The Gas Giant Read Free

but there was a problem. They hadn’t built the city personally. About a year ago, a small group of adventurous aliens had discovered this abandoned space research station and moved into it. Before that, they’d been nomadic, which meant they roamed the galaxy with no particular home. That’s why they’d spent time in the Milky Way and learnt some Earth languages.
    ‘We don’t really know the mechanics of the platforms,’ the second Vapod alien said.
    She sounded genuinely sorry. Now that the aliens knew Kip and Finbar wanted to help with their pain, they were way less snappy.
    Kip thought about his next move.
    ‘Would it help to see the plans of the city?’ the first alien asked suddenly.
    Kip grinned. Perfect! He could take copies of the plans in the hope that Earth’s scientists could follow them.
    The aliens led the way over to their igloo-shaped home.
    Once inside, Kip looked around. He loved seeing how different aliens lived.
    A metal rod ran across the middle of the igloo. The Vapod aliens perched on it. They looked comfortable there, just like humans relaxing in armchairs.
    ‘When we found this place, the igloos were full of research stuff,’ the aliens said. ‘Our people made these perches from bits and pieces that we found.’
    ‘Do you know who the researchers were?’ asked Kip.
    ‘No. We think they left in a hurry, though,’ the first alien said. ‘All their things are still here.’
    They both paused. Then the second alien added slowly, ‘We’re afraid there might have been an attack of some kind. We found sketches of huge creatures among their research papers, and there were signs of a struggle when we arrived. But we have no way of knowing for sure. We haven’t seen any signs of life since we arrived.’
    ‘I’m sure it’s nothing, then,’ said Kip reassuringly. He didn’t want the Vapod aliens to get distracted — they were unrolling the plans of the floating city.
    Kip and Finbar bent over the city plans, looking for clues about how the platforms were kept afloat.
    ‘There don’t seem to be any turbines or engines making them float,’ Kip said thoughtfully. ‘It seems as though it’s just the balloons. But they’re so small! The gas inside them must be super, super light.’
    ‘That looks like a chemical symbol,’ said Finbar, pointing excitedly at a label on the balloon saying ‘CO 2 ’.
    ‘Maybe,’ Kip answered. ‘But what does it mean?’
    Without my SpaceCuff, I can’t look it up!
    Kip was feeling sick in the stomach. Is it nerves? he wondered. After all, this was the most important mission of his career. He had made good progress already. The locals were friendly (if slightly grumpy), and he had the city plans to study.
    But now he’d hit a wall. How was he going to identify the mystery gas with a broken SpaceCuff?

Then Kip had a sudden brainwave. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten — the holographic walkie-talkies!
    Kip held the walkie-talkie in front of him and pressed the button. After a moment, Jett’s hologram appeared.
    ‘Hey Jett! I need a favour,’ Kip said. ‘Can you look up what CO 2 stands for?’

    Back on Earth, Jett typed the formula into the Universe-wide Web. ‘Carbon dioxide,’ he said a moment later. ‘Does that help?’
    The sick feeling in Kip’s tummy suddenly grew worse. He shook his head and frowned. ‘Carbon dioxide is one of Earth’s most common gases,’ he answered. ‘It’s what makes Supernova bubbly. WorldCorp’s scientists would have tried CO 2 already — they’ve been trying to build a floating city for ages.’
    ‘Perhaps the symbol’s in an alien language,’ Finbar suggested.
    It was a good idea, but no help. The Vapod aliens didn’t know who the researchers were, let alone which language they spoke. There were billions of languages in the Universe, many unknown to humans.
    Kip groaned. The mission was becoming maddening. Plus, his stomach was seriously bloated. He felt like he’d just eaten a gigantic