Deadly Mission (7 page)

He wouldn't be able to hold off the palace guards for much longer.
At least I helped Otto and Diesel make a clean getaway. They'll get Selene back. The mission will be a success.

Peri glanced over the bench and saw a swarm of palace cruisers searching the city for Otto and Diesel. In the distance the sleek egg shape of the
Phoenix
rose like a white sun over the city. The guard cruisers would be no match against his ship.

But no one's on board
, he realized.
Otto and Diesel couldn't have made it back that quickly
.

Peri's stomach twisted like a hatching space-eel. “Someone's stealing my ship!”

More blaster rounds exploded against the bench, showering Peri with splinters of orange marble, forcing him to duck. He couldn't believe it. Everything was lost. The prince was about to be recaptured, and he was about to face his final fight. It wasn't fair.

Then the guards stopped firing and Peri peered over the bench. He saw the guards getting off their cruisers and walking toward him with laser blasters held ready.

Something roared overhead. Peri expected to see another Xion ship. But it was the
Phoenix
! It had come to save him!

The
Phoenix
fired at the palace guards, forcing them to retreat. As the Xions ran for cover, an electro-laser net whipped down from the ship. It caught Peri and lifted him up. Diesel, Otto, and the foil-wrapped prince were already hanging there.

“We need to get inside the ship, Diesel!”
Peri shouted as the Xion guards opened fire again from the courtyard below. “We're sitting ducks in this net!”

“Great plan,” Diesel called back. “Why didn't I think of that? Oh, yes—because there's no way in!”

If the ship had listened to Peri's commands once, it could do it again! “Evasive maneuvers,” he shouted, hoping the
Phoenix
would understand.

“You've finally gone cos-mad, Peri,” muttered Diesel. “I told you, we can't get back inside the—”

But before Diesel could say another word, the
Phoenix
shot off. Peri was thrown against his gunner as the net skimmed the rooftops. The ship stayed low over the city to stop the cruisers attacking from below and prevent the heavier gunships from firing down on them. The net swung from side to
side, narrowly missing jagged turrets and smoking chimneys.

The
Phoenix
burst out of the city—heading straight for a floating minefield. Peri had never felt so terrified as the spaceship turned and twisted, dodging the huge spiked mines hovering like birds of prey. Deep down he knew he had to trust the ship. As soon as it cleared the minefield, it slowed down. Diesel pushed Peri away.

“I wasn't scared, you know,” Diesel said.

Peri sighed, but it was good to have things back to normal. Above him, a hatch opened and the electro-laser net started retracting back into the ship.

Maybe they were going to make it after all.

The electro-laser net dropped them onto the bridge and vanished. The 360-monitor pulsed into life, showing the desert wastelands they were flying over. There was not a Xion vessel in sight.

The ship's robotic voice sounded through the speakers: “
Autopilot disengaged. Cloaking device activated
.”

Every muscle in Peri's body felt sore. Every wire and circuit felt burned out. A low hum pulsed in his head, accompanied by a short beep to warn him to recharge. It
would have to wait. Diesel helped him to the captain's chair, then positioned himself at the gunner's station and began reviewing their weapons status.

There was a
shruupt
behind him. Peri glanced around to see Otto vanish through the door with the prince. “Oh, great. Just when we need him, he disappears. How are we supposed to know how to get off this planet?”

Diesel coughed. “Leave the plan to me. I can get us back into space.”

Diesel pulled up a 3-D map of the space highway.

“We can't go back by the toll takers. I don't think we can fool them twice. And even if we could, the Xion guards have probably issued a big wanted poster with our pictures on it.”

“Why would we need to go back through the toll takers?” Diesel asked.

“I don't suppose you remember the Cos-Moat and the space-sharks?”

“That was coming in!” said Diesel smugly. “If we use superluminal speed, we could just burst straight through the Cos-Moat. There's no risk of crashing into a planet on the other side.”

“I'll check the energy gauges.” Peri's hand darted over the control panel. The
Phoenix
had just enough power to activate superluminal speed, but not enough for them to navigate it accurately. “If we survive, we could end up anywhere.”

“Do you have a better idea?” Diesel asked.

