another lovely day on the award winning planet of Ventura!’ It was tedious having to listen to this every morning, but all speaking robots were programmed to say this to their owners as a standard greeting. ‘Are you all ready for your Starmaths exam today?’
Skye felt a glow of pleasure. At least his parents had remembered this and programmed it into her memory. ‘Yes Sarsi. Thank you.‘
Sarsi made them finish their breakfast and, clucking and scolding like a farkle hen, shoved their lunches in their backpacks and ferried them out of the house. She stood rooted to the spot in the doorway, waving them off with a rather grubby looking handtowel. Like supermarket trolleys, domestic robots were prevented from crossing the thresholds of their homes by magnetic devices.
Skye and Nunya skirted the shore and took the tarmac road that led past numerous imposing villas towards their local school. Nunya skipped along beside him in an intensely annoying way, and since they were holding hands, it jerked him about.
‘Just walk normally Nunny!’ he scolded. ‘Or I won’t hold your hand any more.’
‘You’re in a funny mood this morning,’ she grumbled. ‘Worried about your exams?’
‘No,’ said Skye shortly. ‘Now pipe down Nunya. I’m trying to think.’
She sulked studiously as they continued along the road. The School Planet Skimmer zoomed past, carrying kids from the other side of the province. The school itself stood a little back from the beach, a cluster of brightly painted yellow domes decorated with images of six of the Seven Tribes of Ventura. This was designed to promote harmony and celebrate diversity in the younger population of the planet. A shoal of Mermians swam round the outside of the building, amongst blue-skinned, six-armed Vishnuvians, grey-trunked Mastodonians, winged Kumarians and of the course the main race that lived in the north, the Monrovians. A frieze of tall, upright Black Panthers, in gold ceremonial robes, ran all around the top of the building. These were the Plutonians, High Priests of the Holy Order of Sunev. They were an extinct species and not counted as ordinary folk, since they were capable of astral projection, transmigration, reincarnation and other such supernatural feats. Hairy Feral faces peered out of the painted trees, but of course the Chagrinians were nowhere to be seen, for obvious reasons.
As Skye and Nunya entered the school gates he glanced again towards the gleaming towers of Amrylla. His hair stood right up on end. The sky above the city was now thick with flying craft hovering over the landing pads, including official- looking grey Space Skimmers, which were used to ferry very important people around the planet. There was a sound of beating wings, and a massive bronze Super Chariot, drawn by eagles and accompanied by a flock of Kumarian outriders, soared overhead towards the city. This must be really serious. He was seized with a sudden urge to know what was going on over there, why Queen Andromeda had such an urgent need to summon tribal leaders from all over the Northern Hemisphere. He chivvied Nunya into the lower school building and hesitated. Then on impulse, he turned on his heels and strode in the opposite direction from the doors into the upper school.
‘Here Skye mate, where are you going?’ came a voice from behind him. He turned to see Chokra, in the flesh this time.
‘Er I forgot something,’ muttered Skye. ‘Gotta go back. ’
‘What about the exam?!’ protested Chokra. He waved his arms about to demonstrate his point. (When you’ve got that many, you might as well use them all.)
Skye took out his holophone and handed it to Chokra. ‘Here, take my Cloudberry,’ he said. ‘You can use it to replicate my image.’
‘But we’re not allowed to take holophones into school for that very reason!’ hissed Chokra. ‘So people can’t play truant using their images. You know we have to hand them in at the door!’
‘Ah yes, but you can hold it in one of your hands and tuck that arm down inside your clothes and they won’t notice,’ said Skye.
‘What if the scanner picks it up?’
‘Put it behind that,’ Skye said, pointing at a huge decorative medallion hanging on Chokra’s chest. The Vishnuvians did love their bling. ’It’s made of arcanium. It’ll block the signal.’
‘Nargons!’ said Chokra, shaking his long black braids. ‘Wish I’d thought of that!’
‘Then when you’re at the learning console, bring the phone out, press the ID button and turn it up to High Definition. My image will spring out and you can put it on the chair next to you. I won’t be long.’
‘You’ll miss the exam!’
Skye turned back. ‘Come on. What are friends for? You’re much better at Starmaths than me. Fill in for me till I get back.’
