Kal

Origin
Space Pilot Colonel Rulak serves the totalitarian nation of Europa in the year 2200. Rulak is caught reads books from the 20th century, with stories of a "world of freedom, men unwatched by thought control!" He is caught reading one of these banned books, and is ordered to report to the Supreme Warlord, Ates.

Ates tells Rulak to investigate some scientists who escaped in a rocket ship and vanished when Europa conquered Amerika. The field of search is narrowed down to the planet, Minos. Minos is a small planetoid near Mars.

Obeying orders, Colonel Rulak flies to Minos. After some searching, he discovers a woman there. The woman takes Rulak to President Kal, wise and kind ruler of Minos. Rulak tells the president of his positive impressions of the idyllic society, noting their one flaw as theft of the rocket. Kal says they took the rocket, and cannot permit Rulak to return to Earth and send conquerors. In lieu of allowing him to leave, Kal offers Rulak a chance to live a pleasant life on Minos.

As they are talking, one of the men of Minos informs them another rocketship has arrived. Rulak goes to meet with the men of Europawho followed him to the planetoid. He pleads the case the people of Minos should be permitted to live as they have been. The captain of the ship is only interested in returning the able bodies for Europa's labor camps to mine uranium.

Rulak quickly climbs into their ship and smashes their radio equipment so they can't communicate with Earth. The men restrain Rulak, but the woman shows up with other people to rescue him.

The men from Europa are taken to Kal, who wishes to have them freed. Rulak tells the president they can't be trusted. The captain takes out a "fission gun" and takes Rulak captive again. Returning him to their ship, Rulak again argues the case for the people of Minos. The captain won't have it, so Rulak fights them again. Rulak pushes one of the soldiers into the jet stream of the waiting craft. The captain orders the men to push Rulak into the jet stream. He turns tables on the spies and trips them into the jet stream, and the two remaining men from Europa are burnt to death.

Rulak returns to Earth, telling Ates how the men died in an accident, and the planet Minos has no minerals or people to exploit. He is saddened Minos and the woman are forever lost to him, as if he returned it would mean Europa would know of the society there.

Supreme Warlord Ates decides to punish Colonel Rulak for reading banned books by stationing him on the desolate, lonely planet of Minos.

Public Domain Appearances

 * Amazing Adventures #3