Executive Commander

By J. Lionel Hearts

The BrakhNuot escapes from the Mentolan trap but she is listing badly to port. The ship’s crew is demoralized and the ship needs repairs. Captain N’rem’s heart is failing fast after he recovers from the electric shock. Princess Nuota is faced with a crisis. She needs to get a heart replacement for her slave but will her slave’s alien physiology accept a Nuotian triol heart?

The BrakhNuot and sister ships stop at uninhabited planet Sen for repairs. While overseeing repair work on board the ship, Captain N’rem is kidnapped by a robot, masquerading as a deck plate, and taken into the deep recesses of the planet. Will Princess Nuota be able to find him? Will he survive in his present heart condition?

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. Lionel Hearts
• Release date: Apr 16, 2013
• ISBN: 9789671184417

J. Lionel Hearts

J. Lionel Hearts is an indie author. J. Lionel writes on science fiction and uses the reality of everyday living and turns it into a hopeful situation. Of course, these are all fiction and not to be taken as hard facts.

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Executive Commander

Book Two of a Master and Slave Trilogy

By J. Lionel Hearts

Copyright © 2013 J. Lionel Hearts

Published by Easyire Services at Smashwords.com

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is regretted. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1. The Recovery

Chapter 2. The Planet Sen

Chapter 3. The Android Zarin

Chapter 4. The Good Ship

Chapter 5. The BrakhNuot

Chapter 6. The Operation

Chapter 7. Homecoming

Chapter 8. The Assassin

Chapter 9. Executive Commander

Chapter 10. The Return of the Mentolans

Other Titles by J. Lionel Hearts at Smashwords.com

Previously

N’rem pressed the shield controls and lowered the shield. He turned to the big guns. He spotted the shaft door leading to the panel controls and climbed into the shaft. He saw the small rungs and climbed them to reach the panels. It was just a small alcove with space for two and he made himself comfortable in the cramped space. The panel screen was lighted and he pressed a few buttons to view sensor readings. The screen controls were different but he guessed they would do what he wanted. He got the coordinates of the second Mentolan ship after a few screen changes. She was within firing range. He sighed with relief.

With the coordinates locked in, he activated the firing controls from the panel. He knew this would be reflected in the bridge weapons station, the aux center, even the engineering control room, as well as in the gun control room. The Mentolans would know soon enough where it was activated. He hoped Nuota’s assault team would get here on time. He set the firing rounds to ten and for narrow dispersal. He meant to do as much damage as he could. As the energy momentum picked up, the sound got louder and louder. He put on the ear plugs. He was glad for them and the goggles. He huddled as far away from the gun shaft as he could. He turned his head away and used his hands to cup his ears. The guns fired. One round then another build up and then another round. Where he was, in the little alcove, it shook with each energy outage. He felt the rush of air and the heat. He tried to keep count and as it reached ten, he turned around and looked at the panel controls. He wanted to know if the shots hit the target but he had to gamble that the enemy ship was hit and suffered enough damage to keep her from coming after the BrakhNuot.

There wouldn’t be enough time to fire the guns again. It would take at least six minutes for the energy to recharge. He unclipped the bomb belt and set the delay fuse to seven minutes. He wasn’t really sure what the gauge was showing. His eyes had become watery and his hands were shaking. He knew that the drugs were wearing off and he was losing control of his movements. He didn’t regret making the decision to do this himself. It was just better than watching and waiting at the BrakhNuot’s aux center. His eyes had spotted a little space between the panel screen and the wall. He slipped the bombs in there and made his way down the gun shaft to the shaft door. As he climbed out, he saw Wom at the base and he could make out shafts of light and explosions all around him.

Oh, great! We’re under attack, he said to himself. He felt a burning sensation at his right shoulder and he dropped to the floor. His whole body was in spasms. Wom quickly grabbed him and got around a console. N’rem was losing consciousness and he knew it. He grabbed Wom and gasped, Wom, leave me here. Look out for yourself. Six minutes . . . He passed out.

Wom popped his head over the console and he counted about six Mentolan security soldiers in the gun control room. They had broken through the door and had thrown hand bombs and fired from their guns. Wom had retreated back to the gun shaft to wait for N’rem. He was glad that N’rem had made it back from the gun shaft. He threw a hand bomb at the enemy soldiers and ducked behind the console. It was going to be a big bang at such closed quarters. The explosion reverberated around the room. Cries were heard and smoke filled the room. Wom decided he could stay or make a run for it.

