she was my student, and it was my error which caused her to
become a problem, she is my responsibility." Thark's ears went back
briefly. He had seriously misjudged her; he could not honorably ask
anyone else to correct his error, now that she was no longer his guest.
But making that correction would not be a pleasant task.

He went on. "Kainor, what about your status report on the Rangers?"

"Crown Prince Forrest is at the Imperial Palace on Terra," Kainor said.
"So are Kennard and Menshikov; all three are covered in Valla's assault
plan. Fenn and Szolacz are in the new Traiti Sector, assisting in its
integration; they must be disregarded for the present, since we have no
Order members there. Ellman and Steinhauer are still in hospital, and
my agents are in position to kill them as soon as the strike time is
set. Wang has just been sent to Sector Twelve to take over its
administration, since its Duke died with no heir; being aboard a battle
cruiser, she is presently out of reach and will have to be dealt with
later. Tarlac, of course, is already dead; we have all seen the tapes
of his assassination. Medart is the only one in a position where he
might be an immediate danger. If Losinj got this location when she
probed you, Thark--"

"She did not," Thark assured him. "She did no real probing, in fact.
She was far too upset by her simple discovery of the Crusade's
existence to check any more deeply."

Kainor nodded. "Good. Despite that, our first strike will not only
have to be decisive, it will have to be swift. The fact that a
powerful Imperial officer has become aware of the Crusade means their
forces will be mobilizing. We must act before they can be fully
alerted and deployed. Even led by Rangers, that will take them a
certain amount of time which we can put to good use."

Thark agreed. "Speed is certainly essential. I will adjourn this
meeting shortly; I want the various operational group leaders to meet
separately and determine exactly how soon you can be ready to move.
Report to me as soon as you can. The Seniors will remain here with me.
Are there any questions?"

"The Traiti, Master," a graying female said. "They have pledged
loyalty to the Empire. What threat do they pose?"

"Little as yet," Thark replied. "Their casualties in the war were far
heavier than the Empire's, and their military has barely begun the
changeover to Imperial service; for the moment they are too
disorganized to p