Coppel, Alfred 1921-2004 creator McWilliams, Al 1916-1993 text utu 2020 monographic en 1 online resource : multiple file formats "Captain Midas" by Alfred Coppel Jr. is a science fiction novella, first published in "Planet Stories" during the late 1940s. This gripping story delves into themes of greed, the quest for treasure, and the costs associated with such pursuits, presenting a morally complex narrative centered around human desires in the vast emptiness of space. The plot follows Captain Midas, the aging captain of the spaceship Martian Maid, who and his rough and ambition-driven crew stumble upon a mysterious derelict ship in space. Enticed by the prospect of treasure, they board the derelict only to discover that it is constructed from an alien metal that can transmute into gold at the cost of their youth and vitality. As the crew increasingly succumbs to the allure of the gold, Midas realizes the sinister truth behind the metal's origins—its power draws energy from life itself, aging its crew into skeletal forms. In a desperate attempt to escape this fate, Midas decides to abandon the treasure, but not before suffering the irreversible consequences. His story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of greed and the true price of seeking wealth, leaving him physically and spiritually scarred as he reflects on his lost crew and cursed treasure. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Release date is 2020-11-23 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net Original publication data not identified Science fiction Short stories Space ships -- Fiction Gold -- Fiction PS Original publication data not identified https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63867 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63867 UtSlPG 260607 20260610134454.0 63867