Surviving the Zoxans by M J Dees

Author:M J Dees
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: M J Dees
Published: 2023-08-20T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 24: MOONDIVE

Sevan could see Lysithea’s moon Enceladus large in the observation window.

“Are we going to land on the moon?” he asked.

“No, we are going to plunge towards it but then hopefully miss,” said Malcolm with less confidence than Sevan thought was due from someone who was piloting a spaceship that was about to plunge towards a moon.

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Because if we hit the surface, we will all die.”

“Yes, I know that. What I mean is, why do you want to plunge towards the surface?”

“We are going to use the moon’s gravity to sling us out into space.”

“If we were using a...” Nadio began.

“Yes, we know, clever boots. Do us all a favour and keep it to yourself.”

Sevan perceived they were accelerating because the moon appeared to be getting larger at a more rapid rate.

“Are you sure you have all the angles right?” he asked.

“Oh yes, it’s all calculated very accurately. I have set the parameters using these levers here.”

Malcolm pointed an oily tentacle at a row of levers that were vibrating in such a way that Sevan was convinced they could not possibly hold in the same position for long.

In fact, the whole vessel had started to vibrate. Sevan tightened his straps.

“They won’t help you when to plunge antennae first into the moon’s surface,” said Nadio.

“Who asked you?”

A loud whine soon joined the rapidly approaching surface and the vibrations, as if the electromagnetic engine was about to explode.

This wasn’t how Sevan had envisaged his last moments. He hadn’t actually envisaged his last moments, but, if he had, it almost certainly wouldn’t have been crashing into a moon in an electric spaceship with Nadio and a giant grey thing with oily tentacles.

Just as he thought his rotations were over, the ship somehow miraculously cleared the surface and shot off into space. Malcolm looked round at them, his v shaped mouth seemed to grin. Sevan and Nadio simultaneously breathed sighs of relief.

“How far is Zanzenburg?” asked Sevan.

“Yes, I’ve never heard of it before,” said Nadio.

“It’s not very far. We should be able to reach it within a tentacle full of standard lunar cycles.”

“Lunar cycles?” Nadio despaired.

Sevan was even more worried. He had observed how much a Malcolm can carry in a single tentacle and thought that they might travel for quite a number of standard lunar cycles.

“Do you have any food on board?” he asked.

“We have freeze-dried tamernirs cyclo-algae.”

“Does it have any vomit on it?”

“Oh, yes, don’t worry, it’s pre-vomited. “

Sevan’s hearts sank.

“And to drink?” he allowed his hope to raise his optimism.

“Yes, we have frozen mead slush. It’s made from the fermented excretions of the fejjofui. I think you’ll like it. Are you hungry or thirsty now?”

“No thanks, I’ve just lost my appetite.”

“Malcolm? Can you explain something I don’t understand?” asked Nadio.

“I can try.”

“So far we have discovered that the space defence programme is being used as a cover for powdered fushy trafficking and possibly the traffic of thugs.”

“Correct.”

“What I don’t understand is how going to see this so called Unseen one is going to help.

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