The Jelly People (6 page)

Kip and Finbar swam for the surface. Kip's lungs burned. He couldn't seem to get enough air in through his mask.

But that didn't matter. They had to go on. The Jellies were still behind them!

At last, Kip and Finbar broke through to the surface of the water. Kip dialled MoNa on his SpaceCuff.

Nurdor will go crazy when he realises we've
escaped,
Kip thought. He smiled, imagining Nurdor's furious expression.

‘Send two Scramblers ASAP!' he said urgently, when MoNa answered.

‘And a Scrambler for your WaterWalker, too?' MoNa asked.

The WaterWalker! Kip had totally forgotten about it. There was no way he was heading back to Jelly City to get it.

‘Er… we had a little technical problem with the WaterWalker,' Kip said. ‘I'll explain when we're on board.'

Seconds ticked by. Then suddenly, two Scrambler Beams shot down from above.

Relieved, Kip and Finbar splashed into the beams, just as Kip caught sight of the Jellies gliding angrily through the water towards them. Kip had time to wave goodbye before the Scramblers hit.

Instantly, Kip had the feeling that something was taking his body apart, cell by cell, and shuffling bits all over the place. No matter how many times he travelled by Scrambler, he never got used to it.

So long, Aquaron!
he thought, dazed.

The next thing he knew, Kip was lying in a puddle in MoNa's landing bay.

Finbar was next to him, his wet fur clinging to him. They pulled off their AirSuits, the last sign they'd ever been slaves to the Jellies. Kip was glad to get back into his comfy dry spacesuit.

Immediately, Kip and Finbar headed for the bridge. Kip had to file his mission report.

When they got there, Kip settled into his captain's chair. His holographic consol appeared around him. Kip began typing on the mid-air keyboard.

CAPTAIN'S LOG Aquaron

Climate:
Once icy but now covered in water.

Population:
Very rich, very evil aliens called Jellies. They are giant, mean Jellyfish. Also Girds, a gentle race of four-eyed humanoids. Until recently, the Jellies had enslaved the Girds.

Recommendation:
The Jellies are trading nutritious vegetables called Sea Sprouts. This has made the Jellies rich. The Jellies would definitely not be willing to share their vegetables with humans, let alone their whole planet. Aquaron is definitely not Earth 2.

Note:
I must also report that the Jellies stole my WaterWalker. This proves yet again that they are not to be trusted.

KIP KIRBY, SPACE SCOUT #50

‘Phew,' Kip sighed, hitting Send.

Work was over, for this mission at least. Kip was dying to check the Space Scout intranet. There'd be lots of gossip from other missions to catch up on. Plus, rankings on the Planetary Points Leader Board would have been updated.

With his report filed and the mission complete, Kip had earned one Planetary Point. He hadn't found Earth 2 yet. He just hoped no other Space Scout had either. Otherwise, his chance at the Shield of Honour would be gone.

‘You're not a slave to your job, Kip,' Finbar said to him, as though he knew what Kip was thinking. ‘Maybe it's time to relax?'

Kip grinned. ‘Let's take Duke to the Virtu-Park,' he said.

Duke's ears pricked up.

Kip, Finbar and Duke headed for MoNa's Virtu-Park, which was near the bridge.

The Virtu-Park was a bit like the Air-Parks on Earth, except that it was in a sealed chamber on MoNa. Inside, the air was climate-controlled so the temperature was always a perfect 27 degrees.

A UV-free artificial sun shone down from the ceiling. Grass made of shredded silk carpeted the floor. There was even a soundtrack of birds tweeting piped through hidden surround-sound speakers.

Kip dug around in his spacesuit pocket. He found a slightly mangled DinoTreat.

‘Jump, boy!' called Kip. He threw the DinoTreat into the air. It spun in mid-air, never dropping to the ground. The Virtu-Park had a zero-gravity atmosphere. Duke rushed over. But he didn't jump up and grab the DinoTreat. Instead, he jumped into Finbar's arms and licked his face.

‘Don't you ever do what you're told?' Finbar laughed.

Kip couldn't help smiling. Duke was definitely the naughtiest minisaur in space.

But that was fine by Kip. It was better that Duke was free to do things his own way. It was exactly how Kip liked things, too.

THE END