mately two thousand, does it
not?"

"Just about. And no passengers this trip."

"Then assuming even half as many humans--in this picked group; the true
number, from Thark's experience, is far less--as Irschchans are at all
Talented, an assumption he would not credit, we can expect to find at
most ten, in addition to the ones we already have. Fewer would not
surprise me."

"And there are how many in the Prime Chapter?"

"Nine. The most dangerous are Thark, who is my problem, then Senior
Adepts Valla and Kainor, who I am afraid will be yours and perhaps
Colonel Greggson's, if his shield is as strong as I first thought."

"We should have some element of surprise with shields, shouldn't we?
From what you said, they won't be expecting even that much."

"True, but even shields will give only a temporary advantage. They
will adapt quickly, and they are powerful. You will have to use the
few seconds the shields give you to stun or kill them. I will be no
help there; Thark will be keeping me fully occupied. And I am sure
there will be Sanctioners to deal with, as well as the Seniors."

"Yeah. Well, if we're going to have any chance at all, we'd better
find ourselves that assault group. And it could take days, at this
rate; this is a damn big ship." He thought for a moment. "You did say
you can sense the presence of a shield. Isn't there any way you can
use that to speed this up, find them all today?"

"There is one way," Corina admitted, "but I dislike using it. I could
find shielded minds, then direct you to a nearby unscreened one to
determine location. That, however, involves probing many who lack
Talent."

"And I know how you feel about that. But you can't be absolutely sure
you've guessed Thark's timing right, can you?"

Corina shook her head. "No, I cannot. You are correct, the necessity
for speed is more important than my reluctance. Very well, but go no
deeper than you must to determine location."

"Right."

No longer interested in a physical search, the two Rangers found an
unoccupied passenger lounge and began the mental one. With Corina's
Talent and Medart's knowledge of the ship, it went quickly; they found
eleven, besides the known three, with enough shield to be worth further
testing. Hobison's, they already knew, was adequate, and Corina was
less than enthusiastic about meeting Greggson again, so they decided to
check with the young Sandeman first. His shield was strong, she knew