Journey to Juno Read online

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1: Play Ball!

  Chapter 2: Nebulon Navigators

  Chapter 3: Torkus Dorkus

  Chapter 4: Permission Granted!

  Chapter 5: Thoughts of Juno

  Chapter 6: Juno Bound

  Chapter 7: Crystal Caves

  Chapter 8: An Amazing Discovery

  Chapter 9: Fame and Friendship

  Chapter 10: Burgers and Dogs

  ‘The Prehistoric Planet’ Excerpt

  About Ray O’Ryan and Colin Jack

  Chapter 1

  Play Ball!

  Zack Nelson and his friend Drake Taylor sat in the home stadium of the Creston City Comets. A bright orange field spread out below them.

  “Okay, Drake,” Zack said. “I know I’m still the new kid on Nebulon. And I’ve never seen a galactic blast game before, but I have one question: Where are the players?”

  Drake smiled and pointed to both sides of the field.

  Zack looked down and saw two teams of robots. Suddenly a whistle blew, and all the robots scrambled out onto the field.

  “So people don’t play galactic blast? Robots do?” Zack asked.

  “The robots pitch and hit and run and field,” explained Drake. “But people operate the robots using remote control units.”

  The game began. Zack was thrilled to see that galactic blast was played just like baseball back on Earth. He instantly understood the game.

  A robot batter smacked the ball deep into the outfield. A robot outfielder made a diving catch.

  “This is so cool,” said Zack. “I’ve got to tell my friend Bert about this. We used to watch baseball together all the time back on Earth.”

  “Zack, would you like to share a bag of roasted nebu-nuts?” Drake asked. “They are my favorite snack at a galactic blast game. They are very crunchy.”

  “Sure!” Zack exclaimed. “My treat!”

  Zack got up from his seat and hurried to the snack stand. He bought a big bag of roasted nebu-nuts.

  “That will be two triptons, please,” said the snack vendor.

  Zack fished around in his pocket. He pulled out two square yellow coins.

  “Thank you,” he said, handing the coins to the vendor.

  The nuts were warm and had a sweet, smoky smell.

  Nebu-nuts look like peanuts, only they’re much bigger and rounder, Zack thought.

  When Zack returned to his seat, he was surprised to find another boy sitting there. Zack recognized the boy from his class. He was a Sprockets student named Seth Stevens.

  “Oh, hi, Seth,” Zack said. “You’re sitting in my seat.”

  “Oh yeah, well it is my seat now!” Seth shouted.

  “But I was sitting there first,” argued Zack.

  “Well, I am sitting here now, wimpy Earthling!” Seth shot back.

  “Come on, Zack,” Drake said as he stood up. “Let us go and find other seats. I think I see some open seats by your dad.”

  What a bully, Zack thought. He followed Drake.

  Zack and Drake found two empty seats a few rows away. Zack’s dad was sitting nearby with some of his Nebulite friends. Dad smiled and waved at Zack and Drake.

  “What’s Seth’s problem?” asked Zack as he sat down.

  “Seth is the phase-two class bully,” Drake explained. Phase two was Zack and Drake’s grade in school. “He likes to give kids a hard time. Especially new kids.”

  Great, thought Zack. That’s just what I need.

  Chapter 2

  Nebulon Navigators

  The next day Zack floated through space. Whenever he saw a cool-looking planet, he dropped down for a visit.

  One planet had giant trees that were more than a mile tall. Another planet had waterfalls that fell up, not down. Zack wished he could visit every single planet in the galaxy.

  “Zack?” said a soft voice that came drifting through space. “Zack Nelson?” the voice said, a little louder this time. “Can you please tell the class the answer to problem number seven?”

  Zack looked up and realized that he was not in space at all. He was sitting in school, in Ms. Rudolph’s class at Sprockets Academy. He had been daydreaming.

  Zack scratched his head. “Forty-two?” he replied hopefully.

  The whole class giggled.

  “Zack, we are studying grammar at the moment, not math,” Ms. Rudolph explained. “Please pay attention.”

