Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 50 — page 49: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION This was old stuff to him: a situation that might have come straight out of the Academy training manual. The only unsettling element was this damned commind. He did not fear any physical attempt on the part of these neurotic people to stop him before he’d shepherded his prisoners to the rocket and taken off. But there was a nagging little doubt at the back of his mind. He gripped the weapon until the ridged butt bit into his palm, and looked carefully about. He might not be working at a hundred per cent. efficiency, but he was so close now as not to worry about what frac- tion he might be. below par. “Why it had to be people like you who discovered such a tremendous weapon I don’t know,” he said, finding com- fort in the familiar vibrations of his own voice. “But when I get you back to Head- quarters and the commind is broken down, analysed, data compiled and the first ships from Earth go out to the stars equipped with a crew who can call at will on the ser- vices of a commind of their 48 own—then I imagine that I shall not be _ Lieutenant Guardsman very much longer.” He chuckled. “It’s a hundred per cent. certainty that Pll be a Commander Guardsman. A fifty per cent. probability that I shall be a Captain Guardsman. I think I shall like that.” Still the little group of people walking slowly and without trepidation towards the stumpy trading rocket had not spoken and, as though in a dream, Jarril herded them up the ramp and into the coolness of the ship’s interior. With the abrupt cutting off of the sun he, shivered, then shook his head angrily and gestured the others to climb up into the control room. They obeyed silently, wooden-faced, with- out any of the natural re- actions that Jarril expected and was on guard against. Then, so shockingly that Jarril swung his gun errati- cally from one figure tc another and his nostrils flared and trembled with reaction and tightly-drawn nervous readiness, old Ben spoke. comiclooks.conn