Astounding Science Fiction (British edition) — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

18 ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION fore they realized they had been had. How much time, he couldn’t say. But when they were sure— ““Now up the rope I go, up I go. Now up the rope I go, up I go. And the devils down below, They say: ‘Sam, we told you so.’ They say: ‘Sam, we told, you so,’ Daman their hide.” REBELS ATTACK SPACESHIPS LAND UNDER COVER OF RAINSTORM, SEIZE POINTS NEAR N. DETROIT FLAME WEAPONS USED AGAINST ARMY BY REBELS “The infamous legions of the trai- tors have taken key points throughout the nation, but already our gallant forces have hurled them back. They have come out in early summer like toadstools, and will wither as fast— WHEEEEEE—OOOOOO!” Silence. ‘All citizens are directed to keep calm, remain loyal to their country and stay at their usual tasks until otherwise ordered. Civilians will re- port to their local defense command- ers. All military reservists will report immediately for active duty.” “Hello, Hawaii! Are you there? Come in, Hawaii! Calling Hawaii!” “CQ, Mars GHQ calling . . . bzzz, wheeee . . . seized Syrtis Major Col- ony and...whoooo... help needed—”’ The Lunar rocket bases are as- saulted and carried. The commander blows them up rather than surrender. A pinpoint fiash on the Moon’s face, a new crater, what will they name it? “So they’ve got Seattle, have they? Send a robomb flight. Blow the place off ne map. This is war!” - In New York. Secretly drilled rebels emerged from the notorious Crater district and stormed— Ese Assassins | were shot down. The new President has already been sworn in and—” BRITAIN, CANADA, AUSTRAL- IA REFUSE ASSISTANCE TO GOV’ T. . No, sir. The bombs reached Seattle all right. But they were all stopped before they hit—some kind of energy gun.” “COMECO to all Army command- ers in Florida and Georgia: Enemy action has made Florida and the keys temporarily untenable. Army units will withdraw as follows—” “Today a rebel force engaging an Army convoy in Donner Pass was annihilated by a well-placed tactical atomic bomb. Though our own men suffered losses on this account—” “COMWECO to all Army com- manders in California: The mutiny, of units stationed near San Francisco poses a grave problem—” SP RAID REBEL HIDEOUT, BAG FIVE OFFICERS “All right, so the enemy is about to capture Boston. We can’t issue weapons to the citizens. They might turn them on us!” SPACE GUARD UNITS EX- PECTED FROM VENUS - Jack, Jack, Jack! It was strange, living in the midst of a war. Thornberg had never thought it would be like this. Drawn faces, furtive eyes, utter confusion in the telecast news and the irregularly ar- riving papers, blackouts, civil-defense drilis, shortages, occasional panic when ‘a rebel jet whistled overhead—but nothing else. No gunfire, no bombs, no battles at all except the unreal ones you heard about. The only casualty lists here were due to Security—people kept disappearing, and nobody spoke about them. But then, why should the enemy bother with this unimportant moun- tain town? The Army of Liberation, conniclooolkks.c© in