62.
have had experience with that, except in Simulator. I can tell you personally, it's no fun."
The officer held up a hand that was not quite the same color as the rest of his body. "This sometimes happens with cloned replacement parts." It was obvious at one time the officer had lost half his lower arm and it had been replaced. "Well, that's enough for today, gentlemen. You'd better get home. Class dismissed!"
All the cadets came to their feet and said in almost perfect unison, "Thank you, sir," and North selected a cadet to lead them to Dispersal Point. When they arrived there, North found Morn waiting or them, and together they winged skyward.
"Hey, Morn," North began, "the instructor said today I've been recommended for The Academy Medal of Valor. Do you think I'll get it?"
"You'd better," Morn told him, "or there'll be fifty new officers launching an official protest!"
Both laughed as they landed on their balcony. Upon entering the apartment, North's wife met him.
"There's a message tape for you," she told him. "Came about an hour ago by a private carrier."
North picked up the tape and went into his office. It was from Blue Stone. The Lord's Guard hadn't gotten anywhere in investigating Morn's mother's death, but North's own people had. Not only had they tracked down the assassin guild involved, but they had somehow managed to find out who had hired it. After reading the tape, North looked up to Morn who was sitting across from him.
"Something important?" asked his friend.
North took the tape from his viewer and tossed it to Morn. "Read this," he said.
When Morn was done reading he doubled his fist and slammed it down on the heavy metal desk, denting it in. Very few times had North seen Morn demonstrate his tremendous physical strength in anything near anger, but he knew it would take a hydraulic press to repair the top of that desk!
"North, we have to turn this information over to The Guard!"
"I think they already have it," North replied. "Did you see the name on that report? That woman's brother is a Guard Commander, only one step removed from The High Command!"
"How did you get this information, North?" Morn asked, staring at his friend.
"I have my sources," the other answered, "but they must remain secret. That is why they omit their names, and use code names."
"If not The Guard, what else?" Morn continued.
"We do it ourselves," North explained. "It's been done before. I