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ship's energy supply and could be dangerous when approaching a friendly vessel. Stationary shields present a solid wall which fast moving objects would bounce off, but the shock wave of the impact could tear a ship apart. While deflectors use the lowest amount of energy, they offer more protection as they deflect matter and energy away from the vessel causing a minimum of shock to the vessel."
"Is he correct, gentlemen?" asked the instructor.
North pressed 'no', but apparently most of the other cadets pressed 'yes.' Even the instructor seemed puzzled when he looked at the screen.
"Northern Star, why do you say your fellow cadet is in error?"
North stood. "Sir, the cadet is not in error, but he forgot to mention the second reason why disruptor shields are no good for ships. They'll stop matter, but they're useless against energy. A technical error, sir, but a dangerous one to be unaware of."
"You are correct, cadet," replied the instructor. "Keep that in mind, gentlemen. I will expect you to have graphs ready on the amount of input to the amount of shielding on standard units for a Class C vessel. That will be all on shielding today. We'll now take up the subject on how to deal with the emergency situation of a defective hand weapon. A rare occurance, but a dangerous one. As Northern Star has had bitter experience with this subject, we'll let him give a run-down on standard procedure."
"Sir," North put in, "the standard procedure for dealing with a defective side arm is, 1. As quickly as possible evacuate the immediate area....2, Equip yourself with a ray-shielded thermal blast suit and attempt to examine the weapon. If there is a malfunctioning crystal, you should attempt to remove the power pack and render the weapon harmless. 3, If it is a leaking power pack, the entire weapon must be sealed in a blast case and disposed of. You cannot disarm a leaking power pack."
"What procedure did you use, North?"
"I violated procedure, sir. The weapon was lying precariously on top of a bureau in the middle of an eight tier barraks with an injured man in proximity. I evacuated the area and removed the power pack without shields."
Several of the class members whistled.
"Apparently, gentlemen, you are aware of the chance cadet Star took with that action. You should also know that his actions probably saved the life of the injured man. If he had waited to get shielding, the man would have probably died. When Cadet Star leaves The Academy he will most probably be wearing The Academy Medal of Valor and I might add, this all happened his first day here! But I will warn you, gentlemen, except in extraordinary circumstances don't go near a defective weapon without a ray-shielding blast suit. It's a damned good way to get incinerated trying without one! Tomorrow we will discuss the same procedure for fixed high-yield units. I'm sure none of you