Laila, Spock's Granny (Book 1: Vulcan Gladiatoress and Klingon Slave)

Betrayed 2

On Boreth

I trained harder again, so to get back to my physical endurance. I also trained on getting faster. I knew, being my own trainer now, would limit my progress. I could be happy to get back to the same place on the campions' league list that I had owned before. Still, if I managed to get back anywhere within the 50-60 range, would be good enough.

One day, the craftsman from the weapons workshop came to me and showed me one of Gahris' sabers: "See, I have found this", he unscrewed the pommel on the back of the hilt, "there is a hidden compartment within the hilt and inside is a battery. When you look into the compartment, further down you see some type of electronics."

My eyes opened in astonishment: "Why does a sword need a battery and electronics? That is not allowed! Who makes something like that?"

The craftsman raised his shoulders: "I don't even have a clue. I'm a sword maker, my knowledge about electronics is limited. We would have to give it to an expert."

Once we had informed Nerek, he took the sabers in order to give it to someone who knew electronics in and out.

In the First City on Qo'nos

Editorial note: The following paragraph is information, Laila did not know at the time, but was gathered much later and is provided for the reader's better understanding of events to come.

"Odron, I have read your proposal regarding the gladiator. I agree with it in general, though I still have a lot of doubts that you can bring a low ranking gladiator on the same performance level with the first three. As such, I give you money, but I request modifications to your plan."

"Certainly, Godfather."

"Well, you will buy the gladiator and improve his ranking to a place between 50-60 on the list. By then, he has already earned us more, than he had cost. In order to make that work you have to cut on your original estimates of the running cost of the school."

"You are aware, that the quota will only be about 1:30 then?"

"Yes, I'm very much aware of that. And when the time has come, we need to look into everything in detail again. Maybe, we let him drop back again or we just sell him again and not move forward with a fight against the first three. We need to see. Whom do you have in mind to buy?"

"My first choice would be 'ethl tits."

"By my forefathers in Sto'vo'kor, why of all gladiators her and not a Gorn?"

"Apart from a number of other advantages with her, I believe, of all low ranking gladiators, she has the most potential."

"Eh, I'm not convinced. Then buy her and a Gorn! Maybe, you can still squeeze it into the same budget."

"Yes, Godfather."

On Boreth

Nerek had given Gahris' sabers to an electronics designer in order to get some insight into its electronic intestines. During our visit, the electronics designer who had investigated the sabers started his spiel: "So, what you already know, is the hidden compartment in the hilt, which houses the battery and some kind of electronics. I took the electronics out and tried to identify it, which was not utterly difficult. It is a remote control receiver. Means, it can receive commands from the paired remote control. Now I have reset it and paired it with another transmitter, because we lack the original one." After showing it to us, the engineer assembled the bits and pieces again to a complete saber. He had set up tomatoes on one lab desk and cut one in half. The blade easily sliced through the tomato, providing fine, thin slices of tomato. Perfect cuts. Then he pressed a button on the tiny transmitter board he had shown us before and did the same thing again. This time, the saber's blade did not cut into the other tomato, instead, it eventually, using enough force, crushed the tomato as if one would have squeezed it. Then he pressed another button on the tiny transmitter board and easily sliced a third tomato with the saber again. Our eyes grew wide and left us speechless, why the engineer continued: "So, if you like to look at the blade through this magnifying glass, what do you see?"