Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 50 — page 55: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION it out with fingers’ that trembled, he gave it one look, and let it droop laxly from suddenly helpless hands. When he had fallen during his black-out he had landed squarely on the pouch. The mentalarm was smashed beyond repair. “You see, son, it looks as though the deck had been stacked against us.” Old Ben puffed evenly on his pipe and for the first time in his’ life Jarril had no inner disgust at the bite of the fumes. All the dissust he had now was directed inwards—at himself. To hell with Academy training for all its one hun- dred per cent. efficiency—he had recognised something in the commind and the way of life of these people that he had yearned and sought for through all the lonely years of his rigidly disciplined exist- ence. “Isn’t there anything we can do?” Jikko asked, his eyelids twitching. “Anything at all?” “Tt doesn’t look like it, does it?” Foster said carefully. Claire said: “Can’t we. . Her father nodded. “I 33 54 think so. Of course, he’s chock full of all the wrong ideas and notions and as friendly as a starving desert- lynx. But we might be able to do something. At that, we might,” he added reflectively. “What are you driving at?” Jarril felt supremely humble. Like a child lost and alone in the unfriendly dark. “So I realise that I’ve been wrong all my life. Is that easy for any man to accept? Can you really com- prehend what it means, even if you think you do? What do I do now? For God’s sake, you’re not made of stone. What is going to happen to me?” “Isn’t it obvious?” Jikko said roughly and unexpec- tedly. ‘And to think of my store front! Oh, well, it’s our skins, and we have as much aversion to frying as you have, son.” “Youll have to take it rugged,” Foster said. “I told you the commind is always rough at first. Even to us, and we’re born to it.” Ben took up the conversa- tion where it had died when Landau had entered, a seen comicloooks.conn