Peri looked at the damage reports. The ship was in bad shape after its tangle with the palace guards. “No, I don't,” he said. “Let's go for it—superluminal, right through the Cos-Moat.”

The astro-harness strapped him in.
Something warm tingled up his back. It wasn't frightening, but refreshing. A trickle of power was flowing from the chair into his body, giving him the extra energy he needed.

A small monitor appeared from the chair's armrest and flashed into life.

“Looks like we've got trouble, Diesel,” Peri said. “The
Phoenix
has detected Xion ships heading our way.”

Peri powered up the
Phoenix
and set a course for the space highway. The ship shook as it tore through the atmosphere into space.

Peri dodged around yet another minefield of micro-clusters before ducking between the vast, shifting tangle of astrophalt. They swooped across a dozen-lane mega highway and swung down toward a vortex slipway, narrowly avoiding being sucked back down
to the planet. They burst free of the space highway and hurtled toward the Cos-Moat.

“Prepare for superluminal speed!” Peri shouted into the com-unit. They had to engage the engines before hitting the corrosive goop.

With a touch of his hand, the smooth red superluminal speed panel slid open to reveal two switches. He flicked them and braced himself, but nothing happened.

The display flashed up:
More Power Needed
.

“Diesel, cut power to everything!”

Peri and Diesel shut down everything except the superluminal engines and the shields. The 360-monitor and the bridge lights flickered out. The display flashed green. The superluminal engines were a go!

The ship rumbled as though there was a spacequake. The
Phoenix
shot forward, then slowed as it hit the gooey Cos-Moat.

“Come on!” urged Peri. “You can do it!”

Like an elastic band snapping, the
Phoenix
pinged free and was catapulted across the galaxy at a speed faster than light. In complete darkness, Peri listened to the engines as their high-pitched whine trembled through the ship. It began to drop down, lower and lower, until the sound of the engine vanished.

Peri blinked as the bridge lights came back on and the 360-monitor flashed to life. He activated the deep-space scanners for hostiles and dangers, but even the Space Spotter's Guide found nothing to report. They were in the middle of nowhere, just floating in empty space.

Solar-tastic
, thought Peri,
a bit of peace in space for us!

His back tingled as the chair started boosting his energy levels again. As Peri
stood up, he noticed a flashing light on the message panel.

“Diesel, we've got a message. It's using IF code-encryptions.”

“Do you think it's from Earth?”

“We'd better find out before Otto returns.”

Peri pressed the button to play the message. A com-screen rose from the control panel and the message began to play. It was Selene! Her eyes were wide with panic. Her voice was barely above a whisper. She was obviously scared of something.

“Peri, Diesel, I—
crrrk, crrrk
—listen—
crrrk
… be careful—
crrrk
—the Meigwors are not what they seem. They were lying about …” A blaster appeared in the screen and was pressed against Selene's temple. The image on screen faded to white noise. The transmission was cut.

“Selene!” exclaimed Peri.

As the screen retracted into the console, Peri felt something sink inside of him. All the nagging doubts he had about Otto and the Meigwors could no longer be ignored.

“Diesel, we need to talk,” said Peri.
Shruupt.
The doors to the bridge opened as he was speaking, and Otto strolled in. Peri closed his mouth. The lumps on Otto's neck were throbbing in time with the strange whistling noise from the back of his throat.

“Talk about what?!” asked Otto. “Talk about our successful mission? When we return to my planet, I will be honored with a special parade and endless riches.”

Peri stared at the message console. Someone had been threatening Selene. He needed time to think.

“That's what we need to talk about,” replied Peri. “We can't return to Meigwor right away.”

The black patches around Otto's eyes darkened and spread across his crimson face. The lumps protruding from his neck twitched. “What?!”

“We don't know where we are. The ship's sustained great damage. It needs repairing. Most of all …I'm exhausted. The ship doesn't fly without me as pilot.”

“I suppose we have no choice!” Otto said slowly. “It's a shame! Your companion, Selene, must be missing you terribly!”

Peri turned to the
Phoenix
's controls to hide his anger. How could Otto lie to his face?

But what were the Meigwors lying about? Whatever it was, Selene was in real danger.

Don't worry, Selene
, he thought.
We're coming for you!