Strange Planets #1

In "Clean Start," two amoeba-like aliens from the Solar Federation arrive on Earth with a radical mission: to save humanity by wiping it clean and starting anew. Disguised as humans, they seek a single man and woman to repopulate the planet, but when the female alien captures a human man and returns to the ship, she soon discovers a shocking truth—her chosen partner was her mate all along, in human form.

In "Marbles," the crew of the X-17 rockets toward Mars, their excitement mounting as the distant planets shimmer like marbles in the void. But when pilot McGraw reports that Mars has shrunk to the size of a rubber ball—and crewmate Enkers confirms it by stepping outside—the mission takes a bizarre turn. As the crew discovers the same strange phenomenon with every planet they approach, Earth’s command team begins to question whether the crew is losing their minds or if the universe itself is far stranger than they ever imagined.

In "Conditioned Reflex," a methane-breathing alien sent to Earth to gather intelligence about humanity is perfectly adapted to blend in—right down to adopting the human habit of smoking cigarettes. But when he returns to his home world and lights one out of instinct, the act triggers a catastrophic chain reaction in his planet’s atmosphere. The story explores the quiet danger of habit, where a simple, learned behavior becomes an unintended weapon.

In a future torn by war between the Western and Eastern Alliances, both sides race to claim the Moon for dominance—only to find their ships repeatedly destroyed by an invisible barrier just short of their goal. As the mystery deepens, they uncover a shocking truth: the barrier surrounds the entire Earth, trapping humanity in a cage. Why? Because far beyond, evolved alien minds see humans as violent creatures who must be contained—like wild animals.