Like most Rangers, he'd
learned to follow his occasional hunches, and one had hit him on the
way up to the Chang. Corina Losinj was important, both to the Empire
and--on a very personal basis--to a certain James Medart. His hunches
were seldom specific, so he didn't have any idea how or why she was
important, but he was certain she was. That was part of the reason he'd
called her his special assistant, and had her assigned quarters near
his own.

He looked up as Hobison entered. "Everything set, Dave?"

"Yes, sir," Hobison replied. "And I had Communications call the
Palace, your personal code. We should be getting a reply any time, and
it'll be patched through to here."

"Thanks." Medart was appreciative, though he hadn't expected any less
from the man who'd captained his ship for the past twenty years. "This
is something I'm not looking forward to telling His Majesty."

The briefing room screen flickered blue, then cleared to show a lean,
gray-haired man wearing a Ranger's uniform with the Imperial Seal in
place of the badge. Both men on the Chang stood and saluted.

Emperor Charles Davis returned the salute. "What is it, Jim? You
wouldn't be back on duty if it weren't critical."

"Rebellion, sir." Medart reported all he had learned, both from the
probe of Entos and from Corina, watching the Emperor's expression
become grim. And he reported his hunch.

Davis nodded. "Follow it up. Learn all you can about their Talent,
too. The White Order's never given us any trouble before, so they were
entitled to their privacy, but that's over now. We can't afford to
keep depending on stories and rumors."

"She's agreed to give any help she can, sir, as I said, and that
includes briefing me on Talent."

"Good. I'll alert the nobility, have them take extra precautions since
they're bound to be targets. You're on-scene; do you think I should
have a fleet cordon off Irschcha itself?"

"No, sir," Medart replied. "Thark's smart, we know that. If he and
his people haven't left the planet already, they'll damnsure be gone by
the time a cordon fleet could get here."

"All right. But I will have Earl Suitland take over planetary
administration, and I'll send some extra troops to stand by in case she
needs them." Davis scowled. "This isn't going to look good,
especially to the Traiti. I promised them they'd keep their own
government so they could stop fighting and join the Empire, and the
White Order ruling