The Project Gutenberg EBook of Once Upon A Planet, by J. J. Allerton

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Title: Once Upon A Planet

Author: J. J. Allerton

Release Date: June 12, 2010 [EBook #32785]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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ONCE UPON A PLANET

By J. J. ALLERTON

[Transcriber Note: This etext was produced from Amazing Stories December
1948. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
copyright on this publication was renewed.]

[Sidenote: The mighty King Miotis came down to Earth to recapture his
lost desire for war. But what he saw on this planet, caused him to feel
differently.]

Once upon a planet there was a mighty warlord. The warlord's name was
Miotis. Some might think it an odd name, but then it is entirely
probable that the people of this planet would think the name of Smith or
Jenkovitz odd. Be that as it may, however, the important thing is that
Miotis was the name of this warlord, whatever one may feel about his
name.

Now, Miotis was not just a mighty warrior, he was the _mightiest_
warrior on the planet. As such, he controlled the life of every person
there. For isn't it a truism that war bends men's destiny in the
strangest fashions? So Miotis, with his entire life devoted to the art
of destruction, was able to direct the lives of his subjects.

But one day, to his consternation and amazement, he found that the
peoples of his planet had wearied of the sport of war. In the middle of
his last campaign, his men as well as his enemies had laid down their
arms and had refused to carry on as was their wont. And no amount of
threat or punishment could make them change.

On this particular day when our story starts, Miotis was in his palace,
his massive head leaning against a muscular palm, and his gaze intent on
the face of his vizier, Kannot. It was not the sort of face Miotis was
especially fond of seeing, for it was old, wrinkled, full of cunning and
wisdom.

The vizier was, as always, ful