panel.
âBecause you were too busy fighting,â Peri said, pushing back.
âTo the planet surface, now!â Otto ordered.
Diesel elbowed between Otto and Peri. âWho died and made you supremecommander? Iâm the oldest cadet on this ship and ranked top in my class on leadership qualities and Iââ
Otto interrupted, âDonât you want revenge on the Xions for attacking your galaxy?! I know what Iâm doing.â
Peri snapped his fingers and the control panel flew across to him. âHow do we cross the Cos-Moat?â Peri yelled to be heard over Otto and Diesel.
âJust blast your way through it!â Otto said. âDo I have to tell you everything?!â
âWhat if,â Diesel paused, running a hand through his now purple hair, âwe use the
Phoenix
âs pulsar-cannon belt?â
âNo, you cosmic dope!â Otto snapped. âPulsar-cannons are totally unstable weapons! Youâll blow us up too! Donât you have any nuclear devices?! Theyâre much safer!â
Peri raised his hands to silence them.âIsnât this an undercover mission? Donât we need the element of surprise to rescue the prince? Maybe we should find the thinnest section of moatâthen our shields will stand a chance of surviving the acidic ooze.â
Otto stared at Peri without blinking his beady eyes. âThatâs what I said! Blast us through the thinnest section of moat! Thatâs an order!â
Peri clenched his fistâthe sooner this mission was over the better. He activated a photonic sweep of the moat and set a course for the thinnest stretch of sludge. As the ship neared, the dark-blue liquid sparkled as if it was reflecting sunlight. But it shouldnât have. It was on the dark side of the planet. âThe Cos-Moat is electrified!â Peri exclaimed. âWeâll be fried.â
âIf the space-sharks donât get us first,â Diesel added.
âYou donât
really
believe in space-sharks, do you?!â The Meigworâs lipless mouth twitched into what could have been a smile. âI forget. Inferior species still believe in these myths.â
Duurrr-iiiing!
An alarm sounded and a com-screen whirled up from the middle of the control panel. Seleneâs face flickered as the monitor came to life.
âHello, Peri and Diesel,â Selene said. âI am being treated well ⦠by our Meigwor friends â¦â Selene sounded like a robot.
Itâs like sheâs reading from a script
, Peri thought.
âSelene, are you okay?â Diesel asked.
Before she could reply, the crimson face of the Meigwor general Rouwgim pushed her aside. âOtto, give mission report now,â he demanded.
Otto smacked his hands together over his head in salute. âWe have reached Xion,General! I was just briefing the Milky Way monkeys about my cunning plan to rescue the prince â¦â
The screen went dead, whirring back into the control panel.
âYou!â Otto boomed, pointing a finger at Peri. âYou cut the general off on purpose!â
âIt wasnât me,â Peri replied, checking the controls. âThe Xions are jamming all signals around the planet.â
âCloak the ship before they notice us!â Otto ordered. âFull speed through the Cos-Moat!â
âItâs not that easy, Otto,â Peri said as he steered the
Phoenix
closer. âIf weâre to stand a chance, we need to find the Cos-Moatâs thinnest and most vulnerable spot.â
To the right of them, a small blade-class ship was racing toward the rippling bluemoat. His chest filled with hope; it was the type of ship preferred by smugglers. And if they knew a way into Xion, then Peri could follow them. He steered the
Phoenix
into the smugglersâ slipstream, tucking in as close as he dared. Jets of sticky sludge arched from the moat like monstrous tentacles and latched on to the smugglersâ ship.
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