‘I hate this ship. From the moment we arrived I wanted to vanish. It was easy giving my parents the slip, they were watching that silly band march up and down. I found a hatch in the deck,’ he pointed vaguely towards a corridor marked ‘No Entry’, ‘and squeezed in.

‘I went along a passage to a shaft with a ladder going up it. I looked up and saw lights fading into darkness. I began to climb. Soon I was sweating. It was getting really difficult. Would I make it to the top?

‘I lost track of time after a while. My arms were getting heavy and my legs turned to stone. I thought I wasn’t going to make it. I wanted to climb back down, but I didn’t have the strength. Maybe I could rest on the ladder? I squeezed myself between two rungs. Next thing I knew, I was waking up.

‘I felt dizzy, and the lights were out of focus. “No,” I thought, “I can’t pass out.” I thought I saw something above me. I blinked. There was definitely something up there. It sort of shimmered, I couldn’t resist it. I started climbing.

‘At the top, the shaft opened into a huge dome. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen – a silver sea. It moved like a wave, tinkling like a wind chime. I climbed a bit higher to take a closer look.

‘Then I saw what it was – millions of tiny pins. I was so close I could touch them. I wanted to stroke my hand through the sea of pins. It was so shiny. It was worth the climb – I would remember the adventure forever. Then a thought popped into my head.

‘I stretched out a hand towards a pin.’

IV
The Pirates Attack

Ten seconds after Tamany removed the pin, the Invincible became visible and a Nunscrut pirate ship appeared at its side. The pirate Captain was in a bad mood: he had had a dyspeptic morning trying to digest a flesh-free breakfast. He couldn’t believe his luck, but the situation was clear – the ship ahead was defenceless. He belched an excited order for an immediate attack.

The Invincible pleasure cruiser, the pride of its line, was hit by two Nunscrut high-powered lazar torpedoes on the first day of its maiden voyage. A fissure opened in its hull, and dozens of passengers hurtled into oblivion. The ship’s emergency system activated, lights flashed, a horn sounded. The pirate Captain licked his lips in pleasurable anticipation of his prize and the improved nourishment for his table. Gigantic Nunscrut harvesting nets were deployed to gather any stray proteins which might be sucked into space.

Tancredi heard the dull thud of the missile impact and was overcome by fear. This was it, the worst was about to happen. Death, dissatisfied with taking his parents, was about to engulf him as well. As the ship disintegrated, there would be a terrible sensation of falling through air. He’d be sick as his stomach turned inside out. Then he’d be ejected into blackness, human debris amongst the ship’s exploding parts. He would suffocate as the Invincible’s oxygen supply failed.