Crash Landing Read Free

eyes blinked in shock and a small mouth opened in what John thought must be a grin.
    “Got you!” he shouted, pushing Lishtig away with an enormous heave that sent him hurtling along the length of the coach.
    Unclipping his own harness, the grey alien kicked off from his seat and soared into the air. As he passed the row in front, he reached down with one long, three-fingered hand and grabbed a metallic packet from the claw of the alien sitting there.
    “Yes!” he shouted. “Galva-coated Dumpod candies. Who wants one?”
    “Hey, those are mine, Bareon. Give them back!”
    “Come and get them,” yelled the grey alien, throwing a Dumpod candy along the length of the coach and hitting another alien on the head, which was covered in small tentacles.
    “Mine,” it said, laughing. A tentacle snapped out and wrapped around the candy, pulling it into the alien’s beak-like mouth. “Thanks, Bareon.”
    By now, the candy’s owner was flying along the coach, claws outstretched to snap at Bareon.
    Someone started chanting, “Zero-G, Zero-G, Zero-G,” as a couple of aliens crashed into each other and began tussling in mid-air.
    By now, other aliens were joining in. The shouting of “Zero-G, Zero-G!” became louder and louder, as floating aliens tumbled around the coach in a mass of arms, legs, tentacles, claws, fins – and body parts that John couldn’t recognize.
    “Not joining in?” asked the P’Sidion in the seat behind John.
    “Umm... I don’t know how,” John replied, as the dolphin-like alien kicked away towards the scrum.
    It looked back over its shoulder. “It’s a Zero-Gravity war,” its voice panel shouted over the noise. “Float and fight. That’s all there is to it.”
    Even in his shocked state, John thought Zero-G war looked like massive fun. Usually only astronauts got to experience zero-gravity. In the pictures he’d seen, he was always amazed that none of them ever looked as though they were really enjoying the experience. For the first time since the coach left Earth, John smiled. He was surprised to find that his fingers had already unclipped his safety harness.
    John twisted to look behind him. “How do you... wooooah !” he spluttered, as the movement sent him spinning into the air, feet and hands windmilling as he tried to keep his balance.
    “I-I’m flying!” John yelled, as he floated down the aisle in slow somersaults. “Help!”
    A hand grabbed his shoulder, steadying him. John looked up into Lishtig’s grinning face. “Thanks,” he panted. “I’ve never done this before.”
    “It’s your first time playing Zero-G war? Wow, your planet must be dull.”
    “Errr, no, my first time in zero-gravity.”
    Lishtig’s eyes widened in shock. “You have to be kidding me,” he laughed. “Is that why you were floating around like a panicking Scrabbler Beast? It was hilarious.”
    “Hey, I was just starting to get the hang of it.”
    “Then don’t let me keep you.” The purple-haired alien pushed John towards the back of the shuttle with a flick of his wrist.
    Half-choking with laughter, John cartwheeled through the air. He was completely out of control, but flying along the coach was an incredible feeling. He touched a passing seat, managing to stop himself from tumbling. This must be how superheroes feel , he thought, as he sailed down the aisle.
    The next moment, he crashed headlong into Bareon, who, in turn, crashed into the aliens sitting in the back row.
    “Ms Vartexia, can’t you keep the first years under control?” yelled the girl with metallic spikes on her head. “We’re trying to watch Black Hole Hospital and they’re ruining it.”
    Ignoring her, Bareon shouted, “I’ll get you for that, Lishtig!” Bracing his feet against a window, he heaved John back towards the front of the shuttle.
    “ Ohh nooooo ! ” John yelled through his laughter, clawing at the air as he smashed into the P’Sidion, who thrust him off down the aisle again.
    Just as his head