o stare at her.

"No!" She shook her head, keeping herself from yowling by sheer force
of will. "I cannot--I am not good enough--"

"Wrong," Davis said. "I'd hoped Ranger Medart could persuade you, but
he obviously hasn't been able to; may I ask why?"

"I have just said, sire. I will do everything I can to help--I am
doing it--but I am not qualified for that."

Davis shook his head. "You're the only one who has even a chance
against Thark, and you're as qualified as any of the rest of us to be a
Ranger--maybe more so, as Ranger Medart told me, with that Talent of
yours. None of us asked for this job, and none of us felt capable of
handling it at first. You can do what we cannot. Will you face Thark
for us, as a Ranger?"

Corina remained silent, overwhelmed by his intensity.

"Let me," Medart said quietly. "Corina, you came to us originally
because your honor--the part of it we call loyalty--demanded it. It
wouldn't let you permit Thark to destroy the Empire. Right?"

"Yes." Her answer was almost inaudible.

"Will that same honor let you stop now, when you know you're the only
chance the Empire has?" That might be putting it a bit strongly,
Medart thought--but after her demonstration, it might also be the
precise truth.

She stared down at the table for what seemed like eons before she was
able to answer. "No."

Looking up, she continued. "You are correct. I will face Thark. But
I see no need to do so as a Ranger."

Tension built in the silent room as Corina thought. It wasn't fair,
she felt. They were trying to . . . perhaps force was not the right
word, but urge her into something she did not feel capable of. It was
almost impossible for her to accept the idea that feeling unqualified
was part of what made her qualified. It did not seem reasonable. And
it was just too much!

Medart answered her unspoken thoughts. "No, it isn't fair. And the
reasoning may not be obvious, but from our experience, it is logical."

"This is just as much a war as the one we fought with the Traiti,"
Forrest added, with a curious glance at Medart. "Even though the
Empire tries to be fair, Sir Corina, we can't always manage, especially
in this kind of emergency."

"Take some more time, Sir Corina," Emperor Davis said suddenly,
sounding sympathetic. Forrest threw him a quick glance, so Davis
continued. "It was a hard enough decision for us. She's already had
to go through one drastic change; we can't