Evil Star

by Max Chase

  Contents

  Map

  Star Fighters

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Join Peri and the crew of the Phoenix on their next mission!

  Chapter 1

  To the Mysterious Dr X

  Special thanks to Benjamin Scott

  It is the year 5012 and the Milky Way galaxy is under attack ...

  After the Universal War ... a war that almost brought about the destruction of every known universe ... the planets in the Milky Way banded together to create the Intergalactic Force – an elite fighting team sworn to protect and defend the galaxy.

  Only the brightest and most promising students are accepted into the Intergalactic Force Academy, and only the very best cadets reach the highest of their ranks and become ...

  To be a Star Fighter is to dedicate your life to one mission: Peace in Space. They are given the coolest weapons, the fastest spaceships – and the most dangerous missions. Everyone at the Intergalactic Force Academy wants to be a Star Fighter someday.

  Do YOU have what it takes?

  Chapter 1

  ‘Daxx is escaping!’ Peri shouted as the Space Wolf blazed away from the Phoenix.

  The space pirates’ vessel had every solarwind sail unfurled like an ancient galleon. The skull-and-crossed-swords flag, the Cranky Roger, streamed behind the ship. Daxx had stolen the Heart of Mars and planned to use it in a secret weapon that could threaten the entire galaxy. It was the Star Fighters’ mission to get the priceless gem back.

  Peri smacked on the emergency boosters. ‘We need more speed!’ he shouted.

  The g-force knocked Diesel to the floor as the Phoenix surged forward, but the half-Martian scrambled up and pushed past Otto to reach the gunnery station.

  ‘Where’s Jaxx?’ Peri asked, scanning the Bridge.

  Jaxx was the IF’s Space Enemy Number One. They had captured him when he had nearly crash-landed on Saturn only to find out he was Selene’s father. She was sure he was innocent, and that his identical twin brother, Daxx, was the real space pirate.

  ‘I sent my dad to Engineering to try and improve the plasma flow to the thrusters,’ Selene said, checking over the engineer’s console. ‘If anyone can make us go faster, my dad can!’

  Without warning, Daxx’s ship plunged towards a fiery red dwarf star.

  ‘What on Mars is he doing?’ Peri said, twisting the Nav-wheel and diving after the Space Wolf.

  ‘Perhaps he’s using the star’s gravity field to slow us down,’ Diesel suggested.

  Gravity! The word lit up a bionic circuit in Peri’s head. ‘No, he’s going to use the gravity field like a slingshot, to catapult his ship even faster out the other side of the star.’

  The gauges on the control panel went haywire as they got closer to the star. The Phoenix began to shake. Peri knew their ship would be pulled apart and they’d be burnt alive if they got too close. But if they were too far away, they wouldn’t be able to swing round the star fast enough to catch up with Daxx.

  Peri watched as the space pirates’ ship caught the gravitational pull of the dwarf star and zoomed away. Daxx had timed it perfectly. Now it was Peri’s turn. He gripped the Nav-wheel and yanked the thrusters to ‘Max’.

  Shhhwooosh! The Phoenix whipped round the dying star. It shot them after Daxx’s ship at astonishing speed. They hurtled through entire solar systems in the blink of an eye, right on the space pirates’ tail.

  Fssssshhhhwooor! They skimmed past a planet, narrowly missing two moons.

  ‘Dung y’r’ah!?’ Diesel gasped. ‘That was cosmic-close!’

  Peri dodged left and right, copying Daxx’s moves. His brain buzzed with excitement. It wouldn’t be long before Daxx would have to stop – then they would swoop down and bring him to justice.

  Narrrooa! They slipped past comets and asteroids.

  Suddenly, Daxx zigzagged and whipped sharply to the right.

  ‘He’s making evasive manoeuvres!’ Peri yelled as the Phoenix zipped past Daxx’s ship and watched it vanish into clouds of yellow-grey space-fog.

  Peri slammed on the turbo-reverse. Instantly, the Phoenix spun round and shot into the cloud after Daxx. A thick mist folded around the ship.

  ‘I’m tracking him on the Velocity View,’ said Peri.

  ‘I love a good chase!’ Otto boomed. The Meigwor bounty hunter paced the Bridge excitedly.

  ‘Does Daxx know we’re following him?’ Diesel asked.

