STAR FIGHTERS BUMPER SPECIAL EDITION: Stealth Force (2 page)

Peri tuned Anurack out as he concentrated on easing off the boosters and adjusting the Nav-wheel to line the
Phoenix
up with the docking bay below. His special bionic connection with the ship made the tricky move feel simple and instinctive, as though he was manoeuvring his own body into position. Peri’s parents were the IF’s highest-ranking astronautical engineers, and when they upgraded the legendary spaceship they created a telepathic bond between it and their son. Peri was part bionic and part human, and the
Phoenix
couldn’t function without him. A few moments later, it came to rest neatly between the gates of the docking bay.

Peri breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Welcome home, Anurack.’

Peri and Selene led Anurack off the Bridge and down a mauve-lit corridor. Peri sent a telepathic order to the
Phoenix
and watched the wall open noiselessly. A ramp extended itself down to the floor of the docking bay, where a group of four-headed Koringers were waiting.

‘It’s been a pleasant voyage,’ Anurack said. ‘I’ve enjoyed talking to you.’

Peri raised his voice to cover Selene’s giggle. ‘We enjoyed it too.’

‘I’ll let General Pegg know what a good job you did,’ Anurack said. ‘I only wish you could come and visit for a little while – I know everything there is to know about Koring, so I could give you a guided tour of the whole planet. You’d find it really interesting.’

‘I’m sure we would, but we don’t have the time,’ Peri said.

He noticed a small timer had appeared in the bottom corner of the Mission Update screen on the control panel. It said,
120 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds and 0 tenths of a second
. As he watched, it began to count down, the tenths flickering away at lightning speed, the seconds ticking away steadily after them.

‘Well, goodbye, then,’ Anurack said.

Peri and Selene waved as Anurack walked down the ramp and the Koringers came forward to greet him.

‘Welcome home, Anurack. Did you come back via the Horsehead Nebula?’

‘No,’ said Anurack, shaking all four of his heads. ‘We used the intergalactic highway as far as Rigel, where we turned right on to the hyperspace bypass.’

‘You should have gone via the Arcturan Wormhole,’ another Koringer said, his heads frowning. There were so many heads now, Peri lost track of who was who. ‘That’s a quicker way. And there are more interesting things to see . . .’

Peri sent another telepathic order and the
Phoenix
’s wall closed, blocking the Koringers from view.

Selene punched the air. ‘I’m glad that’s over!’

Diesel emerged from his quarters. ‘
S’fâh!
Thank the Spirit of the Universe – Anurack’s finally gone!’ Diesel kicked his legs in the air for joy. He was half-human, half-Martian, and tended to speak in Martian when he was excited.

There was a faint tap on the
Phoenix
’s wall and it opened silently. Anurack was standing in the entryway.

Diesel, who had his back to the wall, carried on his high-kicking dance, chanting, ‘He’s gone, gone,
gone
!’

Two of Anurack’s heads coughed. Diesel turned around and stopped laughing. His strip of hair turned pink with embarrassment.

There was an awkward silence.

‘Erm, Diesel was just . . .’ Peri faltered for a moment, before his bionic circuits buzzed with an idea. ‘Performing a traditional Martian farewell!’

‘I’m acquainted with the customs of Mars,’ one of Anurack’s heads said, while the other three frowned. ‘And I’m not aware of any such dance.’

‘We do it all the time,’ Diesel said. ‘But only when the visitor has left . . . that’s why you wouldn’t have seen it.’

Three of Anurack’s faces smiled. The fourth said, ‘Ah, that explains it. An interesting fact to add to my collection! Well, I just forgot my hoverbag.’ He beckoned, and the hoverbag rose up and floated along beside him as he exited once more.

Peri closed the wall. ‘Let’s get out of here before he comes back!’

Soon the
Phoenix
was cruising through outer space.

Peri spoke into the com-system. ‘Bridge to Otto – the coast is now clear.’

A section of wall slid open and Otto came slouching on to the Bridge. He had had to hide while Anurack was on board because he wasn’t an official member of the team. He was a former bounty hunter from planet Meigwor, who helped the Star Fighters on their very first mission and never left – but General Pegg could never find
that
out.

‘Has he gone?’ Otto said. ‘It’s been really boring staying cooped up in my quarters all this time.’

‘Not as boring as being with Anurack!’ Selene said.

‘What’s that?’ Otto pointed with his long black tongue at the timer ticking down on the Mission Update screen.

‘That’s the countdown until our next mission,’ Peri explained. ‘We have to get back to the IF Space Station before it reaches zero or General Pegg will give our next mission to someone else.’

‘Should we go Superluminal?’ Diesel asked.

‘No need, it’s a waste of energy,’ Peri said. ‘We’ve got  plenty of time, even if we travel at cruising speed.’

‘We’d better!’ Diesel said. ‘I’m looking forward to another mission.’

‘I hope I don’t have to hide out on this one,’ Otto grumbled. ‘It’s about time I got the chance to use my skills.’