Before Chokra could protest, he sprinted off to the Skytram stop. In seconds, a gleaming metal tube hummed through the air towards him and hovered to a halt. Glancing round, Skye pressed his finger to the ID scanner and stepped in as the doors slid open. The Skytram quickly left the suburbs and entered the city, navigating the airlanes between the skyscrapers and glass pyramids of downtown Amyrlla. Countless other flying craft zoomed past them, but none of them ever collided, because this city was run with clockwork precision. Within minutes he was in the centre, heading towards the pink glass towers.
‘Half way docking port, Andromeda High Command, ‘said a disembodied voice. Skye alighted and wondered how he was going to find his way into the main audience chamber, where the meeting must be taking place. It was right at the top of the tower and guarded heavily by Mastodonian security personnel. Two of them stood on either side of the doors to the elevator, their arms folded over their bulky chests, their trunks wrapped firmly round their necks. Their little yellow eyes flickered around suspiciously, never staying still for a moment. There was a swish of displaced air as a tall Kumarian strode past him towards the lift, his wings still partly unfolded from flight. Quick as a flash, Skye slipped under his left wing and crept along beside him, unnoticed.
He gasped when he entered the audience chamber and nearly blew his cover. It was breathtaking; a tall arched space with a view to the surrounding city uninterrupted by any visible signs of construction; it was like hanging in mid air. The floor was made of glass and you could see right down a yawning stairwell to the ground below, several thousand hand spans beneath his feet.
Queen Andromeda stood on a platform, surveying the motley collection of tribal leaders crowding into the hall, stroking the lavender beard she wore for ceremonial occasions. Her shock of white hair stood upright on her head, stirring like a cornfield before a storm. Her third eye, which she kept discreetly shut most of the time, was flickering nervously. Skye found this rather worrying. She was known for her calm and serenity, but today she seemed be struggling to conceal her fear and bewilderment. Right beside her were several advisors, including Skye’s Mum and Dad. They were both wearing the yellow robes of state and looked extremely grave. Andromeda raised her arms and the buzz faded to a silence.
‘Thank you for coming at such short notice today,’ she began. ‘I’ll get straight to the point.’ With a dramatic flourish, she unrolled an illuminated scroll. ‘This electro missive came through the Ethernet last night. “As the new ruler of the continent of Vardin, I am advising you that King Toglin is no longer on the throne,” ’she read out.
A mighty gasp went up and many eyes rolled in their sockets. There was a general stirring around Skye and various tails, wings and limbs lashed about in agitation. King Toglin was the Ruler of the main continent of the Southern Hemisphere, the other most important person on the planet.
‘“Vardin is now under the dominion of the Supreme Ruler of this world and possibly the whole universe” – those are his words by the way – “his All Encompassing and Extreme Holiness the Divine Emperor Tyranog,” ’ continued Andromeda, to a hubbub of rising hysteria.’ “We will be arriving on your shores shortly to assume control of your territories. Please prepare to hand over all goods, crops, lands, animals, properties, electro banking assets, infrastructures, administrative functions, places of worship, machinery of state a
nd communication pods to the Supreme High Command of the New Order of Ventura. Please note that all jewellery and ceremonial head-dresses are included in the confiscation category. Signed, General Fintagula, Commander in Chief, on behalf of his Holiness.” ’
Skye had to stop himself from crying out in shock. But it didn’t matter, for a general weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth had started up all around him. The Kumarian next to him, under whose wing he had taken cover, rose in the air and left Skye standing there exposed to view. No-one noticed. The Kumarian sailed across the crowd, his giant wings fanning nearby hair arrangements, and landed in front of the podium, his head feathers waving about in agitation.
‘This can only mean one thing!’ Skye heard him cry. ‘The Chagrinians have risen again! Risen up from the deep! Returned to torment us!’
More weeping and wailing broke out, this time louder.
A Mastodonian raised his trunk and honked loudly. ‘We will not fall under the yoke of tyranny again!’ he trumpeted.
Andromeda held her arms up again for silence. ‘Please try and stay calm my people! Defence strategies are in place! A force field has been placed around the city perimeters.’
‘They will break through that! They did last time!’ shouted a Vishnuvian,
Skye's Secret Mission Page 2