73.
went well as the instructor went down, then Morn and his companion. North stepped into the chamber and watched his fellow cadet do likewise. Everything whirled out around him, and he materialized over the landing spot. However, he was not a few inches off the ground as he was supposed to be, but a good six feet! He had no time to do anything but drop, landing on the edge of a bubbling hot spring, and nearly tumbling in. He heard a startled cry, and turned to see his fellow cadet plunging for the boiling water! Instinctively, one arm went across his eyes, and the other reached for his shield generator, but it was too late. The other cadet hit the scalding water, and it spashed over North in a searing wave. North fell to the ground, screaming in pain. His clothes had protected much of his body, but his bare legs, arms and face were terribly burned.
Suddenly someone pulled his hands away from his face and screamed for him not to touch it. With the burning fire in his brain, North barely recognized Morn's voice. The instructor was calling into his communicator, telling the ship to send no one else down.
"Cease transport!" he called, "Cease transport! Malfunction! Malfunction!"
"Understood!" the ship answered. "Transport malfunction number one unit. We've had a blow out in the disperser unit. What is your status?"
"We've got a casualty," the instructor told them, "and an injury. The injury looks pretty bad. We've given him a shot from one of our emergency kits, but he's badly burned. Can you get a med team down here?"
"Working," said the ship. "Give us a few minutes."
Morn was doing the best he could, bandaging North from their first aid kits, but he knew his friend needed medical attention quickly. "Tell them if the transporters aren't operating, don't wait! Send down a bus!" he cried. The instructor agreed, and sent the message.
"It's on its way," the ship replied. "The transporters are out in all sections. The blow out hit the main control's circuitry. The ship will be there in twenty minutes."
"They can't land here!" said the instructor. "There's a flat stretch about a thousand yards to the east. We'll be there!"
They hurriedly pulled the dead cadet from the water, then carried North over the rough terrain to the landing site. Even that short distance was difficult for them on foot, especially carrying North without a stretcher. The ship was already down and waiting when they arrived. Even with the anti-shock drugs, and blood replacement fluid that was being pumped into him, North was in a coma by the time he was wheeled into the ship's hospital. All other plans were dropped. The ship broke oribit and headed for the nearest colony.
Three days later North awoke and found himself in a Med-Com. Morn and the ships commander were asleep in chairs, nearby. North turned