12 "I don't know," answered Morn, "but we'd
better set up for a leap into the nearest system. There's something
going on there. I've got a feeling we're going to be sent in, and I
don't like it. I don't like it at all. As one of my shipmates used to
say, 'I've got an itch I can't scratch’”
13 A few hours later orders came. "Son's Pride ...Lord's Vengeance. Be
advised the other cruiser attempting to join you has suffered a
malfunction in its leap pod. It will take them two days to repair. They
will follow when they can. Proceed to nearest system. Officer on
station will explain situation. Senior Officer has command. God be with
you all."
14 North sent a hurried communication to Morn. "You're Senior Officer
of this flight. You graduated three hours before I did. But why would
YOU have Command? The Commander of one of the battleships would have
seniority and Command!"
15 Just before they leaped, Morn sent a message that made North shiver.
"If they've given me Command," he answered, "that means the Commanders
and the battleships had not been withdrawn. If they were no longer
there, that meant they had to have been destroyed." What were they
about to leap into? He wasn't sure he wanted to know!
16 In minutes they were appearing on its outskirts of the system that
was suddenly drawing so much attention from Command. What they found
there, appalled them.
17 A cluster of ships hung in orbit far out of the system. Three star
drive destroyers still more or less intact, accompanied by one cutter.
Near them, floated the lifeless hulk of a burned out destroyer, and
another cutter, in somewhat better condition. Only its star drive
engine and system engine were gone.
18 At various points within the system, itself, they detected sixteen
radioactive hot spots that could