"I think I'm jealous--for the first time, I wish he'd mind-touched me."
"Never wish for that," Odeon said grimly. "It's a horrible sensation,
though the mind-speech itself isn't bad."
"The mind-speech is called telepathy," Illyanov said. "It is part of
what is called Talent, and some rare humans have enough to be trained
in its reliable use."
Cortin stared at him, puzzled. "What are you talking about--how do you
know that?"
Illyanov smiled. "Since our discussion something over a week ago, I
have spent my free time studying the Terran Empire. That particular
fact came to light approximately three years ago, when the first
non-human Ranger found Talent in one of her human colleagues."
"The Empire!" Cortin exclaimed. "Why in God's name would you study
them?"
"Because I had a dream that night. It may have been no more than a
normal dream, triggered by that discussion--but dreams, in this group,
have of late been highly significant. Treating this one as such can do
no harm, and may be of benefit, so I have been doing so."
That was an even better change of subject, and Odeon seized on it.
"What was the dream about?"
"The arrival of two Imperial ships, a small one followed by a large.
As I say, the dream may have been nothing more than a reaction to
Joan's and my discussion, but my personal feeling is that we should be
preparing for contact--perhaps soon."
Odeon frowned. "Before the Final Coming? Or are you saying they're
part of the Final Coming? I don't think I like that idea--it makes me
uncomfortable."
"I do not like it either, and it may not be the case. Some of the more
ambiguous prophecies of that time, however, can be interpreted in the
light of such contact without distortion. What, for instance, if the
Great King references were to the Emperor rather than the High King?
And what if the Protector's form, which 'none can predict', is not
human, or at least not fully so?"