Free Astro-Knights Island by Tracey West

ran down the blue body, and the door and wings were trimmed in orange.
    The cranky alien had wandered back.
    â€œNot bad, for a couple humans,” he said, admiring their ship.
    â€œThanks!” Simon said. He reached in his pocket and took out the coordinates the Queen had given him. “So can I just type these in, and the ship will take me there?”
    The alien’s eyes grew wide. “You’re going
there
? Good luck, then,” he said. “If your shields get low, just teleport back here.”
    â€œWhat do you mean,
there
?” Simon asked, but the alien just shook his head and walked away once more.
    â€œThat didn’t sound too promising,” Alice said worriedly.
    â€œNobody said rescuing the Princess was going to be easy,” Simon said. “If there’s danger ahead, we’ll face it bravely, just like Sir Pelleas, Sir Cador, and Sir Gawain!”
    Alice took a deep breath. “You’re right,” she said with a nod.
    Inside the ship, they found a control station with a large screen. Simon switched it on, and a map appeared. In the center was home, and the Pewter Moon was close by. The map showed three other planets: the Jungle Planet, the Ice Planet, and the Fire Planet.
    â€œWhere should we go first?” Simon asked.
    Alice looked thoughtful. “Well, they all sound a bit dangerous. In the stories I’ve heard, jungles are dark and filled with snakes and deadly creatures. Fires can burn you. So maybe the Ice Planet?”
    Simon clicked on the Ice Planet on the map and read from it. “‘The planet is surrounded by dangerous mechanical space sharks. Space sharks are virtually indestructible, but even they cannot withstand the pull of a black hole.’”
    Simon turned a little pale. “Space sharks? Don’t sharks have lots of big, sharp teeth?”
    â€œSo what?” Alice asked boldly. “Do you think Sir Pelleas cares about space sharks? He eats them for breakfast. I know because I make him his breakfast every day.”
    That made Simon smile. “You’re right. We’re not afraid of any space sharks. Ice Planet, here we come!”

Chapter Fifteen
    Danger on the Ice Planet
    Simon’s stomach lurched as the rocket lifted off the holopad and soared into space. Through the window they could see nothing but black sky.
    On the screen, the images of planets had disappeared. Instead, a grid of coordinates appeared against a backdrop of black space.
    â€œI guess now is when we can use the coordinates,” he said. “It looks like the ones we’re closest to are X-73, Y-83.”
    â€œThey must lead to the Ice Planet,” Alice guessed.
    Simon steered the rocket while watching the coordinates change on the screen. “All right, now we’re at X-73, Y-59. Almost there.”
    Then a message appeared on the screen: WARNING. APPROACHING BLACK HOLE.
    â€œBlack hole? That doesn’t sound good,” Alice remarked.
    â€œDon’t worry. The planet’s in the opposite direction,” Simon said, steering the rocket away. “Let’s see. Y-78, Y-79 . . . there it is!”
    Through the ship’s window they could see the ice-covered planet. Three gigantic mechanical sharks circled the globe.
    â€œBoy, they sure are big,” Simon said with a gulp.
    â€œBut you built this rocket to be fast, remember?” Alice said. “Just zip right through them.”
    Simon gritted his teeth and accelerated the rocket. He tried to steer between the tail of one shark and the head of the next, but there wasn’t enough room.
    Bam!
One of the sharks head-butted them. The screen began to flash.
    SHIELDS LOW!
    â€œSteer away!” Alice cried. “We can’t take another attack or we’ll crash!”
    Simon quickly obeyed, leaving the orbit of the Ice Planet. The sharks resumed circling the planet, waiting for the next intruder.
    â€œThat was close,” Simon said with