Part
Six
Academy Bound
So it was, North completed his ninth year in The Games. That time his friend Morn was in excellent condition, and would only let him take second place. Then for young Havens, the most grueling year of their lives was coming. They faced their last year in The Games, and their last school tests that would decide what positions they would be able to take in their adult lives. Above anything else, North wanted high enough grades to apply for The Academy, and a position in The Imperial Fleet. To do this, he would have to score among the top five-hundred in his race. He would be in competition with every other young male on all his world, and the inhabited colonies. His score on The Tests and his points in The Games would determine whether or not he made it. On top of this, he had almost daily visits from his young rebels, and, not so young ones. Year by year, more and more older men had been joining his group, and there was always the nagging fear in his mind that one of these men would try to take over and change the philosophies he was working for. Already, many of his old leaders were complaining that some of these men were trying to push them from their positions. That was not North's only worry. There was always the fear of a spy getting into thier organization and alearting The Lord's Guard.
North was sitting in his room one afternoon when the worst of his fears were realized. His communicator rang, and he went to answer it. On the screen was Blue Stone. He made a sign that North immediately recognized. He grabbed his pocket computer and plugged it into the machine. Now no one would understand what the two were saying, but each other.
"North," said Blue Stone, "you've got to get a message to your leader right away. I overheard something this afternoon about a rebellion being planned among the young people, and that an informant namee Red Comet has told The Guard where they will be meeting tonight and The Guard plans to seize and interrogate these possible conspiritors."
"Thank you," said North, "I have to hurry."
North knew he had no meeting that evening. It had to be one of his sub-commanders. After a few calls, he chased down the meeting. The sub-commander's name gave him a pretty good idea of how the traitor had gotten into the organization, because it was Grey Comet. When North filled him in, he hurridly gave him half his group's names, and the two young men began to call the group's members, warning them of the trap. After North had completed his list he waited. A few minutes later Grey Comet called.
"I can't reach one of my people," he said, "he's gone out, and his mother said he's not due back until late tonight. Wherever he is, he must be going directly to the meeting from there."
"Where is the meeting supposed to be?"