Read The Gas Giant for Free Online

They were electric-yellow Plan-It Suckers with retractable suction caps on the soles.
    Next, Kip threw on his spacesuit over his shorts and slid his new helmet onto his head. The helmet had been delivered the day before from WorldCorp. Kip had heard a rumour from the other Space Scouts that the new helmets weren’t very strong.
    Seems fine though , Kip shrugged, tapping the helmet. Anyway, it would just have to do. Kip had a planet to save!

Kip blasted off from the roof of Jett’s building in a Universal Taxi (or UniTaxi for short). These self-piloting personal spacecraft were the perfect way to travel quickly within Earth’s atmosphere.
    Soon Kip reached the Intergalactic Hoverport, ten kilometres above Earth. All flights beyond Earth’s atmosphere departed from the Hoverport. Kip’s starship, MoNa 4000, was docked there between missions.
    MoNa was massive, and specially designed for extreme deep-space travel. She was shiny black with curved thrusters and a pointed nose, and was decked out with all the latest technology. The problem was, MoNa was also super bossy. She loved to remind Kip that he was way younger than the other Space Scouts.
    Sensing Kip’s UniTaxi approaching, MoNa’s landing-bay door slid open. As the UniTaxi flew towards the starship, MoNa’s colour seemed to flicker.
    ‘Did I just see that?’ Kip said to himself, shaking his head. It looked like MoNa had turned from black to pink then back again!
    The UniTaxi touched down inside MoNa’s landing bay. Kip jumped out and headed straight for MoNa’s main cabin. The air was breathable there, so Kip took off his helmet.
    ‘Kip! I am so glad you’re here,’ said Finbar, rushing over.
    Finbar was Kip’s second-in-command (or 2iC for short). Half-human and half-wolf, he lived aboard MoNa when he and Kip weren’t on missions.
    ‘MoNa’s been impossible since she was selected for the Flying Space Ninjas,’ Finbar continued in a whisper. MoNa could hear everything he and Kip said.

    ‘MoNa’s a Ninja ?’ Kip asked. ‘As if!’
    That would explain why MoNa had changed colour earlier, though. Ninjas had a special coat of Chameleon Paint, which had colour-change particles. Their tricks looked extra spectacular when they changed colour in mid-air.
    To prove she really was a Ninja, MoNa spun into a triple upside-down corkscrew.
    ‘OK, OK,’ said Kip, picking himself up from the floor. ‘I don’t care what you do in your spare time. But when we’re on missions, I’m in charge.’
    ‘You should be downloading your mission brief,’ MoNa said snippily.
    Kip rolled his eyes. Typical! MoNa loved having the last word.
    Kip and Finbar headed for MoNa’s command centre, the Bridge. Here, giant windows looked out to space.
    By now MoNa had piloted herself out of the Hoverport. They’d left Earth’s atmosphere and were heading for deep space.
    Sitting in his captain’s chair, Kip activated his holographic console. A cylinder of blue light appeared around him. MoNa’s controls were projected in mid-air.
    Kip touched the holographic button labelled Download Mission Brief.

    Kip had to pull this mission off. Earth needed him to! And on top of saving humanity, Kip was desperate to win WorldCorp’s top award, the Space Scout Shield of Honour.
    Kip gulped. The mission was mind-bending. Normally, MoNa beamed them to the surface of each new planet. This time, there was no surface! How would he and Finbar land on thin air?
    Kip wasn’t even sure where a gas planet started and stopped. Finbar explained that Jupiter was completely surrounded by cloud. This cloud formed the border between space and the planet itself.
    ‘The wormhole to Vapod is about to open,’ MoNa suddenly chimed.
    Wormholes were extremely useful shortcuts between galaxies. Kip and Finbar could travel the billions of light years between Earth and Vapod in seconds. Kip watched as MoNa piloted towards the swirling mass ahead of them.
    As soon as they were in the wormhole, Kip took over