Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 48 — page 49: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION vrs Well, who'd have thought . it!” he exclaimed in a voice that was almost happy. “I thought the fleet would be disorganised when we turned the neutralisers on. I expected their motors to stop. I expected to see all those scout craft flutter to earth like leaves. But the last thing I expected was that they should disintegrate. We must have detonated the weapons in some way before they were released. Bang! Up goes the whole assembly.” But there was an undertone to his voice which gave his exultation the lie. He knew the battle was not yet won. Luronne echoed his mood. “Beings have just been killed,” she said dully, push- ing a damp lock of hair from her brow. She turned away from the scanner. Tabarni shrugged. “ For- tunes of war, old friend,” he said. “ We’re lucky to be alive ourselves.” He looked at the bulletin board which had been hastily rigged in the 48 observatory. The neutraliser bases were reporting the suc- cess of the first release. Two noted faulty connections which had almost given way under full loading. One neutraliser had been crippled completely by an overload and its robots had been dis- integrated. Through the broad window of the observation dome Tabarni and Luronne could see only the shifting curtain of impenetrable mist which covered the lush vegetation. Through the strato-scanner they could see nothing. The eruption ‘of the attacking scout squadron had distorted all the activity fields within the scanner’s range so that the instrument was useless. Tabarni pulled at his beard. “This is a new problem,” he said. ‘“ Thanks to the success of our first blow we are vir- tually blind. No way of tell- ing now where the marshal intends to attack next. We shall have to keep the neutral- isers running on a low power datum continuously, and jerk comicloooks.com