Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 72 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION happy about all the money we’ve been spending. They say, and I agree with them, that we should have better results than what we have.” Mark dragged at his cigar- ette, bracing himself for what was coming. *“‘He called us inefficient,” said Jelks. “He said that something must be wrong in the set-up for us to have failed in such a simple task. He even hinted that I was to blame.” Jelks stabbed his cigar at an ashtray. “I tried to tell him that a man can’t. attend to everything person- ally, that he can only be as good as his staff. It didn’t impress him.” “You should have sent for me,” said Mark. “‘Maybe I could have convinced him.” “Convinced him of what ?’’ Jelks lowered his eyebrows. “That he was right?” ““Of course not.” “What else? That he was wrong?’ The commander shook his head. “I tried that, Mark, I tried in every way I knew how, but what could I do against the figures?’? He sighed like a man who finds his load almost too heavy to bear. “How many applica- tions have you received this week?” ““Twenty-three.”’ ““How many have been passed by you for higher processing ?” “Five.” “You see?’’ Jelks obviously imagined that he had made a point. “Colburn kept flinging those figures at me. Few applications and fewer ac- ceptances. Damn it, Mark, surely you can do better than that?” “You want me to go out with a gun and drag them in?”’ Mark hesitated, then glanced at the captain. Murbash was engrossed in making doodles on a scratch pad, apparently oblivious to the others. “‘Any- way, we have achieved some results. Deneb Five is going strong.” “Was going strong,” cor- rected Jelks. ““Tell him, Mur- bash.” “‘Deneb Five is finished,” said the captain. He looked up from his pad. “I had to evacuate them on the last trip.” comiclooks.com