Ray Gun Revival magazine, Issue 53

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3 Overlords’ Lair: A Shiny New Trek by Paul Christian Glenn 3 Alone at AX-1 by Swapna Krishore 9 Bff.jov by Scott Davis 14 Into the Deep by Brandon Meyers 18 DEUCES WILD: by L.S. King v53b 22 Happy Birthday, Niatti by Raz Greenberg 35 CALAMITY’S CHILD - CHAPTER 7 ROP: Rodeo Bull Ballet, Part Two by M. Keaton 45 Featured Artist: Martin Steil OVERLORDS (FOUNDERS/EDITORS) Johne Cook, L. S. King, Paul Christian Glenn Matthew Winslow Book Reviews Editor Shannon McNear Lord High Advisor, Grammar Consultant, Listening Ear for Overlord Lee Paul Christian Glenn - PR, Executive Tiebreaker, Desktop Publishing L. S. King - Lord High Editor, proofreader, beloved nag, muse, webmistress Johne Cook - art wrangler, desktop publishing, chief cook and bottle washer Submissions Editors John M. Whalen, Alice M. Roelke. Jenn Silva, Martin Turton TABLE OF CONTENTS 46 TALES OF THE BREAKING DAWN: The Ties That Bind, Part Two by Justin R. Macumber 51 RGR REVIEWS by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt and Matthew Scott Winslow 53 THIEVES’ HONOR - Episode 8 Endgame, Part 1 by Keanan Brand Ray Gun Revival Issue 52 © 2009 by Double-edged Publishing, a Memphis, Tennssee-based non-profit publisher. Cover Art “Real Air Force” by Martin Steil ISSUE 53 Bill Snodgrass Site host, Web-Net Solutions, admin, webmaster, database admin, mentor, confidante, liaison – Double-edged Publishing Special Thanks Ray Gun Revival logo design by Hatchbox Creative Page 2
Overlords’ Lair: Trek, Terminator, and the Tenacity of Hope by Paul Christian Glenn ve been thinking a lot about the I’ concept of hope. What it does for us, how it harms us, and it’s role in the stories we write and read. Of course it’s possible to craft hopeless tales, but let’s face it, those stories don’t capture the hearts, minds and imaginations of great audiences. And even many ostensibly hopeless tales ultimately captivate their audience with the subtle notion of mad hope (or, as Gandalf might put it, “fool’s hope”) in the face of unstoppable destiny. Take, for example, the “Terminator” films, which are predicated on an overtly dark and fatalistic idea, yet driven (through four films and a television series) by characters that choose to struggle in conscious futility against a predetermined future. Not many people would describe those films as necessarily “hopeful,” but there it is: hope in action. Is it any coincidence that the latest chapter, by far the most dour and despondent installment, has already become an epic disaster at the box office? Let’s contrast that with the summer’s biggest hit thus far: “Star Trek.” Here is a tale that is overtly hopeful (as the franchise itself has always been). The action is kicked into gear by the hopeful goading of Captain Pike, who senses potential greatness in a shiftless young ruffian, and is carried to it’s climax by the irrational hope of an old man who refuses to settle for anything less than what could be. The film practically vibrates with optimism, and has spellbound millions of fans. The first question, then, is why? Why do we seek hope in the stories that live with us? The answer is obvious: fiction is, to some extent, escapism, and when we cheer the exploits of the U.S.S. Enterprise, what are we escaping from, if not the utter hopelessness of the world we live in? In the real world, hope is rarely rewarded, or even justified. People are wicked and broken and confused. Good never completely triumphs over evil. Failure is the rule, not the exception. The second question, then, is stickier: Is fictitious hope a good and healthy thing? Or is it naive, dangerous and irresponsible to fill our minds with such fantastic notions of hope? From a purveyor of space opera, a traditionally hopeful genre, it is perhaps an odd question, but I’m curious to see how other fans of this genre feel about it. Are we better served by cheering for Captain Kirk and Luke Skywalker, or gritting our teeth with John Connor? The melted