Free The Enemy's Lair by Max Chase Page A

wouldn’t be able to keep it up for much longer.
    Peri and Diesel looked at each other.
    ‘How did they find us?’ Diesel asked.
    Peri shrugged. ‘We’ve got their prince. We should have expected they’d track us to the ends of the universe.’
    ‘What do we do?’ Diesel asked.
    Peri’s instinct was to fight the invaders. On the other hand, Otto did deserve a little punishment for kidnapping their prince.
    ‘Leave them to it,’ Peri said. ‘How did they get on board, anyway?’
    As if in answer, a patch of air ahead of them began fizzing. The air crackled and started to swirl, then turned black and solidified into another Xion guard, swinging an electric mace.
     

     
    Peri felt as if his guts had turned to iced water. There was no one at the controls. Otto was too busy trying to fight off the intruders. With nobody at the helm, the ship could hit an asteroid or a planet, or drift too close to a star and be sucked in by its gravity.
    Another three Xion guards teleported aboard and dived into Otto’s scrum.
    ‘We have to go in,’ Peri said.
    Diesel cracked his knuckles and curled his hands into fists.
    Another four Xion guards teleported aboard, and this time they turned towards Peri and Diesel.

 
    Chapter 2
     
    Peri grabbed a handful of the Paralyside pellets and threw them at the feet of the nearest Xion guards. The pellets exploded with sharp cracks . Tiny flames sprang up where they landed. Coils of grey smoke swirled around the targets.
    ‘Switch on your Atmos-Filter!’ Peri shouted to Diesel. He touched the side of his Expedition Wear helmet. Nose-plugs were immediately inserted into his nostrils.
    The two guards nearest Peri slumped to the floor. Peri lunged for the control panel, which slid the extra distance to meet him, as if reading his thoughts. Peri was half-bionic and programmed to work with the Phoenix . His fingers danced across the console as he set the ship to automatic pilot, bound for Meigwor.
     

     
    Diesel hurled more Paralysides at the guards. They collapsed like Procyonian Nightbirds at dawn.
    A pellet landed near Otto, who wasn’t wearing Expedition Wear. ‘Hey!’ he shouted. ‘Don’t chuck them at me, you –’
    He swayed and crashed to the floor in a heap with all the Xion guards. Diesel stepped between the intruders’ limp claws and high-fived Peri.
    ‘That sorted them out!’
    ‘Yup!’ Peri said. He nudged the motionless guards with the toe of his Expedition Wear boot. ‘I know you can hear me. This is what happens when you come barging on to someone else’s ship without being invited. Now, about your prince. There was a bit of a misunderstanding, and –’
    ‘No misunderstanding,’ growled one of the Xions. ‘You take our prince, you die.’
    ‘They shouldn’t be able to talk, should they?’ Peri whispered to Diesel.
    Diesel was examining the spent casing of one of the Paralyside pellets. ‘They’re only Level One Paralysides,’ he said. ‘Low strength. The effect only lasts a few seconds.’
    ‘Oh, that’s great,’ Peri muttered.
    The guard who had spoken was already hauling himself to his feet. ‘Prepare for the ultimate punishment. For Xion!’
    All the other guards were slowly getting up. ‘For Xion!’ they echoed.
    Peri reached in his pocket for more Paralyside pellets.
    He had only one left.
    Diesel drew the duster from his belt.
    ‘Isn’t that a bit harsh?’ Peri asked Diesel.
    The Xion guard who’d been the first to recover swung his electric mace at Peri’s head. Peri ducked. He heard the crackle and felt the heat as it passed just over his scalp.
    Peri backed away and aimed his duster at the guard. ‘Look, I don’t want to shoot, but –’
    The guard came towards him, jabbing with the mace.
    Peri couldn’t bring himself to press the trigger. The Xion were only trying to rescue their kidnapped prince. Peri took the duster by the end and swung it at the guard.
    The guard threw his arm up to protect his face. The duster smashed