Chapter 13

Tungsten darted into the engine room just as Sivesten darted out. They both turned to at each other.

"Where is she?" Tungsten asked.

"Is it a she?" Silversten replied with a question.

"I don't know and I don't care"

"I do the voice replied. Tungsten felt a jolt of electricity pass through him and he felt back, releasing the hand

"I do" the voice said again laughing. Felt the air whoosh past him as the Queen of mischief rushed past him, giggling. Tungsten sighed. It appears the aliens don't really mean any harm, but he is no taking any chance with his ship. He shouts for Silversten to get his gloves for him which he makes a dash in the direction giggles have gone. He ran on, straining his ears for footstep he reached the end of the hallway it went out in two hallways, one leading to the domestic quarters. He passed the cook, who looked flustered.

"Found it yet?"The cook asked. Tungsten shook his head and the cook muttered something about not wanting any alien in her kitchen.

Tungsten?"Luna's voice whispered

"Yes"

"She is in the comm. Center" Luna said, sounding a little bit frightened. That was when tungsten decided the game have gone too far and too long. Just at that moment, Silversten caught up and handed tungsten his gloves. He had his on too

"How do you know she is there? You can't see her can you? "Tungsten asked Luna

"No but I can hear her "Luna replied. Something clicked on Tungsten's mind

She is invisible but not intangible "tungsten said track her movements using echolocation and keep it updated in the bridge. That's for you Luna. Silversten, you go to the bridge and update me on her location. Tell everyone to stay calm I am going after the alien myself "

Tungsten rushed on to the engine room, finding his earphone in one of his belt pouch and tapped in on, bringing the mouthpiece around to his mouth as he entered the come center

"She is at the big screen to your left "Silverstens voice came on the earphone.

But Tungsten needed no telling, he could see things flashing on the screen though he cant see is making it. He checked his hands to make sure his gloves were on. He didn't want a second bolt of electricity going through him. He grabbed at the air, his hand hitting something briefly instantly he shot to his left and grabbed again. This time he caught what felt like fingers .A hard pinch on his arm made him loosen his grip on the finger it instantly slipped away. He got irritated.

"Luna can you put this room on freefall" he asked Luna.

He thought he might be at more advantage if as the alien hopefully isn't accustomed to freefall. inside his helmet Luna plotted a three dimensional graph, using coordinates on the graph to keep tungsten aware of where the alien is tungsten rocketed around the room, up to the ceiling, down to the floor and mid way between ceiling and floor, left, right and four corners of the room, trying to catch the alien, or rather, the queen of mischief. But each time the point representing him on the graph got close to the one representing her, i glided quickly away at last in a spirit of annoyance, he remembered his gravity nodes and shooting in out in his front suddenly, glided and hit a body.

He hugged it tightly

''Let me alone'' the alien said, beating at Tungsten hands

''Not till you tell me what business you have in my ship '' Tungsten replied, still invisible alien more tightly.

"I have already told you, Mischief''

Tungsten finding the free fall a little discomforting ordered Luna to returen gravity to the room.

"Let me alone'' the alien said again, fear audible in her voice as they started falling.

"I wont"

"Then I will"

Just then they hit the floor, only that the alien didn't stop falling but fell right through Tungsten.

"Aliens suck." Tungsten said as he stood up astonished. He looked around the room for the Queen of Mischief. The he sighed to himself as he realized they he wouldn't see her even I she is right beside him, she is invisible afterall.

She could see giw she earned her name. He didnt know what Tubiko is, but it is most probably a planet. Tungsten didnt know how much mischief one has to play, or how much damage it has to do, for one to be recognized as the most mischivous in a whole planet. But je most assuredly knew that whatever it is will make hie recent experience seem like a toddler's plank. Thaynwas what snapped him up.

What other mischefs could the alien be up to? He thought.

Of all the options, one implanted itself in his mind and frightened him.

"Intercom to bridge." He said queitly into his helmet.

"Connected". Luna's voice said.

"Commanding... Engine, take over my job and turn the ship around right now. We arw going to whatever planet that alien has come from."

"Radar, keep a lookout for any planet. Extend the radar to 1.5 Au."

"Doctor, take over Engine's job. I am coming to relieve you all in a minute."

"Command ends." Tungsten rattled off.

"What's up, Captain, cuaght the alien yet?" Silversten asked.

Tungsten did not reply. He thinks he knows what's up. He does not want any alien or alien ship chasing him back to earth for carting away one of theirs. Which might be what the Queen of Mischief on Tubiko wants.

Once Tungsten reached the bridge and took his seat at the controls, Radar said

"Captain, there is a ship right under us"

Tungsten's hand froze on the controls. Were they after him already?

Involuntrarily and abruptly, he cut the fuel supply, stopping the ship.

"Bring it up on the viewscreen". He said forgetting formalities

"The view screen shows blank, Captain"

Their ship is also invisible. thought. I am dealing with a whole bunch of invisible aliens?

"But the radar shows them alright, though the view screen is blank. And now they are moving to our front...wait...Captain...look!"

Tungsten looked at the view screen and started. Out of the empty black space, a spaceship was materialising. When it had materialised, Tungsten saw letters stamped boldly on its side in red. It read :

SPACESTREAK

"Wait, they speak English?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Could they be from Earth?

Tungsten immediately banished the thought from his mind. The previous events that just happened ruled out the possibility.

Tungsten started following the ship. The ship led them towards a planet with two moons. Nearer the planet, Tungsten saw another ship with the same name. The first ship, which was smaller than the second one, went into an opening that had materialised under the second ship. The bigger ship waited about five minutes of which Tungsten and his crew had the most suspenseful moments of their lives.

As they went below the planet's atmosphere, Tungsten and his crew looked oonginly at the sky.

Who knows when they would be out of this planet? Or if I will ever be out...

He looked at the pink moon at the horizon, wishing he was beyond it. He engaged the decelarator and followed Spacestreak as they made their way to a very tall and very large building at the center of what appeared to be a city. Behind the building was a large space. The Spacestreak touched down on it for a fraction of a second and flew off again.

Tungsten recognized the signal used by space traffic authorities and wondered if the aliens were telepathic as well. How did they know the signal?

New Voyager landed on the space. After securing their things, Tungsten, Silversten, Radar and Doctor came out of it, leaving their crew ,embers to guard the ship.

"Now what?" Silversten asked

"I guess we found what we were looking for." Tungsten replied.

"And then? "

"Welcome to Tubiko, Earthlings."

All four missed a heartbeat. They whirled around. They saw six people who looked their age and an older looking man standing to their right. They all had black skins and wore what looked like a spacesuit. Itresembled the current model on Earth, thiugh with many variations and modifications.

"Pleased to have you on our planet." The older man said.

The girl in the middle locked eyes with Tungsten and grinned. The grin turned into a giggle. Tungsten thought the voice sounded familiar. But he could not be sure. The butterflies fluttering in his stomach would not let him.