Winning Moves Read online

  Contents

  Copyright Page

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  First published in 2011 by

  MACMILLAN EDUCATION AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

  15–19 Claremont Street, South Yarra, 3141 Australia

  Visit our website at www.macmillan.com.au/primary

  Visit the Star Girl website at www.stargirluniverse.com

  Associated companies and representatives throughout the world.

  Copyright © Louise Park 2011 (text)

  Copyright © Macmillan Education Australia 2011 (illustrations)

  All characters and names in the Star Girl series are fictitious and not based on persons living or dead.

  All rights reserved.

  Except under the conditions described in the Copyright Act 1968 of Australia and subsequent amendments, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

  Park, Louise, 1961-

  Winning moves / Louise Park.

  ISBN: 9781420290318 (pbk.)

  Park, Louise, 1961- Star girl ; no. 3.

  For primary school age.

  A823.4

  Series conceptualised and created by Louise Park

  Packaged by Paddlepop Press Pty Ltd in conjunction with

  Jaclyn Crupi Professional Editorial Services

  Cover illustration by Kyla May

  Designed by Natascha Lenz

  Internal illustrations by Melanie Matthews and Kyla May

  Printed in Australia by McPherson’s Printing Group

  Papers used by Macmillan Education Australia are natural, recyclable products and made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

  These electronic editions published 2011 by

  Macmillan Education Australia Pty Ltd

  Level 1, 15-19 Claremont Street, South Yarra 3141

  All rights reserved. This publication (or any part of it) may not be reproduced or transmitted, copied, stored, distributed or otherwise made available by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical) or by any means (photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.

  Star Girl: Winning Moves

  Louise Park

  Adobe eReader format

  978-1-45869-509-3

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  978-1-45869-510-9

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  978-1-45869-512-6

  Macmillan Digital Australia

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  SEAS

  A SPACE STATION BOARDING

  SCHOOL FOR GIRLS AND BOYS

  The Space Education and Action School is located on Space Station Edumax. Students in the space-training program complete space missions on planets in outer space that are in danger and need help.

  Not all students will make it through to their final year and only the best students will go on to become space agents. Addie must make it through and become a Space Agent. Outer space needs her.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Addie was at the spaceball courts and feeling very nervous. Miss Styles, the ballet teacher, had talked her into trying out for the spaceball team and the next thing Addie knew she was goalie for Stellar house. Addie was wearing her new spaceball grip mitts, grip boots and uniform.

  ‘Goalie!’ Addie moaned. ‘Why did it have to be goalie?’

  ‘Stop stressing,’ Olivia said. ‘You’re starting to make me feel nervous. I’m already a bit scared about playing Nebula. Anyway, goalie is a good position.’

  Miya gave Addie a hug. ‘Addie, you were picked because you do great leaps pushing off from the floor in ballet. Once the game starts just pretend you’re in ballet class, except when you push off from the floor, it’s to get to a ball and stop it from hitting the scoreboard.’

  ‘I just don’t feel like I’ve had enough time inside the court,’ said Addie.

  ‘All you have to do is stop the ball from hitting the scoreboard,’ Olivia said.

  ‘Just keep your eye on the ball the whole time,’ added Miya. ‘Nebula will pass the ball to each other and try to get down near your goal area. You have to be alert and ready to block their ball. That’s it!’

  ‘I know,’ said Addie. ‘It’s just that I’m still getting used to the whole “no gravity” thing in there. I like the way the space station has its own gravity.’

  ‘You’ve had heaps of experience with no gravity in Zero Gravity classes,’ Miya said.

  ‘Yes, but I got a big fat D on my last Zero Gravity test,’ Addie groaned. ‘I didn’t even know that you have to attach yourself to a toilet to use it or you’d just float away! I’m doing pretty badly in Space 101 and Elemental Galaxy too. I’m just a bit stressed right now with everything, I think. I’d better get in there and warm up. See you, Miya.’

  Miya smiled. ‘I’ll be cheering you on.’

  Addie stood in the goal area. She pushed off from the bottom of the court and began soaring upwards. It feels like swimming, she thought. Just like when I push off from the wall under the water in the pool at home. She travelled upwards until she touched the spaceball court roof above her with her hands. She floated.

  Olivia was shooting practice balls at Addie. She used her grip shoes to walk up the wall of the courts. She pushed her big toes down on the buttons inside her shoes that released the grip. Holding the ball, she pushed off and headed for the opposite side.

  Addie watched her closely.

  On her way past the goal area, Olivia shot the ball straight at the scoreboard.

  Addie pushed off from the roof with her hands and headed for where she thought the ball was headed. But she pushed off too hard and shot down to the floor. Snatching at the ball, she missed it completely.

  Addie touched down on the floor with her grip boots. She was about to push off when she heard a loud voice. Addie glanced up. It was Sabrina, a player for Nebula.

  ‘This will be an easy win for Nebula. Stellar’s goalie is hopeless!’ Sabrina told Valentina.

