Chapter 1
‘Wow!’ Peri gasped. Through the 360-monitor, he could see a comet whooshing through outer space like an old-fashioned firework – the kind he had seen in Did They Really Do That?, a film about ancient Earth customs. The comet was going to miss the Phoenix by only a few hundred kilometres.
‘We don’t have time to admire the scenery, you voidoid,’ Diesel said. ‘Have you forgotten our mission? We have to recover the Heart of Mars.’
‘And then hand over this criminal!’ Otto grunted. He flicked his long black tongue in Jaxx’s direction. Their official Star Fighter mission was to capture the space pirate, but the emperor had also secretly commanded Diesel to find and return the Heart of Mars.
Selene moved closer to Jaxx, her father. ‘He’s no pirate!’
‘That’s right, I’m not,’ Jaxx said. His voice was mild, polite, friendly – the exact opposite of how Peri imagined a space pirate would sound.
Jaxx had escaped from prison and Peri and the crew of the Phoenix had finally chased him down in the rings of Saturn. They had rescued him from his stealth ship only a nanosecond before it blew up, and then arrested him. Only Selene’s pleading had spared him from being turned in to the Intergalactic Force immediately.
Jaxx held out his hands. ‘Perhaps you could take these handcuffs off me now?’
‘We did agree to trust him,’ Peri said, as he saw Otto eyeing Jaxx suspiciously.
‘ I didn’t!’ Otto boomed.
‘Come on! He is our friend’s dad,’ Peri said. He touched a section of the wall and the Bits and Bobs drawer slid out. He pulled out the Universal Release Gun and pointed it at Jaxx’s wrists. There was a sizzling sound and the handcuffs melted into a silvery goo that dripped on the floor of the Bridge.
‘Hey!’ Otto protested. ‘Those handcuffs are my property!’
‘ Were y our property,’ Selene said with a grin.
‘Thanks,’ Jaxx said, shaking the goo from his hands.
‘So, you say you know where the Heart of Mars is?’ Diesel demanded.
The Heart of Mars was a priceless, glowing, orange orb of pure chrysolite from Mars, the size of a Meigwor’s fist. It belonged to the Martian royal family. Diesel’s father, the emperor, believed that all Martians would be cursed until the Heart of Mars was returned.
‘I don’t know for sure where it is,’ Jaxx said. When Diesel’s yellow eyes narrowed in disbelief, he quickly followed up with, ‘But I do have a pretty good idea where to look.’
‘Where, then?’ Diesel pressed.
Jaxx pointed out of the 360-monitor. ‘In that beautiful comet,’ he said.
‘That’s the comet you plotted a course for, back on Haven?’ Peri said.
Jaxx nodded. ‘It’s two years since the comet last passed through the Milky Way, and it’s also two years since the Heart of Mars was stolen.’
Peri saw Diesel’s fists clench. ‘That doesn’t prove anything!’ Diesel shouted.
‘I know,’ Jaxx said. ‘But I have strong reason to believe that . . . Well, just take it from me, the jewel is on that comet.’
‘And who put it there, Mr Space-Pirate-Who-Says-He-Isn’t-A-Space-Pirate?’ boomed Otto. ‘If it wasn’t you, then who was it?’
‘Just . . . someone I know.’
Peri felt a tingle of dread in his circuits. Jaxx didn’t seem as relaxed as before. He was acting as if he was trying to hide something. Perhaps he wasn’t as innocent as he’d claimed?
‘Leave him alone!’ Selene snapped, squaring up to Otto. ‘My dad didn’t steal anything – but he knows who did and he knows where the gem is. Isn’t that enough?’
‘What if it’s not really there?’ Diesel objected. ‘We will have wasted even more time.’
Peri had an idea. ‘The Heart of Mars has a constant temperature, doesn’t it?’ he asked Diesel.
Diesel nodded. ‘It’s what they call a warm-blooded stone. If you put it in a freezer, it gets no colder. Put it in a furnace and it gets no hotter.’
‘Right,’ Peri
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