bearskin here and there and a winged metal Viking hat. His voice boomed whenever he spoke and when he laughed his long red hair tumbled and shook, ‘round his powerful shoulders. His trusty sledgehammer was always fixed in his huge leather belt ready for action, and Moscovitch was definitely a man of action. He did have one quirk in his dress though. And that was his bright red suspenders. Moscovitch absolutely loved his red suspenders and would put any man down quickly that made fun of them. They were a gift from someone very famous, but he never said who.
One day while the Mighty Moscovitch was on his way to Eden, he passed through a particularly perilous untamed section, and happened upon a fierce twelve-foot worm-like *Nymi-nog beast.
The Nymi-nog was salivating profusely over a frightened plump green caterpillar in his slimy grasp. The poor writhing caterpillar screamed and cried fearing he was about to be devoured.
Well, this stopped Moscovitch abruptly in his tracks. Planting his big hands on his hips he bellowed at the disgusting Nymi-nog, “HEY YOU!”
Snapping around, the Nymi-nog darted a fierce glance at Moscovitch. His yellow eyes gleamed as he bared his pointy blue teeth hissing viciously at Moscovitch.
Unruffled, the Mighty Moscovitch pounded his chest and yelled again. “Yeah you…
leave that little guy alone and pick on someone yer’ own size.”
At that the Nymi-nog promptly dropped the caterpillar and violently swung his snake like body around to face Moscovitch.
Now free, the grateful caterpillar quickly humped away.
As the Nymi-nog grimaced, the glowing yellow slits of his eyes narrowed.
Moscovitch called out loudly, daring the savage beast. “Come on! Let’s have at it —just you and me.”
The Nymi-nog raised his claws and rippled his strong tail, whipping it from side to side like a Komodo dragon.
Moscovitch pawed the ground with his feet, acquiring traction.
• A Nymi-nog is similar to a Jabberwocky, in kind.
Then showing real fierceness, the Nymi-nog lowered his head and twisted his neck in an aggressive stance.
Moscovitch stared straight into the Nymi-nog’s eyes, anticipating the Nymi-nog’s every quiver.
Then faster than you could say “Trilobite,” the Nymi-nog charged Moscovitch.
Like a mad Scots in battle, Moscovitch rushed him at him head-on while screaming a ferocious war cry.
Clashing with a tremendous force, they grappled and wrestled, thrashing each other to and fro. Suddenly the Nymi-nog threw his head back then quickly plunging it down, he sunk his pointy blue teeth into Moscovitch’s muscled arm, causing it to bleed profusely.
Well! I can tell you, that really made Moscovitch mad. He grabbed the Nymi-nog by the throat and bellowed, “Ya shouldn’t have done that Bug —not to the Mighty Moscovitch!”
With that said, Moscovitch yanked him close and faster than you could say ‘Stalagmite,’ Moscovitch thrust his head forward, hitting the Nymi-nog’s head so hard, that he knocked him out. Needless to say the Nymi-nog saw stars. Swaying back he lulled a moment as his eyes rolled up in his head. His snaky body quivered and shuddered as his mouth fell open in a gape and out rolled his long blue tongue. Moscovitch let him go, and he slumped to the ground in a heap.
Then Moscovitch, as he always did when he’d finished a most exhilarating battle, wiped his hands together, turned on his heel and strutted away without ever touching his trusty sledgehammer.
Well, I can tell you I was surprised by the strength of this powerful hero and became a fan of his immediately. Jesse told me that according to legend Moscovitch often dispatched these Nymi-nog beasts with his bare hands.
Eventually The Mighty Moscovitch tamed and ruled Sytris Major and later on Elysium and in AL + Two Hundred Billion; all of Mars was unified under the rule of The Mighty Moscovitch. He cleared out most of the strange ferocious beasts and wild creatures that had flourished there, allowing traders to travel through, thus ending the Dark Ages of Mars.
Another thing Jesse told me that night was that the boy’s arrival in our hometown of Wichita, Kansas was in the form of a stalwart band of Martian Exiles — and so from Jesse’s imagination and the stories of their exploits and adventures I will fashion for you in the pages that follow — a cosmic empire teeming with strange and wonderful characters and beings.
CHAPTER 3
VARIOUS AND SUNDRY THINGS
One bright night while we were out star gazing, I asked Jesse about space flight and when Martians had first begun to fly.
He said: “Ah! That was a long, long while before Parker and I formed The Parker and Randall Construction Company. AL + One Hundred Billion marked experimental inter-stellar space flight and atomic engines came along a little later. In AL+ Three Hundred Billion we developed Inertia-less Drive along with Radiant Drive and that’s when everything changed.”
“Wait a minute! You guys had a Construction Company on Mars? You and Parker?”
Jesse leaned back, and gazed at the heavens in amusement and sighed. “Yeah, what a great time that was. When Moscovitch became ruler, he commissioned Parker and me to build the famous “Martian Canals.” Jesse got excited as he explained. “Ya see, we diverted the mighty river’s course into the canals for our water supply and built all the pumping stations and hydroelectric power plants. After that we built all the stately roads and intricate bridges and paths that run through the countryside.” He smiled and sighed dreamily, “The sky was a beautiful lavender hue then and the air was filled with the scent of honey suckle. It was all quite lovely.” Suddenly his mood changed and Jesse frowned. “That was before Moscovitch and I had our run in with Madman Roth the Renegade and his sidekick Tok Loor, the cranky dwarf pirate.”
“Madman Roth and a cranky dwarf pirate?” I asked.
“Yeah, Madman Roth, he was Evil Per-Son-I-fied! Everything got worse because Roth wanted to be appointed King when Moscovitch retired from Elysium. His lust for greed and power alienated him from everyone and earned him the enmity of The Mighty Moscovitch. All I know is that when Moscovitch did retire, Roth left Elysium in an extremely angry state.
“Who is Roth? Where did he come from?”
“Well, no one really knows for sure. He just showed up in the Virgo Cluster one day and crowned himself Prince.”
Jesse paused, debating whether to tell me more or not then he said in a low voice, “There was a rumor going around that he may have originally come from somewhere most terrible… somewhere that maybe I shouldn’t mention.”
Well, Jesse really had me now. “Wu, woo, Where?” I stuttered in fear, “what terrible place do you mean?”
Jesse