Suddenly, his comm crackled. This is Nuota, hold your fire. We are coming in. Wom breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at N’rem. He was unconscious but his arms and legs were twitching and jerking. He slung N’rem over his shoulder and waited for Princess Nuota’s team. He could hear some gun fire and then he saw familiar armored figures through the smoke. He stood up and shouted, I’m Wom, don’t shoot! One of them gestured to him and said, Here, quickly!

Wom ran over and was quickly surrounded by fellow warriors. He could make out Princess Nuota at the front of the hallway making sure the enemy was held back. After seeing Wom had N’rem, Nuota signaled for retreat and they made their way to the nearest airlock. Just in time, there was a powerful blast from the gun room and through the smoke and explosions, they managed to escape from the enemy ship.

At the BrakhNuot side, Dr Kuok was waiting. He passed his medical reader over the unconscious N’rem. He shook his head at Nuota and said, It’s just as I suspected. The side effects of the drug are causing his body to behave erratically. What I can do now is to give him a muscle relaxant. It should stop the muscle spasms. Before he could finish, his medical reader beeped loudly. Oh no! His heart’s stopped beating! He dropped his reader and using his hand, he thumped on N’rem’s chest. He kept at it until Dr Lano setup the heart machine. They got a pulse but the pulse rate was irregular. Let’s get him to medical! said Dr Kuok as calmly as he could.

Nuota said, Do what you can for him, Ilya. He saved us. She called Dr Kuok using his childhood name. Dr Kuok looked at her, surprised but pleased. He answered, I’ll try my best, Your Excellency. Seeing them head for medical, Nuota headed in the opposite direction for the aux center.

Sub Commander Nuko turned to her and asked, How is Captain N’rem?

Nuota said, He’s alive, that’s all I can say.

Nuko nodded and said, Keya said we have power. Only fifty percent but that’s enough for us to get away. N’rem scored a direct hit and the second Mentolan ship is damaged. She won’t be able to fire her guns and follow us if we leave now.

How about our fighters? Have they returned? asked Nuota.

We had to teleport Sub Commander Porto because her fighter was damaged. The rest of the remaining fighters are safely onboard.

Nuota ordered, "Then get the BrakhNuot out of here. Right now!"

Aye sir! answered Nuko.

He hit the inter-comm button, Sub Commander Nuko here. Chief Engineer Keya, give me power. We are ready to leave!

Aye Commander, you’ve got power! replied Keya.

Nuko turned to Tana, Drop tractor beams. Prepare for sub-k speed.

Tractor beams dropped. Helm is ready sir, answered Tana.

Nuko ordered, "Full sub-k speed and head for our battle cruisers Paga and Saga!"

As the BrakhNuot sailed away, they could see the Entruro. She had small pockets of explosions and fire at her midriff and Nuota knew that her engines were compromised, her main structure was damaged, and she couldn’t fire because at the last moment, her guns were knocked out by N’rem. But she still had torpedoes.

She turned to communications and ordered, "Open a channel to the Entruro."

Channel is open, Your Excellency! answered Lin.

"Lord Dah-Gon, I am Princess Nuota, Commander-in-Chief of the Nuotian First Fleet. You thought you had us. But no. We fought back. Your ship is crippled. Your guns cannot fire. I know you can fire your torpedoes just as I can. If you fire, we will also fire. My ship could be destroyed. But my battle cruisers Paga and Saga will be joining us soon. If you want to fire, think about what the Paga and Saga will do to you."

Lord Dah-Gon replied, Princess Nuota, I must congratulate you for fighting back. This is not the end of our hostility. We will meet again. Lord Dah-Gon signed off.

Chapter 1. The Recovery

N’rem wasn’t sure where he was. He saw that he was in a fighter craft out in space. He was at the controls. There was another similar fighter at his left. Suddenly, there were bolt fires at his right wing. Eegotian fighters! There were six of them! His reflex took over and he spoke into his comm, Breaker! Breaker! Six enemy fighters at 3 o’clock! The second fighter banked his craft to the left and he banked to the right. He switched on his tactical screen. He had a tail. Good. He knew that his tail had locked him on target. He maneuvered his craft right behind another Eegotian fighter and at the moment his tail fired, he lifted his fighter away and turned. Subconsciously, he knew the bolt fire from his tail would hit the Eegotian fighter in front of him. As he turned, at the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of an explosion. One Eegotian fighter down, he said to himself. Now he was after the second. He switched on his guns. He was already on top of his tail. He looked at his target screen. The fighter was in the center of his cross hair. He fired. The Eegotian fighter took a direct hit and exploded. His comm crackled and he heard, Lion Leader, this is Lion Two! There are two fighters on my tail, over!

