Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 48 — page 44: what you’re looking at

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

TABARN! DOCUMENT “It has been reported from at least three separate stations that Director Takato has declared his support for the Venusian Revolutionary Council,” said the major, getting out the words with difficulty. “I’m extremely sorry, sir, but there doesn’t seem to be much doubt about the authenticity of the trans- mission. It couldn’t possibly have come from a Venusian transmitter.” The operations room held a vault-like silence. The mar- shal was aware of scores of eyes directed on him. He squared his slightly-bowed sheulders and said: “ This confirms the wisdom of my decision. The future of the system depends on _ one sudden, mighty, paralysing blow. If we had more time we could have subdued the Moon first and punished his —the Lunics’ defection. But time is terribly short. We shall attack Venus first. Then, when we have secured our food supplies, we shall deal with the Moon. If there are _no other questions .. .” 43 EVEN TABARNI had to admit that it was a magnificent sight. He looked into the eyepiece of the strato-scanner and picked out on the cali- brated screen the long line of Martian assault craft. “Look,” he _ invited Luronne, the woman Con- structor who stood at his elbow in the Venusian obser- vatory. Together they saw the armada strung out in orderly formation, as if for review. But the ships were so disposed that a surprise attack from any angle would not have found them unprepared. Tabarni turned the focus- sing thread and took in part of the fleet in greater detail. The craft varied in shape according to their function. The marshal’s flag-ship bore no distinguishing marks—a wise precaution. The small control binaries rocked gently like dumb-bells about their gravity centres. The bulbous supply ships rotated quickly about their axes at intervals all along the three hundred comicloooks.con