see the bug thrashing wildly as it made its way down the alien’s throat. By the time they’d returned to Diesel and Selene, Peri had got ahold of himself.
“You are awfully young,” Rouwgim hollered, “to be pilots of own ship!”
“Actually,” Diesel said in his gruffest voice, “we’re a pretty experienced crew.”
Pe
ri was confused. What was Diesel talking about? The gunner gave him a sly look. Then Peri got it: they must not look weak in front of the Meigwors.
“You see, General,” Peri bluffed, “we’re older than we look. People in our galaxy are quite small.”
“But we’re tough!” Diesel added, flexing his muscles. “I blew up a Xion warship while we were being sucked into a vortex. And then we wiped out the vortex just by flying through it.”
“It is good!” Rouwgim roared and clapped. “And your ship! It is magnificent! But was it damaged in your battles?”
Peri hesitated. Was it safe to let the general know the truth? Then he realized that they weren’t going anywhere without the Meigwors’ help. “Yes,” he admitted. “The accelerators and the cloaking device are broken.”
Rouwgim’s eyes shone. He looked at them sharply. “We Meigwors battle the Xions for years!” he yelled. “We Meigwors could use a crack team like you!”
“Thank you, General,” Peri said politely. “But we really have to get home. We’ve got to crush the Xions in the Milky Way.”
Rouwgim ignored him. “But Xion has captured our Meigwor prince!” he shouted. “We help you mend damaged ship! We help you return to the Milky Way! But first you help us find our Meigwor prince and bring him home!”
Peri turned to the others. Selene frowned and whispered, “I think it’s our only option. And who knows, it might be good training before we go back home …”
Diesel muttered, “Just remember what General Pegg said about keeping me safe …”
Peri studied the floor. It was a tough decision. General Pegg had ordered him to get Diesel to safety. But accepting Rouwgim’s offer was the only way of getting the ship repaired. He looked up and said calmly, “It’s a deal, General.” When they shook hands, Peri felt as if his fingers were being crushed in a vice.
“I dispatch my best ship fixers!” Rouwgim barked.
“Excellent.” Peri rubbed his flattened hand. “Our engineer will supervise.”
Selene marched over to the Phoenix. A fully equipped test-and-repair station descended from its hull. Bright 3-D images of the engine networks sprang up. The Meigwor mechanics wheeled up a crate of spare parts and tools, and set about their work under Selene’s strict instructions.
“Your ship be ready in the morning!” Rouwgim promised. “Now we celebrate victory.”
“We’re very grateful.” Peri had prepared his next speech. “But I’m sure you only have war rations onboard,” he said smoothly. “We won’t take advantage of your hospitality by eating your food. We’ll eat and sleep on the Phoenix.”
The alien looked relieved. “You are real warrior! You consider your allies!”
Peri stifled a grin. Now Rouwgim could satisfy his sweet tooth all he wanted. And we won’t have to eat stinkbugs!
The general and his troops moved off to their command station. Selene gave some more orders to the mechanics, then rejoined Peri and Diesel. Together they climbed back into the Phoenix.
Peri suddenly felt more tired and hungry than he’d ever felt in his life. Thankfully, a chill-storage unit had appeared on the ship’s bridge. It was stuffed with bottles of Saturn Soda, astro-meals, and spacebars in all flavors: Mars, Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter …
Once Peri and Selene had finished eating, they watched Diesel wash down his ninth spacebar with his eleventh soda. His band of hair slowly drifted from side to side, showing he was full and content.
“Those mechanics are good,” Selene said. “They’ll fix the Phoenix.” Then she made a face. “But I think Rouwgim is planning something.”
“Definitely,” Peri agreed. “But what?” He was trying to piece it all together: Xion … Meigwor … kidnapped prince … war for fuel … what kind of fuel? But his worn-out brain was as slow as the jumbo jet he’d once seen in a history book.
Diesel burped loudly. “I say we just take the Phoenix and run.”
“You mean,” Selene asked after a pause, “we only pretend to help rescue this prince?”
Diesel sniggered. “Yep, we go superluminal, and leave them gazing at our vapor trail!”
Peri shifted uneasily. “But they’re repairing our ship for us.”
Diesel snorted. “Af-kyot! C’mon! We’ll still be fighting the Xions, just in our galaxy, not in theirs.”
“He’s right,” Selene said firmly. “The Meigwors give me the creeps. The sooner we get out of here, the better.”
Peri stood up and rubbed his eyes. Saving the Milky Way was obviously more important than intergalactic manners. “Okay, it’s agreed,” he said. “We escape at the first opportunity.”
