ely faint, almost nonexistent, touch.

Even that faded, and Medart looked at her with a frown. "That didn't
seem to be working too well, did it? What am I doing wrong?"

"It was indeed weak," Corina admitted, "but with my shield at minimum I
was able to detect something. Each individual is different, even among
Irschchans, and though it is far clearer than most, your pattern
remains human. You will simply have to keep trying until you find what
works for you. The potential is there."

"Okay, let's try it again." Medart closed his eyes, and Corina set her
shield at about a third of its full strength.

After perhaps a minute, she felt a faint tingle. It got stronger for a
moment, peaking at what felt like a gentle nudge before fading again.
She studied the Ranger's expression of concentration, and decided to
keep her shield up at the same intensity. She would give him another
five minutes; that should not strain him unduly, and then she would end
the session.

* * * * *

The next thing she knew, she was flat on her back in the grass, looking
up at Medart's worried face. "Are you all right, Sir Corina?" he
demanded.

She struggled to sit up, dazed, and felt him supporting her.

"Are you all right?" he asked again.

She took a quick self-inventory, decided she was well if uncomfortable,
and reassured him. "I am unharmed, though I will have a headache for
some time. What did you do?"

He hesitated for a moment, looking her over carefully. "I'm not
certain. Nothing seemed to be working, so I tried picturing a giant
anaconda--that's a Terran snake--wrapped around you, contracting. I
finally got it good and clear, and you collapsed. Are you sure you're
all right?"

Corina growled softly, disgusted at herself. "Blades! I should have
thought of that. Unless you concentrate on words, I keep getting
pictures from you. I should have realized your primary orientation was
visual, and guided you--"

"Oh, no, you don't," Medart interrupted. "If there's any chewing out
to be done around here, I'll take care of it. You said it yourself:
everyone's different, and you're not that familiar with human patterns.
And you've never taught before. You can't be expected to anticipate
everything at once."

He gave her a quizzical look that reminded her of their first meeting.
"I hadn't realized how different in some ways, and how similar in
others, Irschchans and humans are until your s