Lana, still fully armored, poked the barrel of her cannon into the ant
creature's head. "Hey, lay off, would you?" The insectoid growled, slightly
pushing the barrel of the gun away from his ear.
Land forcefully shoved the gun back into the insectoid's temples. "You get me to the pirate hideout, and then maybe I'll let you go. But for now, you just sit there and drive," she ordered.
The insectoid grumbled and shifted his sitting position at the helm of the Fireball. "It's at least ten hours from here, you know," said the insectiod, looking over his shoulder to glimpse at Lana who was looming behind him. "Aren't we going to stop every once in awhi-"
"No. Now keep driving."
"Okay," the insectoid hummed, "Although I should warn you about the nasty space creature that lurks around here…"
"What space creature?" Lana asked.
"Oh, you know, that big orangey-globby thing that floats around these parts. Swallowed my last ship whole. It's about, I'd say, prolly fifty feet across, thrity tall, like a big blot of jelly."
"Swallowed your ship whole?" Lana asked in disbelief.
"Yep," said the insectoid, "My crew and I got at least fifteen million Unidollars in 'borrowed' goods on that one. The bastard blob ate it. Everything."
"How'd you escape?" Lana asked, slightly releasing pressure from her cannon's barrel off the insectoid's head.
The insectoid flicked an atrociously long thin tongue out of his mouth and licked his two antennae, then slid the tongue back into his mouth. "We managed to get out of the ship just before it was lost," he said, "Us Isnekts can survive in space, you know." The insectoid sighed and looked out of the view screen and into space. "That orange thing lives somewhere here."
"If you think you're scaring me, you're wrong," said Lana harshly, prodding the Isnekt's head with her gun. "Why should I believe you?"
"Because it's right there in front of us," the insectoid said calmly, pointing with one of his three-clawed hands out of the view screen, at a large bright mass of orange floating in the dead of space.
"Move over!" Lana demanded, shoving the Isnekt out of the pilot's seat and sitting down in it.
The Isnekt landed noisily on the floor, and rubbed his sore bottom. "Rude little…" he grumbled. Lana grasped the controls of the Fireball and glared out of the view screen at the advancing glob. Soon, all she could see out of the Fireball's extra-wide view screen was a mass of orange, and her onboard computer informed her on a small screen on her dashboard that the unknown object was one mile away. "Told ya'," said the Isnekt.
"Oh shut up," Lana grumbled. "As soon as we get rid of this thing I'll make you repair the hole you made in my ship."
With that, Lana flicked a small switch on the dashboard, and the steering control tucked into a small compartment in the dashboard, and was soon replaced with another similar dual-handstick control, except this one sported a large ominous red button on each stick.
The Isnekt sighed. "Well, you have fun with the blob, I'll just be going," he hummed casually, striding off towards the hall of the Fireball.
Suddenly, a wall composed of glowing energy blockaded the doorway to the hall to the cockpit, stopping the Isnekt in his tracks. "You're staying with me, bug," Lana said calmly, her eyes still locked on the orange blot with her hands on the control sticks. With a short depression of her thumbs, Lana pressed the buttons simultaneously. Instantly, a short blast of lasers shot from the nose of the Fireball, and bombarded the front of the blob. The blasts exploded in a brilliant flash, and the blob squirmed and jiggled in response. A faint roar echoed within the cockpit of the Fireball as Lana looked at the small screen on the dashboard.
UNKNOWN OBJECT: 1.2 MILES
The the screen flashed, and then read:
UNKNOWN OBJECT: 1.4 MILES
"Well, that wasn't so hard," Lana muttered, turning to the Isnekt, "Why didn't you think of that before?"
"We did," the Isnekt said calmly.
Just then, another roar filled the helm of the Fireball. The blob began to shake again, and the small screen on the dashboard bleeped again.
UNKNOWN OBJECT: 0.9 MILES
The screen flashed.
UNKNOWN OBJECT: 0.5 MILES
"Shit," Lana muttered. Lana held the control stick once again and rapidly pressed the laser buttons. Blast after blast of energy smashed into the blob from the nosecone of the Fireball, each which only seemed to anger the beast further. "Oh shit," Lana murmured again.
The smaller screen suddenly beeped repetitively.
UNKNOWN OBJECT: 0.1 MILES- COLLISION IMMINENT
"Oh shit!" Lana gasped.
The insectoid hummed. "Well, if you're not ready to be eaten alive by this indestructible blob, maybe we should go now?"
Lana flicked another switch on her dashboard, and the force-barrier that blocked the doorway to the hall disappeared. "Let's go."
Slipping through the hole in the hull, Lana and the Isnekt slid into space, and watched the orange glob engulf the Fireball. "My ship," Lana silently cringed.
After the Fireball was completely smothered, the blob seemed the groan and float away to whence it came, and soon disappeared into the void of space.
"Well then," said the Isnekt, "On foot, I s'pose it'll be a few months until we reach my hideout. I guess the hunt is over. Too bad," he hummed, beginning to float away.
Lana hastily grabbed him by one of his clear wings, making him yelp. "You are not going anywhere besides with me," Lana growled. "There's a planet down there," she said, pointing to a nearby fleck of orage light in the void of space with the barrel of her cannon, "Now move it!"
Lana tugged on the Isnekt's wing, making him yowl horrendously. "Ouch! Goddammit! That hurts!" He shrieked, "Quit it!"
Lana quickly let go of the Isnekt's wing in shock. "Sorry," she murmured.
"Well, don't do it again," the Isnekt grumbled, "Our race's wings are very sensitive."
