al chimed, and Corina called, "Come in, Sunbeam."

"Ready for lunch, Sir Corina?" the small ensign asked as she entered.
"I sure am!"

"In a moment, Sunbeam," Corina replied. *Try now, Ranger, while I
speak to her.*

*You can talk and still monitor?*

*If you can read me while thinking of something else, why not?* Corina
continued aloud, to Sunbeam. "Did you get to finish your xenology
tape?"

"I sure did," was the enthusiastic reply. "It was fascinating, too--I
may take a full course on it, and who knows? I may decide to switch to
Sciences instead of staying a Line officer. I just wish there were
some way I could do both--there's so much to learn, and so much to do!"

Corina purred. "Perhaps there is, or could be. I do not see the two
desires as exclusive; perhaps Ranger Medart can investigate a combined
Line/Science section."

"Not a bad idea," Medart said. "I'll have the Navy look into it, and
if there aren't any major problems, ask His Majesty to implement it."

"Great!" Sunbeam exclaimed. "Would you like to borrow the tape, Sir
Corina? I think you'd enjoy it, and if you're going to the Academy it
might help you pick one of your specialties."

"I would appreciate that. I do expect some difficulty in choosing
those; I have found so few things that do not interest me that I will
probably need considerable help finding three or four to concentrate
on."

Then Corina felt the Ranger's thought. *No trouble, she's not even
screened. But it seemed somehow harder with her than with you, not
easier. Any idea why?*

*Not immediately, no,* Corina replied, puzzled. *As I said earlier, it
should be the other way around. Let me think about it, please.*

*Okay.* Medart continued aloud, to both. "Well, why not go eat? Then
give her the grand tour, Sunbeam, anything she wants to see. Just have
her at Briefing Room One by 1600."

"Yes, sir."

VI

Lunch was good, and the tour was interesting, if tiring. The ship had
more machinery of more differing types than Corina had ever seen in one
place before, and they covered a lot of territory. Despite extensive
use of the intraship shuttles, that meant a lot of walking. Normally
that would have caused Corina no problems, but hard metal decks instead
of grass or rubberoid sidewalks made her feet hurt. That made their
arrival at the Security section a relief, since Sunbeam had promised it
would be their last stop.

It was obvious to Corina that