Chapter Twenty-Nine
The next few hours he spent in sickbay getting a
blood transfusion. The next leap went well, and they had only a few
hours set up time for the next. When they leaped again, they were ready
for battle. Then scanners reached out to detect their fleeing comrade
and his pursuers. They didn't have to look hard. Morn was dead ahead of
them, coming fast, about three hours away.
2 "He's got trouble and a half!" said Firing Control. "One of his star
drive engines is about failed. His leap pod's gone. He's taken at least
two good hits forward, and several aft. One of his system engines is
gone. There's still five of them pursuing them in tight formation, but
it's hard to read them. They're in his wake from that malfunctioning
engine. The only way I can pick them up is by their exhaust trails.
3 It looks like he's been busy! There's two gas clouds slowly drifting
down on the planet. There's another one about a day away, and there's
two ships limping back to the planet, putting out a lot of radiation."
4 "He's sure cut down the odds!" agreed North. "If we can't see them,
they can't see us, right?"
5 "Affirmative, sir. As long as they stay in his wake they're blind to
anything dead ahead of him."
6 "Good," snarled North, "let's hope they don't send out any out
runners and we can take them by surprise. Communications, any signal
from The Son's Pride?"
7 "I've sent in a tight beam twice, sir," Communications replied. "Not
a peep!"
8 "Keep trying every few minutes," ordered North, "it's imperative we
have data from him. Firing Control, arm and prime the negative bolt
projector. I'm not planning to approach until the last moment. Have Morn
drop away, go after one of the destroyers, and at the same time throw a bolt at
their major ship. With a little luck we might