Earthling Ambassador (Space Brigade 1)

The Arth-Creature toppled backward and landed with an enormous SPLAT of mud.The grenade had bounced cleanly off his forehead without exploding.

Nicola's jaw dropped. What the ... ?

Like spectators at a tennis match, everyone in the Space Brigade except for Greta turned their heads to watch the grenade soaring in the opposite direction across the sky. It plopped to the ground and rolled neatly to a stop, like a perfectly placed golf ball, directly in front of the intelligent Arth-Creature.

The grenade exploded.

The intelligent Arth-Creature seemed about to run, and then shrugged in resignation, as if to say, You got me. It froze, shoulders lifted mid-shrug, an almost admiring expression on its face.

There were a few seconds of amazed silence.

I'm not going to be eaten, thought Nicola. She felt so giddy with relief, her legs almost gave way. I'm NOT going to be eaten! No heroic death--yippee!

Simultaneously, Nicola, Shimlara, Sean,Tyler, and Katie erupted into cheers.Together, they sloshed through the mud toward the princess, leaving Greta behind.

They leaped around her, everyone talking at once.

"Thank you," said Nicola over and over. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Tyler grabbed the princess's hand and shook it briskly, while Katie hugged her around the waist. Shimlara held up one palm and gave her a high five.

"You know what? You're one of the most annoying girls I've ever met," said Sean. "But I have to say, that was one of the coolest moves I've ever seen."

"Thanks for the compliment, kidnapper," answered the princess, but Nicola noticed that her cheeks were pink with pleasure.

"How did you learn to do that?" asked Katie. "You must have thrown it just right, so it didn't explode when it hit the first one."

"It's a little technique I taught myself just for the fun of it," answered the princess. "I practice on my guards. Anyway, I'd just love to sit around and have a picnic with you all, but that big unconscious Arth-Creature could wake up at any moment, and the rest of the Arth-Creatures will be unfreezing soon. Don't you think you should maybe get on with the job of kidnapping me?"

"Ah, yep, sure," said Nicola. She felt awkward now that the princess had helped save the day.

"Want to tie me up again?" asked the princess. "Tape my mouth?"

"Um, no, that's okay."

"So, I guess we really shouldn't leave Greta behind?" said Sean, surveying her frozen figure.

"We'll have to carry her on to the spaceship somehow," said Nicola.

Shimlara said to the princess, "Come on,Your Royal muddy Highness, you can help Sean and me carry Greta. We're so much taller than these Earthling squirts!"

"Great," said the princess. "Not only do I have to save my kidnappers' lives, now I have to help lug you around!"

But she went off willingly with Shimlara and grabbed hold of Greta under her frozen arms. Sean took one of Greta's legs, and Shimlara took the other with her unbroken arm.Together they hauled Greta over toward the spaceship as though she were a piece of furniture.

"I feel bad about kidnapping the princess now," said Katie quietly as they trudged toward the spaceship.

"I know what you mean," said Nicola.

"Don't forget the princess plans to destroy our planet," Tyler pointed out.

"Actually, I think she's sort of having fun," said Katie.

Nicola looked over at the princess as she helped Sean and Shimlara shove Greta headfirst into the spaceship. "You might be right. Do you think that means she might change her mind about the garbage can?"

"Does Mrs. Z

ucchini ever change her mind about giving a math test?"Tyler asked.