  ‘Dad and I made sure the Phoenix’s cloak is set at one hundred per cent efficiency,’ Selene said. ‘The Space Wolf doesn’t have powerful enough sensors to detect us.’

  The Bridge lights dimmed and glowed red. ‘Cosmic turbulence ahead,’ announced the calm voice of the ship’s computer.

  An astro-harness snaked around Peri. His stomach lurched as the Phoenix plunged into a patch of turbulence. The floating control panel flipped away from his grasp. Peri grabbed it with his fingertips and hauled it back as the Phoenix was buffeted by the space-fog.

  ‘Frrr’wowoh!?’ Otto screamed as he was thrown into the air, bounced against the ceiling and then slammed against the deck. ‘Oooph!?’ The Meigwor used his long arms to grab hold of the control panel. He stared at Peri. ‘Blast the space pirates! Then we can get out of here!’

  ‘No!’ Diesel cried. ‘We need the Heart of Mars in one piece to lift the curse on my planet.’

  ‘Who cares about that stupid jewel?’ Selene snapped. ‘I need Daxx alive to clear my dad’s name. The IF needs proof that it’s Daxx who’s the real space pirate!’

  ‘Hold on tight!’ Peri yelled as the Phoenix burst from the nebula cloud. They were only seconds behind Daxx, but their target had changed direction again. He was swerving around the wreck of a plasma-tanker. Peri dodged between the corroded metal ribs of the tanker’s hull and shot out the other side. We’re catching him!

  Red lights flashed across the control panel, but it wasn’t another space-hazard. It was something potentially worse – an incoming message from the IF Command Centre.

  ‘Otto, Selene – hide!’ Peri shouted. The IF didn’t know anything about Otto and Selene being aboard the Phoenix. If they did, Peri and Diesel would be in serious galactic trouble.

  Otto raced across the Bridge and slid behind the gunnery station, but Selene wasn’t as fast. Diesel pushed her to the floor.

  ‘Lie flat and keep quiet,’ the half-Martian hissed as the 360-monitor whirled up, showing the tired face of General Pegg.

  ‘I will not keep quiet!’ The general glared at Diesel. ‘Star Fighters – report on your mission progress,’ he barked.

  ‘Sir –’ Peri started.

  ‘I’ve checked your Mission Capsule coordinates,’ the general interrupted. ‘Your objective was to capture Jaxx. What are you doing on that side of the universe?’

  ‘We’re hot on the heels of the pirate who stole the Heart of Mars,’ Peri replied.

  The general took a sharp breath. ‘I hope you know what you’re doing. You’re heading straight for an Astro-Void.’

  Peri frowned. Apart from Daxx’s ship, there was nothing at all on the 360-monitor in front of them. Peri wondered what the general was talking about. ‘Sir?’

  ‘An Astro-Void, Peri,’ the general snapped. ‘Diesel, you took astro-navigation classes – explain it to him.’

  ‘I got top marks in my class, but I don’t think we covered . . .’ Diesel looked at Peri for support, but Peri just shrugged.

  There was a tiny cough from below and they both looked down. Silently Selene put her hands together, then opened them out as
wide as she could.

  Diesel shook his head. ‘What the prrrip’chiq does that mean?’ the gunner muttered.

  Selene rolled her eyes. ‘It’s a vast dark space between galaxies,’ she whispered.

  ‘What’s going on?’ General Pegg’s eyes bulged. ‘Who else is on your ship?’

  Peri’s throat tightened. General Pegg was going to confiscate their Star Fighter badges for hiding Selene on board, but they couldn’t pretend she wasn’t there now. Peri reached down and helped her stand up. ‘Selene is –’

  ‘I know who she is! She’s a stowaway and a troublemaker,’ the general snapped. ‘I’ve kicked her off the IF Space Station more times than I can remember, yet somehow she always manages to return.’

  Selene shrugged. ‘It’s not my fault that your security systems don’t work properly.’

  ‘Quiet!’ General Pegg ordered. ‘I will not have civilians on an official IF mission. Lock Selene in a holding cell for her own safety – and yours. Return with her and that space pirate in custody soon, or your Star Fighter careers will be the shortest in IF history! End message.’

  Peri felt stunned as the 360-monitor whirled back into the control panel. Why hadn’t he explained to General Pegg that Selene was an incredible engineer and a valuable member of the crew? They couldn’t afford to lose her from the Phoenix.

