77 Morn and North marched their men from the hall
to the issuing station, where they were issued their books and cadet
daggers. These were no toys, or deactivated weapons, but fully charged
daggers, the same as any Fleet Officer wore. If they were to be
Officers, they had to be trusted with an Officer's weapon, which they
were required to carry at all times.
78 Each Cadet proudly fastened his dagger to his belt, and adjusted it
to the proper angle. North knew he would wear his for the rest of his
life, just as his father had always had his at his side.
79 Morn and North flew home and were soon at their desks, hard at work.
Within hours they were quizzing each other on how to get from place to
place in The Academy, and what officers were at what stations. Finally
North's mother and wife came in and made them take a break. Everyone
laughed and joked. The unbelievable dream had come true.
80 They were thinking about bed when North's communicator rang. It was
one of his Junior Officers. One of the daggers they had been issued was
defective. He now had a Cadet with a missing foot! "Oh, no!" sighed
North, "Not the first day!" He hurried out.
81 It took him five hours to retrieve the dangerously malfunctioning
weapon and make sure his Cadet was getting proper care. The man was in
a panic that he would be flunked, but North assured him that he would
get his lessons in the hospital, and that because the weapon was
defective, he wouldn't be held responsible.
82 When North finally got home, he looked at the clock and moaned as he
crawled into bed. "Will we make it?" he asked his wife.
83 "Of course we will! " she replied. "The Lord is with us, and you two
have The Power. Nothing can stop you!"
84 North smiled and laid his head on her chest. The moment he closed
his eyes, he was asleep!