Space Plague by Zac Harrison

almost no electronic circuits of any kind, just the most basic for communications and navigation, all of which was shielded to protect it from radiation. Even so, the heavily armoured little craft could only protect him from the intense furnace of a nebula core for half an hour. After that, the heat inside would become too intense for his body to survive.
    As quickly as he could, John found a robotic GravLifter and moved it under the pod. At the press of a button, the GravLifter’s arms extended upward, grabbing the tiny craft with a clunk and moving it out of its storage compartment. John grabbed the GravLifter’s towing handle and twisted. The heavy machine lifted off the floor on anti-grav pads, allowing him to pull it easily back towards the main hangar.
    John found Mordant standing in the middle of ship bay gamma, arms and tentacles hugging his body, staring up at a spaceship John had never seen before. Slightly bigger than private jets on Earth, it was sleekly beautiful. From a sharp nose, it flowed back in curves to sweeping wings fit with vast, powerful-looking engines. Flaming red, the ship looked as though someone had polished every millimetre of its surface. It gleamed under the hangar lights. There wasn’t a single mark on it.
    John whistled as he stopped beside Mordant. “Wowsers. What is that ?” he breathed.
    Mordant’s head turned. For a moment, he looked surprised to see John and a sneer crossed his face. Then, he seemed to remember why he was in the hangar deck. “Sergeant Jegger’s Talios 720,” he said. “It’s his pride and joy, and it costs a fortune. Beautiful, isn’t it?”
    John stared, his jaw dropping open. “Sergeant Jegger’s private ship?” he gasped. “You have got to be kidding me. We can’t take that .”
    “It’s the only ship I could find that can handle the temperature and has a dock. Jegger’s got the flu; he’s not going to mind.”
    “But we’ll get expelled for certain if we take it.”
    Mordant raised an eyebrow. “Whatever ship we take, it’s pretty certain we’re going to be expelled,” he answered. “Disobeying an Examiner, breaking into a sealed security area, stealing a spaceship, leaving Hyperspace High without permission... Do you want me to go on?”
    “I get the point,” John said, drily. He shrugged. “I’m pretty sure I flunked Hyperspace History anyway. One way or another I won’t be coming back next term.”
    “Any other day I’d be overjoyed,” Mordant replied. “But it’s looking like neither of us will be here next term. Come on, let’s get the nebula-diver docked.”
    When the pod had been attached to the docking mechanism, the two boys climbed up the steps of Sergeant Jegger’s Talios 720. Inside, the ship was as beautiful as it was on the outside: all deep, plush seats and gleaming technology. Mordant handed John a bulky flightsuit and helmet.
    “Should help protect us in the nebula,” Mordant replied, pulling a suit over his own uniform.
    John changed quickly. The suit was bulky but felt light and John found he could move easily in it. After pulling on boots and gauntlets, he fastened the helmet and walked to the cockpit. As he sat in the pilot’s chair, an automatic harness strapped around his body. For a few moments, he forgot about Zhaldarian Flu as his gaze swept across the impressive control panel.
    “This ship is awesome ,” he whispered.
    “Yeah, and who said you were going to fly it?” said Mordant behind him.
    Spinning the command chair round, John looked into the visor of Mordant’s helmet. “As you are constantly pointing out to me,” he said evenly, “I am pretty awful at Galactic Geography, but I’m a good pilot. It makes sense that you navigate while I do the flying.”
    Pointing out his own failings seemed to convince Mordant. With a grunt, he dropped into the co-pilot’s seat. “Get on with it then,” he snapped.
    “OK, pre flight checks and taxi out into the main hanger.” With confident