familiar with.

"How did you manage to capture him?" Thark asked the Sanctioners.

Jamar answered. "We found him in the Comm Section just as we received
your message, Master. We attacked before he could get his weapon out.
He fought well, as you can see, but he could not defeat two of us."
The Sanctioner hesitated.

"Go on," Thark urged him.

"Master Thark--he is shielded! I could not read his intentions!"

"What!" Not another one, Thark denied to himself. He probed Kennard,
only to find the Sanctioner was right. This man was shielded, at least
as well as Menshikov had been. Could he, then, have been mistaken
about the human lack of Talent?

No. He pushed that thought firmly aside, unable to accept it.

Kennard grinned at him, weak but triumphant. "I am, huh? Then Rina
was right--Jim's not a fluke. You've blown it, traitor."

Corina lost contact as the lander lurched, making its firing pass over
Prowler, and then made a fast landing. She was out of her seat almost
as quickly as Nevan, though he beat her to the door. As soon as all
were outside, she said, "Our countdown starts now. Go!"

She was badly disturbed by the bodies littering the landing pad. Even
though she had watched him do it, she found it hard to believe the one
who had taught her so much could be responsible for this. The Thark
she had been so sure she knew would never have been capable of such
slaughter!

She followed Medart's sudden movement toward the green-clad body
halfway to the Palace entrance. He stopped, knelt to turn it over and
close staring eyes, then he looked up at Corina. "Darlas. He never
had a chance."

A taut, quiet voice interrupted. "There is a living one we can still
help, sir."

Medart looked up into cold-steel eyes. "Right. Let's get to the
Throne Room, then."

Hobison and Greggson had already led the rest of the assault group
inside; Corina heard the Security Chief curse, then comment, "They'll
be easy enough to find, Captain. Just follow the bodies."

"Yeah," Hobison agreed tonelessly. "Split up, then. You, Marshall and
Eustazio secure Communications; the rest of us will search-and-silence.
Double-check that your weapons are on stun, then go."

As soon as the rest were out of the way, Medart began leading the other
two through the Palace's private section. Nevan would have been better
at point, but he couldn't know this part of the Palace--

"Down!"

Medart dropped automatically, hea