Captain Future 12 - Planets in Peril (Fall 1942) by Edmond Hamilton Page B
Authors: Edmond Hamilton
Tags: Sci Fi & Fantasy
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Vostol to plot against us!" Gerdek was exclaiming, in a tense whisper. "What can his proof be?"
"We'll worry about that when the time comes," Captain Future muttered. "Don't lose your nerve. Everything depends on our maintaining my impersonation of Kaffr."
The officer took a step forward.
"The Council is waiting!" he said shortly.
Curt murmured a hasty word to Lacq, who seemed stunned by this crisis.
"You leave us, Lacq — I'll get in touch with you later," he ordered. "And don't worry. We'll carry out our plan as soon as this is smoothed over."
Lacq nodded earnestly.
"I'll do as you say, Kaffr."
Curt turned calmly to the others of his group.
"We will go with these soldiers to the Council."
"Say, I don't like this —" Otho began rebelliously, but Curt silenced him with a sharp glance.
They went through the streets of Bebemos toward the distant, looming pile of the Hall of Suns, with the soldiers marching behind them. There were throngs lining the marble avenues, but from their midst came now no wildly enthusiastic shouts of "Hail, Kaffr!"
The Tarast populace watched the suspects pass in troubled silence. The people seemed stunned by the possibility that their miraculously returned hero of legend might be an impostor.
Curt Newton grimly resolved to carry through his impersonation at any cost. It was not for his own sake — it was for the sake of these people who now watched him in such stunned silence. Only with the prestige of the legendary hero could he hope to lead the Tarasts to victory over the malign fate that threatened them.
As they passed beneath the gigantic statue of Kaffr and into the Hall of Suns, Otho whispered worriedly to Curt.
"Chief, we're walking into a trap! There's no telling what they will do to you if Vostol can really prove you're an impostor!"
"Yes, let's turn around and crash our way out of here to the Comet" Grag proposed uneasily.
"And give up all hope of helping those people, just when we've found a plan for doing so?" Curt retorted. "No, we're sticking it out. Vostol can't prove anything."
He wondered what kind of evidence Vostol had gathered. No time for speculation now! The moment of crisis was at hand, for they were entering the Council Hall.
Every member of the Council of Suns was in his seat. The tiers of dusty, empty seats loomed far up into the shadows around this group of hundreds who silently watched the Futuremen and Gerdek and Shiri, as they appeared upon the broad stage. Old Igir, the chairman, came forward.
But Captain Future was first to speak, for he meant to carry the fight to his enemies. His voice rolled out wrathfully to the Council.
"Is this the welcome you give Kaffr when he comes back from battle against your enemies?" Curt demanded. "Was it for this that I returned to my people — that they might arrest me like a common criminal?"
IGIR shrank back a little from Captain Future's thundering accusation. Doubt and lingering awe showed on his troubled face.
"If you are really Kaffr, we apologize," he said hastily. "But charges have been made that you are only an impostor who seeks to deceive us. We must investigate such charges."
"And who makes those charges?" Curt flared, his narrowed gray eyes sweeping the faces of the Council. "Who is it here that challenges my identity?"
Vostol promptly rose and stepped up onto the stage.
"I make them I I say that you are not Kaffr, and that you have conspired with Gerdek and his party to play this role."
Vostol's strong face had not a quiver in it as he faced Captain Future. The passionate determination in his eyes was unflinching.
The man's sincerity and strength were unquestionable. At another time, Curt would have admired him for so standing up against the influences of superstitious legend which had awed most of the others. But he realized the danger of this man's obstinate skepticism.
"So it is Vostol who still talks against Kaffr!" Gerdek was exclaiming angrily. "While Kaffr is out fighting our
"We'll worry about that when the time comes," Captain Future muttered. "Don't lose your nerve. Everything depends on our maintaining my impersonation of Kaffr."
The officer took a step forward.
"The Council is waiting!" he said shortly.
Curt murmured a hasty word to Lacq, who seemed stunned by this crisis.
"You leave us, Lacq — I'll get in touch with you later," he ordered. "And don't worry. We'll carry out our plan as soon as this is smoothed over."
Lacq nodded earnestly.
"I'll do as you say, Kaffr."
Curt turned calmly to the others of his group.
"We will go with these soldiers to the Council."
"Say, I don't like this —" Otho began rebelliously, but Curt silenced him with a sharp glance.
They went through the streets of Bebemos toward the distant, looming pile of the Hall of Suns, with the soldiers marching behind them. There were throngs lining the marble avenues, but from their midst came now no wildly enthusiastic shouts of "Hail, Kaffr!"
The Tarast populace watched the suspects pass in troubled silence. The people seemed stunned by the possibility that their miraculously returned hero of legend might be an impostor.
Curt Newton grimly resolved to carry through his impersonation at any cost. It was not for his own sake — it was for the sake of these people who now watched him in such stunned silence. Only with the prestige of the legendary hero could he hope to lead the Tarasts to victory over the malign fate that threatened them.
As they passed beneath the gigantic statue of Kaffr and into the Hall of Suns, Otho whispered worriedly to Curt.
"Chief, we're walking into a trap! There's no telling what they will do to you if Vostol can really prove you're an impostor!"
"Yes, let's turn around and crash our way out of here to the Comet" Grag proposed uneasily.
"And give up all hope of helping those people, just when we've found a plan for doing so?" Curt retorted. "No, we're sticking it out. Vostol can't prove anything."
He wondered what kind of evidence Vostol had gathered. No time for speculation now! The moment of crisis was at hand, for they were entering the Council Hall.
Every member of the Council of Suns was in his seat. The tiers of dusty, empty seats loomed far up into the shadows around this group of hundreds who silently watched the Futuremen and Gerdek and Shiri, as they appeared upon the broad stage. Old Igir, the chairman, came forward.
But Captain Future was first to speak, for he meant to carry the fight to his enemies. His voice rolled out wrathfully to the Council.
"Is this the welcome you give Kaffr when he comes back from battle against your enemies?" Curt demanded. "Was it for this that I returned to my people — that they might arrest me like a common criminal?"
IGIR shrank back a little from Captain Future's thundering accusation. Doubt and lingering awe showed on his troubled face.
"If you are really Kaffr, we apologize," he said hastily. "But charges have been made that you are only an impostor who seeks to deceive us. We must investigate such charges."
"And who makes those charges?" Curt flared, his narrowed gray eyes sweeping the faces of the Council. "Who is it here that challenges my identity?"
Vostol promptly rose and stepped up onto the stage.
"I make them I I say that you are not Kaffr, and that you have conspired with Gerdek and his party to play this role."
Vostol's strong face had not a quiver in it as he faced Captain Future. The passionate determination in his eyes was unflinching.
The man's sincerity and strength were unquestionable. At another time, Curt would have admired him for so standing up against the influences of superstitious legend which had awed most of the others. But he realized the danger of this man's obstinate skepticism.
"So it is Vostol who still talks against Kaffr!" Gerdek was exclaiming angrily. "While Kaffr is out fighting our
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