Jack Strong and the Red Giant

Chapter Eight: First Flight

The comet exploded into a million tiny splinters of rock and ice.

Vyleria turned around and saw Xylem inside some kind of semi-invisible machine. His body shook with delight as he fired a rapid stream of tiny blue dots into the shattered remnants of the comet.

She couldn't believe it. "You lied to us!" she shouted.

For a second or two he didn't seem to hear her, as the dark vacuum of space continued to rain lightning, his white fangs bared like rocks. Then he stepped out of the machine, its transparent blue panels folding-up into nothing.

"No, I didn't," he wheezed. "Was waiting for you to work it out... yesss."

"NO! YOU LIED TO US," she shouted again, her eyes blazing like stars. "I don't care what you say. You watched us run around the room trying to get control of the spaceship, and yet you knew all along how it worked."

"Why would he lie to us?" asked Ros behind her. "I'm sure it was just a simple mistake."

"Oh, come on Ros," said Vyleria, the tips of her fingers glowing purple. "You don't believe him do you? He stood there and did nothing whilst we chased around the control room like fools."

"Why shouldn't I believe him? I trust him about as much as I trust you, and he did at least save us from the comet."

"Oh come on, if it wasn't for that comet I don't think we'd ever have found out how to fly this spaceship."

"No, I sssaved you," hissed Xylem, his eyes regarding Vyleria like a hawk's.

"No, you didn't – you don't care about us. All you care about is yourself. You're up to something I know it."

"No. I thought you were intelligent. That you could ssssolve the puzzle yourssselves."

"Okay then," she said, the fires in her fingertips continuing to rage. "Prove it. How do we control the spaceship?

"By mind control," he wheezed. "You..."

"Yes, we know," said Vyleria. "We tried it already, REMEMBER? But it didn't work."

"Because, apart from a few non-important functions I told the ssship to obey only me."

"YOU DID WHAT?" Vyleria howled. "Why would you do that? What are you up to? What are you planning?"

"Nothing. It was just a tessst."

"What? Why would you do that to us? That's not fair. You were trying to steal this ship from us weren't you? Admit it."

"No. It was just a tessst," he hissed, his tongue flicking from side to side like a rattlesnake. "Though I thought that you would figure it out... quicker."

"Okay," snapped Vyleria. "How do we get control of the ship then?"

"Think of controlling the ssship," wheezed Xylem, his pointed pincers twisting and turning. "Of taking command."

"WHAT? That's all?"

"Yesss."

As soon as Vyleria thought about taking control of the spaceship one of the control panels in front of her rushed up and surrounded her encasing her in some kind of transparent material.

The control room vanished.

Vyleria now seemed to be floating face-first in space. The blue gas giant and all its moons swirled before her and all around that was an endless, shoreless sea of stars. All about her were a series of displays, each one revealing information about speed, location, weapons, planets, temperature, as well as a host of other things. And it was all in Rennish too.