Ranger James Medart was standing beside Captain Jean Willis' controlchair aboard the Empress Lindner, enjoying the peaceful trip back toTerra after a surprisingly uneventful cruise. He'd kept busy enough toavoid boredom, but there'd been no emergency calls, which made thecruise almost a vacation. Pleasant as it had been, he found himselfalmost wishing for the challenge of an emergency. Not quite, since anemergency serious enough to require a Ranger's attention meant theEmpire was in trouble, and that part he didn't like--but the challengehe did. Maybe he'd ask for a tour in one of the alternate universeswith an Empire just getting started, one that didn't have a full quotaof home-grown Rangers to cope with the many problems of a brand-newEmpire. He wouldn't mind visiting Sierra again; he'd had a hand inselecting both its Sovereign and her Successor, so he had a personalinterest in its well-being.