The Brainiacs by H. Badger Page A

where MoNa was docked.
    Soon the UniTaxi dropped Kip off inside MoNa’s landing bay. Kip jumped out and strode through the airlock into MoNa’s main cabin.
    â€˜So…you’re battling the Universe’s smartest kids,’ MoNa’s voice chirped over the loudspeaker. She saw and heard everything Kip did while he was onboard. ‘Are you sure your head will fit through that door?’ she added.
    Kip rolled his eyes and didn’t answer. He felt a paw on his shoulder.
    It was Finbar, Kip’s second-in-command, or 2iC. Finbar was half-human, half-arctic wolf. He was two metres tall and looked scary. But beneath his fangs and claws, he was a total softie.
    Finbar lived aboard MoNa. He always looked thrilled to see Kip. Kip reckoned that living with MoNa would get a bit much sometimes!
    â€˜Time to download your mission brief,’ ordered MoNa, right on cue.
    An excited shiver zipped up Kip’s spine. His mission to Clevor was about to begin!

CHAPTER 2
    Kip and Finbar headed for MoNa’s bridge, the command centre in her nose cone. It had huge windows looking out to space.
    Kip got into his captain’s chair and activated the holographic console. A cylinder of light shot down from above. MoNa’s controls floated in mid-air all around him.
    Kip hit Download Mission Brief.

While Kip was reading, MoNa had piloted them out of the Hoverport. There was a bump as she left Earth’s atmosphere. Then MoNa flew herself smoothly towards the wormhole leading to Clevor.
    Wormholes were shortcuts through space. Starships could travel through them in seconds to distant galaxies.
    The wormhole ahead was a swirling mass of cloud. Kip knew it would take all his flying skills to navigate safely through. He switched MoNa’s auto-pilot off and took the controls.
    Engaging warp speed, Kip plunged MoNa into the wormhole. There was a bursting feeling inside his ears. His eyes throbbed. His skin prickled. Travelling hundreds of light years in seconds was tough, even for a top Space Scout.
    They popped out of the wormhole into Clevor’s galaxy. Clevor lay ahead of them. Kip noticed that the biggest country was shaped a bit like a brain. A giant planet orbited close by. Its shadow seemed to swallow Clevor.
    â€˜I guess that big planet is Geekatron,’ Finbar said.
    â€˜Yeah. Clevor’s so small, it could almost be one of Geekatron’s moons,’ replied Kip.
    He called up a high-res image using MoNa’s multi-directional long-range telescope. Clevor’s surface was grassy and red. There was a domed building made of a substance that wobbled like a gigantic jelly. Out the front was a scrolling sign in several alien languages. Kip could just make out the words.
    Welcome to Clevor *
    A planet in its own right. Definitely NOT a moon of Geekatron.
    * Note: Clevor is approx 7.9 times cleverer than Geekatron (Source: Clevor’s own survey)
    Alien kids and their parents streamed through a circular door in the dome. One kid was transparent and looked about the size of Kip’s big toe. Another had bright purple skin with boils that shot out pus every few seconds.
    Suddenly…
    KER-LAAAAAANG!
    Something heavy slammed into MoNa’s starboard side. Kip was almost thrown out of his captain’s chair. There was a blinding flash.
    â€˜We’ve been hit!’ Finbar yelled, terrified. Debris was spinning through space just near them. It looked like pieces of a weapon. There was a cloud of greenish gas floating around the debris.
    Kip and Finbar had come in peace. Clevor had invited them! So who was firing missiles?
    â€˜Are you damaged, MoNa?’ Kip asked.
    â€˜Minor paintwork scratches,’ MoNa said calmly, but she sounded annoyed.
    Kip switched to the Info screen on his console. MoNa’s system had calculated that the missile was a stink flare. On impact, the flare exploded to release a foul-smelling gas. It was disgusting but not dangerous.
    MoNa had also