Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 67 — page 85: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION Men being what they are, they had to. The view-tapes helped, their own optimism helped even more, but there was only one man who could totally vanquish their fear. It took a long time. Thorne emerged at last, his eyes red with lack of sleep, his face haggard with strain. Silently, he set up a micro- scope in the rec-room and carefully adjusted a slide. “Did you find it?” Stanley refused to let himself feel hope. ““You know what killed him ?’’ “Tl know.” “Well?” “It isn’t a virus.” Thorne smiled crookedly at their gasp of relief. ““Not that it does us any good.” “Why not?’ Leman, his face flushed and beaded with perspiration, forward. ‘‘I knew that we had nothing to fear from an alien virus. We’re too far divorced for it to be able to affect our body chemistry. The entire cpacert is ice lous.”’ Thorne shrugged. “‘Look.”’ He pointed towards the micro- scope. ““You look, Leman; it should interest you.” Leman stooped for a long time over the eyepiece and, when he finally straightened, he seemed puzzled. He stopped for a second look. “Bugs,” he said. “Insects. Like ants, or spiders, or beetles, or <. .” *“A mixture of them all?” Thorne nodded. “‘Odd, isn’t it?” “You got these from Feo: ridge?” Stanley straightened from the eyepiece as Klien took his turn. “1 did.” “They killed him?” “Veo * “Then we're safe!”? Klien ‘almost shouted in his relief. thrust himself “Then what: killed Hem ridge ?” said Klienimpatiently= 84 “‘We can protect ourselves, kill the bugs and flame-burn the ship.”’ He began to laugh. “Hell, we’ve fought insects all our lives back home, and we win every time.” ““‘Dowe?” Thorne ikiacted “rather: doubt that, not while insects still outnumber men by several million to one, but that doesn’t. matter. You comiclbooks.cormn