‘you insulted me! You told me to stick my head under my armpit and take a deep breath!’
‘No, that was a lie. I was imprisoned –’
‘You, a Meigwor bounty hunter, imprisoned by those inferior life forms? I don’t believe it!’
On the other side of the Bridge, the Xion king leaned in close, his nose and eyes nearly filling his half of the screen. ‘Who’s that?’ he said. ‘Is it that Meigwor pile of snake-dung, Rouwgim?’
‘What?’ Rouwgim boomed. ‘Did I hear the squeaky voice of that crawling Xion king of the insects?’
‘I’m going to obliterate you and all your kind!’ the Xion king said.
‘I’ll squash you like a bug!’ General Rouwgim shouted.
‘Enough!’ Diesel cried. He jumped forward and pulled out the two long rubbery strings, which created Selene’s Twister. Instantly the voices stopped. The faces disappeared. The 360-monitor was once again blank.
‘There’s no point talking to them,’ Diesel said. ‘The Xions won’t believe the prince is OK until we drop him on their doorstep. And the Meigwors will never listen to reason – they’re just a bunch of dumboids. Let’s dump the prince on Xion.’ He jerked his thumb at Otto. ‘We’ll maroon this loser on an empty moon somewhere, then head back to the Milky Way and see what’s left of it.’
Peri nodded. Diesel had spoken sense for once. ‘I’ll reset the course for Xion.’
‘Wait a minute!’ Otto said, very slowly, and very loudly. ‘You lot wouldn’t be alive without me!’
Peri noticed the black splotches around his mouth and eyes spreading over his face – a sure sign that Otto was getting angry. ‘I can’t go back to my own world, thanks to you – and now you want to maroon me?’
Otto shoved Diesel and Diesel shoved him right back. Otto’s long tongue shot out and gripped Diesel by the arm. Diesel yelled in pain.
‘Should we stop them?’ Peri asked Selene.
‘Let them get on with it,’ Selene said. ‘If we try to break it up we’ll probably only get an elbow in the face.’
‘Or Otto will give us a death bite,’ Peri said. ‘Or get us with his tongue.’
‘Eee-ew!’ Selene said.
The Bridge door slid open. Prince Onix came in, accompanied by a smell of Saturnian squid. He walked slowly, his eyes unfocused, as if he was sleepwalking. He was carrying a long red and white weapon.
‘Look what I found,’ he said. ‘What is it?’
Peri looked at the weapon more closely. His heart did a somersault and a couple of cartwheels. It was an Orgmelter. He remembered it from weapons training at the IFA. One of the deadliest weapons ever invented , the instructor had said. A one-second blast from this and your heart, liver, lungs and kidneys melt into porridge .
‘Just put it down, Prince Onix,’ Peri said, backing away from the prince.
‘Who’s Prince Onix?’ said Prince Onix.
‘Where did he get it?’ Peri whispered to Selene.
‘Who cares?’ Selene said. ‘We just have to stop him using it.’
The prince fiddled with the controls on the side of the Orgmelter. It lit up, shining silver and crimson.
Diesel and Otto stopped fighting. Otto’s neck craned round to stare at the prince. His eyes bulged as he saw the Orgmelter. ‘No, you don’t!’ He lunged at Prince Onix, trying to swipe the weapon from his grasp.
Prince Onix pressed the trigger.
A laser beam fizzed just past Otto’s head. It hit one of the captain’s chairs. The chair melted into a green puddle.
Otto held up his long, double-jointed arms in surrender.
Prince Onix inspected the Orgmelter curiously. Then he pointed it at Peri. ‘I want to go home.’
Chapter 3
Prince Onix looked puzzled. He kept the Orgmelter pointing at Peri, although his finger came off the trigger. ‘But how can I go home when I don’t know where I come from?’
‘You come from a planet called Xion,’ Selene said. ‘We’ll take you there.’
