Continued from previous message

    "How is he?" the Commander asked.
    "We've done all we can," the primary doctor told the Commander.  "But,
to be honest, I don't expect him to survive the night."
    The Commander was shattered.  "If anyone wants me, I'll be with Naoki."
he said as he sat at the Operative's bedside and took the Operative's limp
organic hand in his own.  "I don't want him to die alone."
    The doctor nodded, then, he and his colleagues left the room.

    "Don't you *dare* die on me." The Commander told Naoki's inert form.
"Don't you *dare*."

    All that night, the Commander never once left the Operative's side.
He continued to hold Naoki's hand, as if trying to anchor him to the land
of the living, refusing to relinquish him to whatever afterlife might exist.
    "I won't let you go." He said.  "Not this way.  If you die bravely in the
line of duty, I can accept that.  But I won't have you die at the hands of
some cursed freak show."
    Hours passed and the Commander continued to speak, praising Naoki and
lauding his past accomplishments.  Finally, when all had been said, the
Commander fell silent and simply held Naoki's hand.  He looked up at the
clock and saw it was four thirty in what they had long ago agreed would be
morning, though in truth no such thing existed in the eternal night of space.
    As he looked at the clock, he felt Naoki's hand flex in his own and
looked down.
    Naoki moaned and slowly opened his eyes.  He looked up and saw the
Commander looking down at him.
    "Commander," he said, "I...I failed to stop Kain.  I'm sorry."
    "An apology is not neccessary, Operative Naoki."  The Commander told
him.  "How do you feel?"
    "Lousy."  Naoki replied.  "Ever since my parents died, the Galaxy Police
have looked after me, but when the time came for me to repay that, I failed."
    "No, you didn't."  The Commander told him.  "I got word from the House
of Jurai that you distracted Kain long enough for them to regroup and
eventually defeat him."
    "Kain's gone?"  Naoki asked.
    The Commander nodded.  "Slain by Lady Achika."

                            -page 11-


                        =Operative A=
                           "Caged!"

    The Operative felt a sense of relief.  Even though he hadn't personally
slain Kain, he had been instrumental in Kain's ultimate destruction.  He had
not failed the Galaxy Police after all.
    "Feel better?" the Commander asked.
    Naoki smiled, slightly.  Then his features darkened.
    "What's wrong?" the Commander asked, even though he already knew what
the answer was.
    The Operative clenched his fist.  "I was aware of everything when I was
in that horrible cage!"  He turned away to hide his tears from the Commander
and continued.  "They treated me like an animal, like..."
    "Look at me." the Commander ordered.
    The Operative continued to look away.
    "I gave you an order, Operative."
    The Operative turned to face his superior.  "I'm sorry."
    "Don't apologize for your tears, Naoki."  the Commander told him.  "You
have every right to shed them after what you've been through."  He hugged
the Operative close, like a father might hug a child awakened in the night
by a bad dream, and soothed him.  "Its going to be all right."  He said.  "I
understand how you feel.  Its okay.  You're not going to be mistreated any
longer.  I'll make sure those people who had you caged up like some animal
pay for what they've..."  He heard the Operative's soft snore and realized
he'd cried himself to sleep.  He sighed and sat there, cradling the
sleeping Operative in his arms while Naoki slept.

    The next morning, the Commander woke, having dozed off sometime during
the night. He looked down and saw Naoki sleeping peacefully, his muzzle
twitching, fitfully, as if locked in some frightful dream. He stroked the
Operative's hair and sighed.
    Surely Naoki wouldn't continue as an operative after this? The Commander
was sure of that. He'd suffered far too much to *want* the job any longer.
As much as he hated the idea, the Commander resigned himself to what he knew
would be Naoki's decision.



                            -page 12-

                        =Operative A=
                           "Caged!"

                            -page 13-

                        =Operative A=
                           "Caged!"

                            -page 14-

 * SLMR 2.1a * "I will pay you back!!"  ...Lady Achika to Kain