Conucopia: Johnny Meerkat Conucopia Johnny Meerkat Rev. 07-Jan-1999 Previous: Gary Louie, Part 2 (Table of Contents) Next: Advertising _________________________________________________________________ Craig Miller, jmeerkat@99.nasfic.org The Final and Continuing Adventures of Johnny Meerkat The Contest In the years immediately following World War II, most of the science fiction pulp magazines decided to move away from the "sword and blaster" action adventure stories which had filled their issues until then. Now in the "Atomic Era", magazines were looking for stories peppered with a heavier seasoning of science. They felt it was what their readers wanted. But some struggled along in the old style. One title, Startling Wonder, tried introducing a new continuing hero in the mold of Captain Future, in an attempt to build reader loyalty. Every issue of Startling Wonder held at least one Johnny Meerkat adventure. Some were short stories, two were "novel length" (although quite short by today's standards), but most were what we would now call 'short-shorts'. A thousand words told the latest exciting tale of adventure of Johnny Meerkat, space going hero; his friends and allies; and his nefarious nemesis, the Jackal. Only a few issues of Startling Wonder were ever published and the original Johnny Meerkat stories were never collected or reprinted. But Conucopia invites you to return to those thrilling days of adventure, when a fast space cruiser and a sure eye with a blaster was all that kept evil at bay. We have received permission from the owner of Johnny Meerkat to continue his tales of derring-do for your reading pleasure. We have invited a few well-known authors to write new Johnny Meerkat adventures, which will appear in each of our progress reports. Additionally, we're sponsoring a contest for the best new Johnny Meerkat story. The rules are simple. Any member of Conucopia, the 1999 NASFiC may enter up to three Johnny Meerkat stories. Each story may be up to 1,000 words in length. The elements of the story must conform to the "writers bible" of information that follows and should be more or less in the style of the 1940s pulps. Stories can be serious or humorous. Stories will be judged by a panel of professional writers. The top five stories, as selected by our judges, will be printed in the Conucopia Program Book. The decision of the judges is final. All stories become the property of Conucopia, the 1999 NASFiC and its parent organization, the Southern California Institute for Fan Interests, Inc. Entrant agrees to allow Conucopia and S.C.I.F.I. to reprint their stories in convention-related publications without additional approval or payment. Stories cannot be returned. Contents may settle during shipping. Writer's Bible Johnny Meerkat is slender of body with short legs and a small head. Johnny is a little atypical in appearance for a hero. He has dark, piercing eyes that can stare down the worst villain and seem as if they can see straight down to your soul. His hair is brown. His uniform is comfortable and informal, a cross between that of Flash Gordon and a jogging outfit. It's tan in color, with black stripes on the legs and a black diamond outlined on the back. Johnny prefers the openness of space to the crowded confines and "proper ways" of the ancient cities, like Earthcentral and Luna, or the older colonies, like Marscol. He goes to those places when he needs to, but when he wants to relax, it's the new colonies in the Asteroid Belt that draw him. Johnny and his crew are "space bums". They'd be traveling constantly from planet to colony to asteroid mine even if their business wasn't "trading", buying whatever honest load they can fit in their ship and selling it at their next port of call for max credits. At least, that's usually the plan. It doesn't always work out. SpaceJackers, crooked customs brokers, or the desire to help out in need frequently interfere. Johnny's a real hero, never shirking from helping someone in need. He'd just be a little better at it if he wasn't so easily distracted. A sound, a bright light, and Johnny's head swivels toward the source. It's when we hear his most repeated phrase: "Huh? What was that?" that trouble usually follows. The Hawk, his ship. Specially outfitted, this small cargo carrier can outrun all but the fastest ships in the system. And then, it's Johnny's sixth sense for the approach of danger and his skills as a pilot that lets him outclass all others. Weaponry is limited. Neutron, First Mate and Chief Engineer on The Hawk. He's the maker of the various modifications (some even legal) that make the Hawk the incredible ship she is. There's nothing Neutron loves better than tinkering with the inner workings of his beloved vessel. Except, maybe, helping Johnny when he gets into a tough situation. And he loves beautiful women. And a good single malt scotch. And parties. And especially parties with drinking and beautiful women that ends up in a big fight. But other than that, nothing comes between him and his ship. Scorpion, A beautiful dark-haired woman, formerly the right hand (and how much more?) of The Jackal. The most vicious of the Predators, she has one soft spot. Johnny Meerkat. She broke from the Predators when The Jackal ordered her to kill Johnny. She's a lone agent, now, with a "thing" for Johnny. You never know where Scorpion will turn up or whose side she'll be on. Earthcentral, Located on the homeworld, Earth, it is the central governmental body for the solar system and environs. Pure, honest, and concerned for the welfare of all of its citizens, there are a few bad apples, even here at the core. And the smaller the outpost and the further from Earth, the more likely Johnny and his friends might encounter an official who... doesn't put the citizens first. Luna and Marscol, The longest established colonies. Fiercely proud of their rugged pioneer heritage, these are now large civil-commercial-industrial centers. Large populations live, work, and grow here. Think of Australia. The Asteroid Colonies, Some have been around for a decade or more. Some are only months old. Most center around mining and low-gravity industries. Sort of a space-faring cross between the Old West and working the Alaska Oil Fields. Kalahari, Scientist and occasional girl friend to Johnny Meerkat. Kalahari is a beautiful blonde with one of the best brains in the galaxy. She's a research scientist with a soft heart who sometimes puts people with problems to solve in touch with the best problem-solver there is, Johnny Meerkat. She's also a frequent target for the Jackal, who wants whatever she's working on at the moment. And the evil Scorpion (above) sees her as a rival for Johnny's affections, a rival she wants out of the picture, permanently. The Predators, A vicious, greedy, carnivorous bunch of space-going villains completely devoid of scruples. Anything they want, they'll take. Anyone who stands in their way, they'll destroy. Completely without finesse, they would have long since been captured and imprisoned except for the abilities of their wily leader... The Jackal, Leader of the Predators. Combine a diplomat with a dictator, add the knowledge of Earthcentral's finest scientists and thinkers, and the deviousness of Sherlock Holmes' arch-nemesis, Moriarty, and you begin to have an understanding of The Jackal. No one knows his true name or what made him the man he is. All that's known is that he wants it all -- wealth, power, and all the fine things they bring -- and he'll stop at nothing to get it. _________________________________________________________________ Previous: Gary Louie, Part 2 (Table of Contents) Next: Advertising Top | Table of Contents | What's New | Register | Addresses | Help info@99.nasfic.org