busy stripping three for parts. "You know your
hand is burned, sir," said the Second Officer.
49 "Yeah, I know," answered Morn, "it's just a flash burn, nothing
serious. How's the ventilation droid?"
50 One of the Engineers went over to a console and began speaking into
a pick up. A moment later he returned. "He's a little scorched around
the edges, sir, but he's finished his work. The ship's ventilation
systems are secure. He also reports the ventilation droid in the pod is
about half finished. All the upper levels are done."
51 "Our swords seem to have virtually no effect. Why?"
52 "It's got deflectors, sir," explained Number Two, "from the side you
could see our beams being diffused. Perfect pattern."
53 "It's got to have a weakness," Morn cursed, "it's GOT to! For some
reason it wasn't able to attack the machinery on the surface. There's
got to be a reason! These damned things obviously survive in
the vacuum of open space. What, on that planet's surface, bothered it?
54 Get me the leader of that mining colony. Tell him to come down
through the forward hatch. He doesn't have to worry about contaminating
us. The computer will tell him when it's safe to open the hatch." Morn
thought to the ship, "Computer, where IS that thing?"
55 "In the access tube," the computer answered. "Its combat with you
drained its strength. It stopped to consume the synthetic sugar you
left in the shaft. It's taking its time."
56 "See how long it takes," Morn told the computer. Morn turned to the
engineer he had assigned to installing the sterile fields. "Are those
sterile fields in place?" he asked.
57 "Yes sir," the man said. He went over to the console and pressed in
a code.
58 "Press seventy-six on your command com," he