"Inject crystal!"
9 Again the warship vanished, but when it re-appeared, it was almost
exactly in the position that it had left from. "Less than half a degree
off, sir!" cried Helm. "Couldn't have done better with standard
navigational techniques!"
10 "Send a message to Command Headquarters! " snapped North to
Communications. "Tell them to commence Operation Backfire! My previous
instructions are to be carried out to the letter. I want operations
commencing by the time we return to Hades!"
11 Within hours a former Godden girl's school in the desert to the
south of The Hashon Capitol became a hive of activity. Quarters were
prepared for two-thousand-five-hundred Officers, plus one-thousand
support personnel. Five-hundred simulated command decks were set up on
the school grounds, and connected to a central computer.
12 In less than a week the ships and crews that would go were selected,
and also, the Officers that would assist them in training.
13 Finally, in the school's auditorium-theater, everyone was packed in.
The Officers up front wore blue arm bands while those behind them wore
red. North walked up on the stage, and a heavy silence filled the air.
14 "Gentlemen!" he began, "For the next three months none of you leave
this base, nor do you communicate with anyone unless it is an absolute
emergency. You are about to take part in the most ambitious
mission ever conducted. Those wearing the blue arm bands will be going
to the objective. Those wearing the red will be training them. You will
be the opposing force that we must fight against.
15 Remember, gentlemen, your part here, is as important as ours. You
must prepare us for every possible