Free STAR FIGHTERS BUMPER SPECIAL EDITION: Stealth Force by Max Chase Page B

and floated along beside him as he exited once more.
     

     
    Peri closed the wall. ‘Let’s get out of here before he comes back!’
    Soon the Phoenix was cruising through outer space.
    Peri spoke into the com-system. ‘Bridge to Otto – the coast is now clear.’
    A section of wall slid open and Otto came slouching on to the Bridge. He had had to hide while Anurack was on board because he wasn’t an official member of the team. He was a former bounty hunter from planet Meigwor, who helped the Star Fighters on their very first mission and never left – but General Pegg could never find that out.
    ‘Has he gone?’ Otto said. ‘It’s been really boring staying cooped up in my quarters all this time.’
    ‘Not as boring as being with Anurack!’ Selene said.
    ‘What’s that?’ Otto pointed with his long black tongue at the timer ticking down on the Mission Update screen.
    ‘That’s the countdown until our next mission,’ Peri explained. ‘We have to get back to the IF Space Station before it reaches zero or General Pegg will give our next mission to someone else.’
    ‘Should we go Superluminal?’ Diesel asked.
    ‘No need, it’s a waste of energy,’ Peri said. ‘We’ve got  plenty of time, even if we travel at cruising speed.’
    ‘We’d better!’ Diesel said. ‘I’m looking forward to another mission.’
    ‘I hope I don’t have to hide out on this one,’ Otto grumbled. ‘It’s about time I got the chance to use my skills.’
    ‘You haven’t got any skills,’ Diesel said.
    ‘Oh, really?’ Otto boomed. ‘Well, let me tell you, you Martian misfit . . .’ He hissed and uncoiled one of his long arms, waving it above his head.
    Diesel squared up to him, jutting his chin out and clenching his fists.
    ‘Ssshh!’ Peri said, holding up his hand. ‘What’s that noise?’
    Strange, low, rhythmic knocking sounds filled the Bridge.
    Peri closed his eyes and tuned into the Phoenix ’s computer. He felt an electric tingling as the noises gradually began to make sense. Peri had never learned Morse code, but the Phoenix knew it.
    Dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot . . .
    ‘It’s an SOS!’ Peri said. ‘Someone’s calling for help!’

 
    Chapter 2
     
     
    ‘Where’s the SOS coming from?’ Selene asked, leaning over the control panel. She was the Phoenix ’s engineer and knew almost as much about their state-of-the-art spaceship as Peri did, having secretly explored it when she lived on the IF Space Station. She frantically tapped on some keys then straightened up. ‘It’s being transmitted from an Earth-like planet called Westrenia that orbits a yellow dwarf star in the Jonxter galaxy.’
    ‘Let’s see what we can find out about it in The Space Spotter’s Guide ,’ Peri said.
    Selene tapped some more keys. The Space Spotter’s Guide appeared on the monitor, followed by Enter search terms . She typed in Westrenia . Within seconds, images of a blue, green, yellow and orange planet, and its inhabitants, came up. Underneath was an InfoBox:
     
    Westrenia
    DESCRIPTION: A medium-sized planet, 11,566 kilometres in diameter. Atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen and trace gases, and is breathable by humans. Has a variety of plant and animal species, including the dominant humanoid species. Westrenia’s humanoids are intelligent but their technology is limited. Westrenians only have simple agricultural and manufacturing techniques. Many earn a living by rearing and tending cattle. They recently invented a type of railroad (an early form of mechanised transport – see entry in The History of Railways). These humanoids aren’t expected to discover interstellar travel for at least another 400 years.
     
    CAUTION: Star Fighters should not interfere with the development of this planet.
     
    RECOMMENDATION: Avoid contact.
     
    ‘That’s impressive!’ Peri said. ‘Westrenia doesn’t have any spaceships, but somehow they’ve managed to send an SOS into space. We have to go and