Lion Two, hold on, I’m on my way, over. He watched for Lion Two on tactical. Sure enough two enemy fighters were on him. He watched his back. There were another two fighters behind him. There was really no choice. He turned his fighter after Lion Two. He wiggled his wings as bolt fires streamed past his fighter. As he got within firing range of the two Eegotian fighters, he let lose several bolt fire rounds. One of the enemy fighters took a hit and the other got away. He felt his craft shudder. He had taken a hit. He banked his craft to the right.

He knew this time that he could not get away. He was losing power and even though he could still maneuver, it was just a matter of time. He tried to think of a way out of his situation. Power levels were steady at fifty percent. His mother ship was four clicks away. No other friendly fighters to support him. He saw Lion Two score a hit on an Eegotian but bolt fire from another enemy fighter struck him and his fighter blew up. Now, N’rem was all alone. He thought, One against two. He felt his craft shudder again. There was an explosion under his seat and flames were licking at his feet and coming out under his chair. He was strapped in. His cockpit was burning up. Smoke filled his vision and he felt fire around his legs. He used his boots to stamp out the fire. He felt fire licking at the pants leg of his jump suit! His chair was on fire! He screamed in fear and in pain and struggled to free himself.

Dr Kuok heard the scream and rushed over to N’rem. He was struggling violently against his straps. Dr Lano came running to assist Dr Kuok. Kuok ordered urgently, Lano, he is hallucinating. Get a cold compression over his head! I’ll hold him down! The straps bit into N’rem’s swollen hands and blood seeped out of the cuts. Kuok held him down while Lano placed the compression on his head. They waited. N’rem’s struggles slowed down. And finally, he was still. Both Kuok and Lano looked at the brain wave reading. It had spiked furiously but now, the brain activity had come down. His breathing had eased. They both released him.

Kuok said to Lano, We just need to keep our eyes on him, don’t we Lano?

Lano said, Oh yes, we need to. We don’t want to lose our captain, do we?

For the physicians, the past fourteen hours saw them attending to the injured. Wounded shipmates were scattered all over the medical department. The beds were full and others had to be placed on the floors and outside on the corridors. The medic teams were treating the many wounded and injured after the attack by the Mentolans. There was a pall of gloom among the Nuots. Many of them had lost fellow shipmates and none of the crew had expected such an encounter. They were on their journey home to Nuot when they were suddenly attacked. The ship’s commander, Commander Xal, was seriously injured when two beams fell on him. Princess Nuota, N’rem’s master, decided to appoint her slave as temporary commander and told him, Save the ship! Her slave had done just that.

The BrakhNuot was crippled in space and she was alone without her customary support ships. Her battle cruisers were away answering an SOS call. She was at the mercy of the Mentolans. Her senior officers were no longer available to command the ship. She was without an experienced commander. It was then that Nuota decided to get her human slave involved. N’rem had the background and the expertise as a captain of the fleet in his former life. Earlier, she had wanted him to be accepted by her staff but they had rejected him. He was the one who told them not to attack the Mentolan passenger ship but they were so sure of an easy victory that they were angry with him. Because of her own rage, she had used the electric cuffs on him. Suddenly, they were caught by surprise. The Mentolan warship had appeared and her first firepower had breached their shields, the second blast had blown away their main engines, and the third had destroyed the command center, killing Admiral Kaisa and seriously injuring Commander Xal. Somehow, through the drugs that Dr Kuok gave to N’rem to counter the after effects of the electric shock, he was conscious and thinking of a way out for the BrakhNuot. He directed the crippled flagship to ram the Entruro and instructed the crew and warriors of the BrakhNuot to mount a siege against the Mentolans. He had asked if Nuota’s warriors could board the Entruro and sabotage her engines. Nuota agreed but she had lost many warriors in the attack. They succeeded in damaging the engines and structure just enough to immobilize the enemy ship. Before they could escape, they had to face a second Mentolan warship. Nuota’s warriors tried to gain access to the auxiliary room of the Entruro to use the weapons control to fire at the Engento but they failed. With nothing to lose, N’rem saw an alternative and that was to use the control panel in the shaft of the big guns aboard the Entruro. He teleported into the gun room and entered the shaft of the big guns, found the control panel and fired on the second warship, damaging the Engento. After that, he planted bombs in the gun shaft before escaping from it. The bombs destroyed the guns and ensured that the BrakhNuot could sail to safety. He had stopped two warships in order for the BrakhNuot to escape.

