Ghuvekenkh-Nathor smiled harshly. "I am interested in knowing how it was that he deflected the death-dealing beam that shot him down. It should have killed him—but it merely knocked him out. Ask the prisoner what protection he has."
Yknor threw a switch, and a low buzzing hum throbbed in the room as the brainprobe's generators went to work. Marten felt a faint tingling in his skull. Then Yknor turned a dial, and the probe sank into his brain.
He held his breath as the energy projectors of the brainprobe wandered around in his skull, seeking to gain hold. They failed. The Flesso model wasn't attuned to Earth minds, apparently.
"Why didn't the energy beam kill you?" Captain Yknor asked.
"Because it missed me," said Marten calmly.
A grin spread across Ghuvek's evil, toadish face.
"Good!" he said exultantly. "It missed him—but now we know that the Earthmen have no defense against our weapons." He rubbed his dry, scaly hands together.
"The next question, Sire?"
"Make him tell us about the defenses of Earth," Ghuvek said.