"I have ordered a disruptor mounted on the lander we will be using. Lieutenant DarLeras, Ranger Medart tells me you are a pilot; since we do not have such a specialist, I would like you to fill that position as well as the combat one you agreed to earlier. Will that cause you any problem?" "No, sir. It just means I prep before we leave, rather than during the trip." Medart sent Corina a mental wince. *Make sure your restraints are tight. He took it easy on the way up because it was your first trip; he wouldn't be concerned about comfort on a combat flight even if he weren't battleprepped. Since he will be, we're going to have a rough ride.* *He is still the only pilot we have, and it will be to our advantage for him to be prepped. He will have to take our limitations into consideration, however.* *He will, since that's good tactics, but that doesn't mean he'll be gentle, especially if he has to do any dodging. Go on.* "Unfortunately, Prowler will have to be destroyed to prevent its weapons from being used against us. Since I expect the crew to remain aboard, that means they will be killed. The others, Seniors and Sanctioners, will be in the Palace, and we must expect immediate opposition when we land." "What kind of armament does Prowler have?" Greggson asked. "When I was last aboard, approximately a week ago, it had medium-power blasters. I believe its shields are standard for that class." "Nothing a disruptor can't handle, then. It'd take more than a week to mount heavy weapons." "He would depend more on speed and secrecy, even so," Corina said. "He wishes to take over; he will cause no more destruction than he must." "What about personal weapons?" Nevan asked. "The Seniors will depend on Talent. Sanctioners, however, have only limited Talent, as a rule just telepathy and shields, so they use and are quite familiar with distance weapons. Some have considerable skill, and those are the ones likeliest to be in Thark's group." Greggson frowned. "No unTalented at all? I'd hoped we could supplement our few shielded people with a trained Security team, at least." "I do not believe he would take that chance," Corina said. "This is far too important to him; his attack force will include only his best people. A Security team would have little chance against even a Sanctioner's simple telepathy; no action can be taken without at least a fraction of a second's forethought." "Damn." Greggson's voice was flat. "That's out, then." "Hold on," Hobison said. "Emperor Chang?" "Yes, Captain Hobison?" "Identify Prowler, Irschchan registry, and give crew/passenger capacity." "Prowler, Irschchan registry One-Alpha. Kanchatka-class courier refitted as a yacht, crew of nine plus pilot. Maximum passenger capacity thirty humans. Further data?"