Mutiny! Read Online Free PDF Page A

bit of hard-earned, well-deserved rest here?”
    More of the crew muttered in agreement and the cheers grew louder. Captain Comet was beginning to look like a Haroonian Jack Rabbit caught in the headlights of a dust racer.
    “But we’re going to Planet X,” Sam insisted. “To find treasure!” His words were lost as Goldstar picked up his bowl and smashed it on to the floor.
    “And you call this food?” Goldstar bellowed.“I thought you’d been draining the hull’s toilets. This isn’t food fit for proper space pirates!”
    Sam looked over at Barney, who seemed to be on the verge of tears. But Goldstar had also seen him.
    “Barney, Barney, Barney,” he said, patting one of the Kracken’s tentacles. “This isn’t anything personal. I’m thinking about you. After a hard day aboard the ship, surely you deserve a break too. Look, have some of this.”
    Goldstar went to a large trunk in the mess room and flung it open. Inside it was filled to the top with supernova floss.
    “Here, Barney, you should have the first piece. Now, doesn’t that taste good? And you didn’t even have to do anything! There’s plenty here for everyone – we
are
on Bowlopia after all.”
    Sam watched as the crew jostled and shoved each other to get at the supernova floss. It was not a dignified sight.
    “I tell you, boys, if it were up to me we’d be having supernova floss and grum every day,” saidGoldstar, taking a large bite of his sugary treat. “I’d make a
much
better captain than old Patches here,” said Goldstar, that evil smile flashing across his face again.
    To Sam’s horror, there were some mutterings of support from the crew.
    “Your problem, Comet, is that you can’t see the truth of it even though it’s right there in front of you. Too many eyepatches, I reckon.”
    There was a ripple of laughter.

    Sam stood up suddenly.
    “Stop it all of you!” he shouted. “Yeah, Goldstar seems like good fun, but you won’t be laughing when you find out who he really is.”
    The smile froze on Goldstar’s face and he shot Sam a hard look.
    “Goldstar is Black-Hole Beard’s brother!” shouted Sam, poking his finger into Goldstar’s middle. “You can’t trust him as far as you could bowl him!”
    There was a loud intake of breath from the crew and they all looked at Goldstar. Goldstar stared back at them. For a second his lower lip wobbled, and Sam thought he was about to burst into tears. Then he started laughing.
    “I think the anti-grav rides have affected someone’s brains,” he said, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. “In my day I would have been flogged for telling tall tales like that, but thankfully we live in happier times. And, after all, he’s just a stowaway isn’t he, me hearties?”
    A few of the crew murmured their agreement.
    Goldstar continued. “Now, what’s this buffoonery? Me, Black-Hole Beard’s brother? Really? Do I look anything like that old rogue? I don’t even have a beard!”
    “That’s true,” Legg muttered.
    “And if I was Black-Hole Beard’s brother, would I be giving you these?”
    Goldstar spread his hands like a magician, revealing a host of tickets.
    “Free day-passes for the funfair for everyone!” he crowed.

    There were “oohs” and “ahhs” from the crew.
    “And not only that – they’re
golden
tickets.These beauties mean you can jump any queue you see.”
    The crew cheered.
    “I’ll tell you again, me hearties, if
I
were captain this is what it would be like all the time: supernova floss, grum and Bowlopia.”
    The crew cheered again.
    “What say you all we put it to the vote?” said Goldstar.
    “Vote, vote, vote,” chanted the crew.
    “What?” Sam stared around at his friends in dismay.
    Pegg and Legg shrugged.
    “Supernova floss,” Legg told Sam sheepishly.
    “He’s right about the food,” Pegg muttered grumpily.
    “But you can’t just call a vote and decide who’s going to be captain!” said Sam, confused and outraged in equal