Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 67 — page 123: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION I launched myself out of the port, the wrench held ready. That was the longest ten feet I ever fell. I was sure that Chambers must turn round, look upwards and pull that trigger. But he never knew a thing. The wrench crashed down on his helmet, shattering it as if -it had been ordinary, brittle glass. A bubbling, blood- choked scream sounded briefly over the suit radio, picked up by his throat mike, and he folded into the dust under the impact of my body. The Old Man helped me to my feet. “Thank you, Samuels,” he said, reaching out an armoured hand. We stood there for a moment, under the big greeny globe that never sets, then he said: *‘There’s no need to talk about this.” . That was all; not an order, “not a question—but I under- stood. We picked up the thing that had been Chambers and carried it aboard the ship, stowing it beside the body of Wilson. I boarded the crawler and drove off to a safe distance to watch the blastoff. I watched until the supply ship’s drive dwindled to a small point of 122 light, indistinguishable from the stars. Chambers was going back to Earth, and Wilson. When they got there, I knew what the Old Man would arrange. There would be a funeral for the two of them. All the pomp and glory of full mili- tary honours, with the Old Man marching at the head of the procession in his full-dress uniform. And he was right. Chambers could have been any one of us. You can’t just dismiss the manasacoward ora murderer. He was a man who did his duty to the best of his ability until he cracked up, and it just so happened that his mind went before his body. There’s no need to tell the world the way he died; goddam me if I sound mealy- mouthed. I’m not used to say- ing this kind of thing—none of us are. We’re the stiff upper lip boys. In his own way, Chambers died for the Moon Base. That’s what counts. They can talk all they like on that blasted U.N. committee, but whatever they say or do, they can never change the fact that we got here first. And, by God, we'll stay! comicloooks.conn