The Merchandise Guide
Annual 1975

'the beak'. The central areas are capable of taking a variety of units--'pod mo- dules'--designed to carry stores, personnel, or speci- fically equipped with survey machinery, medical facility or armaments. The Eagles themselves can be mounted with assault laser eqiup- ment and missile racks.    For travel upon the surface of the Moon itself, there is a fleet of Moon Buggies-- propelled by electrically operated enclosed combus- tion units using a revolu- tionary re-cycling fuel. These buggies are capable of indefinite mileage, and are fitted with a floating suspension that can give a smooth ride over the most inhospitable terrain. Their tyres--made of an expanded synthetic, have enough grip to allow the vehicles man- oeuverability up almost vertical faces.    Coming within the Service section, the buggies are the responsibility of Sandra

Benes, although Chief Tech- nician Joe Wallis is virtually in charge of them. The excur- sions they make out on the surface--to the waste dis- posal areas, for example-- are monitored by static scanners connected directly to Main Mission.    Each of Moonbase's inha- bitants, from Commander Koenig downwards, carries a piece of eqiupment known as a Comlock. A remarkable device, carrying a photo- graph of its owner for identi- fication, each is program- med to answer a call. An array of buttons brings into play its many operations. It needs pressure on one to open doors, on another to contact the various depart- ments, another to bring in two-way television, and so on. Each person's Comlock is eqiupped to open only the doors through which he is entitled to pass, thus assist- ing Moonbase security. Commander Koenig's Com- lock is also able to impart instructions from him to the computer.    Key personnel of Moon- base--and the security guards as well--carry in addition a stun-gun. A so- phisticated weapon using hypersonic impulses, it can be adapted at the touch of a

control to fire lethal rays in the form of high-frequency radio waves generating in- tense heat. Conversely, it can project a heat-absorp- tion beam that will 'freeze' anything it touches.    The other armaments upon Moonbase include a 'force- shield' of laser-type rays, capable of warding off meteorites. Even compara- tively large bodies can be disintegrated by this means, although the power required for the force-field's use on a large scale is a severe drain on the colony's power re- sources, and is only used as a final resort.    Additionally, there is a sonic bombarder, devised by Milo Kovacz, Technician, Class One. This impulse pro- jector is effective against hostile alien craft which approach too closely to the Moon's surface, and is a vivid proof of the will of the space castaways to live-- and keep living.

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