e been different."

"But he wasn't." Medart nodded to the Sandeman. "You can go back to
whatever you were doing, Lieutenant; I know you're not on watch right
now."

"Thank you, sir." Nevan bowed to Corina, then left.

Medart gave Corina his full attention. If he hadn't just watched her
do it, he would have found it almost impossible to believe one small,
delicate-looking student could defeat five Marines at all, much less do
it so quickly and with so little apparent effort. Her demonstration
didn't make the actual threat any worse, of course; it just made the
magnitude of that threat a lot more apparent. The White Order was a
small group compared to the rest of the Empire, but with that type of
power, it wouldn't take many of them to cause a major disruption.
Especially if they selected their targets carefully, which Medart had
no doubt would be the case.

He'd better find out her potential as soon as he could, he decided. If
she wasn't Ranger material, best to know it right away and go from
there; if she was, she should be wearing the badge. It was a demanding
job, but he enjoyed the challenges, and so would she if she had what it
took--which he found himself hoping she did. "That was a very
impressive demonstration, Sir Corina," he said then. "I think you and
I need to have a serious talk. Let's go to my quarters, where we won't
be disturbed."

* * * * *

Corina settled into the armchair Medart indicated, her legs curled
under her, and accepted the glass of milk he offered. He had sounded
quite somber when he had mentioned the demonstration, and had been
silent on the way here, but there was something in his attitude that
gave her the impression of hope, as well.

His first question startled her. "Have you given any thought to what
you're going to do with your life, now that you've gone against the
White Order?"

All she could do for a moment was look at him. Finally she said, "I
have hardly had time to think about that, Ranger. I suppose I will
return to my original ambition, which was to attend the Imperial
Military Academy; being a naval officer appears to be the most
practical way for me to explore the Empire while being of service to
it."

That was promising, Medart thought--very promising. "I don't mean to
rush you," he told her. "I have a couple of ideas on that line myself,
so I'm naturally curious, but I don't need to know right this second.
You're welco