When the crew turned around, they saw that three floating sleep bays had materialized. Peri clambered into his bunk and heard the others do the same. He felt the covers pull themselves over him and tuck him in. Diesel began snoring before the lights had even dimmed.
Early the next morning, Peri and his crew bolted down a breakfast of spacecakes and hot Comet Koko. Then Selene slipped on her tool belt. Diesel shoved some Eterni-chew gum in his mouth. Peri straightened his spacesuit.
“Everyone ready?” he asked. When they gave him the thumbs-up, he took a deep breath and led them down the ramp. General Rouwgim and his guards were already waiting for them.
The general briefed Peri about their mission: free the Meigwor prince from his Xion prison and bring him home. “Simple!” he barked. Peri nodded. Although he felt bad about accepting the Meigwors’ help and then running off, deep down he knew it was the right decision.
Now he just wanted to get going.
“You have good luck!” Rouwgim commanded, as they stood together outside the Phoenix. “And one thing more! A new crew member for your mission!”
A burly alien stepped forward. His massive chest was crisscrossed with ammo belts. Around his waist was a snakeskin belt loaded with weapons and gadgets, some of which Peri had never seen before. Hanging next to a set of zirconium grenades were two studded tubes that glowed deathly crimson, and a vial of smoky liquid.
“Uh … that won’t be necessary,” Peri said hastily. “I already have an engineer and a gunner. That’s all I need.”
“Otto goes with you!” the general bellowed. This time, there was no doubt he was giving a direct order. “Otto help you to fight! And Selene,” he added slyly, “help you to come back! Because she stays here with us until you return!”
Peri stepped in front of Selene. “No way!” he said defiantly. But instantly two guards shoved their zapsters in his face and pulled Selene away. Diesel crouched in the cosmic-combat attack position. He was ready to launch himself at the general.
“Diesel, stop!” Selene shouted. “Don’t make it worse!” Diesel growled but stood at ease. Rouwgim smirked, though he looked a little shaken.
“General, give me your word that you won’t harm her!” Peri demanded.
“Get us our prince,” Rouwgim replied, “and no one gets hurt!”
Peri turned to Selene. “I promise we’ll get the prince as soon as we can and come back for you.”
Diesel grunted his agreement. “See you around,” he said.
Selene shook off the guards’ hands and stood up straight. She looked determined. “If you ever find yourself staring death in the face,” she said quickly, “press the blue helix on the control panel.”
The door of the Phoenix swung open. Peri waved good-bye to Selene. Diesel nodded at her. Then the two boys walked up the ramp. Otto lumbered after them.
As soon as they were on the bridge, the alien squeezed his massive body into the captain’s chair and then stretched out his double-jointed arm to the control panel.
Peri was taken aback. Who did this giant dumboid think he was? He snapped his fingers, and the panel glided over to him.
“Out!” Diesel growled at Otto. “You’re not the captain!” He jerked his thumb toward Selene’s chair. The alien spewed out some grunts and clicks, but he moved over anyway.
Peri settled himself in the captain’s chair.
Then he focused his eyes on the viewing panel, gripped the Nav-wheel, and activated the launch sequence. With a perfect maneuver, he directed the vessel out of the viper ship’s cargo bay and up into the unknown.
As the Phoenix shot into space, Peri vowed to himself: I’ll get us all back home … somehow … someday …
How will Peri and Diesel rescue Prince Onix?
And can they trust the Meigwors?
Find out in
Read on for a sneak peek …
The vessel ahead of them entered the space-highway ramp, and the Phoenix glided to a stop behind a barricade of pulsing red light. An announcement from the toll taker interrupted him: “Prepare to be inspected. Approach slowly.”
The Nav-wheel was slippery with ice, but Peri guided the Phoenix toward the striped guard pod with expert skill.
Durrr-ing! The com-screen rose from the console and flashed into life. A Xion appeared. He wore a bright-blue uniform, braided with pink, and a scarlet cap.
“This is Toll Taker Xerallon.” A beam of purple light pulsed through the bridge. “The following fines have been added to your toll: crossing the Cos-Moat without permission, not using proper drawbridge protocol, and endangering local wildlife. State your name and your reasons for visiting Xion.”
Peri gulped. He could have kicked himself. He should have thought of a cover story. “I … I …,” he spluttered.
“Peace in Space, Toll Taker Xerallon,” Diesel said. “We apologize for our rude behavior. We’re astro-nomads. We need extra fuel as well as repairs to our Nav-system. My pilot is quite useless without a navigation computer telling him where to go. Last week, he almost flew us into a moon. We were lucky to crash into your lovely Cos-Moat.”
The screen was icing up, but Peri could see the toll taker nod. “Your ship’s certainly a relic from a technology-stunted solar system. I’m surprised that junk can fly.”