Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 71 — page 33: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION Barker refined his original beam once or twice, not to make Mars’ capitulation too easy. But in the end he apparently reached the limit of refinement, and Mars was crushed. Winter never knew how much was planning, how much brilliant improvisation. It was clear before the last Martian ship was accounted for that Barker’s dream of an Earth- Venus-Mars Alliance was coming true. He had managed to keep it a comparatively romantic war. Martians, Ter- rans and Venusians had died bravely, respecting each other —divided only over Barker and his weapon. He had kept the hate personal, so that the men who landed in their hundreds of thousands on Mars from the I.P. ships were ready to drink Martian wine and kiss Martian girls, and blamed everything on Tom Barker and the renegade Win- ter. Through the war the familiar refrain had run: It’s not the Martian people we’re fighting. . .” When they had him and Winter, they did exactly as Barker had predicted. He was 32 able to save Winter com- pletely. Pamela Stonehouse helped, by being there, by being in love, by being beauti- ful. She fell in love with Winter automatically when everyone was against him. She was that kind of girl. They were married long before Winter’s fate was settled. Through the years of Barker’s trial and Winter’s afterward, they were happy—Pam_be- cause she believed in Winter utterly and sincerely, and because she also believed in justice. And Winter because he believed in Barker. The judge said: “And you aver that this man worked under compulsion, day and night, for eighteen months— as your only trusted aide?” Barker said: “‘No. He was not as trusted as he thought he was—but I knew he was no traitor. He worked with me and for me because he thought he could restrain me. Up to a point he could. You have his psychological record. You know he was working for humanity to the best of his ability.” At times Barker went dangerously near revealing conmiclsoOoks.comn