Outer Space #18

Professor Vinson's expedition makes humanity's first landing on Mercury, expecting to find a barren world—but instead discovers the dark side teeming with strange, slab-like creatures that vanish into mysterious openings in the surface. As the team investigates, they uncover an extraordinary cycle: these Mercurians travel through immense tunnels that run clear through the planet, journeying from the freezing dark side to the scorching sunlit side to absorb heat before returning to their cold home. The expedition must cut their study short as their ship struggles against the intense conditions, leaving behind more questions than answers about how such massive tunnels came to exist on this enigmatic world.

After 300 years of faithful service, the aging robot Robbo faces retirement when Professor Garner brings home Arco, a sleek new model to replace him—but the young robot's cruelty and disrespect toward his elder sets off a chain of events that tests both machines' character. What begins as a simple succession becomes a lesson in loyalty and kindness that transforms Robbo's fate in ways neither robot expected.

Major John Allard, Earth's most trusted space pilot, stands accused of treason when he's caught making a pact with Aaakus, the ruthless dictator threatening to destroy Earth with a devastating weapon from space. Allard must infiltrate the enemy's ranks and gain their trust to stop the attack—but his plans grow complicated when Elena, a woman who believes in him, stows away on his dangerous mission. Together, they race against time to prevent catastrophe and expose the truth behind Allard's shadowy assignment.

A spaceship crew desperately needs to repair their corroded solar vents near Earth, so they hover invisibly above the Texas plains in an artificial vapor cloud to avoid detection—all while drought-stricken farmers below watch hopefully for rain. As the repairs wrap up and the ship makes its hasty departure, the crew's decision about the cloud sets in motion an unexpected gift for the people on the ground.