Desperate Measures
by Alan Beck

Kranel sighed with relief as the Itorian healer arrived. Drand, his Krueger master, had been bed ridden for two days. Drand’s medical personnel could not find a reason for the fever that had plagued their Lord. Fortunately they had discovered an Itorian healer was passing through the space station Drand commanded. Knowing the Itorian healers were the paramount doctors in the Three Galaxies, Kranel was convinced the healer would be able to cure his master. It was quite fortunate one was randomly traveling though the station. Most Itorian’s were enslaved by the Ogden Empire. Less than a fraction of a percent had escaped the invasion of their world. The pacifist people had not even fought back. Most those that remained free traveled space as healers hoping that eventually a peaceful resolution would free their people. Drand would soon find that not all Itorian’s shared that view. The Itorian entered Drand’s bed chambers and said "I will need utmost privacy to tend to the patient". Kranel replied "of course sir" and closed the door. He ordered no one to enter while the healer operated on Lord Drand. The Itorian approached Drand and said "Sir, my name is Regan. I am the healer that you summoned. I will have to sedate you in order to treat you properly. Do I have your consent"? Drand agreed and Regan administered a strong sedative that lulled Drand to sleep. Regan was lucky. His first attempt to poison Drand had only been partially successful. The Krueger’s unusually strong constitution was fighting off the nearly undetectable toxin Regan had planted in his food several days earlier. The fever it had produced had left Drand bedridden but Regan had been unsure whether the fever was enough for Drand's men to summon him. Fortunately, Regan’s Itorian heritage had given him a second opportunity. Regan had contacted Drand’s men and had told them the fever might indicate a worse disease. Deferring to his people’s reputation as healers they quickly asked Regan to visit. Regan spent the next several hours operating on Drand. Asleep, Drand didn’t even know he was about to die. Eventually Regan was ready to perform and he awakened Drand.

Strapped down by cables and made impotent by energy fields inhibiting his powers, Drand still struggled to resist. Ignoring Drand, Regan began to perform his real operation. Regan despised the task but it was necessary. Inside the Drand’s mind held at least some of the secrets of phase technology. That technology might be the salvation for his people. Regan closed his eyes for a moment and envisioned the countless billions that were enslaved on his homeworld. The image strengthened his resolve. He began to activate the sensory machines that would extract the Drand’s memories. The process was painstakingly long and excoriating painful for the victim. However, since it was a physical extraction it was not affected by any psychic shields that Drand might have in place. Regan’s machines would extract all of Drand’s memories and then filter through them for pertinent information using an algorithm Regan had programmed. Unfortunately for Drand an extraction of his entire mind would kill him. Regan swore to himself he would refine the process eventually but for the time being Drand was sacrificing himself for the liberation of Regan’s people. Regan hated watching this part of the procedure. He monitored the process as the procedure disassembled Drand’s mind. Slowly Drand’s mind began to unfold before Regan. He slowly began to go though each cache of memory. Finally he found a node of memories related to the phase tech his people desperately needed. With it Regan and a few of his compatriots could cripple the Ogden’s weapons long enough to transport most of his people off world to freedom. After scouring the rest of Drand’s mind for anything else he could use, Regan began to destroy any evidence of what he had done.

By the time Regan completed, Drand was dead. Even the most intensive autopsy would show Drand had died due to a rare congenital defect in his heart. Regan made himself weep and appear visibly shaken as he opened the door... Regan informed Kranel he had done his best but Drand had already been past saving when Regan had arrived. Kranel did not even think to doubt the veracity of an Itorian healer. Regan quickly departed and headed for a spacecraft waiting for him. Regan departed the space station to meet with a small group of other Itorians that shared his way of thought. With the information he had extracted from Drand’s mind they were one step closer to freeing their people.