undred times as fast as
hyperflight."

"Leyar's Dimension?" Arjen asked.

"Yes. He has the beginnings of the theory worked out, but it'll be
awhile yet before it'll be of any practical use." Tarlac did not say
that it would be a long while. Unlike Nannstein's theory of gravitics,
which had led directly to hyperdrive, ultraspace theory held no clues
to its practical applications; it would be several centuries before
those were worked out. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to brief the
First Speaker and Supreme."

"Of course, Lord. They and Team-Leader Hovan are in Ship-Captain
Exvani's quarters, and mine have been prepared for you."

And you don't regret the loss of privacy a bit, Tarlac thought, amused.
"Thanks, Fleet-Captain. I'll be back here for out-transition; even
with the cease-fire, I don't think the defense satellites would be
willing to let you by without my authorization."

"As they should not," Arjen said approvingly. "Individually, Lord,
human fighters leave much to be desired--but in groups they equal us,
and they are far more numerous."

"That's why those who went before moved you instead of us, remember?"
Tarlac was delighted to be able to speak so openly, even jokingly, of
facts the Traiti race now accepted.

"Yes, Lord." Arjen couldn't help smiling. There was something about
this Lord who had been a Ranger, something that put him at ease rather
than keeping him at the distance the other Lords inspired. Perhaps it
was the man's youth, or his small size, but whatever it was, Arjen
liked Lord Esteban.

Tarlac sensed that and smiled as he left the control central. If the
Traiti saw Kranath as a father figure, and the other ten Lords as
n'ruchaya, sharing that parenthood with the Supreme Lord, but saw
Tarlac as the "youngling" of the Circle, that was fine with him. He'd
had all the isolation and deference his Imperial rank demanded for
fifteen years, and he thought he'd prefer to spend the next few
millennia with the easy warmth he sensed from Arjen, from Ch'kara--and
in fact from all the Traiti.

When the Hermnaen out-transitioned, it was a cautious hundred and fifty
thousand kilometers from Terra, and Tarlac was satisfied that he'd
briefed the three who would accompany him to the Palace as well as he
could without actually telling them what to do.

He was in the control central again, at the communications console.
Activating the screen, he tuned to the Imperial guard channel. "Fl