ONCE UPON A PLANET
By J. J. ALLERTON
[Transcriber Note: This etext was produced from Amazing Stories December1948. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Once upon a planet there was a mighty warlord. The warlord's name wasMiotis. Some might think it an odd name, but then it is entirelyprobable that the people of this planet would think the name of Smith orJenkovitz odd. Be that as it may, however, the important thing is thatMiotis was the name of this warlord, whatever one may feel about hisname.
Now, Miotis was not just a mighty warrior, he was the mightiestwarrior on the planet. As such, he controlled the life of every personthere. For isn't it a truism that war bends men's destiny in thestrangest fashions? So Miotis, with his entire life devoted to the artof destruction, was able to direct the lives of his subjects.
But one day, to his consternation and amazement, he found that thepeoples of his planet had wearied of the sport of war. In the middle ofhis last campaign, his men as well as his enemies had laid down theirarms and had refused to carry on as was their wont. And no amount ofthreat 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 onthe face of his vizier, Kannot. It was not the sort of face Miotis wasespecially fond of seeing, for it was old, wrinkled, full of cunning andwisdom.
The vizier was, as always, full of words, and as he spoke one bluntfinger tapped the side of his rather bulbous nose: "So you think itstrange, mighty Miotis, to find that life is boring?"
"I do not find that life is boring," Miotis replied. "Life is neverboring. It is I who am bored. That is the reason I called you here. Icould have called any one of my nine hundred concubines for enjoyment,or had my warders drag forth some of my prisoners and found sport intorturing them. Yet, I did not, and I wonder why. In the past, thesediversions made pleasant the passing of time. Now, I feel an ennui toogreat to even want to bother to summon one of these which used to giveme so much pleasurable excitement.
"Tell me, vizier, have I become so full of war that I cannot livewithout it?"
Kannot clasped his hands behind him and rocked back and forth forseveral seconds, the while he bent a thoughtful and appraising eye uponhis King. For Kannot knew the vagaries of the man before him and knewthat a single word, a single gesture which would displease the greatMiotis, would make fewer Kannot's days. Therefore, when he spoke again,it was with care, weighing his words so that he could give his opinionand yet not endanger his life.
"Methinks, oh greatest and wisest of Kings," Kannot said, "that sincewar has but a single end, something phenomenal in the universe must haveoccurred to make that end seem less reasonable."
He lowered his eyes, yet made sure he could peer beneath the hooded lidsto see how his words were affecting Miotis. There was no sign on theother's face to show how he felt.
Kannot continued, "By that, I mean death may have become less attractiveas a means of immortality. Is it not true, also, that you, the greatestand most noble of warriors, has yourself felt this same reluctancerecently to even plan a war?"
The warlord's head nodded slightly