Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 54 — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION alone, his thoughts were back on Earth—back in the labora- tories where he had spent most of his adult life. Again and again he asked himself why Goldfarb had picked him for this assignment. Others, more qualified, had been sent out with android teams on routine interplanetary voyages—but he had been given the tremendous respon- sibility of taking the latest miracle of the android makers, the Granellas, on the first Interstellar project. He had accepted the assign- ment, naturally, fully con- scious of the honour that was thus bestowed on him. The matter of the time factor, and the strain it would involve, had not occurred to him at first. The maximum period of absence from the laboratories on an interplanetary detail was twelve months—he had done two such stints. During the short trips, tension always arose between _ the humans and androids. It was inevitable. The liaison officer performed his function as a buffer, secure in the knowledge that any friction would immediately be nulli- 26 fied when he and his detail were transferred at the end of the voyage. But the Astra- venturer project was different —it would last a lifetime, with no relief. And the Granellas ... He swung his feet over the side of the bunk and moved into a sitting position as the door of the cabin opened, to admit Admans. “Hallo there, Mark. Come to inspect the prisoner ? What’s the verdict ?’’ said Mayo, with a friendly smile. The little man’s face was grave. “Look, Mayo. I don’t pretend to know what made you do what you did—or quite why I stopped Tutin blasting you, back in the engine room. But don’t try my patience by being flippant about it.” Mayo’s expression hard- ened. “I had my reasons— and, somehow, it seemed the right thing to do, at the time.”’ “Why not let me be the judge ofthat?” asked Admans. “Sorry, feller—this is some- thing I have to work out in my own way,” replied Mayo. Admans walked over and comiclooks.cormn