"For a start, yes."
"Urrr… telepathy, of course, and—"
"Reliable telepathy?" Sherman broke in skeptically. "That's never been proven."
"Then I must do so, at least to your satisfaction." Corina turned to the Ranger. "If I may do so without dishonor?"
"There's no dishonor involved; that's what you're here for. Go ahead."
Corina turned back, probed gently into the Medical Officer's unscreened mind. "You are familiar with the Rhine reports some four centuries before the Empire?"
"Yes, but they're no more proof of telepathy than your guessing I'd read them."
"They should have convinced you. Since they do not, I must probe more deeply. I do not wish to distress you, but belief is essential. I have been aboard only a short time, not long enough to learn anything about you in the so-called `normal' way. Would you agree?"
Sherman nodded.
"Very well. Your middle name is Jean. Your hobby is pre-Empire science fiction." Corina paused, contemplating. "That appears interesting; I shall have to look into it. To continue, your favorite stories are the Lensman series, and your only regret is that—"