  Diesel pulled out a pair of handcuffs. ‘Are you going to come along quietly then?’ he asked Selene.

  Selene leapt back. ‘You spineless creep! After all I’ve done to save you!’

  Diesel’s yellow eyes flashed. ‘No one has ever needed to save me, you bossy bugonaut!’

  Peri jumped up and put himself between them. ‘No one is arresting Selene. Diesel, give me the cuffs.’

  Diesel’s narrow band of hair bristled as he handed them over. ‘I can’t believe you’re taking her side.’

  ‘She’s part of the crew,’ Peri said. ‘End of story.’

  ‘Hey, Earthlings!’ Otto boomed, crawling out from behind the gunnery station. ‘The cosmic-rat has led us to his nest!’

  Peri turned to look where Otto was pointing. The 360-monitor showed that Daxx’s vessel was heading straight for a huge shimmering blue planet.

  Selene hit the intercom switch and shouted, ‘Dad, come to the Bridge! You’ve got to see this.’ Then she slammed the ‘Emergency Stop’ button, making the Phoenix come to a dead stop.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Peri demanded.

  Selene put her hands on her hips. ‘I don’t understand. There shouldn’t be any planets in an Astro-Void.’

  Jaxx materialised next to Selene. He started activating the scanners.

  They watched Daxx’s ship duck and swerve on its approach to the shimmering blue planet as if it was flying an obstacle course.

  Then the Space Wolf disappeared.

  ‘He’s just vanished like a plasma-phantom!’ Jaxx exclaimed. ‘There’s no sign of cloak activation, not even a heat signature.’

  Peri realised that something was horribly wrong.

  Chapter 2

  ‘Daxx’s ship can’t just have disappeared. It must have landed on the blue planet,’ Peri said. ‘Magnify the planet, Selene. I want to see what we’re up against before we get any closer.’

  Selene spun a couple of zip-dials and frowned as the 360-monitor dissolved into static. ‘The planet is shielded against magnified optical viewing. We’ll have to get closer to see anything.’

  ‘This is bad,’ Peri said. ‘First the ship we’re following vanishes. Then we come across a planet that shouldn’t exist. And the planet blocks our optical scans.’

  ‘This is just like that shielded asteroid I helped us sneak on to,’ Diesel said.

  ‘You mean Haven,’ Jaxx said. ‘Do you think this could be another port for the Mezzoka Clan?’

  Peri shivered at the idea of meeting up with the organised clan of the worst criminals in the Milky Way. He hoped that wouldn’t happen.

  ‘Your parents upgraded the Ultrawave scanner,’ Selene answered. ‘Let’s use that to find out.’

  ‘We’re in big trouble if Daxx is working for the Mezzoka Clan.’ Otto smacked a button on the gunnery station. A rectangle of red light appeared in the deck under Diesel’s feet. As the gunner jumped aside, the deck panel slid away. ‘Let’s arm up!’

  Shurrrpppt! A device like a small Ferris wheel floated up into the Bridge with more than twenty double-sided racks displaying almost every hand-held weapon Peri had ever seen – and a few that he hadn’t.

  ‘Where did that come from?’ Peri gasped.

  ‘And how does Otto know it’s there when I don’t?’ Diesel complained. ‘I’m in charge of weapons.’

  ‘I told him about it,’ Selene said. ‘He organised the whole thing while we were hiding on board and you were taking your Star Fighter exams. I had to keep him occupied somehow.’

  ‘You didn’t think that telling a Meigwor bounty hunter about a huge stash of deadly weapons might be a bad idea?’ Diesel pushed past Otto and hit the switch to stop the wheel rotating. He stared at the selection. ‘Where are the dusters and Paralysides?’

  ‘Dusters!’ Otto boomed. ‘Pathetic weapons!’ He smacked the button to start the racks spinning again. ‘We need much bigger firepower.’

  Over on the other side of the Bridge, Peri jumped as a loud wave of static burst from the control panel. ‘What the space dust was that?’ he exclaimed.

  ‘Sorry,’ Selene murmured as she fiddled with a zip-dial until the noise vanished. ‘I was trying to magnify the Ultrawave signal, but the planet’s too well shielded. We’ll try the Exo-Scanners next.’

  ‘Reconfigure the forward sensors,’ Jaxx said. ‘We could use them as a plasma-sonar array. That might pick up a signal from the blue planet.’