  ‘Yes,’ said Valentina. ‘We’ll get every goal we try for and they won’t score any with me as Nebula goalie. And it’s a hundred school house points for the winning team. Nebula needs those right now.’

  Mr Rook blew his whistle. ‘The game will start in one minute, girls,’ he said.

  Sabrina and Olivia went to the centre circle and waited.

  Mr Rook blew the whistle and threw the ball up in the air. Both girls pushed off from the floor in a race to get to it first. Olivia grabbed it and threw it forwards. Two more girls pushed out from the sides. One was from Stellar and the other from Nebula. Nebula grabbed the ball and before Addie knew it the ball was heading down towards the goal she was defending. Sabrina pushed off from high up on the wall at an angle. She was headed straight for the scoreboard.

  Addie moved fast. She guessed the flight path of the ball as it left Sabrina’s hands and pushed off from the floor.

  Please let me get this, she thought as she flew up towards the roof. Suddenly her mitts made contact with the ball. She grabbed it and threw it down
the court. Phew!

  But the ball was caught again by Nebula.

  ‘Get ready,’ Aneliese yelled to Grace, her Nebula teammate, as she shot the ball down the court towards the Nebula goal area again. Grace pushed down from the roof and somersaulted towards the ball. She caught it and threw it so fast Addie didn’t have a chance. The ball hit the scoreboard and the bell rang out.

  Then the new score appeared on both scoreboards.

  ‘Sorry, Ads,’ mouthed Grace.

  Addie smiled. ‘Good goal,’ she called back. Then she looked down the court at Valentina. She was down the other end in her goal area, laughing. Laughing at me I guess, thought Addie.

  Then the scoreboards flashed again.

  ‘Samantha Winter, you’re on,’ called Mr Rook. ‘Off you go, Addie, and don’t look so pleased to be out of the game.’

  ‘Well, I wasn’t exactly great out there, was I?’ Addie mumbled.

  ‘You blocked one goal and another got through,’ said Mr Rook. ‘I’d say you did a pretty good job. I’m looking forward to seeing more goal work from you. Good luck with your mission.’

  ‘Thanks, Mr Rook,’ said Addie, feeling a bit better about her efforts. ‘Good luck, Sam. I hope we win.’

  CHAPTER TWO

  Addie and Miya hurried towards the FlyBy.

  ‘I think I need to practise more at that game,’ said Addie.

  ‘Nebula needs to win that game,’ said Miya. ‘Have you seen the school’s house points lately? Nova is in the lead now and Nebula is second. Valentina’s angry about it. She likes to be the best, you know. Her house isn’t in first place anymore and she’s not the number one space cadet anymore either. Grace is. I wonder where Valentina and Sabrina are anyway? They were called to the FlyBy too.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Addie said. ‘You don’t think we’ll have to go on a mission with them, do you?’

  ‘No. We always go in pairs,’ said Miya. ‘I hope we get to go together.’

  ‘I bet I get Valentina as my partner again,’ said Addie as they arrived at the FlyBy’s door. ‘Maybe she and Sabrina are already inside. We’d better get in there too. You do your Face Scan first.’

  ‘Let’s see if we can do it together,’ Miya said with a grin. ‘It’ll be like having our photos taken in those photo booths at home. We can pull funny faces. Ready?’

  ‘Ready,’ said Addie. The girls huddled close together in front of the FlyBy door’s security screen. Addie opened her mouth really wide and made her eyes bulge and Miya pulled an equally silly face.

  The door beeped and swung open. Addie and Miya were laughing so hard they almost fell through the doorway.

  ‘I loved that photo,’ said Addie.

  ‘Good morning, Space Cadets,’ said Professor Nebulas, turning towards them. ‘So glad you could join us.’

  Addie and Miya stopped laughing and straightened themselves up.

  He looks soooo old, thought Addie. No wonder he is the only teacher here that has a school house named after him. Then Addie remembered that Professor Nebulas was one of the four teachers who founded SEAS and began its space agent program. I wonder where the other three founding teachers are now?

  ‘Hello, Professor,’ Miya said.

  Addie saw Valentina and Sabrina were already there. They looked at Miya and Addie as though they were silly little kids.

  ‘As I was saying,’ said Professor Nebulas, turning back to Valentina and Sabrina, ‘I was not happy to be calling two of our best Nebula spaceball players to the FlyBy during a game. But missions come first, don’t they? Right, Miss Styles is waiting in briefing room two to brief you, so off you go. Do your best and do your house proud.’

  Sabrina and Valentina left the room and Professor Nebulas turned back to Miya and Addie. ‘No offence meant, girls, but I do have to support my own house.’

  ‘Of course, Professor,’ said Miya.

  ‘You’ll be going on a different mission,’ he continued. ‘We’re headed for the space tank simulators.’

  ‘Space tank simulators. What are they?’ asked Addie.

  ‘They’re these weird tanks where it’s just like you’re underwater but you’re not,’ said Miya. ‘We must be going to a planet with lots of water.’