  The rest of the morning dragged for Zack. Just before the sonic recess bell chimed, Ms. Rudolph made an announcement.

  “Don’t forget, the Sprockets Academy Explorers Club is going on a very special trip this week,” she began. “The club will be going to Juno. It’s not too late to sign up.”

  Wow! Zack thought. He had been reading all about Juno in the Space and Science section of the Nebulon News—the planet’s online holographic newspaper. Juno had just been discovered. Zack really wanted to go there.

  “Students who go on the trip will be helping the Nebulon Navigators explore this new planet,” Ms. Rudolph explained.

  Zack then slipped into another daydream. This time he was exploring Juno. He stepped into a cave and found pieces of old pottery.

  “There must have been life here thousands of years ago,” Explorer Zack announced to the scientists.

  “Zack, this is the most amazing discovery ever,” said the head of the Nebulon Navigators. “You will be famous!”

  Zack imagined a series of z-mail news blasts. Each one had a giant headline:

  ZACK NELSON MAKES MOST IMPORTANT DISCOVERY EVER!

  ZACK NELSON INVITED TO JOIN NEBULON NAVIGATORS!

  ZACK NELSON, BOY GENIUS!

  The sonic recess bell suddenly chimed, and Zack snapped out of his daydream.

  “Permission slips are up on the school’s Sprocketsphere site. Please have your parents sign them and zap them back to me,” said Ms. Rudolph.

  Everyone quickly rushed out of the classroom.

  “Who are the Nebulon Navigators?” Zack whispered to Drake.

  “They are the most famous space scientists on Nebulon,” Drake explained. “They explore other planets.”

  “Cool,” replied Zack. “I really want to go to Juno.”

  “Great,” Drake said. “I am a member of the Sprockets Explorers Club. You should join.”

  “I will. That way we can explore the galaxy together and make great discoveries,” said Zack.

  “Not if I make them first, Earth wimp!” said Seth Stevens. Seth pushed past Zack and ran out into the play zone for recess.

  Chapter 3

  Torkus Dorkus

  Zack and Drake stood just outside the play zone.

  “Why does Seth have to do stuff like that?” Zack asked. “Why does he have to call me names? I can’t help it if I’m not from Nebulon.”

  “Try not to let it bother you, Zack,” Drake said. “Seth thinks he is better than everyone else.”

  “Why?” asked Zack.

  “His father works at Nebulonics,” Drake explained.

  “But, so does mine,” Zack pointed out.

  “Yes, but Seth’s dad invented the Torkus Magnus, the fastest bike on Nebulon.”

  “Torkus DORKus,” mumbled Zack.

  “What did you say?” asked Drake.

  “Uh, never mind,” said Zack. “So, is it even faster than your bike?” Zack had ridden Drake’s cool super-fast Nebulon bike the day they met.

  “Twice as fast!” Drake replied. “It will not even be in the stores until sometime next year. Of course, Seth already has one.”

  “That’s still no reason to be so mean,” Zack said.

  Zack and Drake stood in line for the simulon course. The course was the most popular recess activity.

  None of the hoops, ladders, hur
dles, or barriers were real. They were all 3-D holographic images—pictures of objects that looked just like the real thing. But that didn’t make it any less fun.

  Zack’s turn came. He dashed down a narrow path. Then he jumped up and over a blinking fence. Dropping to the ground, he crawled through a long, winding tube.

  “Done!” shouted Zack.

  “Pretty good,” Drake said, looking at his Galactic Standard watch. “Twenty-two seconds.”

  “Big deal,” snarled Seth. “I did it in eighteen seconds. You Earthlings are so slow.”

  Zack tried his best to ignore Seth.

  Chapter 4

  Permission Granted!

  Zack took the Sprockets Speedybus home from school. He couldn’t wait to tell his parents about the Explorers Club and the trip to Juno.

  When he got home, Zack’s dog, Luna, was there to greet him.

  “Hey there, Luna!” said Zack. He kneeled down to pet her head.

