buffeted by the space-fog.
‘ Frrr’wowoh ! ’ Otto screamed as he was thrown into the air, bounced against the ceiling and then slammed against the deck. ‘ Oooph! ’ The Meigwor used his long arms to grab hold of the control panel. He stared at Peri. ‘Blast the space pirates! Then we can get out of here!’
‘No!’ Diesel cried. ‘We need the Heart of Mars in one piece to lift the curse on my planet.’
‘Who cares about that stupid jewel?’ Selene snapped. ‘I need Daxx alive to clear my dad’s name. The IF needs proof that it’s Daxx who’s the real space pirate!’
‘Hold on tight!’ Peri yelled as the Phoenix burst from the nebula cloud. They were only seconds behind Daxx, but their target had changed direction again. He was swerving around the wreck of a plasma-tanker. Peri dodged between the corroded metal ribs of the tanker’s hull and shot out the other side. We’re catching him!
Red lights flashed across the control panel, but it wasn’t another space-hazard. It was something potentially worse – an incoming message from the IF Command Centre.
‘Otto, Selene – hide!’ Peri shouted. The IF didn’t know anything about Otto and Selene being aboard the Phoenix . If they did, Peri and Diesel would be in serious galactic trouble.
Otto raced across the Bridge and slid behind the gunnery station, but Selene wasn’t as fast. Diesel pushed her to the floor.
‘Lie flat and keep quiet,’ the half-Martian hissed as the 360-monitor whirled up, showing the tired face of General Pegg.
‘I will not keep quiet!’ The general glared at Diesel. ‘Star Fighters – report on your mission progress,’ he barked.
‘Sir –’ Peri started.
‘I’ve checked your Mission Capsule coordinates,’ the general interrupted. ‘Your objective was to capture Jaxx. What are you doing on that side of the universe?’
‘We’re hot on the heels of the pirate who stole the Heart of Mars,’ Peri replied.
The general took a sharp breath. ‘I hope you know what you’re doing. You’re heading straight for an Astro-Void.’
Peri frowned. Apart from Daxx’s ship, there was nothing at all on the 360-monitor in front of them. Peri wondered what the general was talking about. ‘Sir?’
‘An Astro-Void, Peri,’ the general snapped. ‘Diesel, you took astro-navigation classes – explain it to him.’
‘I got top marks in my class, but I don’t think we covered . . .’ Diesel looked at Peri for support, but Peri just shrugged.
There was a tiny cough from below and they both looked down. Silently Selene put her hands together, then opened them out as wide as she could.
Diesel shook his head. ‘What the prrrip’chiq does that mean?’ the gunner muttered.
Selene rolled her eyes. ‘It’s a vast dark space between galaxies,’ she whispered.
‘What’s going on?’ General Pegg’s eyes bulged. ‘Who else is on your ship?’
Peri’s throat tightened. General Pegg was going to confiscate their Star Fighter badges for hiding Selene on board, but they couldn’t pretend she wasn’t there now. Peri reached down and helped her stand up. ‘Selene is –’
‘I know who she is! She’s a stowaway and a troublemaker,’ the general snapped. ‘I’ve kicked her off the IF Space Station more times than I can remember, yet somehow she always manages to return.’
Selene shrugged. ‘It’s not my fault that your security systems don’t work properly.’
‘Quiet!’ General Pegg ordered. ‘I will not have civilians on an official IF mission. Lock Selene in a holding cell for her own safety – and yours. Return with her and that space pirate in custody soon, or your Star Fighter careers will be the shortest in IF history! End message.’
Peri felt stunned as the 360-monitor whirled back into the control panel. Why hadn’t he explained to General Pegg that Selene was an incredible engineer and a valuable member of the crew? They couldn’t afford to lose her from the Phoenix
‘ Frrr’wowoh ! ’ Otto screamed as he was thrown into the air, bounced against the ceiling and then slammed against the deck. ‘ Oooph! ’ The Meigwor used his long arms to grab hold of the control panel. He stared at Peri. ‘Blast the space pirates! Then we can get out of here!’
‘No!’ Diesel cried. ‘We need the Heart of Mars in one piece to lift the curse on my planet.’
‘Who cares about that stupid jewel?’ Selene snapped. ‘I need Daxx alive to clear my dad’s name. The IF needs proof that it’s Daxx who’s the real space pirate!’
‘Hold on tight!’ Peri yelled as the Phoenix burst from the nebula cloud. They were only seconds behind Daxx, but their target had changed direction again. He was swerving around the wreck of a plasma-tanker. Peri dodged between the corroded metal ribs of the tanker’s hull and shot out the other side. We’re catching him!
Red lights flashed across the control panel, but it wasn’t another space-hazard. It was something potentially worse – an incoming message from the IF Command Centre.
‘Otto, Selene – hide!’ Peri shouted. The IF didn’t know anything about Otto and Selene being aboard the Phoenix . If they did, Peri and Diesel would be in serious galactic trouble.
Otto raced across the Bridge and slid behind the gunnery station, but Selene wasn’t as fast. Diesel pushed her to the floor.
‘Lie flat and keep quiet,’ the half-Martian hissed as the 360-monitor whirled up, showing the tired face of General Pegg.
‘I will not keep quiet!’ The general glared at Diesel. ‘Star Fighters – report on your mission progress,’ he barked.
‘Sir –’ Peri started.
‘I’ve checked your Mission Capsule coordinates,’ the general interrupted. ‘Your objective was to capture Jaxx. What are you doing on that side of the universe?’
‘We’re hot on the heels of the pirate who stole the Heart of Mars,’ Peri replied.
The general took a sharp breath. ‘I hope you know what you’re doing. You’re heading straight for an Astro-Void.’
Peri frowned. Apart from Daxx’s ship, there was nothing at all on the 360-monitor in front of them. Peri wondered what the general was talking about. ‘Sir?’
‘An Astro-Void, Peri,’ the general snapped. ‘Diesel, you took astro-navigation classes – explain it to him.’
‘I got top marks in my class, but I don’t think we covered . . .’ Diesel looked at Peri for support, but Peri just shrugged.
There was a tiny cough from below and they both looked down. Silently Selene put her hands together, then opened them out as wide as she could.
Diesel shook his head. ‘What the prrrip’chiq does that mean?’ the gunner muttered.
Selene rolled her eyes. ‘It’s a vast dark space between galaxies,’ she whispered.
‘What’s going on?’ General Pegg’s eyes bulged. ‘Who else is on your ship?’
Peri’s throat tightened. General Pegg was going to confiscate their Star Fighter badges for hiding Selene on board, but they couldn’t pretend she wasn’t there now. Peri reached down and helped her stand up. ‘Selene is –’
‘I know who she is! She’s a stowaway and a troublemaker,’ the general snapped. ‘I’ve kicked her off the IF Space Station more times than I can remember, yet somehow she always manages to return.’
Selene shrugged. ‘It’s not my fault that your security systems don’t work properly.’
‘Quiet!’ General Pegg ordered. ‘I will not have civilians on an official IF mission. Lock Selene in a holding cell for her own safety – and yours. Return with her and that space pirate in custody soon, or your Star Fighter careers will be the shortest in IF history! End message.’
Peri felt stunned as the 360-monitor whirled back into the control panel. Why hadn’t he explained to General Pegg that Selene was an incredible engineer and a valuable member of the crew? They couldn’t afford to lose her from the Phoenix
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