The drugs had worn off by then and he had succumbed to the electrodes in his blood. Nuota had seen his body convulsed in spasms just as they escaped from the Entruro. It was heart wrenching as she saw Dr Kuok clinically handling the cardiac arrest. N’rem’s heart had stopped and Dr Kuok had to use his hands to pound on his chest before they could setup the heart fibrillation machine. Nuota could see that N’rem’s hands, legs, and face had turned red and his flesh swelled with fluids. His whole body was in pain and shock. What about his brain? She asked Dr Kuok. Dr Kuok said simply, If it is too much, his brain will shut down.

A tall and lanky Nuot, Dr Kuok was the chief physician onboard the BrakhNuot, the flagship of the Nuotian First Fleet, and Dr Lano was the chief psychologist. They complemented each other when there was a need to. Both felt the weight of keeping their shipmates alive and tending to their wounds. Each shipmate was precious to them. The older of the two, Kuok was blunt and direct. He spoke what was on his mind but what he said wasn’t in his head alone, he felt it in his heart for every patient who came to medical. For this character trait, the Nuotian High Command turned a blind eye to those who complained against him, even those from the royal family. If he was not serving onboard a ship, he would be attending to the Nuot royalty. They recognized that Kuok, as a physician should feel and not just treat patients. He had a good record of success with patients. His skill was in deducing a patient’s physical and mental needs. It was one of the reasons why he chose Dr Lano to be on his medical staff.

Dr Lano graduated top of her medical class and when Kuok read her application for active duty onboard the BrakhNuot, he was impressed by her performance in the area of psychology among slaves. Slaves were brought back from all over the galaxy by the all-conquering Nuots and Dr Lano worked on their mental health. The main problem with slaves was displacement from their home and being in an unfamiliar territory and culture. Lano studied their brain wave patterns and learned about their behaviors. She took the position of being emphatic and developed many therapeutic methods to help slaves overcome their displacement and ultimately, mentor them to come to terms with their captivity. Her therapeutic methods encouraged bonding between slaves and masters.

Dr Kuok saw an instance of Dr Lano’s expertise when N’rem lost his identity after a traumatic experience. The human was severely injured after the gladiatorial fight on Mek and survived only through the skill of Dr Kuok and Dr Lano. When he regained consciousness, N’rem was a different person. He had switched back to his former life as a captain of the fleet in Kelders Empire. His behavior towards Princess Nuota, his master, had changed. Dr Lano surmised that N’rem was suffering from battle fatigue and in his mind he had switched off his memory to block out the trauma. This was a reflex action caused by deep emotional wounds. He did not know that he was a slave. Because Dr Lano recognized his brain wave pattern, she had encouraged Princess Nuota to take a different approach. She advised Princess Nuota to do something that N’rem would enjoy. This would help him feel comfortable in an environment familiar to him and one in which, she hoped, able for him to overcome his emotional distress. In this case, Nuota remembered that N’rem grew up with his stepfather who was a botanist. She brought N’rem to the ship’s arboretum and she took to planting joojoobab shrubs with him. Over the course of two days, N’rem did not change but on the third day, his anger towards Nuota surfaced and it came out like a burst dam and through that process, N’rem rediscovered himself. He was angry with Nuota for waging his life in the gladiatorial bout but after Nuota’s heartfelt apology for her mistake, he was appeased and he forgave Princess Nuota. After that emotional upheaval, he remembered what happened to him. His emotional state was restored and he returned to Nuota as her prize slave. Dr Kuok saw that from that day onwards, there was a stronger bond between master and slave.

Both Dr Kuok and Dr Lano had served together for the last three years onboard the BrakhNuot and they had developed their own style of speech with one another. If their conversation sounded silly or even hilarious, they welcomed it. It was the highlight of their professional relationship, of the work they do, each knowing that it will be a joy to see their patients recover and walk out from medical department instead of the gloom of a shipmate’s death.

