Bug Wars Read online

  ‘Hey, I’m very impressed, Yasmin!’ said Yuri, looking at her with genuine surprise. ‘That’s almost geeky! I didn’t think you were interested in science.’

  ‘I’m not, usually,’ said Yasmin. ‘I suppose it’s got something to do with the prospect of being burnt to a crisp. Any chance of preventing that, Luke?’

  ‘There might be,’ said Luke, gritting his teeth as he pulled on the joystick. ‘If you two would just shut up for a minute and let me concentrate, that is…’

  The surface of the planet was rushing up towards them and Luke thought it was hopeless, that they would burn up or crash. But just at the last moment he managed to bring the fighter out of its dive, and they skimmed a metre or two above a rocky plain. Luke finally brought them down and they skidded to a halt.

  ‘Phew, what a ride that was!’ said Yuri, laughing. ‘Well done, Luke!’

  ‘Yeah, pretty cool, Riley,’ agreed Yasmin. ‘I take it all back.’

  ‘I’m just glad we’re still alive,’ said Luke, and glanced out of the cockpit. ‘But we’re not safe yet. It looks like they’re not going to leave us alone…’

  Two alien spaceships were coming in to land on either side of them, and the moment they settled their doors flew open. The Admiral stepped out of one with half a dozen of his soldiers close behind him, and the General emerged from the other, also with his personal bodyguard. Both groups headed for the fighter.

  ‘OK, now they’re seriously starting to irritate me,’ muttered Yasmin.

  ‘They’ve spotted each other,’ said Yuri. ‘This could be interesting.’

  Luke expected total mayhem, of course… but there was no shooting. There was plenty of shouting, though, the General and the Admiral yelling, their faces almost touching, their soldiers joining in. Being inside the fighter meant the children couldn’t hear what they were saying, but that only made it funnier. Luke thought it was like watching one of those old silent comedy movies.

  ‘Huh, look at them!’ snorted Yasmin. ‘They’re like badly behaved kids!’

  ‘They don’t know why they’re fighting any more,’ said Yuri. ‘They don’t have a reason except they’ve always done it. What they need is someone who could make them realise that, so they stop arguing and start behaving sensibly, like us.’

  ‘Someone very scary,’ murmured Luke, turning to his friends. ‘Have you contacted the Buzz yet, Yuri? I think this could well be a job for my mum.’

  ‘Oh yes,’ said Yasmin, nodding eagerly. ‘I can’t think of anyone better.’

  Yuri managed to contact Captain Riley, and half an hour later Luke saw the shuttle from the Buzz Aldrin coming in to land. His mum emerged from the little craft and the three friends got out of the fighter to go and meet her. The aliens were still yelling and shouting at each other, and took no notice of them.

  ‘Thank goodness you’re all right!’ Mum said, hugging Luke and smiling at Yuri and Yasmin. ‘We’ve been so worried! What did those aliens do to you?’

  ‘It’s a long story,’ said Luke, and told her everything that had happened. Mum listened quietly, frowning at first, eventually looking very cross indeed.

  ‘I think I’ll be the one who tells them what’s acceptable and what isn’t,’ she said at last. ‘You three stay here while I go and have a word.’

  She rolled up the sleeves of her spacesuit and strode over to the arguing aliens. ‘QUIET!’ the three friends heard her yell, and the aliens instantly fell silent, a couple of the soldiers dropping their lasers, the General and the Admiral looking startled.

  Within minutes they were both apologising like mad. Shortly after that, they had agreed to a ceasefire and were setting up a peace committee. Luke suspected they would have agreed to anything, just to stop Mum shouting at them.

  ‘There you go,’ he said. ‘Mission accomplished, thanks to my mum!’

  ‘But what if they start fighting again once your mum leaves?’ said Yuri.

  ‘Ah, I’ve already thought of that,’ said Luke, grinning. ‘I’ll ask her if we can stay with them for a few days – and teach them how to play computer games!’

  ‘Good thinking!’ said Yasmin. ‘That ought to keep them out of mischief.’

  ‘Well, it works for us!’ said Luke. ‘Most of the time, anyway…’

  First published 2011 by A & C Black

  Text copyright © 2011 Tony Bradman and Tom Bradman

  Illustrations copyright © 2011 Si Clark

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  This electronic edition Published in February 2013 by Bloomsbury Publishing

  The rights of Tony Bradman, Tom Bradman and Si Clark to be identified as the authors and illustrator of this work have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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  eISBN 978-1-4081-6377-1

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