26 In his mind's eye North could see each vessel.
When I.S. named off one ship in particular, "The Pride Of Hades," an
old battleship now, reclassified as a cruiser, North cringed. Every
time he came near an Officer of that ship or heard its name mentioned,
that same strange feeling struck him. Why? What was so damned unusual
about that ship? North let it pass. When the full complement was
registered, North gave the order to move out. They were on their way!
27 They would approach their final destination by different routes. By
the time The Goddens relayed that a fleet was massing there, there
would be little they could do. An additional fifty ships under the
command of Gray Mountain had already entered the system,
travelling slowly so The Empire could not pick up their hyper waves.
These ships would go before the main attack forces and clear their
route in the single Imperial system they would have to enter, besides
Haven.
28 As they lined up for their leaps, there were sometimes hours or days
of travel. North used these breaks to visit each vessel, and double
check its readings.
29 When his shuttle landed on The Pride Of Hades, that feeling again
reached him. He cordially talked with the crew, but instead of
departing at the scheduled time, told the ship's Commander that he was
extremely tired, and asked if he might spend a rest cycle on the vessel.
30 "Of course," agreed the Ship's Commander. "You may use my cabin. I
am just beginning
my cycle so you will have plenty of time to sleep before
I need it again."
31 "Most kind!" thanked North. North was genuinely tired, but what he
really wanted was to be alone on the ship to investigate more this
strange feeling he had. Laying on the Commander's bed, North reached
into the darkness with his mind. He could feel the length and width of
the ship. He could touch every crewperson with his mind.