CHAPTER 40

Three minutes later all four of the ships jumped, Mary watched them as they crossed the galaxy. With a smile she started to clear an area for the execution in the courtyard, checking the imperial worms, and lastly preparing everything that the emperor might want while he was here. Sighing she knew now that this one wasn't going to be a sit around and rule man, the problems she could see coming, well she would just have to up her security. Reaching deep inside the palace she started the sentry production line, goodness it hadn't run in two centuries, but she'd kept it like new. Smiling she knew that it would take a while but in two hours she'd have 20 new sentries, not a lot yet but by tomorrow she could have well over 200, a small but still powerful force.

The ships emerged not that far from the beacon that Derrick had Shelby leave behind. Looking around Derrick could see that the box hadn't moved. Having the others keep watch Derrick had Shelby deploy the first, slowly moving it into position, for many tense minutes Derrick tracked the enhancer 'til it was finally stationary. For the next hour Derrick watched nervous as each moved into position.

"Shelby, are we getting any drift or movement of any kind," Derrick asked.

"Nothing at present Derrick, I should be able to use the IMT in a few moments." Shelby answered Derrick.

Derrick nodded watching as the last enhancer moved into place.

"I am seeing excellent tone, all pattern enhancers online, no trace of the explosives patterns are showing. When you are ready Shelby," Derrick advised her.

"Commencing," Shelby started.

"Shelby wait, I want all ships to go to full shields, I need a ship to standby in front of Shelby 'til her shields are up." Derrick ordered.

"I will be happy to assist," Conner said a moment later.

"Alright Shelby I want your shields up as fast and as soon as you can." Derrick told her.

"I will Derrick," Shelby said with a smile. "Commencing again."

For a few moments there was hardly a sound then there was a titanic explosion, from what Derrick could see Shelby barely got her shields up in time, Derrick in the mean time almost bounced off the hull before he ended up on the deck.

It took a few moments for the area to clear then Derrick tried to pick his self off the deck.

It was a moment before he realized that his arm was bent at an odd angle, just before the pain set in and the world turned black. Derrick thought he heard Shelby scream out, "My god Derrick I was only joking about letting me be there if you fell, DERRICK!"

Derrick could only smile as he fell, crap! This was going to mess up his whole week, he thought he felt something catch him. Thudding onto something soft he tried to smile again, ah Shelby good girl he thought.

Shelby and Mary were scared Derrick's readings weren't that good. Shelby was blaming herself for not telling Derrick to secure himself before the blast, Mary was blaming herself for not having been there as she usually was.

They were both worried that the nanomites wouldn't be able to heal him fast enough and it seemed that they were in decline.

"Shelby," Mary said after another vial appeared on the table next to Derrick, "Please inject this into him they are a stronger updated version, they should effect repairs to his system faster."

Shelby had been trying to stanch the flow of blood from Derrick's head, watched as the new nanomites sped through his system. Several hours later Derrick groaned as he was finally starting to come around. Opening his eyes he blinked as he looked around at the sterile white room, strange he thought. Mary and Shelby both appeared before him, "Are you feeling better sire," Mary asked him.

Derrick could only stare at her with an almost blank stare, " I know this is an odd question because you both obviously know me but uh ... just who the hell are you two?"

Both Shelby and Mary's mouths dropped open, they knew from the readings that he had banged his head rather hard but they hadn't expected this.

"Do you recognize anything in this room?" Mary asked.

"No not really, what was it you called me? Sire? Is that my name?" Derrick asked.

"No," Shelby replied, "Your name is Derrick O'Toma the kindest, bravest and most stubborn man I have ever met!"

Derrick smiled that little half smile that under normal circumstances she would have loved to see. Now though she was nothing but worried, looking at her mother Shelby hoped that Mary had answers to all this.

Mary was trying to not panic she'd seen this type of amnesia and in most cases it took another hard knock to the head to straighten the mind out. She was afraid though in this case that another knock to his head might paralyze Derrick. That she was not prepared to do to him. Sighing Mary went through all the types of remedies for amnesia, knowing that no matter what, anything might trigger a resurgence of memory. Well she thought might as well try the easiest ones first.

Rear Admiral Joseph Hartwell had just sat down to eat when the special communicator Derrick had given him went off. "Yes Sire? I am not alone at the moment."

A feminine voice came back at him he believed it was the woman from the palace. "I suggest you get alone NOW Rear Admiral, we have a situation!" Walking to his cabin Hartwell was starting to become worried.

"Alright I'm alone, what's wrong?" Hartwell asked Mary.

"The emperor has suffered an injury that caused a deficit in memory caused by a hard concussion of his cranium." Mary told a now confused Hartwell.

"Hang on a minute," he told Mary, reaching over he opened a channel and called Dempsy saying it was about their friend, he made record time to Hartwell's quarters. "Dempsy I can't understand what she is saying. "Nodding Dempsy had her repeat what she'd said, after a minute of questions Demspy told Hartwell about Derrick.

"What can we do to help?" Hartwell asked.

"I need you to get his family and bring them to the imperial planet, tell them he is not well and needs to see them, also bring the president. We'll get through this one way or another." Mary said as she switched off.