Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 72 — page 94: what you’re looking at

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

REWARD FOR VALOUR without you adding to the injuries.” “TI mean,” I amended, “I’m going to catch hell from the government if I don’t get back to Marsport on time.” “Thought you was the government,” he said, and looked up at me closely again. “I just work for it,” I answered. “It doesn’t treat me any better than it does you.” And that isn’t the half of it, brother. You'll never know. ‘*“Fancy that,’ he com- mented seriously. “‘Well, the boys up at the mine told me you wasn’t as nasty as most inspectors. Reckon maybe so. Too bad you work for the government, son. You could be mighty nigh human in spite of being Earthborn.” **I didn’t ask for the job,” I said. “‘I was drafted into it. People on the Earth don’t like the government any better than you do. They’d never get enough employees if they didn’t draft them.” “You mean there’s still decent people left on Earth? Been so long since I visited 93 there, I kind of got into the habit of thinking everybody on Earth was a government man living off us colonists.” He dropped the conversa- tion, when I didn’t comment, and went to the back of the ticket office cage. He ran a long and dirty finger nail down a stained schedule, and then came back to the window where I waited. ““Next shuttle’s due today,” he said. ‘“‘We ain’t had one for nigh a week. Yep, ought to be due today—or tomorrow—or the next day for sure. This is the end of the line, and if nobody’s coming out here, sometimes they don’t come all the way. Depends who’s on it. One of the ordinary shuttle bums, and you can expect it when you see it coming. If MacNab’s on it, you can expect it when it’s due— maybe today.” As simply and easily as that, my fate was introduced. Mac- Nab, the cause of my death— and the restoration of my life. You brought us up all wrong, grandfather. You taught us that honour and truth were im- comiclooks.cormn