Harry Cavendish Read Online Free Page A

we have these Ancient Texts that mention…’ he started but didn’t finish because Cormack had opened his shirt to expose the burn that he had got from the cocoa.
    ‘Oh yes!’ said Proton. ‘Very, very good. In just the right spot.’
    He turned to the navigator, a tall, elegant looking woman with a huge bouffant head of hair who looked back at Proton with undisguised disdain.
    ‘See, Pranzi,’ said Proton, ‘We’re good to go!’
    He gave her the thumbs up and a big grin.
    ‘Ummm, how long is it until we get to the Palace?’ Cormack asked.
    ‘Palace? What Palace, Cormack?’
    ‘The Palace of the Emperor,’ said Cormack.
    ‘We’re not taking you to the Palace, Cormack,’ said Proton.
    ‘You’re not?’ said Cormack. ‘I thought that’s what you said when you captured me outside the Prison Whale. I thought you had orders to take me to the Emperor.’
    ‘I do. But I’m ignoring them. I’ve requisitioned the ship and I’m taking you to Foul Ball.’
    ‘Foul Ball? What is Foul Ball?’
    ‘Cormack, my boy,’ said Proton. ‘You are going to love Foul Ball.’

    ***
‘The whole situation is very worrying,’ said the Emperor to the hive-mind.
    ‘Indeed it is, Sire,’ replied the hive-mind.
    ‘I thought the Praetorian Guards were beyond reproach.’
    ‘They must be executed for their treason.’
    ‘Where have they taken the McFadden creature?’
    ‘They are moving through the Dertigon Nebula towards the Asigate Star System.’
    ‘They are perhaps headed for Foul Ball, then?’
    ‘It is too early to say, Sire.’
    ‘We must stop them.’
     
    ‘Of course. We are sending the battle-cruiser. We will intercept them in the next twenty-four hours and attempt to recapture the McFadden creature alive. But if it is not possible, I have issued instructions that their transporter ship be destroyed.’
    ‘Good. We must take no chances, hive-mind.’

Chapter Seven
    Proton had the Emperor’s battle-cruiser on the ship’s scanner. It would catch them in twenty minutes unless they did something.
    ‘Pranzi, you have the model?’ he asked the navigator.
    ‘Yes, Captain.’
    ‘Perhaps I could take a look at it.’
    Pranzilla spoke perfunctorily into a microphone on the console in front of her – ‘Captain, wants to see the model.’
    Through the sliding doors came another Guard, bearing in his huge arms what looked like a toy spaceship, all airfixed and globbed with glue. Cormack looked at it carefully and thought it was wonderful, enormously elaborate detailing. In fact, although he couldn’t be sure because he didn’t get much of a look when they were taking him inside, it could well be an exact replica of the transporter ship they were presently in.
    ‘Excellent,’ said Proton. ‘It’s really very good, isn’t it, Cormack? Beautiful work around the undercarriage. Very fine craftsmanship. We could probably hang it out now.’
    ‘Captain says deploy the decoy,’ said Pranzilla.
    A great show was made as the model was surrounded by a squad of five Guards. The most important of these had a clipboard, and he ran his finger down it, barking out orders, whilst the other four ministered to the toy, inspecting it according to his instructions. When they were each satisfied, they called out in turn, a crisp ‘Check!’
    Eventually it was deemed fit to proceed, and a long fibrous thread was attached to its prow. Then it was carried out of the cockpit towards the hold, where the cow, shivering and frightened, saw it into the escape hatch with a ‘Coo!’
    The senior Guard returned after five minutes and confirmed to Proton that the decoy had been successfully deployed.
    ‘Good,’ said Proton. ‘Let’s take a look on our screen.’
    ‘Bringing it up now, Captain,’ said Pranzilla.
    The large black screen to the front of the cockpit flickered into life and Cormack could see a fuzzy image that might have been the front of the ship, pictured from a camera on its top.
    ‘Turning the camera to the