# Don Callahan — Short Fiction character guide

> Don Callahan in Short Fiction by Henry Kuttner.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Callahan, the disguised Callahan

**First appearance:** 0000-the-secret-of-kralitz

## Snapshot

An outlaw in a near-perfect Swamja disguise, moving through alien streets on nerve and lock-picking skill while praying the telepathic guards don't test his borrowed face.

## Who they are

Callahan leads Vanning's desperate group through dim Swamja streets, avoiding patrols and steering by Zeeth's directions toward the captured spaceship. His disguise is the group's only edge, but he knows it can't hold against senses that might read minds, and he says so with a criminal's blunt realism. When the rush on the ship comes, he's the one sent around to pick the port lock—the plan's quiet hinge, and the man most likely to be caught if anything slips.

## Relationships

### [Jerry Vanning](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_27_se/characters/jerry_vanning)

_friendship_

Don Callahan is Jerry Vanning's steadfast ally, often risking his life to help Jerry survive.

### [Jerry Vanning](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_27_se/characters/jerry_vanning)

_friendship_

Don Callahan is Jerry Vanning's steadfast ally, often risking his life to help Jerry survive.

### [Jerry Vanning](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_27_se/characters/jerry_vanning)

_friendship_

Don Callahan is Jerry Vanning's steadfast ally, often risking his life to help Jerry survive.

## In the story

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_27_se/chapters/i)

Political refugee disguised as Jerome Bentley; Vanning identifies him via microfilm records.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_27_se/chapters/ii)

Not present but his disguise kit is found hidden in the dormitory, indicating he is also a slave in the Swamja city.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_27_se/chapters/iv)

Disguised as a Swamja, reveals his true identity, destroys the treaty, and helps the group board the ship.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_27_se/chapters/v)

Fled the ship after awakening, heading to Venus Landing to escape prison.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_27_se/characters/don_callahan
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_27_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_27_se/characters