Dr Kuok looked at N’rem on the bed. His human name was Thomastin Saul. He was captured by Princess Nuota and blamed for causing the death of her beloved Commander Trel. He recalled clearly that day when the Nuotian First Fleet encountered the fleet from Kelders Empire. The human was then a captain of the fleet. Captain Saul heard that Princess Nuota was willing to leave Kelders Empire in exchange for a life with a life. Captain Saul took the opportunity to command his own captain Don’t fire! He had averted a war and the result of it was, Nuota took her fleet out of Kelders Empire through Hydra Space and no one was hurt. Not one life was lost. Except that Captain Saul was now Princess Nuota’s captive. He had given his life in exchange for Commander Trel’s life. Kuok admired Saul for sacrificing his life for the sake of preserving the lives of the Nuots and the many lives of the humans and living beings in Kelders Empire.

Kuok remembered the first time he saw the human. His neck was held in a choke chain by one of Princess Nuota’s warriors, his hands locked behind his back. He had just knocked off his friend’s head from the cylinder using his unchained foot. Kuok said to himself, Enterprising. This human could use something when he shouldn’t. No one expected him to do what he did. Admiral Adams’s head and neck was all that was left of him after the torture. Dr Kuok was summoned by Princess Nuota to keep the brain alive when Adams’s body deteriorated through over exposure to electric shocks. None of them knew that the human body was so weak compared to a Nuot. And so, Dr Kuok had to use a device to keep the brain alive. He drained off the blood and replaced the blood with a chemical liquid to supply oxygen and fluids to the brain. He then severed the neck from the body. It was not a complex thing to do but one he wasn’t too happy about ethically. He only did it because Nuota said she wanted answers and after she got what she wanted, she would dispose of the head. Well, Kuok was glad when the human captive kicked the tank off the cylinder. By that action, the tank containing the head was disconnected from the life support systems. The head died and emotionally, Kuok felt satisfied. That ended the life of Saul’s friend. The human grieved for the loss of his friend. Kuok heard him say that he would give no more trouble. Again, Kuok was impressed with what the human slave did. He did not give any trouble to Nuota since that day.

He had seen slaves come and go and none stayed with Nuota. Nuota had several personal slaves and all of them gave her trouble. They were aggressive and forceful and they had trouble submitting to her as their master. But this human was a pleasant surprise. Like he said, he kept to his word. He was submissive, spoke softly and gently to Nuota. He was obedient to her every demand even when he was put in the Hole. Nuota saw something different about him and made him as her prize slave and took him with her to her staff meetings. Nuota would not have done that unless she saw something in him. Kuok realized that the human slave gave respect to Nuota and even now, he could see that his heart rate picked up each time Nuota spoke to him in medical on her visits. Could it be that N’rem was in love with his master? Kuok smiled inwardly. That would be an uncommon thing. To his knowledge, slaves do not love their masters.

Kuok took out his med swipe and placed it over the straps. The med swipe cleaned away the blood. He loosed the straps on N’rem’s hands and placed the med swipe over the wounds. The surface wounds stopped bleeding. Kuok turned towards Lano and asked, Do you think he’ll make it, Lano?

Lano was looking at the monitor display and said, Blood pressure is stable now. Heart rate is almost normal. Brain activity is subsiding. I think we can hope, don’t you, Ilya? Lano addressed him by his childhood name. She had heard Nuota calling Dr Kuok Ilya when he successfully revived N’rem’s heart after the cardiac arrest.

Dr Kuok looked at Lano and said, I am tired from attending to the injured in medical this whole day. I feel my legs are sore from walking and standing too long. Is it just my imagination, but did I hear you calling me by my childhood name?

Yes, I did, said Lano.

Lano, what is your childhood name? asked Dr Kuok.

Lano replied, My mother called me Passka. It means pet. She smiled at Kuok. Kuok returned her smile.

Two hours later, N’rem’s monitor beeped repeatedly. Dr Kuok and Dr Lano looked at his readings. His brain activity had declined and he had slipped into a coma. Kuok switched off the beeper. He read the readings for his heart rate and it was stable and so was his blood pressure. Kuok kept him on the blood filter and the cold compression. The blood filter removed the electrodes in his blood. It was a strange occurrence in this human. Kuok had not seen this before but since the filter helped to remove the electrodes, the electric charge running in his system grew weaker and subsequently, the pain and swelling subsided in the human’s body. The electric charge caused his cell tissue to swell and it was evident in his hands where the electric cuffs were placed. The hands were puffy and red. Kuok said to himself, It must be painful for N’rem. Once the swelling had gone down, he could remove the filter. But for now, he had the unpleasant task of informing Princess Nuota.

