Raymond's Adventures in Space

Chapter 1 Captured?

On his way home from school one day Raymond was picked up and carried off by a gigantic spaceship displaying learner driver plates. He was walking down the lane that led to his street with his head in his favourite comic, Space Attack.

(When Raymond was not at school you could find him immersed in his comic or with his head in a book, which was always about aliens or other worlds)

When he looked up to cross the road he was no longer on the footpath but in a column of light. He tried to run but found he couldn't move. He started to panic. Where he and what was happening to him? His hands were disappearing. He screamed. Then, in a moment of clarity, he saw a button on the wall that said EXIT. He pushed it and the light vanished. He stood for a second or two and looked around, he could see a boy running around what he now realised was a ship.

"Hey." shouted Raymond. "What's going on and who are you?"

The boy stopped. He had a look of shock on his face. Raymond had no idea what he was saying. He was not speaking English that was for sure!

"Sorry but I can't understand you. Ahh I'm Raymond. Where am I exactly?" he asked.

The boy pushed a few more buttons and finally it looked like he had everything under control. The boy walked over to Raymond and still looked shocked that he was there but he handed him a plug and showed him how to hook it into his ear. The boy spoke and Raymond could not believe that he could actually understand him and that he spoke with an American accent.

"I'm Doric from Platis. You're on my parent's ship. I'm sorry I picked you up by accident. I'll put you back just as soon as I remember how."

As he walked away he muttered "This is terrible. What are my parents gonna say."

"Ahh look um..." stuttered Raymond "I'm having a hard time believing what I'm seeing and hearing. If I had ever thought I would be taken away on a space ship it would not include a guy with an American accent wearing clothes from a TV show from the 80's. So what's the deal?"

Doric turned around and led Raymond over to a screen that acted like a mirror to show him what he really looked like. He was taller than Raymond with large ears, a small head and turquoise eyes that protruded. His arms were short. His skin colour kept changing, and he was emitting a faint smell that reminded Raymond of curry, something to do with hormones, Doric explained. Raymond stood for a moment shocked at the sight of the creature in the mirror. He looked just like the characters in his comic.

"I dress like this so as not to arouse suspicion if anything happens to me while I'm driving around your earth." He said.

"Ohh cool." said Raymond.

Raymond looked around. The inside of the ship was full of lights and buttons. There were 6 seats in rows of 2. The front seats had steering wheels in front of them and each seat had belts with the back one being slightly higher on the seat part.

"That's for my younger sister." explained Doric.

Raymond had to ask what was with the accent and the clothes though. Doric said that he had seen the way that earth people dressed from a school lesson and had committed it to memory for future use.

"Must have been a history lesson." joked Raymond. Doric had also laughed when Raymond explained about the TV show.

Suddenly, there was lots of beeping sounds and flashing lights coming from the area where the steering wheels were.

"Oh crap." said Doric "We're headed for that cruiser. I forgot to put the controls into neutral while I was explaining things to you."

Doric started to panic again.

"What can I do?" asked Raymond.

"Ever flown a ship?" asked Doric.

"Ahh kind of." said Raymond. "I have a video game at home with a spaceship in it. I fly that all the time."

"Don't know what that means but sit there and try and steer. Doric pointed to one of the seats at the front."

I'll try to move around us away quickly!

Raymond sat down and immediately grabbed the steering wheel. He knew that if he pulled backwards on the joystick the ship in the game at home would slow down or stop. So he pulled backwards. The ship did stop but with a screech. Doric and Raymond were flung forward and they both landed under the control panel.

"Good move." said Doric. "Let's see where we are."

As they stood up they could see that they were hovering above another ship that was much larger. In the distance Raymond could see a planet.

"Push that big red button." said Doric. "It'll cloak us until I figure out where we are."

Raymond followed Doric over to a screen on the wall showing lots of planets he had never seen or heard of before. Doric pushed a few buttons and then Raymond saw earth.

"I think we are here." said Doric. "Your Planet is here. Soooo we will have to go around here and here and then avoid there and slide on that and then I should have you back before your next day starts."

"Umm look I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything but I really need to be home before then otherwise my parents will wonder where I am." said Raymond. "Won't yours wonder too?"

"Ahh no." said Doric. "I'm allowed to stay out at the moment. Got to complete my basic training."

"Basic training?" inquired Raymond.

"Yeah if I complete this mission, chart everything and get all the items on the list then I get my full ships licence. My parents said they would help me get my own ship. Unfortunately you were not part of my mission so I'll have to stall time to get you back and get me back and start again."

"Stall time!" said Raymond. "Hey if you can do that, can I tag along and then you could take me back to when you picked me up."

"Ahh not sure about that, I'm not supposed to have anyone on board on my learner licence. I have to check in with my parents along the way. This is my last chance to get my licence."

Look I might be able to help you." said Raymond. "I've been reading about you for a while now."

"What do you mean?" asked Doric.

"Look at this." Raymond showed Doric his comic.

"Funny." said Doric.

Doric showed Raymond his comic which he pulled from under the front console. Raymond laughed too when Doric showed him the page with the humans on it.

"So what do you think? Can I come along?"

"Yeah sure you might be handy to have around. But it won't be exactly the same time as when I picked you up. Might be a few hours later."

"That's ok. As long I'm back before dinner I should be alright."

"Ok then. Take a seat and let's get outta here. The cloak is about to break."

Doric grabbed the steering wheel and maneuvered them behind the ship they had been hovering above. He turned the wheel and they were now facing in the opposite direction. He pushed the steering wheel forward and they began to move away.