  ‘Good idea, Dad,’ Selene said.

  Otto pulled a large grey tube from the weapons rack. ‘Plasma-bombs! Perfect!’

  ‘Are you insane?’ Diesel exclaimed. ‘You’ll blow us up if you’re not careful.’

  The patches around Otto’s eyes darkened. ‘I know what I’m doing, Martian moon-head!’

  ‘Otto, Diesel – knock it off,’ Peri ordered. ‘Keep focused on our mission.’

  Diesel’s hair was bristling. ‘I’m not the dumboid who wants to start a war with the Mezzoka Clan!’

  ‘Who are you calling a dumboid?’ Otto shouted. He pulled his silver electro-prod from his belt and flicked it out. It lengthened by a metre and began to crackle.

  Peri leapt up to stop them fighting before it got out of hand, but he was too late. With a snarl, Otto lashed out at Diesel. The half-Martian dodged the electro-prod and it hit the deck. A shower of electrical sparks exploded in front of Peri, forcing him back. Being part bionic sometimes had its downsides. An electrical surge from the prod could fry my circuits! He’d have to find another way to break up the fight.

  Otto pointed the electro-prod at Diesel’s chest. ‘We need to overwhelm them with force!’ he yelled.

  ‘It’s the Mezzoka Clan.’ Diesel laughed. ‘The whole IF couldn’t overwhelm them – you’d have to obliterate the planet in one go.’

  Diesel grabbed a sonic-trident from the rotating arsenal and lunged at Otto but narrowly missed. Otto swiped back with the electro-prod, but Diesel dodged it and leapt on to the Meigwor’s back. Peri ran to the control panel. There was only one way to separate them now.

  ‘Get off, space-monkey!’ Otto boomed. He twisted violently. Diesel went flying across the Bridge, then he stood up, his fan of hair turning as red as a Martian sandstorm.

  Peri flicked a button on the control panel. Suurrpptt-Clunk-Clunk-Clunk-Clunk! Diesel’s Expedition Wear boots became magnetically glued to the deck, then whisked him across the floor, away from Otto, as if Diesel was skating on Saturn’s ice rings.

  ‘Enough,’ said Peri.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Diesel yelled, struggling to move his feet. ‘We need to sort out this weapons issue. Now is not the time to sit around chatting.’

>   ‘Diesel’s right, electro-boy!’ boomed Otto. ‘Stay out of our debate!’

  ‘You’re both wrong,’ Peri snapped. Diesel and Otto glared at him. ‘We barely made it off Haven alive. If we want to find Daxx and stay in one piece, we need to use our brains this time. Selene, what can you tell me about the planet?’

  ‘The planet’s shields are still too powerful,’ Selene said. ‘We need to be in a close orbit to get any useful readings.’

  ‘Isn’t that a bit risky?’ Peri asked.

  ‘The Phoenix has the most sophisticated cloaking device in the universe,’ Selene said. ‘We should be able to avoid being spotted while we take pictures.’

  Jaxx shook his head. ‘You’re forgetting that the Mezzokas’ scanners will pick up anything unusual in the space-time fabric. They’ll shoot first and not bother to ask questions later.’

  ‘That’s why we’ll do it at speed,’ said Selene. ‘By the time they spot us in their sensor readings, we’ll be long gone.’

  ‘That might just work,’ Jaxx said.

  Peri realised this was the best idea. He demagnetised Diesel’s boots. ‘Strap in. We’re going to do a supersonic fly-by.’

  Otto and Diesel raced to the gunnery station. Selene and Jaxx made frantic adjustments to the sensors. Peri decided that the best route to the planet was to follow Daxx’s path as closely as he could.

  Peri started warming up the thrusters and the main engines. His astro-harness snaked around him as his chair tilted into the flight position. ‘Get ready . . . Three, two, one . . . Go!’

  Peri slammed down the pyramid-shaped button and the Phoenix roared forward.

  Eeeeeraaa! Eeeeeraaa! Sirens erupted across the Bridge. Peri saw a blur of red light hurtle at them from the Astro-Void. He tried to steer the Phoenix away from it, but the light was too fast.

  Blaaaaaaam! The red blur smashed into the Phoenix. Peri strained against his astro-harness, while Selene and Jaxx were knocked to the floor.