  Luna licked Zack’s face. Her tail wagged happily.

  “I’m glad to see you too, girl,” Zack said. “Come on!”

  Zack’s mom, Shelly Nelson, was in the garage. She was setting up the family’s old barbecue grill from Earth.

  “What do you need that for, Mom?” Zack asked. “Can’t you just ask Ira to cook whatever you like?”

  Ira was the Nelson family’s Indoor Robotic Assistant. He was part of the electrical, mechanical, computer, and communications systems of the entire house. Ira cooked all the Nelsons’ meals. He also took messages, announced visitors, and made sure the temperature in the house was always comfortable.

  “I thought it would be fun to show our new Nebulite friends how we made food back on Earth,” Mom explained. “So your father and I are having a barbecue party this weekend.”

  “Sounds like fun,” said Zack. He realized that it was Monday. The journey to Juno was scheduled for Thursday. “I’ll be back by then.”

  “Back?” Mom asked, stopping what she was doing. “Back from where?”

  “From the planet Juno!” Zack exclaimed. He couldn’t hide his excitement.

  “There’s an Explorers Club at Sprockets. They are going to Juno later this week. Can I join, Mom? Can I? Drake’s going. We’ll be helping the Nebulon Navigators explore Juno!”

  “That’s great, Zack,” Mom replied. “Of course you can go. I’m very glad that you found a school club you want to join. Dad and I will download the permission form and zap it back to the school.”

  “Yippee wah-wah!” said Zack. Mom gave him a hug before he rushed inside. When Zack entered the kitchen, a familiar voice greeted him.

  “Welcome home, Master Just Zack,” Ira said immediately. When Zack first met Ira, he called Zack “Master Zack.” Zack told Ira that he didn’t have to call him “master”—“just Zack” was fine. Since then, Ira had called him “Master Just Zack.” Zack was used to it now. And he kind of liked it.

  “Hi, Ira,” replied Zack. “May I have some peanut butter cookies?”

  “Certainly,” said Ira.

  A plate full of cookies popped out of a slot in the wall. Zack grabbed one and took a bite.

  “You sure these are peanut butter cookies, Ira?” he asked.

  “Actually, Master Just Zack, they are nebu-nut cookies,” Ira explained. “Peanuts do not grow on Nebulon.”

  “These are pretty good,” Zack said. “But peanut butter is my all-time fave!”

  Zack grabbed a few more cookies and stepped into the elevator. The doors slid shut and he took off—sideways.

  Chapter 5

  Thoughts of Juno

  The elevator sped through the house. The doors opened, and Zack stepped into his bedroom. He sat at his desk to do his homework.

  But Zack couldn’t concentrate.

  I’m going to Juno!

  It was all Zack could think about!

  Zack had not been happy when he moved from Earth to Nebulon. He missed his friends. He missed familiar foods. But if the Nelsons hadn’t come to Nebulon, Zack would not be going to explore Juno.

  I’ll finish my homework later, Zack thought. He ran back into the elevator and sped to the living room.

  Zack flipped on the sonic cell monitor, the Nebulon version of television. He put on the galactic blast game. The Creston City Comets were leading the Voltor Shocks 5 to 4.

  A few minutes later, Zack’s dad, Otto Nelson, came home from his job at Nebulonics.

  “Hey, Captain!” Dad said. “How was school today?”

  “Great!” Zack exclaimed. “I joined the Explorers Club. I’m going on a trip to Juno!”

  “Wow! Got room for one more?” Dad joked.

  Zack thought about Seth. “Dad, do you know the guy who invented the Torkus Magnus?” he asked.

  “Of course! He’s Fred Stevens, my boss at Nebulonics. Remember—he greeted us at the space station when we first landed on Nebulon? I’m having lunch with him tomorrow.”

  Seth Stevens’s dad is my dad’s boss! Zack thought. Ugh.

  “You like him?” Zack asked.

  “Sure,” Dad replied. “He’s a great guy. Say, isn’t Fred’s son in phase two at Sprockets?”

