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Title: A Matter of Honor
A Terran Empire novel

Author: Ann Wilson

Release Date: June 9, 2008 [EBook #25741]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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A MATTER OF HONOR

A Terran Empire novel

by Ann Wilson

Copyright (C) 1992 by Ann Wilson

I

Irschcha, 2569 CE

Chaos take those Imperial schools anyway!

It was all their fault, Thark growled to himself, increasing his pace
as the sleek lines of his ship came into view. Not even the prospect
of flying the Prowler lightened his mood this time. The Chaos-loving
schools had done too much! They were fine for the unTalented, like
humans and now Traiti, but they had probably precipitated a disaster
here on Irschcha. Their damnable stress on Imperial rather than
planetary allegiance was to blame; it had deprived him of the strongest
Talent to appear in many years, Corina Losinj--and it would cost Corina
her life soon, if it hadn't already.

He was practically running toward his small ship now, dignity forgotten
in the need for haste. "Dammit all to hell!" he burst out, the human
curse seeming oddly appropriate under the circumstances. If the Terran
Empire hadn't discovered Irschcha for another century, or if Chear
hadn't chosen to affiliate with it, none of this would have had to
happen.

As Thark neared the ship, he forced his thoughts and emotions under
control, away from such useless speculations. He was High Adept of the
White Order now, not Chear, a