secret. Now, they had another reason to make
haste!
35 "Excuse me," remarked the droid, "but if my children are to help
your Engineers, I must program them. They do not respond to any verbal
commands but my own. As I said, they are quite primitive."
36 The droid hurried off and almost as he left the command deck the
Doctor entered. "Forty-two of them are dead," he announced, "and I
think several others will die as soon as we remove them from
suspension. I almost wish we didn't have to. They'd probably go a lot
more peaceful in the chambers. But there's just no way to tell for
sure, until we turn off the units."
37 Morn nodded. "You'd better get to it," he ordered, "I've just found
out this system has frequent visitors that would vaporize us on sight.
Give the Engineers a few minutes to get some of the oxygen bottles out
to the shuttles. As soon as they're ready, start waking the children,
and pray!"
38 "Yes, sir," the Doctor nodded, and hurried off.
39 The next two days were a frantic blur for everyone, as they worked
feverishly waking the children. They were all too weak to walk, and
each had to be carried to the waiting shuttle ...those that could be
moved at all. Eleven more died almost the moment the suspension
chambers were turned off. Six died a short time later, despite
everything the Doctor could do.
40 Finally, they were all up on the ship, and the pod was being
stripped of what material would be of use to them. Finally, Morn made
one last trip down to pick up the last oxygen containers, and, the
droids.
41 It was no easy job, getting the six small units out to the bus. They
weren't made to travel on smooth, icy surfaces, but finally the last
one was lifted in.
42 Morn and the Engineer took six conversion bombs from the shuttle,
placed four in the pod and two in the solar generator, then, evacuated.
"It's a shame," moaned