‘Come on, Tamany,’ he said, grabbing his little hand, ‘let’s go and see if we can find your parents.’

For a moment Tamany looked downcast, then he recovered and trotted along beside Tancredi.

Having immobilised the cruiser with his torpedoes, the Nunscrut Captain calculated his men had several hours in which to board and plunder the ship. By the time it floundered, he would be counting his spoils.

Captain Pizza knew that the Invincible had been delivered a fatal blow; it was only a matter of time before she exploded. He was also aware of his duty – to race about the ship overseeing its evacuation, before sharing in its final disintegration. Yet he, too, was a student of self-interest, in this instance his own salvation. As the Captain made for an escape pod, the words ‘Free!’ and ‘Quick!’ popped unbidden into his head.

The fissure had opened to the size of a house. The ship’s computer was beginning to malfunction. In its digital delirium, it somehow connected these words to the Captain’s name, then improvised on the theme. As the Invincible began to list, a message flashed across the video screen:

‘Free! Pizza! Quick while it’s hot! Free! Spicy hot!’

The effect on the passengers was instantaneous. No show was complete without a snack break. There was a headlong rush to the ship’s galleys.

Tancredi and Tamany arrived at the ship’s atrium. There would be time to evacuate later; as far as he could see, not a single escape pod had been used. He confronted a scurrying passenger with his pneumatic pom-poms.

‘Don’t you want to escape? The ship’s about to explode.’

‘Free pizza! Quick! Free pizza! Spicy and hot! Free pizza!’ the passenger replied.

Tancredi was amazed. Gratification was one thing, but the price of this pizza was death. He imagined a trail of slippery saliva all the way to the quick-food galleys. There was nothing he could do for his fellow passengers: it was time for him and Tamany to make their escape.

Two hours after the Nunscrut torpedoes struck the Invincible, the fissure in her side opened like a zip. With the sputtering of its motors, the ship

began to lose stability. One minute the passengers found themselves floating in the air, the next they were dumped on the floor. Hundreds were catapulted into space, as denial finally gave way to panic.

V
The End Of The Line

In place of the promised pizza, the video screens now displayed a clock. This showed minutes, seconds and fast-running milliseconds, counting down to oblivion. A soothing voice rang out, ‘Ship will destruct in five minutes.’

Tancredi noticed that the announcement had a mixed effect on the passengers. Some were whipped into a state of panic, others took it as a source of continued entertainment and gathered before the screen to watch and laugh at the chaos unfolding.

Tancredi and Tamany moved on and arrived at a bank of escape pods where a confused-looking crowd had gathered. They were rapping on the pod doors as if this would open them. Tancredi understood the problem. The ship’s power had failed; there was no way they could be unlocked.