Lana remained in silence for a few moments, and then said, "Well, let's get to the planet. We've got a ship to buy."
Land forcefully shoved the gun back into the insectoid's temples. "You get me to the pirate hideout, and then maybe I'll let you go. But for now, you just sit there and drive," she ordered.
The insectoid grumbled and shifted his sitting position at the helm of the Fireball. "It's at least ten hours from here, you know," said the insectiod, looking over his shoulder to glimpse at Lana who was looming behind him. "Aren't we going to stop every once in awhi-"
"No. Now keep driving."
"Okay," the insectoid hummed, "Although I should warn you about the nasty space creature that lurks around here…"
"What space creature?" Lana asked.
"Oh, you know, that big orangey-globby thing that floats around these parts. Swallowed my last ship whole. It's about, I'd say, prolly fifty feet across, thrity tall, like a big blot of jelly."
"Swallowed your ship whole?" Lana asked in disbelief.
"Yep," said the insectoid, "My crew and I got at least fifteen million Unidollars in 'borrowed' goods on that one. The bastard blob ate it. Everything."
"How'd you escape?" Lana asked, slightly releasing pressure from her cannon's barrel off the insectoid's head.
The insectoid flicked an atrociously long thin tongue out of his mouth and licked his two antennae, then slid the tongue back into his mouth. "We managed to get out of the ship just before it was lost," he said, "Us Isnekts can survive in space, you know." The insectoid sighed and looked out of the view screen and into space. "That orange thing lives somewhere here."
"If you think you're scaring me, you're wrong," said Lana harshly, prodding the Isnekt's head with her gun. "Why should I believe you?"
"Because it's right there in front of us," the insectoid said calmly, pointing with one of his three-clawed hands out of the view screen, at a large bright mass of orange floating in the dead of space.
"Move over!" Lana demanded, shoving the Isnekt out of the pilot's seat and sitting down in it.
The Isnekt landed noisily on the floor, and rubbed his sore bottom. "Rude little…" he grumbled. Lana grasped the controls of the Fireball and glared out of the view screen at the advancing glob. Soon, all she could see out of the Fireball's extra-wide view screen was a mass of orange, and her onboard computer informed her on a small screen on her dashboard that the unknown object was one mile away. "Told ya'," said the Isnekt.
"Oh shut up," Lana grumbled. "As soon as we get rid of this thing I'll make you repair the hole you made in my ship."
With that, Lana flicked a small switch on the dashboard, and the steering control tucked into a small compartment in the dashboard, and was soon replaced with another similar dual-handstick control, except this one sported a large ominous red button on each stick.
The Isnekt sighed. "Well, you have fun with the blob, I'll just be going," he hummed casually, striding off towards the hall of the Fireball.
Suddenly, a wall composed of glowing energy blockaded the doorway to the hall to the cockpit, stopping the Isnekt in his tracks. "You're staying with me, bug," Lana said calmly, her eyes still locked on the orange blot with her hands on the control sticks. With a short depression of her thumbs, Lana pressed the buttons simultaneously. Instantly, a short blast of lasers shot from the nose of the Fireball, and bombarded the front of the blob. The blasts exploded in a brilliant flash, and the blob squirmed and jiggled in response. A faint roar echoed within the cockpit of the Fireball as Lana looked at the small screen on the dashboard.
UNKNOWN OBJECT: 1.2 MILES
The the screen flashed, and then read:
UNKNOWN OBJECT: 1.4 MILES
"Well, that wasn't so hard," Lana muttered, turning to the Isnekt, "Why didn't you think of that before?"
"We did," the Isnekt said calmly.
Just then, another roar filled the helm of the Fireball. The blob began to shake again, and the small screen on the dashboard bleeped again.
UNKNOWN OBJECT: 0.9 MILES
The screen flashed.
UNKNOWN OBJECT: 0.5 MILES
"Shit," Lana muttered. Lana held the control stick once again and rapidly pressed the laser buttons. Blast after blast of energy smashed into the blob from the nosecone of the Fireball, each which only seemed to anger the beast further. "Oh shit," Lana murmured again.
The smaller screen suddenly beeped repetitively.
UNKNOWN OBJECT: 0.1 MILES- COLLISION IMMINENT
"Oh shit!" Lana gasped.
The insectoid hummed. "Well, if you're not ready to be eaten alive by this indestructible blob, maybe we should go now?"
Lana flicked another switch on her dashboard, and the force-barrier that blocked the doorway to the hall disappeared. "Let's go."
Slipping through the hole in the hull, Lana and the Isnekt slid into space, and watched the orange glob engulf the Fireball. "My ship," Lana silently cringed.
After the Fireball was completely smothered, the blob seemed the groan and float away to whence it came, and soon disappeared into the void of space.
"Well then," said the Isnekt, "On foot, I s'pose it'll be a few months until we reach my hideout. I guess the hunt is over. Too bad," he hummed, beginning to float away.
Lana hastily grabbed him by one of his clear wings, making him yelp. "You are not going anywhere besides with me," Lana growled. "There's a planet down there," she said, pointing to a nearby fleck of orage light in the void of space with the barrel of her cannon, "Now move it!"
Lana tugged on the Isnekt's wing, making him yowl horrendously. "Ouch! Goddammit! That hurts!" He shrieked, "Quit it!"
Lana quickly let go of the Isnekt's wing in shock. "Sorry," she murmured.
"Well, don't do it again," the Isnekt grumbled, "Our race's wings are very sensitive."
Lana remained in silence for a few moments, and then said, "Well, let's get to the planet. We've got a ship to buy."