Remember me, Kama!

In Short

Old Cobber commands an Earth spaceship trading with the peaceful, alien Kamae on a hazardous, ammonia-snow-covered world. Behind his back, his wealthy, ruthless employer Wilson trades pure oxygen—which acts like potent explosives in the planet's carbon-disulphide atmosphere—to ignite brutal tribal warfare in exchange for valuable catalytic rock. Confronted by the Great Kama and unable to stop Wilson or secure justice through his crew, Cobber uses his own tankbox and explosives to blow up the ship, choosing martyrdom to preserve the possibility of genuine friendship between their worlds.

The Story

The story opens with aging Captain Old Cobber aiming his tankbox guns at his own crew outside a spaceship on a poison-hazed, ammonia-snow planet. He intends to blow up the vessel to stop its return to Earth, but Wilson, the wealthy ship owner, calls his bluff and assumes Cobber merely wants to seize the cargo. Reflecting on his mission, Cobber recalls touring the ruined, ravaged villages of the alien Kamae, where anhydrous bodies lie torn apart by savage, inter-tribal warfare. Through a telepathic link, the Great Kama projects immense, sorrowful pain into Cobber's consciousness, showing him the devastating cost of the conflict.

Using his tracked, mechanical tank-car to navigate the hazardous landscape beneath crimson thunderhead clouds, Cobber returns to the mother-ship. Inside, he confronts his crew and demands to know who disobeyed his strict trade agreements, which permitted only machinery and gas-proof metals. Jina names Wilson as the trader responsible. Cobber storms into Wilson's private quarters and furiously accuses him of selling tanks of pure oxygen to ignorant tribes, sparking a catastrophic wave of flame-throwing and bloodshed in an atmosphere where oxygen acts like dynamite. Wilson remains unrepentant, boasting of his profits and noting that he holds the financial debts of the entire crew and owns the ship itself.

Wilson reveals that the educated Kamae demand revenge and want Cobber to surrender Wilson to them. When Cobber draws his antique revolver, Wilson easily disarms him, throws him against the wall, and calls an emergency meeting of the officers. Wilson strips Cobber of his command, relegating him to a minor navigational assistant and installing Jina as captain. Cobber walks out to the airlock and drives his tank-car back out onto the planet's surface to meet the Great Kama once more.

In telepathic communion, the Great Kama accuses Cobber of betrayal, asking how a trusted friend could introduce weapons and lust for power to an innocent people. Trapped between his crew's financial bondage to Earth and the destruction of an emerging culture, Cobber realizes that if he returns home, more greedy men will follow, plunging the Kamae permanently into barbarism. Returning to the spaceship as the crew clears ammonia drifts for takeoff, Cobber maneuvers his tankbox, faces his own men, and detonates the dinatro bombs. A blinding flash destroys the ship. From a distant hilltop, the Great Kama watches the explosion, knowing that Cobber proved his friendship and left open the hope for future, better contact between their worlds.

How It Unfolds

• The ultimatum at the airlock — Cobber holds his crew at gunpoint from his tankbox and threatens to blow up the ship to prevent its return to Earth.
• Witnessing the devastation — Traveling through the ammonia snow in his mechanical tank-car, Cobber surveys a destroyed Kamae village and feels the telepathic agony of the Great Kama.
• Confronting the profiteer — Returning to the mother-ship, Cobber discovers that Wilson traded pure oxygen for catalytic rock, intentionally arming local tribes with volatile explosives.
• The coup in the quarters — Wilson easily overpowers the aging captain, strips him of his command, and replaces him with Jina while the crew stays safely neutral.
• The final communion — Out on the planet surface again, Cobber faces the accusatory telepathic grief of the Great Kama and sees the inevitable doom of the alien culture if Earth's exploitation continues.
• The ultimate sacrifice — Cobber returns to the ship, positions his explosive-laden tankbox, and detonates the vessel to destroy the corrupt expedition and preserve true interstellar friendship.

The People

• Old Cobber — The aging, weary captain of the Earth ship who deeply values interstellar understanding and respect for life. He wants to protect the peaceful Kamae from exploitation, but stands hindered by his physical weakness, lack of funds, and subservience to his crew's financial debts. He ends up sacrificing his life to salvage his honor and protect the aliens.
• Fogarth Wilson — The wealthy, powerful, and callous ship owner who values profit above all else. He wants to amass a fortune through exploitative trade, using his financial leverage over the crew to block opposition. Unrepentant to the end, he strips Cobber of command and meets his fate when the ship is destroyed.
• The Great Kama — The telepathic, bulbous leader of the alien Kamae whose peaceful society is shattered by imported violence. Seeking justice and revenge for the betrayal, the Great Kama ultimately recognizes Cobber's true friendship when the captain destroys the ship.
• Jina — The ship's first officer who assists with trade and operations. Though he initially welcomes Cobber back, he complies with Wilson's coup, steps up as the new commanding captain, and ultimately perishes alongside the rest of the crew in the final explosion.

In Its Own Voice

"I am going to blow up the ship," he said.

Cobber drops this shocking statement on his stunned crew while holding the airlock hostage at the story's opening.

"Wilson looked up at him, and saw the anger in his eyes."

Wilson reacts with casual confidence to Cobber's furious accusations about broken trade agreements and smuggled oxygen.

"You're a fool, Cobber—a doddering old fool!"

Wilson dismisses the aging captain's moral objections right before physically overpowering him in his quarters.

What It's Really About

The story examines the corrupting influence of imperialism and unbridled capitalism upon developing cultures. It contrasts true scientific and cultural curiosity—represented by Cobber's desire to learn from alien life—with raw exploitation, embodied by Wilson trading deadly weapons disguised as helpful goods for economic gain. Kubilius explores the heavy moral burden of complicity, asking whether an individual can remain ethical while serving an exploitative system. The narrative argues that superficial technological exchange without mutual respect destroys nascent civilizations, suggesting that genuine friendship between worlds requires personal sacrifice and the absolute rejection of colonial greed.

Why Read It Today

Readers who love classic Golden Age science fiction with philosophical depth, moral conflict, and poignant alien encounters will find much to appreciate here. Reading it feels atmospheric and melancholic, drawing you into a stark, cold world of purple storm clouds, ammonia snow drifts, and silent telepathic communion. The story retains a striking emotional weight as it wrestles with corporate greed and institutional betrayal. Modern readers should note the mid-century pulp style, including somewhat rigid narrative pacing and brief, melodramatic character dynamics typical of 1942 magazine science fiction. Yet, beneath these period conventions lies a timeless, haunting meditation on integrity and the ethical cost of exploration that stays with you long after the final page.

What elements of classic mid-century science fiction do you find most compelling when exploring first-contact scenarios?