Prince Onix turned to look at Selene. His eyes widened. His mouth dropped
‘No, that was a lie. I was imprisoned –’
‘You, a Meigwor bounty hunter, imprisoned by those inferior life forms? I don’t believe it!’
On the other side of the Bridge, the Xion king leaned in close, his nose and eyes nearly filling his half of the screen. ‘Who’s that?’ he said. ‘Is it that Meigwor pile of snake-dung, Rouwgim?’
‘What?’ Rouwgim boomed. ‘Did I hear the squeaky voice of that crawling Xion king of the insects?’
‘I’m going to obliterate you and all your kind!’ the Xion king said.
‘I’ll squash you like a bug!’ General Rouwgim shouted.
‘Enough!’ Diesel cried. He jumped forward and pulled out the two long rubbery strings, which created Selene’s Twister. Instantly the voices stopped. The faces disappeared. The 360-monitor was once again blank.
‘There’s no point talking to them,’ Diesel said. ‘The Xions won’t believe the prince is OK until we drop him on their doorstep. And the Meigwors will never listen to reason – they’re just a bunch of dumboids. Let’s dump the prince on Xion.’ He jerked his thumb at Otto. ‘We’ll maroon this loser on an empty moon somewhere, then head back to the Milky Way and see what’s left of it.’
Peri nodded. Diesel had spoken sense for once. ‘I’ll reset the course for Xion.’
‘Wait a minute!’ Otto said, very slowly, and very loudly. ‘You lot wouldn’t be alive without me!’
Peri noticed the black splotches around his mouth and eyes spreading over his face – a sure sign that Otto was getting angry. ‘I can’t go back to my own world, thanks to you – and now you want to maroon me?’
Otto shoved Diesel and Diesel shoved him right back. Otto’s long tongue shot out and gripped Diesel by the arm. Diesel yelled in pain.
‘Should we stop them?’ Peri asked Selene.
‘Let them get on with it,’ Selene said. ‘If we try to break it up we’ll probably only get an elbow in the face.’
‘Or Otto will give us a death bite,’ Peri said. ‘Or get us with his tongue.’
‘Eee-ew!’ Selene said.
The Bridge door slid open. Prince Onix came in, accompanied by a smell of Saturnian squid. He walked slowly, his eyes unfocused, as if he was sleepwalking. He was carrying a long red and white weapon.
‘Look what I found,’ he said. ‘What is it?’
Peri looked at the weapon more closely. His heart did a somersault and a couple of cartwheels. It was an Orgmelter. He remembered it from weapons training at the IFA. One of the deadliest weapons ever invented , the instructor had said. A one-second blast from this and your heart, liver, lungs and kidneys melt into porridge .
‘Just put it down, Prince Onix,’ Peri said, backing away from the prince.
‘Who’s Prince Onix?’ said Prince Onix.
‘Where did he get it?’ Peri whispered to Selene.
‘Who cares?’ Selene said. ‘We just have to stop him using it.’
The prince fiddled with the controls on the side of the Orgmelter. It lit up, shining silver and crimson.
Diesel and Otto stopped fighting. Otto’s neck craned round to stare at the prince. His eyes bulged as he saw the Orgmelter. ‘No, you don’t!’ He lunged at Prince Onix, trying to swipe the weapon from his grasp.
Prince Onix pressed the trigger.
A laser beam fizzed just past Otto’s head. It hit one of the captain’s chairs. The chair melted into a green puddle.
Otto held up his long, double-jointed arms in surrender.
Prince Onix inspected the Orgmelter curiously. Then he pointed it at Peri. ‘I want to go home.’
Chapter 3
Prince Onix looked puzzled. He kept the Orgmelter pointing at Peri, although his finger came off the trigger. ‘But how can I go home when I don’t know where I come from?’
‘You come from a planet called Xion,’ Selene said. ‘We’ll take you there.’
Prince Onix turned to look at Selene. His eyes widened. His mouth dropped
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