52.
beam, but this was far faster. He had been beamed once before, and knew what to expect. He stepped inside the chamber, there was a slight buzz, everything faded out and then in again, and he was at a receiving station at Academy City. As he stepped out, an old officer greeted him.
"Cadet Officer Northern Star?" he said, "I've been assigned to escort your party to your quarters."
The exchange of salutes was given, and they waited for the rest to arrive. Finally, they stepped from the building and out onto a balcony overlooking Academy City. Through the great dome, the stars, the moons, and Haven could be seen, and stretched out below them, the most beautiful city in all the worlds, or so every arriving cadet thought. Standing with his hands at his sides, North thought,
"I made it! I really made it!"
His mother embraced him on one side, and his wife on the other. For five years, they were home.
** ** **