controller unit lay exposed amidst twisted machinery and crashed mining scoopers. My fingers trembled as I adjusted the high-res visual feed transmitted by spacecams over Delta. Station Delta had been my star performer, my most profitable mining unit, and one of the best in the belt. I had mailed innumerable cost-justifications to my bosses at Realtor to fit it with stateof-art machines. Now everything was rubble. “Earth, Jerry! I never knew a rogue could be so...brutal.” Cheng, standing behind me, said softly. I winced and continued to experiment with view-angles and zoom to study the ruin; I needed to understand the rogue’s attack algorithm to design a workaround. I clicked on the data dump sent by Delta’s interceptor before it succumbed to the rogue. “Now, Jerry?” Cheng’s voice quivered. I glanced at his pale face. Stationhead AX-1 was Cheng’s first posting after his training at Ceres; he probably fancied himself as a glamorous adventurer flashing laser cutters, ripping asteroids apart, and transporting ore in sleek ships to grateful colonies. Our temperamental equipment and Alone at AX-1 by Swapna Kishore ISSUE 53 ongoing struggle to extract ore from ugly lumps must have shocked him. And now, this attack. “Rahul will repair the station.” I had sent Rahul to Delta to restart mining immediately after the attack yesterday. “Meanwhile, I must shield our remaining stations.” “Is Rahul in danger?” Cheng asked. “No, rogues don’t—” Beeps erupted around us. Red lights pocked the panel, and new data flooded my monitor. My stomach clenched; some station’s intercept program was reporting intrusion. Another rogue strike. Station Beta. Cam-feeds from Beta showed robots smashing into each other, scoopers screeching to a halt, and pickers dropping rocks. Crazed machines tangled and collapsed. Hex code from the interceptor streamed on my monitor. Cheng gasped. “What the—” “Damn.” The data dump stopped abruptly. The visuals died seconds later. In less than five minutes, my station was reduced to a pile of garbage. I’d never seen such swift savagery, human or automated, in my nine decades of belt mining. Typically, rogues disrupted work by affecting a couple of machines. This was annihilation. Page 3
Page 1: ALONE AT AX-1 by Swapna Kishore BFF
Page 5 and 6: Not that I expected action from bur
Page 7 and 8: live long, my dear.” I opened my
Page 9 and 10: and a Rogue 258 from the solution t
Page 11 and 12: “What of it, Tooner?” Dick shou
Page 13 and 14: ely on yours.” Merrie’s ankles
Page 15 and 16: made up the entirety of the vessel
Page 17 and 18: een invisible. “Approaching Damas
Page 19 and 20: And dining room it was, with chande
Page 21 and 22: artender who also doubled as a guar
Page 23 and 24: Niatti ran into her mother’s offi
Page 25 and 26: good as the stuff they serve in you
Page 27 and 28: Niatti stared at Chen’s frustrate
Page 29 and 30: don’t worry. But before we do, wo
Page 31 and 32: and started banging on the doors, e
Page 33 and 34: “It’s no use,” she whispered,
Page 35 and 36: “Just like you said, Sir, a milit
Page 37 and 38: “Upgrade?” Max asked, his own v
Page 39 and 40: was falling as a warm mist. The mus
Page 41 and 42: cation.” Graves snorted. The Cill
Page 43 and 44: continue. Graves licked his lips an
Page 45 and 46: Name: Martin Steil Age: 17 FEATURED
Page 47 and 48: Jack’s angry expression reverted
Page 49 and 50: approximately six million klicks fr
Page 51 and 52: RGR REVIEWS by Donald Jacob Uitvlug
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THIEVES’ HONOR: EPISODE 8 Endgame
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the others gave it up as soon as th
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had probably voyaged from Earth in
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overlook the poor welcome, and conv
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22 Happy Birthday, Niatti by Raz Gr
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Ray Gun Revival magazine, Issue 53

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