  ‘Correct, Astron,’ said the Professor. ‘You’ll be going to the galaxy of Novanellan and a small water-covered planet called Aquare. Something is polluting the yellow water there. Come this way, please.’

  The girls followed the Professor into a room that had three chambers that were connected to a central computer. Each one had a glass door that opened upwards. ‘Are these the tanks? They look like pods,’ said Addie.

  ‘Yes, but once you are inside we can create a whole underwater experience with the computers. It will help prepare you for the mission. There are your underwater spacesuits,’ said the Professor, pointing to two suits hanging up against the wall of the change rooms.

  Addie and Miya helped each other put their suits on in the change rooms.

  ‘They’re like normal spacesuits,’ Addie said, ‘except they’re hot pink!’

  ‘Yeah, we won’t lose each other, will we?’ Miya laughed. ‘The bottom of the legs are strange. They have feet. And the sleeves have built-in gloves.’

  ‘The only thing they don’t cover is our heads,’ said Addie.

  ‘You’ll need these special helmets for that,’ said the Professor, overhearing the girls as they walked back into the room. He was holding two see-through helmets. ‘The underwater environment of Aquare is toxic to humans.’

  ‘Our normal helmets and suits aren’t enough for us to survive in those waters. You’ll both have flip-jets and aqualungs as well. The water is thicker than ours. You will find it very hard to move through it. The flip-jets will propel you through the water and the aqualungs will allow you to breathe.’

  ‘How do we work the jets on the flippers?’ asked Miya.

  ‘I’ll load the jet controls into the touch screen computer on your holographic watches. I’ll check your GPS tracking chips and load myself into the holograph at the same time. May I have your watches, please? I’ll set them while you girls are in the tanks.’

  Every cadet at SEAS had a holographic watch with a GPS tracking chip. When students were on mission, teachers could locate them at all times using the tracking chip. Students could also call up their holographic teacher for help using the holographic contact under the watch’s cover.

  ‘Once I turn on the simulator, the tank will look and feel just like the environment of Aquare,’ the Professor explained. ‘You won’t need to research this planet. You will have the complete experience in the tanks. In you go, girls.’

  Addie and Miya each climbed into a tank.

  ‘We’ll be able to talk to each other all the time,’ said the Professor. ‘Okay we’re all set. I’m closing the lids now.’

  Addie lay very still as her tank lid came down over her pod and closed.

  ‘I’m starting the simulator now, girls,’ the Professor said into the tank’s microphone.

  Suddenly, Addie felt as though she was floating. Weird, it’s like being in the spaceball courts, she thought. She went to move her arms.

  ‘It feels like I’m pushing against a big force,’ she said.

  ‘Yes,’ said the Professor. ‘Moving through Aquare’s waters will make you very tired without help from the jet boosters that we’ve given you. I’m turning the Aquare environment on now.’

  Inside Addie’s tank everything went a strange yellow colour. Then she saw blue sand and rocks. Suddenly out from behind a rock swam a large creature. It came straight at Addie and she screamed.

  ‘That’s an aquamanta and it isn’t real, Star Girl,’ the Professor said. ‘It’s a simulation, remember.’

  ‘It’s so ugly!’ Addie said. ‘It’s like a cross between a bowl of jelly, a caterpillar and a super-gross fish.’ The creature had multiple legs, sunken eyes and a huge mouth.

  Then before Addie knew it her tank seemed to be filled with t
he creatures in all shapes and sizes. She slowly lifted her hand to touch one of them but there was nothing there. That’s right, she thought. This is a simulation, even though it looks and feels so real!

  ‘I’m switching the simulator off now,’ said the Professor. ‘We need to get you girls on your way. Those beautiful alien life forms you’ve just seen are being destroyed by a sticky purple goo. We need you to find out where it is coming from.’

  Beautiful life forms? Addie thought, surprised by the Professor’s choice of words. Then everything that she could see inside the tank suddenly disappeared and she looked out through the glass into the room again.

  The doors of the tanks opened and the girls climbed out.

  ‘Here are your helmets,’ said the Professor.

  ‘You’ll be travelling with SA Space Surfer in the Saturn 6. Your mission packs and other equipment are waiting for you on board and Space Surfer will finish briefing you.’

  Addie and Miya followed the Professor to a docking bay where Saturn 6 was pulled in. The spacecraft’s doors were already open.

  ‘Good luck, girls, and don’t forget to work as a team,’ said the Professor. ‘Call me on the holograph if you need to ask anything.’

  CHAPTER THREE

  Saturn 6 wasn’t like any rocket or shuttle that Addie had seen. It was a sphere and it had rings around it. ‘I can see where it got its name,’ said Addie. ‘It looks like the planet Saturn with those rings around it.’

  ‘I’ve been in it once before,’ said Miya. ‘The rings and its round shape allow it to float on the surface of water planets. It’s a pretty cool spacecraft.’

  The girls stepped inside and locked their helmets and aqualungs into the holding bays.

  ‘I love these chairs, or beds, or whatever they are!’ said Addie and she collapsed into one of them. ‘They are so comfy and we have our own screens.’