"But--" began the guard who had reminded Nicola and Sean of the school bully.
"Zip it! " shouted Mrs. Mania.
She looked at Nicola. "I assume you'll be untying me and my son now? I don't mind if you want to leave these incompetent guards but obviously someone of my position should not be expected to feel this level of discomfort."
"Ah, no," said Nicola."Call us crazy, but we don't actually trust you."
"And just how am I meant to contact my troops?" asked Mrs. Mania. "I need my hands free to control my radio." She jerked her chin at the large radio sitting on the table next to her breakfast plate.
"That's no problem," said Sean confidently. "I can operate it."
He went striding up to the platform and bent over the radio, studying the controls. "Easy," he said, and twiddled a few knobs. "There you go." He held the radio microphone up to her lips.
Mrs. Mania grimaced. Then she shrugged and began to speak.
"Come in all platoons, all platoons come in. This is Mrs. Mania. Good news! The Whimsians have challenged us to a battle in the Sublime Valley tonight at sunset. Once you've all stopped laughing, please proceed to the valley. It should be a quick, easy battle that will wrap up this war once and for all. Expect to be back with your families in time for dinner."
The radio crackled as the deep-voiced captains in charge of each Volcomanian platoon responded.
"Copy that, looking forward to it, Madam!"
"Should be amusing, Madam!"
"It will be like defeating a litter of kittens!"
After each captain had responded and Sean turned off the radio, Mrs. Mania grinned nastily at Nicola and Henry Sweet.
"Are you sure you don't want to forget the whole thing?"
"Maybe we should," said Henry to Nicola, his eyes wide with alarm.
"Of course we shouldn't!" said Nicola. "We'll leave you here for now, Mrs. Mania, but we'll be back to collect you at sunset so you can watch the battle for yourself."
"And me too?" asked her son eagerly.
"You too," said Nicola. She felt rather sorry for Marty Mania. "Come on, everybody. It's time for our breakfast."
The Space Brigade, the prisoners, the United Aunts, and the Gorgioskio family left the food hall together. The piggy eyes of the guards silently watched them go.
"I really think someone should stay and keep an eye on those guards," said Greta.
"Everyone is hungry," said Nicola snappishly. She was sick of Greta thinking she knew best. "They've all been tied up securely. Nobody is going to escape."
As arranged, Poppy the waitress had left a huge picnic outside the prison gates.
The Space Brigade and Henry Sweet stood back politely and waited while the starving prisoners fell upon the food. It was wonderful to see the color coming back into their cheeks, and the light returning to their eyes as they ate and drank.
"There is something familiar about that aunt with the fuzzy gray hair," said Katie quietly to Nicola, pointing at the picnic rug where the United Aunt
s were sitting with very straight backs tucking into sausage sandwiches.
"That's because she represents the Planet of Shobble," explained Nicola. Most of the people of the Planet of Shobble share similar features: fuzzy hair and round, sweet faces.
"A Shobbling!" said Sean. "We can ask her, then!"
"Ask her what?"
"Ask her what the limited edition gold buttons do," said Sean.