Authors: Max Chase
The Enemy's Lair (10 page)
‘I’ll check the damage, while you plan our next move,’ Selene said.
Peri smiled. Selene’s time in captivity had done nothing for her bossiness. She was even back in her patched spacesuit and had a smudge of grease on her cheek.
‘Otto, Diesel, stop arguing,’ she snapped. ‘I need you to check over the weapons systems to see what needs to be repaired first.’ The two gunners glared at her but knew better than to argue. They slouched to the gunnery station.
‘Onix,’ Selene continued as she pushed past the prince, ‘try to stay out of the way.’
‘No one talks to the firstborn son and heir to the throne of Xion like that!’ the prince said, stiffening, and slicked his webbed fingers through his hair. ‘Especially not a girl.’
Peri winced. Onix was in really big trouble. He didn’t know Selene. She could use most of the weapons on the
Phoenix
, and she didn’t like being treated like a girl. Selene’s eyes narrowed like the focusing lens on a DeathRay pulveriser. ‘I’m the engineer of this ship and you’ll do what you’re told or you can find another ride home.’
Onix didn’t say a word, but moved as far away from her as he could.
‘Right,’ Peri said. ‘Our priority is to return Prince Onix to Xion.’
‘No! We must return to Earth!’ Diesel yelled. ‘The Emperor will be missing me . . . I mean, us! Earth needs its best Star Fighters back.’
Selene adjusted some nano-dials on the control panel. ‘Maybe the prince can tell Xion to stop attacking the Milky Way. Then we can go home.’
Peri clicked his fingers and the control panel slipped from under Selene’s hands. It floated towards him. ‘First,’ he said, ‘let’s contact Xion and explain that kidnapping Onix was a mistake. We don’t need a second planet after us.’
Peri activated the com-pad, flicking a zip-dial to scan all frequencies and automatically connect with planet Xion.
‘Hold it!’ Otto boomed. ‘The Xions will take me prisoner!’
‘I’ll make sure you get far worse,’ mumbled Onix, ‘you muscle-bound Meigwor freak.’
Otto pulled a short silver stick from his snakeskin belt and stepped towards the prince. ‘What was that, squid-breath? You think these pathetic Earthlings are going to defend
you
?’
‘Pathetic?!’ Diesel shouted. ‘We could beat the entire Meigwor space fleet without breaking a sweat.’
Otto’s black tongue shot out and cracked like a whip in front of Diesel’s nose. ‘Stay out of it, space-monkey!’
‘Never!’ Diesel launched himself, grabbing the two lumps on Otto’s freakishly long neck as Onix leapt on to the Meigwor’s legs. Otto staggered backwards until he lost his balance. Peri sprang from the captain’s chair to avoid being hit, but one of Otto’s double-jointed elbows slammed into Peri’s chest and pinned him against the deck.
‘Cosmic squid-brains!’ Otto roared. ‘Space-monkey slime!’
Peri scrambled free from the fight. Diesel was darting and weaving and trying to punch Otto wherever he could. Otto was trying to shake Onix from his back, but the prince clung on like a space-limpet.
‘Meigwor scum,’ the prince yelled, as gobs of fishy sweat flew off him. ‘Lumpy-necked space-freak!’
Otto was flailing around trying to hit both of them with the silver stick. The weapon was now eleven times longer than it had been. As the Meigwor waved it about, sparks flew everywhere.
Whaacckk!
The stick smacked against Peri’s arm.
Craackle.
A zap of electricity fizzed through him. His muscles and computer circuits twitched uncontrollably, making his eyes water as his vision shimmered.
The stick is an electro-prod!
he realised.
‘Stop it now, before someone gets hurt,’ Peri yelled, dodging Otto’s electro-prod, Diesel’s fists and Onix’s sweat. Otto threw Onix from his back, before knocking Diesel and Peri to the deck and pouncing on them. It was going to be hard to break up the fight alone.
‘Selene – help!’ Peri called.
Peri saw the engineer grab what looked like a ten-centimetre-square piece of pink paper from her tool belt. She dashed towards the prince as he stood up, ready to rejoin the fight. She slapped the paper on his forehead and it stuck. Onix stumbled backwards looking stunned.
‘One down, two to go,’ Selene muttered, as the prince fell face first on to the deck. ‘Sleep well, Your
Highness
.’
‘Who’s next?’ Selene asked and looked from Diesel to Otto. The pair stopped struggling as they glanced at Onix’s limp body.
Peri wrestled free from under them and rushed over to the prince. Onix was out cold. ‘What have you done?’
Selene snatched the sticky paper from the prince’s forehead. ‘I call it a Sleepez. Something I invented myself,’ she said proudly. ‘The adhesive is a sedative. The prince will be out for a few hours.’
‘Hours?’ Peri said, shaking the prince.
‘He got what he deserved,’ Selene replied.
‘His Royal Majesty, King of Xion,’ announced the ship.
Peri looked up. The face of the Xion king dominated the 360-monitor. For a nanosecond, the king looked curious – but then his expression changed to shock and horror. Peri’s circuits chilled as he realised what the scene on the Bridge must look like to the king. Peri was kneeling over an unconscious Onix, shaking him.
‘What have you done to my son?’ the king shouted.
‘No,’ said Peri, standing up. ‘Wait! You don’t understand.’
The king looked so angry; Peri felt as if his voice might rattle the
Phoenix,
even from light years away. ‘Wicked aliens! You taunt me with my son’s dead body! Xion won’t stand it!
You will pay for this . . .
with your lives
!’
Bloomsbury Publishing, London, Berlin, New York and Sydney
First published in Great Britain in February 2012 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP
This electronic edition published in February 2012 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Copyright © Working Partners Limited 2012
Illustrations copyright © Sam Hadley 2012
The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted
All rights reserved
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may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 9781408815861
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