Read Online Captain Future 01 - The Space Emperor (Winter 1940) by Edmond Hamilton - Free Book Online
Authors: Edmond Hamilton
Tags: Sci Fi & Fantasy
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quickly. “He televised me when you started.”
“Did you tell anyone else I was coming?” Curt asked keenly.
He watched Quale narrowly as he awaited an answer. If the governor admitted having told no one, it meant —
But Quale was nodding.
“I told Eldred Kells, the vice-governor, and Doctor Britt, chief planetary physician, and some others here. I wanted to reassure them — they’re all so panicky.”
Curt felt momentarily thwarted. It looked as though his possible lead to the Space Emperor had faded out.
Disguising his disappointment, he told Quale briefly about the ambush and the two criminals now marooned on Callisto.
“I’ll send a Planet Police cruiser out to pick them up,” Quale promised quickly.
At that moment a door opened. A tall, blond man of thirty in a white zipper-suit entered the office. His strong face was worn and lined by too-great strain.
“What is it, Kells?” Sylvanus Quale demanded.
Eldred Kells, the vice-governor, was staring wonderingly at Curt. Then, as he glimpsed the red-haired man’s ring, Kells’ worn face lighted with hope.
“Captain Future — you’re here!” he cried. “Thank God! Maybe you can do something to end this horror.”
Kells turned quickly back to his superior.
“Lucas Brewer and young Mark Cannig are here, sir. They just flew down from Jungletown. I gather that things are getting pretty horrible up there.”
Quale turned to Captain Future.
“Brewer is president of Jovian Mines, a small company that owns a radium mine north of Jungletown,” he explained. “Mark Cannig is his mine-superintendent.”
“I remember hearing of this Brewer before,” Curt said, frowning. “On Saturn, three years ago.”
Kells returned in a moment with the two men he had named.
Lucas Brewer, the mine owner, was a grossly fat man of forty, with dark, shrewd little eyes and a puffy face that wore the pitiless look of those who live too well.
Mark Cannig, his mine-superintendent, was a dark, handsome young fellow with a rather nervous look. He glanced eagerly at Joan Randall but the pretty nurse avoided his gaze.
“Quale, you’ve got to do something!” Lucas Brewer said emphatically as he entered. “This thing is getting —”
He stopped suddenly, as his eyes rested on Captain Future. An expression of recognition came into his eyes.
“Why, is that —” he started to say.
“It’s Captain Future, yes,” Quale said. “I told you he was coming, remember.”
Curt saw something of apprehension creep into Brewer’s small eyes. And it seemed to him that there was a sudden uneasiness also in the face of young Mark Cannig.
Curt hated promoters of Brewer’s type. He had met them before on many planets. They were ruthless tricksters whose greed brought misery to colonizing Earthmen and planetary natives alike.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, of course, Captain Future,” Brewer was saying hesitantly.
“And I heard something about you and your business activities on Saturn a few years ago,” Curt said disgustedly.
HE ASKED suddenly, “Why did you come here from Jungletown tonight?”
“Because things are getting so bad up at Jungletown!” Brewer declared. “We’ve got over five hundred cases of the blight there. The hospital’s hopelessly overcrowded, and I wanted to urge Quale to do something to stop this horrible thing. Anyone up there may be the next stricken by that horror. Why, I might be next!”
Captain Future stared contemptuously at the fat promoter. But Eldred Kells immediately answered him indignantly.
“We can’t stop the plague until we know what’s causing it,” defended the haggard vice-governor.
“Where did the thing start?” Curt asked him.
Quale answered.
“Up at Jungletown, several hundred miles north of here. It’s a new boomtown. Sprang up after radium and uranium deposits were located nearby. The place is pretty close to the southern shore of the Fire Sea, and there are some thousands of Earthmen engineers,
“Did you tell anyone else I was coming?” Curt asked keenly.
He watched Quale narrowly as he awaited an answer. If the governor admitted having told no one, it meant —
But Quale was nodding.
“I told Eldred Kells, the vice-governor, and Doctor Britt, chief planetary physician, and some others here. I wanted to reassure them — they’re all so panicky.”
Curt felt momentarily thwarted. It looked as though his possible lead to the Space Emperor had faded out.
Disguising his disappointment, he told Quale briefly about the ambush and the two criminals now marooned on Callisto.
“I’ll send a Planet Police cruiser out to pick them up,” Quale promised quickly.
At that moment a door opened. A tall, blond man of thirty in a white zipper-suit entered the office. His strong face was worn and lined by too-great strain.
“What is it, Kells?” Sylvanus Quale demanded.
Eldred Kells, the vice-governor, was staring wonderingly at Curt. Then, as he glimpsed the red-haired man’s ring, Kells’ worn face lighted with hope.
“Captain Future — you’re here!” he cried. “Thank God! Maybe you can do something to end this horror.”
Kells turned quickly back to his superior.
“Lucas Brewer and young Mark Cannig are here, sir. They just flew down from Jungletown. I gather that things are getting pretty horrible up there.”
Quale turned to Captain Future.
“Brewer is president of Jovian Mines, a small company that owns a radium mine north of Jungletown,” he explained. “Mark Cannig is his mine-superintendent.”
“I remember hearing of this Brewer before,” Curt said, frowning. “On Saturn, three years ago.”
Kells returned in a moment with the two men he had named.
Lucas Brewer, the mine owner, was a grossly fat man of forty, with dark, shrewd little eyes and a puffy face that wore the pitiless look of those who live too well.
Mark Cannig, his mine-superintendent, was a dark, handsome young fellow with a rather nervous look. He glanced eagerly at Joan Randall but the pretty nurse avoided his gaze.
“Quale, you’ve got to do something!” Lucas Brewer said emphatically as he entered. “This thing is getting —”
He stopped suddenly, as his eyes rested on Captain Future. An expression of recognition came into his eyes.
“Why, is that —” he started to say.
“It’s Captain Future, yes,” Quale said. “I told you he was coming, remember.”
Curt saw something of apprehension creep into Brewer’s small eyes. And it seemed to him that there was a sudden uneasiness also in the face of young Mark Cannig.
Curt hated promoters of Brewer’s type. He had met them before on many planets. They were ruthless tricksters whose greed brought misery to colonizing Earthmen and planetary natives alike.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, of course, Captain Future,” Brewer was saying hesitantly.
“And I heard something about you and your business activities on Saturn a few years ago,” Curt said disgustedly.
HE ASKED suddenly, “Why did you come here from Jungletown tonight?”
“Because things are getting so bad up at Jungletown!” Brewer declared. “We’ve got over five hundred cases of the blight there. The hospital’s hopelessly overcrowded, and I wanted to urge Quale to do something to stop this horrible thing. Anyone up there may be the next stricken by that horror. Why, I might be next!”
Captain Future stared contemptuously at the fat promoter. But Eldred Kells immediately answered him indignantly.
“We can’t stop the plague until we know what’s causing it,” defended the haggard vice-governor.
“Where did the thing start?” Curt asked him.
Quale answered.
“Up at Jungletown, several hundred miles north of here. It’s a new boomtown. Sprang up after radium and uranium deposits were located nearby. The place is pretty close to the southern shore of the Fire Sea, and there are some thousands of Earthmen engineers,
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