Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 71 — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

EXPLOITER’S END The Terms stirred. - Starza leaped to the lap of thestatue. He bawled: “Listen! This is sacrilege! You have been victims of a hoax——’” Not listening, they filed in silent groups out of the arena. Their antennz were the colour of ashes. Starza jumped down. He pounded after them. He was shouting at Los Tichnat. “TI know,” Tichnat droned. He kept walking. “You are right. It does not matter that you are right. The Queen- Mother called.” ‘Listen,’ Starza mouthed. “It was a fraud, a trick. You can’t——” *“We must.” Tichnat paused. For a long moment the great faceted eyes stared sombrely. “It was a splendid dream, the thing you offered us. But this is the final reality. And yours is but a dream.” He tramped stolidly on, after the others. The council hall door closed. Starza clawed at the door. It opened. He was too late. They sat silently around the great table, the faceted eyes 65 dead, the antenne corruscat- ing indigo, now green, now rose. Communion. The mesh- ing of minds. Starza shouted at them. Stillness. 3 Starza looked blindly at me. He was shaking. ‘““Carmody,” he said. ““Carmody knows the Term mind. He can do some- thing. Come on,” he said. We found Carmody in his quarters, methodically pack- ing. His eyebrows rose as we burst in. “Did you gentlemen ever try knocking ?”’ Starza just looked at him. Carmody drew a long breath. “You'll find my resignation on your desk, Dave.” “Ah?” Starza’s voice was very soft. “It’s only a question of time,”’ Carmody said. “‘Call it the rat deserting the ship if you like, but I’m through.” Starza was smiling, a fat man’s smile. “So you really think you can pull it off,’”’ he whispered. Carmody shrugged, and Starza calmly took out a sonic pistol and shot him in the belly. conmiclsooks.com