"I'd like that—thank you, Excellency. When would you like to learn how to use your blaster?"
"As soon as I can. What facilities do you need?"
"A standard target range will do fine for the blaster function. If you want the stun function demonstrated, you'll need a volunteer and some good strong headache medications."
Cortin frowned. "I thought stunning wasn't harmful."
"It isn't," Conley said. "At least, it doesn't do any physical damage—unless the fall itself injures you, of course. But it does leave you with a nasty migraine for most of a day."
"Interesting," Cortin said thoughtfully. A weapon that caused pain without injuring its target sounded like an extremely useful tool for an Inquisitor. "Does it cause actual unconsciousness, or is it the pain itself that's incapacitating?"
"At standard intensity, it causes about four hours' unconsciousness. The headache's just a side effect we can't seem to get rid of."
That was even more interesting, Cortin thought. If Kingdoms scientists could isolate the "side effect" and eliminate the unconsciousness, the severe migraine would do very nicely to intensify an Inquisitor's other attentions. She didn't want to upset the young Imperial with that line of thought, though. "I should be able to find a suitable test subject," she said. "Not right now, though; I need to get to work. Let's go back inside; you can explain the controls, then I can familiarize myself with it if I get any breaks."
"Just a moment, please, Excellency," Odeon said. "I know you're busy, but there are going to be a lot of troopers here soon, and if the Imperials go into town, they may stop at the joyhouses; don't you think they ought to know about our favorite plague?"
"Plague!" DeLayne exclaimed, his expression horrified.