Chapter Twenty-Seven
For two-and-a-half days the crew had to deal with
crying, sick children, extra gravity, and a persistent enemy that, like
themselves, took extra Gs in the hope of overtaking and destroying them.
2 "We'll have to slow down," warned Helm, as they approached the leap
coordinants. "We can't leap at this speed. We'd end up in the middle of
The Empire."
3 Morn looked at his instruments. The enemy behind them was dangerously
close. The little girl in his lap moaned, shifted her weight, trying to
get comfortable, and went back to sleep. The boy at his feet, about
three years older than his sister, continued to play with the toy ship
the Engineers had quickly put together, ignoring the extra gravity.
4 Morn had wanted to leave his charges in his cabin, but the little
girl had cried so, he had brought them with him. All the Officers on
the command deck were either holding a child, or had one sleeping or
playing at their feet. The children seemed to be terrified of letting
their new-found protectors out of their sight. Perhaps this was easily
understandable.
5 "We'll slow down," agreed Morn, "only long enough to make the leap. I
wish we didn't HAVE to at all. Some of these children aren't going to
make it, but none of them would survive if we had to make the run by
star drive."
6 Morn knew that a Commander often might have to make such decisions,
but it didn't make it any easier. Four or five of the children would
not survive the leap, but none of them would if he didn't make it. So
he had to think of the many instead of the few.
7 Still, after visiting sick bay, and seeing those little ones still
fighting for life, Morn wanted to cry. But he would still do what had
to be done, and pray those little souls would forgive him.