those chunks around us."
118 "We're going to hide, sir?" inquired Firing Control.
119 "Damn right!" answered North. "Better to hide now, and fight later,
than to fight now and die. What in the name of Hades was that?"
120 "It was an automatic," explained Firing control. "Nothing more
than engines, beam tube, and computer brain. It turned away from that
gravitational field like it wasn't there."
121 There was a sudden blast and the Communications Officer screeched.
For a moment smoke obscured him, until the ventilators drew it away.
"Communications, you alright?" asked North.
122 "Yes, sir," the man answered, "Just got burns on my hands. My
console's gone, though. Overload. Damned circuit breakers didn't work
again."
123 North sat back in his chair and pressed the code for engineering.
"Chief Engineer here," came the reply.
124 "This is the Commander," North announced. "What's our status?"
125 "Not very good, sir. The starboard system engine is badly damaged.
The control systems to the starboard star drive are out. Our starboard
beam tube back here is out."
126 "How long for repairs?" asked North.
127 "I can have the star drive engine going in about twenty hours, five
days on the system engine. We'll need yard work on the beam tube. We'll
have to haul out the whole unit. And I'm worried about the supports to
the star drive. I'm going to inspect them, now."
128 "What about casualties?" inquired North.
129 "We've got five serious injuries," continued the Engineer, "but the
Doctor already has them."
130 "Stand by," ordered North. "I'll be down in a few minutes. I want
to look at those supports, too."
131 North punched out the code for the sickbay. The Doctor answered.
"What's the status on the injuries,