ed when a female
wearing nothing but a carrying pouch slung over one shoulder stepped
out of a side corridor ahead of them. She saw them and smiled at
Tarlac, then hurried to embrace Hovan. He returned the hug before
introducing her to Steve as Channath, the clan's chief physician. "She
for you last night cared, when you sick were, and this morning's
medicine prescribed."

Tarlac gave her a rueful grin, trying not to stare. "Tell her thanks,
would you?"

"That not necessary is, but I will her tell." Hovan did so, and
translated the reply. "She suggests, you little liquor drink from now
on. And if you bad reactions to anything else find, her tell at once."

"Don't worry," Tarlac said emphatically, "I will!" Then he was in the
air as Channath hugged him. Back on his feet, surprised but too
flattered to mind, he looked bemusedly after Channath's retreating
back. "What was that all about?"

"I told you, there much touching is, in-clan." Hovan put an arm around
the man's shoulders. "The closeness good is, not so?"

"Yes . . ." Tarlac said slowly. "Yes, it is. It's strange--I
shouldn't like it. A Ranger has to be self-sufficient, has to stay
apart--has to be objective and impartial. I'm not, any longer."

"What will that mean, when you to your Empire return?"

Hovan had zeroed in on Tarlac's thought, though the Ranger didn't
believe what he described would ever have a chance to happen. "I'll
have to retake the psych tests, then it depends. Maybe I'll be
disqualified from anything that involves Ch'kara or the Traiti, maybe
I'll have to resign. The decision will be up to His Majesty."

"He would you demote?"

"Only if he doesn't have a choice; the Empire needs Rangers. And even
if he does have to demote me, I won't be dishonored or anything.
Something like this happened once before, about four hundred years ago,
to a Ranger named Jeff Shining Arrow. He lost his detachment, too--got
married, had kids--so Empress Lindner made him a Duke. Emperor Davis
would probably commission me into the Fleet."

"That no dishonor is, true. Do you think it will to you happen?"

"Yes, if I've changed that much. It could be a lot worse, of course
. . . but falling in love's no crime, it's just something the Empire
can't afford in a Ranger."

"That the real reason is, then, why you no family have."

"Yeah. I didn't mean to evade the question then, I just wasn't sure I
could explain it. I didn't know you ver