Part
Eight
The New Leaders
After two days to settle in, the time finally came that every young Haven male dreamed of from the time he was old enough to think. They were formed in ranks outside The Academy's lecture hall. North found it strange and almost unbelievable to be standing at the head of one of the two columns. He was Cadet Commander of B Group. He looked back down the line of the young men behind him. Finally, an officer called them to attention and they were marched down corridors and acrossed to their seats. As North sat down he looked acrossed to Morn sitting opposite him. Both young men smiled. When all were in the hall, and seated, someone called "Attention!" and everyone was back on their feet, standing rigid. From the corner of the stage before them, an officer entered with a uniform bearing more medals and service marks than North had ever seen. When he reached the podium, he sat the read-out board he was carrying on it, and spoke to the audience.
"Good day, gentlemen!" he said. The "Good day, sir!" he received in reply was almost deafening. "If you haven't guessed," the man continued, "I'm Red Star, Commandant of this Academy, and from now on, until you graduate, I am almost your God. When I give an order, you will follow it without question as well as the orders of my instructors, upper classmen, or your fellow classmen, I tell you to obey. But also, any problems you have, you will have my call number. If I can't help you, I'll direct you to somebody who can. You are entering what will probably be the five most grueling, hectic and bitter years of your life. They are meant to be. The course you will take here is designed to put pressure on you, if it can, to break you, for far better you break under pressure here, than in a command chair where the lives of as many as three hundred people or maybe millions can depend on your actions. You are five hundred of the best. You have passed through the most grueling physical and mental tests that could be designed, to get here. The mere fact that you've made it, means you're above average. When you leave here, you'll be the best. You'll be officers of The Imperial Fleet, ship commanders, or command deck officers of the greatest Unity that has ever existed. But don't get too confident....three years ago, out of the five-hundred that started in that class, only one-hundred and thirty graduated! That's not a record, but it was the worst class I ever had, and I don't want a repeat. If you flunk out the first year, you'll be done with the service. If you don't make it the second year, you'll most probably be transferred to Ground Academy and be done with The Fleet, except as a passenger. If you don't make it the third year, you will probably end up as a low-risking engineer or technician. If you get to the fourth year, you'll probably make it as a navigator, beamer, or the like. But if you graduate, it's the greatest prize of all. The top five get command positions. The next ten will get second officer's positions. The next twenty, third officers, the rest, whatever positions on the command deck they best fill, but with top placings on the promotions list. So you've got alot to work for and a lot to lose. You cadet officers have an extra load. It is your job to inspect your men each