Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 32 (December 2001). Illustration: “Control” by Carl Goodman On the brightly-lit bridge of a ship cruising the long darkness between star systems, a duty officer glanced away from his screens. Tapping a key, he called a location on the ship's outer hull. "Hi, Arnie. We may have something for … Continue reading Getting Game, by Steve Davis
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 32 (December 2001). Illustration: “Moss Man” by Jon Eke Although the view from the bedroom window was pleasant that afternoon, it did nothing to brighten Bob's mood. The morning storms had finally cleared off, leaving a misty haze over the tiny plots of grass lining their sleepy neighborhood street, … Continue reading Learning to Walk in the Age of Machines, by Michael Athey
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 32 (December 2001). Illustration: “Vul” by Carl Goodman Tars Bokara shuffled down the dusty corridors of the Medakala Museum of Antiquities, heading for the Curator's office. Not only did he have the bad luck to work for the poorest, least prestigious of Col-Traxis III's one-thousand museums, but he worked … Continue reading Open Twenty-Four Hours, by Edward McKeown
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 32 (December 2001). Illustration: “Mad Flying Clown” by Lee Ward On Planet Circus: Hermaphrodite bears lounged in courtyards while quadriplegic midgets rolled through streets. But from space, Planet Circus was little more then a sickly looking, pinkish dot lodged in the darkness, an inconsequential imperfection in the universal skein. … Continue reading Planet Circus, by C.C. Parker
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 32 (December 2001). Artwork by Romeo Esparrago I wait in the Burgerland parking lot wondering what he’ll pull up in, hoping for a classic like the yellow, six-wheel ATV and not some chichi rocket-bike. The roar of a giant weed-eater fills my ears. I look up. A man dangles … Continue reading Sergeant Stone: Hard to Forget, by Hathno Paige
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 31 (September 2001). Illustration: “The Tug of War” by Romeo Esparrago "It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it." -- Robert E. Lee Introduction: A Quick and Painless History Lesson Anyone who tells you that "the only constant in the Universe … Continue reading Soldiers of Misfortune, by Tim Dykema
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 31 (September 2001). (from ":MegaFusion: LifeFiction:") Illustration: “:Megafusion: LifeFiction:” by Sven Kloepping Imagine a city with 2,000-yard-high skyscrapers that stretches its arms over the largest oceans and the highest mountains on Earth. A place where "Cyborg Killers" or "Licensing Agents" fight for their daily survival in a brutal, life-absorbing … Continue reading Speedway to Hell, by Sven Kloepping
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 31 (September 2001). Illustration: “duality 01” by John Vega Detective Superintendent Charles Davies watched the solar clipper round Saturn and reel in its cosmic sails as it approached. It was not the fastest means of space travel but it was the most reliable, the cheapest and, thought Charles, the … Continue reading Carnaby Street Station, by David Gill
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 31 (September 2001). Or, How I Invented BPC79 and Lost My Hand in the Process Illustration by Matt Morrow "Grandpa, tell me again what happened to your hand." My grandson Timmy poked at the place where my fake appendage connects to the stub of real forearm below my elbow. … Continue reading Evil Djinn from the Thirteenth-Dimension, by Hathno Paige
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 31 (September 2001). Illustration by Matt Morrow The staccato bleat, bleat, bleat of the duck's slug rifle breaks the silence we had been suspended in only a moment before. I'm watching the duck move forward, spraying gunfire at anything that moves. The mouse is behind me and to my … Continue reading Kandy: Everyone Wants Some, by John Devlin