Nuota came in to medical and Dr Kuok and Dr Lano met her. Nuota was a tall Nuot with a lithe and athletic body. She had a helmet with red plumes which covered her bald head. She wore armor like all the Nuots but her armor was markedly different. As Crown Princess of Nuot and heir to the Royal Throne, her armor had a deeper color and she had the emblem of royalty on her shoulder buttons. As the Warrior Chief, she had a sword and a bolt gun at her belt. At times, she also carried a whipping cane. Both physicians and Princess Nuota looked at N’rem’s monitor readings. Dr Kuok said, Coma is a state of deep sleep. It is perhaps a good thing for N’rem. His brain activity was spiking too frequently and it is only a matter of time before it shuts down. The brain is a strange organ. It is a living and working organism. The reticular activating system can shut down when it is overloaded. At times like this, his body functions can recover. I will remove the blood filter soon. The cold compression is still useful for now until his swelling subsides.

Nuota asked anxiously, Do you know how long before he recovers from coma?

Dr Kuok was after all a physician and he briefed Nuota in a clinical manner, I can’t tell when he will come out of coma. He did not suffer from a direct brain injury but because of his heart palpitations, electrode charge in his bloodstream, hallucinations, and the drugs in his blood, these combinations resulted in his body going into a coma. We will know within the next couple of days if he responds to external stimuli. I think the best is to talk to him when you can. Even though he may not respond, he can still hear in his subconscious what we are speaking. He may also feel when we touch him.

He looked at her in the eye and he was no longer a physician. He was a Nuot with feelings for his patient. He said to Nuota, Dr Lano and I are hopeful for his recovery. You should also have hope.

Nuota sensed the change in Dr Kuok’s tone and said, Yes, he is a survivor and we can all hope for that.

They left her alone with N’rem. Nuota reached out her hand to touch his head. She felt the fuzz. It wasn’t much but it was there. Nuots didn’t like hair. She said softly, N’rem, I can feel the fuzz on your head. You need a shave. She paused and then continued, Do rest now. You’ve gone through a terrible suffering. I hope you have it in your heart to forgive me. I do miss you. She bent down and planted a kiss on his lips. Then she left.

The next day, Dr Kuok was looking at N’rem’s monitors. The readings were normal. He checked on the swelling. They had subsided and N’rem’s hands no longer looked red. He pressed on his upper arms and lower arms and they felt firm. It wasn’t swollen anymore. He spoke aloud, Well, N’rem, your hands look normal and they feel normal. I’m going to take away the cold compression now. You also don’t need the blood filter, anymore. While he was removing the items, Dr Lano approached him. She said to Kuok, Hey, Ilya, what do you say to a little stimuli? She held out a needle.

Okay, Passka, we can give our captain here a little poke in his toes. Kuok turned to speak to N’rem.

Captain, he paused. This was the first time he had addressed N’rem as captain. In the four months he had known the human, he was simply known as N’rem, a name Princess Nuota gave to her slave. It was only two days ago that Princess Nuota gave him the rank of captain. He continued, That’s strange but I like calling you that. Captain, Dr Lano and I are going to use a needle on your toes. You may not be able to speak. We just want to know if your feet will respond to a little prick. Here goes. They both stood at the end of his bed. Kuok lifted his left foot and Lano poked his big toe. There was an immediate reaction. His feet jerked lightly. That’s good, Captain! We’ll try the other foot now. Kuok went to the other side of the bed and lifted the right foot. Again, there was a reaction to the needle. Kuok put down the leg.

He said aloud, We are now going to poke your fingers. He raised the right hand and Lano poked him lightly on his thumb. Again, there was a reaction. They tried his other hand. He responded. Captain, I am going to squeeze your hand. If you can, squeeze me back. Kuok squeezed N’rem’s right hand. He couldn’t feel any response. He poked the big thumb with the needle. There was a reaction.

Kuok put his face near to N’rem and said, Rest now, Captain. You’re responding well. I’m sure Princess Nuota will be glad to learn that you are responding to stimuli! They both looked at his heart reading. It was unmistakable. It had registered a slight bump at the mention of Nuota’s name. Dr Lano whispered but loud enough for N’rem to hear, Ah ha! The captain likes our princess! They both smiled and Dr Kuok went over to the comm.

Dr Kuok to Auxiliary Center. Come in, over.

Auxiliary Center. This is Sub Commander Nuko, over.

Sub Commander Nuko, I’d like to speak with Her Excellency, over.

Nuota picked up the channel, Nuota here. Yes Dr Kuok?

"We have some good news for you. N’rem is responding to