Deadly Mission
Authors: Max Chase
To Dad and Tanya
Special thanks to Benjamin Scott
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Only the best cadets become
STAR FIGHTERS
Don't miss a single mission!
#1 Alien Attack
#2 Deadly Mission
Coming soon:
#3 The Enemy's Lair
#4 Crash Landing
It's the year 5012 and the Milky Way galaxy is under attack
â¦
After the Universal Warâa war that almost brought about the destruction of every known universeâthe 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 eleven-year-olds are accepted into the Intergalactic Force Academy, and only the very best cadets reach the highest of their ranks and become â¦
To be a Star Fighter is to dedicate your life to one mission: Peace in Space. Star Fighters are given the coolest weapons, the fastest spaceshipsâand the most dangerous missions. Everyone at the Intergalactic Force Academy wants to be a Star Fighter someday.
Do you have what it takes?
“You are astro-bug stupid!” Diesel yelled. His yellow eyes flashed, and the band of hair that stretched across his head flamed crimson. “There's no way DeathRays can work inside a nebular cloud.”
“Take me to a nebular!” Otto's voice boomed through the two lumps on either side of his neck. “And I'll show you!” The Meigwor bounty hunter's voice was unnaturally loud, as if he was always shouting.
Peri tried to ignore their argument, which
had started the moment they left the Meigwor battleship. He focused on the image filling the
Phoenix
's 360-monitor. According to the ship's computer, their destination, the high-tech mining planet of Xion, was less than one million miles away.
“
Phoenix
, magnify image,” he said.
The giant, pulsing orange-and-blue orb expanded to fill the screen. Xion was surrounded by a gigantic space highway. Over twelve hundred lanes of silver-and-purple astrophalt twisted and slithered around the planet like a tangle of space-snakes.
Peri flexed his fingers. The
Phoenix
's floating control panel slid closer, as if it knew what he wanted. It felt like he'd been flying the ship all his life. Yesterday he had been just an average first-year Intergalactic Force Academy cadet, lucky to be selected for even a simple training mission. Now he was on a mission to rescue a kidnapped prince. But the biggest shock was that he had found out he was part bionic, modified by his parents to operate the
Phoenix
.
He activated his most recent discovery, the Space Spotter's Guide. Instantly, over a dozen arrows appeared on the 360-monitor, pointing to different dangers. Peri scrolled past the micro-mines, then hovered over the space-pods guarding the entrance to the space highway and clicked. An InfoBox popped up on his screen:
Xion toll takers, third class
DESCRIPTION
: Flying tollbooths, guarding entrance to Xion space highway.
HAZARDS
: X-cite lasers, ship-deep scanners, cloaking detectors.
WARNING
: “Strictly no Meigwors.”
“They're going to
love
Otto as much as we do,” Peri muttered. “We need a way around all that security.”
Peri tapped the monitor and zoomed out. The entire space-highway system was surrounded by a giant dark-blue bubble. The Space Spotter's Guide flashed another warning:
Cos-Moats
DESCRIPTION
: Thicker than rock-eating slime. More corrosive than sun-worm snot. Standard shield useless.
HAZARDS
: Acidic ooze.
RECOMMENDATION
: Avoid.
Now what
? Peri asked himself, wishing Selene was with them. She had been sneaking on to the
Phoenix
for years and had stowed away when Peri and Diesel were launched into space. She would have known how to activate the
Phoenix
's antimoat shields. But she was stuck on Meigwor as insurance that Peri and Diesel would complete their “mission.”
“Don't touch me!” Otto screeched.
Thud!
Peri spun around to see Diesel sprawled on the floor. The half-Martian bounced back up. His yellow eyes flashed as he assumed the cosmic-combat position. But even with his hair standing on end, Diesel barely reached the ammo belts crisscrossing Otto's chest.
“Wastoid,” Diesel shouted. “I'm the best cadet gunner in the history of the Intergalactic Force. I can reassemble a blaster in ten galactic seconds.”
The two lumps protruding from Otto's freakishly long neck throbbed with anger as he yelled, “I can reassemble it with one hand, and squash you with the other!”