Jack Strong and the Red Giant

Chapter 22: The Prisoner

Padget was dreaming of a large platter of fried chicken, smothered in a lake of sticky, sweet sauce when Vyleria's voice ripped him from his culinary fantasy. Gone was the great banquet hall, gone was his horde of servo-bots, gone were the plates of silver and gold; he was back in the place where he was expected to work, where he had to do things for himself, where NO ONE respected him.

He grunted at the thought of it.

That silly red girl was back. She was in some spaceship (which he didn't care about one bit) and she was droning on and on about some race or another and about how she wanted to race Xy-la-la-lem or whatever his name was. Yeah yeah yeah yadda yadda yadda. Same old blibber-blabber. Nothing different there.

Then just as quickly as she arrived she flew off.

Good, he thought. Bossy know-it-all. Space is the best place for her. I hope she never comes back.

"Why can't Padget go?"

"What do you mean," asked Padget. "Go where?"

"To get Vyleria," said Ros. "Haven't you been paying attention?"

"Yes, of course I have... I ... err... why what's happening?"

Padget didn't think much of Ros either. He too was always bossing him about and treating him like some kind of Direktor's pet. If only I was back on Paldovia, he wouldn't dare speak to me like that. My father would...

"What's happening," Ros continued, "is that Vyleria has flown-off in some kind of spaceship and we have to go and find her."

"Why do we have to go and look for her?"

"She saved your life!" shouted Jack.

Jack was another one he didn't like. Always following Vyleria around like a lost buddy-bot. Didn't know his place. Sure he'd saved his life like a dozen times or something like that, but so he should - he was just a skav after all - that was what he was supposed to do.

If you ask me he has the hots for her. I don't know what he sees in her to be honest. I mean she's so bossy and controlling and she talks too much. Women should be seen and not heard went his father's saying and he had to agree with him. Thank the banking Gods that Xy-loo-loo or whatever he was called had put a stop to all that nonsense.

"I think Padget should be the one to go with Ros," said Jack. "It will give him something to do at least."

"Hey..."

"No, I need Padget here," hissed Xylem.

"Why? What do you need him for?" asked Jack. "He can barely do anything."

"You are a better pilot. You can catch her quicker. Yesss."

They argued a bit more about this; going back and forth like a wibber-wabber in a nest of zingers. This made him crave home all the more. When he said something to the servo-bots they did it. No arguing, no messing about, no "I think you're wrong Padget and I'm going to do the exact opposite!" routine, or else they were sent back to the re-wiring facilities and turned into kettles.

"I'm captain ssso it'sss my decccision," hissed Xylem.

"Alright fine," said Jack, striding up to a table-sized spaceship in the middle of the control room. Where had that come from? "I'll be as quick as I can."

With that Jack disappeared in a flash of silver light, Ros along with him, their teardrop-shaped craft soon after.

Padget was fantasising about eating a giant pork pie with thick, crusty pastry and a mountain of mushy peas when Jack and Ros returned in their spaceships, Vyleria in tow. Thank the Direktors, he thought, as he walked towards the door, now I can go and eat ten XXXXXL pizzas, this control room business is tiring work.