Jawa

Spurs Jackson and Strong Bow leave to investigate some explosions observed on the moon. Spurs tells Hank Roper to watch out for a group of “FENS”, or Science Fiction Fans. He invited a local club of called the “Dehyrates” to the ranch while Descon, a science fiction conference, is going on. Spurs invited them over for a visit. Spurs informs Hank they will be in costume and will arrive in a plane made up to look like a spaceship. When a rocket lands nearby, Hank naturally assumes it’s the FENS. Instead, it is the Neptunians. Jawa is an Artopod from Neptune, leading a small force of scouts to prepare for an invasion. Jawa tells Hank to turn off the beam that lead them to Earth. The beam is the locator Spurs uses to return in his rocket. While obliging Jawa, Hank also turns on an alarm to the local Army base. Soon, the Army sends out soldiers to attack the Neptunians. The soldiers hold their fire so as not to injure Hank, but the Neptunians blast the soldiers with their pistols. The military retaliates with a flame-throwing armored vehicle, sending the Neptunians fleeing. Their craft points a light beam at the vehicle, which causes it to disappear. The ray also strikes an attacking Mustang fighter jet, causing it to burst into flames. When the Descon group shows up, Jawa permits it to land. Hank thinks he must warn them about what is going on. He rushes to the plane, but Jawa tells his cohorts to let him go, and then they will take the plane’s occupants and Hank prisoner all at once. When the science fiction fans alight in costume, their plane is instantly destroyed by the Artopods. Hank explains quickly what is going on. The Dehyrates fire sprayguns of insect-repellant at the Artopods, causing them to retreat and fly away in their spaceship. Hank radios Spurs, who is just returning to Earth. Spurs sees the ship and instructs Strong Bowto blow it up.