‘You haven’t got any skills,’ Diesel said.

‘Oh, really?’ Otto boomed. ‘Well, let me tell you, you Martian misfit . . .’ He hissed and uncoiled one of his long arms, waving it above his head.

Diesel squared up to him, jutting his chin out and clenching his fists.

‘Ssshh!’ Peri said, holding up his hand. ‘What’s that noise?’

Strange, low, rhythmic knocking sounds filled the Bridge.

Peri closed his eyes and tuned into the
Phoenix
’s computer. He felt an electric tingling as the noises gradually began to make sense. Peri had never learned Morse code, but the
Phoenix
knew it.

Dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot . . .

‘It’s an SOS!’ Peri said. ‘Someone’s calling for help!’

Chapter 2

‘Where’s the SOS coming from?’ Selene asked, leaning over the control panel. She was the
Phoenix
’s engineer and knew almost as much about their state-of-the-art spaceship as Peri did, having secretly explored it when she lived on the IF Space Station. She frantically tapped on some keys then straightened up. ‘It’s being transmitted from an Earth-like planet called Westrenia that orbits a yellow dwarf star in the Jonxter galaxy.’

‘Let’s see what we can find out about it in
The Space Spotter’s Guide
,’ Peri said.

Selene tapped some more keys.
The Space Spotter’s Guide
appeared on the monitor, followed by
Enter search terms
. She typed in
Westrenia
. Within seconds, images of a blue, green, yellow and orange planet, and its inhabitants, came up. Underneath was an InfoBox:

Westrenia

DESCRIPTION: A medium-sized planet, 11,566 kilometres in diameter. Atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen and trace gases, and is breathable by humans. Has a variety of plant and animal species, including the dominant humanoid species. Westrenia’s humanoids are intelligent but their technology is limited. Westrenians only have simple agricultural and manufacturing techniques. Many earn a living by rearing and tending cattle. They recently invented a type of railroad (an early form of mechanised transport – see entry in The History of Railways). These humanoids aren’t expected to discover interstellar travel for at least another 400 years.

CAUTION: Star Fighters should not interfere with the development of this planet.

RECOMMENDATION: Avoid contact.

‘That’s impressive!’ Peri said. ‘Westrenia doesn’t have any spaceships, but somehow they’ve managed to send an SOS into space. We have to go and help them.’

‘What are you talking about, you lamizoid?’ Diesel said. ‘We’re not allowed to interfere with less developed species – we learned that in week one at the Academy. It’s the most basic IF rule!’

‘We also dedicated ourselves to Peace in Space,’ Peri said. ‘We have to help aliens in need.’

‘That would be tough,’ Selene said. ‘I’m not sure how to help anyone without using my gadgets.’

Diesel’s band of hair turned an angry red. ‘If we go down in the
Phoenix
, wearing our Expedition Wear, it would totally disrupt their way of life. It would freak out the whole planet!’

‘So we’ll go in disguise,’ Peri said.

‘Ridiculous!’ Otto said. ‘Let’s not waste our time helping less developed species. We should get back to the IF base before the clock runs down.’

Peri turned to Selene. ‘What do you think?’

‘I think it sounds like an adventure!’ she said. ‘And we can always go Superluminal on the way back if we have to.’

Peri nodded and began to plot a new course. ‘Destination: Westrenia!’ He watched the stars wheeling around on the 360-monitor as the
Phoenix
changed its direction. ‘If we want to help, we’ll need to find out more about this planet.’

Four red velvet seats silently rose up from the floor of the Bridge. At the same time, the lights dimmed. The section of wall directly in front of the seats lit up as a pleasant, polite voice came over the speakers: ‘
Please take your seats. The show is about to commence.
’

‘What’s going on?’ Otto asked suspiciously.

‘Don’t worry,’ Peri said. Through his connection to the
Phoenix
,
he could already tell what was about to happen. ‘The ship is going to teach us what to expect on Westrenia.’

Peri sat down in one of the red velvet seats. The others sat beside him.
Life in Earth’s Old Wild West: A Short Introduction
appeared on the screen in front of them.

‘This is cool!’ Diesel said. ‘It’s a pity there’s no popcorn.’

A bucket of popcorn instantly materialised by the side of his seat.

‘Some sparkling Sirian lushberry juice would be nice,’ Selene said.

A cup of sparkling Sirian lushberry juice appeared next to her.

‘I wouldn’t mind some Meigwor-maggot blood!’ Otto said.

Nothing happened.

‘This stupid ship hasn’t even got any Meigwor-maggot blood!’ Otto boomed.

‘Sshh!’ Peri said. ‘Just watch the film.’

An old-fashioned Earth cowboy movie started, with an image of a crowded saloon bar. A man in a waistcoat and a big moustache was pounding a piano in a fast, jazzy style. A group of cowboys played cards at a table with a heap of money in the centre. Suddenly, an argument broke out. One of the cowboys stood up so abruptly that his chair fell over. He angrily pointed at the player opposite – a man with a beard, a large belly and a checked shirt.