  “Yeah, I think he is,” Zack muttered. “You know, I haven’t met all the kids yet.” Zack did not want to tell his dad what a big bully Seth was.

  “Hi, Dad . . . ,” said Charlotte and Cathy together. Zack’s twin sisters often spoke as if they were one person.

  “Look at what . . . ,” Charlotte began.

  “. . . we got!” Cathy finished.

  They squealed with delight. They held up identical pink dresses that had been sent from Earth.

  “These are . . .”

  “ . . . the coolest dresses ever!”

  Then they ran off to their room to try the new dresses on.

  Mom walked in with some laundry. “Hurry up, girls,” she called after the twins. “It’s almost time for dinner.”

  Zack and Dad went to watch the rest of the Comets game together, but only one thought filled Zack’s mind.

  I’m going to Juno!

  Chapter 6

  Juno Bound

  Zack stood in front of Sprockets Academy. He wore his Explorers Club hat and his spacepack. Today he was going to Juno!

  The rest of the club was gathered outside the school. Zack spotted Seth Stevens. Seth was the last person Zack hoped would be on this trip. Then he saw Drake.

  “Drake, over here!” Zack called. Drake joined him.

  “I cannot believe we are actually going to Juno,” said Drake. “Only a handful of people have ever seen it.”

  A man stepped to the front of the crowd. He was tall and had a skinny green head. He had six long fingers on each hand.

  On top of his thin head was a galactic blast cap that read DREXEL EXPLORERS CLUB EARTH JOURNEY 2098. Clearly this man was neither a Nebulite nor a human.

  “Welcome, explorers!” he began. “I am Mr. Shecky, the adviser of the Sprockets Explorers Club. I’ll be your leader on your journey to Juno. Now please follow me onto the space cruiser.”

  Zack, Drake, and the rest of the explorers piled onto a jumbo space cruiser.

  A few moments later they took off into space.

  Zack walked to a window to watch stars and comets streaking by.

  “Hey—you’re Zack, right?” asked Mr. Shecky, standing next to Zack.

  Zack nodded.

  “Ms. Rudolph told me about you,” Mr. Shecky said. “She said that you’re from Earth, and that you’re new on Nebulon. Well, I’m from the planet Drexel myself. I know what it’s like to be the new kid.”

  Zack pointed at Mr. Shecky’s cap. “You’ve been to Earth?” he asked.

  “Yup. I used to be a galaxy researcher,” Mr. Shecky explained. “I was on the Drexel Deep Space Team. I love exploring planets. I moved to Nebulon to become the adviser for the Sprockets Academy Explorers Club.”

  Zack settled back into his seat and thought about the adventure ahead.

  A short while later th
e cruiser began beeping. Everyone leaned forward.

  “Attention, please. Arrival on Juno in five minutes. Prepare for landing,” the cruiser said.

  Zack looked out the window. He saw a craggy-looking planet that sparkled. Juno looked as if it were covered in diamonds.

  This is it! Zack thought.

  The cruiser landed gently on the surface of Juno. The hatch opened and everyone stepped out. A sparkling crystal landscape stretched out before them.

  Zack saw lots of space cruisers from other schools. They came from different planets, such as Zorba, Neptune, Cylon, and more.

  Then Zack spotted the Nebulon Navigators team. They were already hard at work gathering samples.

  “Wow! I can’t believe I’m here with the Nebulon Navigators,” Zack said to Drake.

  “Welcome to Juno, everyone,” Mr. Shecky announced. “Each school’s Explorers Club has been assigned a section of Juno. Sprockets Academy will explore the southwest quadrant. Over there.”

  Mr. Shecky pointed to a series of caves in the distance.

  “I’m going to break you into teams,” said Mr. Shecky. “Everyone will work with a partner.”

  I hope Drake and I can be partners! thought Zack.

  “You are to take notes, gather samples, record videos, and shoot photos with your team’s handheld camtrams,” Mr. Shecky continued.

  Mr. Shecky began reading aloud pairs of names. When he got to Zack’s name, Zack held his breath.