thud beside Peri.
‘ Aaargh ! ’ Diesel roared in pain as he staggered back to his seat clutching his chin. ‘I bib ma dung!’
Peri ignored him. He had much bigger things to worry about.
His muscles strained as he wrestled with the anti-drift levers, trying to keep the pod on a steady course while it was batted around like a spaceball. His eyes were drawn to a flashing light on the control board – the red light that signalled a problem with the nuke-fusion-engine. His ears rattled with the piercing robotic voice that warned: ‘Danger! Temperature shield overheating. Danger!’
Between jolts, he was able to flip on his com-unit. ‘Mayday! Mayday!’ he called. ‘IF Space Station – this is TP2-7. Do you copy?’
There was no reply. All Peri heard was the rush of static.
Then, as they rounded Mars, Peri saw something that made his heart nearly rocket out of his chest. Dead ahead, like a galactic roadblock, was a metal sphere the size of Earth’s moon. As he watched, thousands of large spikes sprouted from the hull. They were razor-sharp, and at the top of each spike was a viewing platform that looked just like an eyeball. He’d never seen a spaceship like it in any of the textbooks he’d read. Not in The Big Book of Space . Or The Galactic Guide to Gizmos and Gadgets. Not even in The Awesome Anthology of Alien Attackers.
Diesel started yelling in a mixture of Martian and English.
Peri gulped down his fear. ‘B-buckle up . . . and shut up!’ he snapped.
‘You don’t give the orders round here! I’m the –’ Diesel stopped and gawped at the alien ship. ‘ S’fâh ,’ he muttered. ‘That’s not from this galaxy.’ Diesel scrambled back to his seat and, finally, strapped himself in.
All the navigation systems said the same thing: they were on a collision course with the alien vessel.
‘I can’t stop the pod!’ Peri shouted. ‘We’re going to crash!’
Which Star Fighter are YOU?
Take the Star Fighter multiple-choice exam to find out . . .
Being a Star Fighter involves making difficult decisions, often at very short notice. Here are ten problems that a Star Fighter might face on a mission. How would YOU react?
Scenario 1
You’ve been sent to a mirror planet. When you land, your crew see themselves reflected in hundreds of shiny surfaces. Suddenly, the reflection of a shadowy figure appears in the planet’s Mirror Maze. What would you do next?
A. Call out to the figure to determine if it’s friend or foe. A Star Fighter’s first priority is helping others – Peace in Space!
B. Run a scan of the figure and gather facts before proceeding.
C. Follow the reflection and confront the figure immediately.
D. Blast every shiny surface until you find the figure – and then maybe blast the creature too!
Scenario 2
While you’re travelling through space, you see a giant floating thumb – a space hitch-hiker needs a lift! But when you look at your scanners, you notice that the alien seems to be hiding itself. What do you do?
A. Invite the hitch-hiker to reveal itself. If it doesn’t, surely it can’t be trusted.
B. Stop your ship and wait to see if the hitch-hiker reveals itself. Be sure whether it’s trying to trick the crew before taking action.
C. Don’t stop – it’s too risky to engage a hidden alien.
D. Blast the floating thumb – they look stupid!
Scenario 3
You enter the atmosphere of a strange planet and receive a message from an alien commander, demanding that you disable your weapons systems before landing. Do you:
A. Comply with his wishes – diplomacy at all times is the IF way.
B. Obey the command, but keep at least one hand-held weapon in your belt . . . just in case.
C. Put the weapons systems on ‘Sleep’ mode, so they can be reactivated quickly if needed.
D. Refuse the demand. A warrior never disables his weapons!
Scenario 4
During
‘ Aaargh ! ’ Diesel roared in pain as he staggered back to his seat clutching his chin. ‘I bib ma dung!’
Peri ignored him. He had much bigger things to worry about.
His muscles strained as he wrestled with the anti-drift levers, trying to keep the pod on a steady course while it was batted around like a spaceball. His eyes were drawn to a flashing light on the control board – the red light that signalled a problem with the nuke-fusion-engine. His ears rattled with the piercing robotic voice that warned: ‘Danger! Temperature shield overheating. Danger!’
Between jolts, he was able to flip on his com-unit. ‘Mayday! Mayday!’ he called. ‘IF Space Station – this is TP2-7. Do you copy?’
There was no reply. All Peri heard was the rush of static.
Then, as they rounded Mars, Peri saw something that made his heart nearly rocket out of his chest. Dead ahead, like a galactic roadblock, was a metal sphere the size of Earth’s moon. As he watched, thousands of large spikes sprouted from the hull. They were razor-sharp, and at the top of each spike was a viewing platform that looked just like an eyeball. He’d never seen a spaceship like it in any of the textbooks he’d read. Not in The Big Book of Space . Or The Galactic Guide to Gizmos and Gadgets. Not even in The Awesome Anthology of Alien Attackers.
Diesel started yelling in a mixture of Martian and English.
Peri gulped down his fear. ‘B-buckle up . . . and shut up!’ he snapped.
‘You don’t give the orders round here! I’m the –’ Diesel stopped and gawped at the alien ship. ‘ S’fâh ,’ he muttered. ‘That’s not from this galaxy.’ Diesel scrambled back to his seat and, finally, strapped himself in.
All the navigation systems said the same thing: they were on a collision course with the alien vessel.
‘I can’t stop the pod!’ Peri shouted. ‘We’re going to crash!’
Which Star Fighter are YOU?
Take the Star Fighter multiple-choice exam to find out . . .
Being a Star Fighter involves making difficult decisions, often at very short notice. Here are ten problems that a Star Fighter might face on a mission. How would YOU react?
Scenario 1
You’ve been sent to a mirror planet. When you land, your crew see themselves reflected in hundreds of shiny surfaces. Suddenly, the reflection of a shadowy figure appears in the planet’s Mirror Maze. What would you do next?
A. Call out to the figure to determine if it’s friend or foe. A Star Fighter’s first priority is helping others – Peace in Space!
B. Run a scan of the figure and gather facts before proceeding.
C. Follow the reflection and confront the figure immediately.
D. Blast every shiny surface until you find the figure – and then maybe blast the creature too!
Scenario 2
While you’re travelling through space, you see a giant floating thumb – a space hitch-hiker needs a lift! But when you look at your scanners, you notice that the alien seems to be hiding itself. What do you do?
A. Invite the hitch-hiker to reveal itself. If it doesn’t, surely it can’t be trusted.
B. Stop your ship and wait to see if the hitch-hiker reveals itself. Be sure whether it’s trying to trick the crew before taking action.
C. Don’t stop – it’s too risky to engage a hidden alien.
D. Blast the floating thumb – they look stupid!
Scenario 3
You enter the atmosphere of a strange planet and receive a message from an alien commander, demanding that you disable your weapons systems before landing. Do you:
A. Comply with his wishes – diplomacy at all times is the IF way.
B. Obey the command, but keep at least one hand-held weapon in your belt . . . just in case.
C. Put the weapons systems on ‘Sleep’ mode, so they can be reactivated quickly if needed.
D. Refuse the demand. A warrior never disables his weapons!
Scenario 4
During
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