power
levitator, a handful of destructor and paralysis rings, and a projector
medallion capable of forming several hundred cubic feet of solid,
detailed illusion. He shook his head.

This man must have spent the entire income of his estate for several
years in assembling this array. There was enough there to outfit a
battle group of competent psionics.

"If this guy needs all that stuff just to get by, he's as near to
psionic zero as you can get," Naran told himself. "Either that, or he's
loaded with a power compulsion that's never been equalled." He frowned.

"Or both," he added thoughtfully.

He looked again at the blaze of jewelry.

Faintly, he could sense the sour feel of fear. It acted as a carrier for
a mixture of hatred, envy, and contemptuous hauteur. Naran whistled
softly. There was more, too. He wished he dared try a probe, but with
all that arsenal of psionic crystalware, it would be unwise.

"Hit those shields of his and I'd bounce off with a noise like a million
bells," he thought. He turned away.

He'd have to keep his own mind fully hooded around here. He looked back
again, glancing at the distorter rod Barra carried. His eyes widened a
little.

"Given adequate drive, that thing would stop a Fifth Planet battleship."
He grinned.

"Arm a couple of hundred men with those things and they could go out and
take the Fifth apart, bit by bit. Then we wouldn't have to worry about
those people and their mechanical gadgets."

He dragged his attention back to the business at hand, tapping in on Dar
Girdek's thoughts.

"... And we can tour the Estates later today," Barra was saying. "I may
be able to show you some worthwhile goods, as well as a few good draft
beasts to carry them."

Naran risked a light probe, taking advantage of Barra's diverted
attention.

He had been right, he thought. It was the "or both." He shook his head.
The guy was almost pathetic. Obviously, he wanted to be the greatest man
on the planet. And equally obviously, without his amplifier jewels, he'd
be little stronger psionically than one of Dar Girdek's drivers.

As Dar Girdek followed his host toward the village, Naran turned his
attention back to his drivers. He would have to make camp and then get
together with that village headman. There'd be plenty of arrangements
they would have to make.

He was surprised at the arrangements Retonga had already made. There
wasn't much question about it, the entertainment of caravans w