CHAPTER 55

Shelby and Conner exited the Trans-warp within the vicinity of a galactic rim system. "Shelby, can you detect any life out here?" Derrick asked her.

"Beginning scans now, the third and last world of this system has an area I am having difficulty penetrating." Shelby replied a few moments later. "Switching energy now, I am getting readings though something is starting to modulate the shields. I believe that we have been detected by Derrick." A moment later a blast hit the shields effectively rocking the ship.

"Shelby, Conner, damage report!" Derrick yelled.

"No damage, no direct hit sire," Conner told him.

"No structural damage, the blast had insufficient energy to cause any damage." Turning toward Derrick Shelby advised, "I believe that it was only a warning. As the blast was fired I detected where it came from. I estimate that those firing at us haven't much more power than what we just witnessed. An effective warning to say the least, Derrick, orders on how to proceed?"

Derrick looked at the readings a moment then replied, "Open a channel Shelby let me talk to who is down there, maybe we can give a little warning of our own."

Shelby nodded, turning away then told Derrick, "Already Derrick."

"To the unknown assailants, this is Emperor O'Toma please be advised you are firing upon a superior force. I advise you to..." Derrick had started.

Suddenly Derrick's speech was interrupted, "I advise YOU, Emperor, or whomever you are to move on, this is restricted space and I will use deadly force to defend it." The voice shouted at them.

Derrick smiled still the same hot head he was back then, shot first, and screwed whatever was next. "So Rayb is still as hot as you used to be huh?"

"I said mov... huh? What was that last? Could swear you called me...," Derrick had been trying to lock onto Rayburn the moment he contacted him. Shelby looked at Derrick and nodded, a moment later the man was in front of Derrick, "that damnable word... Ray..b. What the hell is this!!!! Where am I?" Looking around the man spotted Derrick laughing in the command chair. "COMMANDER!!?? Oh my god you're still alive!!" Running up the man embraced Derrick in a fierce hug. "Damn it sir! We were all told that you were dead!"

Shelby appeared a moment later advising Derrick, "Derrick I am detecting a massive build up of energy from his residence. I am afraid that it will go critical if no action is taken."

Rayburn's mouth dropped open as he walked around the hologram of Shelby, "My god a projection within a self contained system of a three-dimensional image! It is absolutely beautiful!"

Shelby giggled, "He is as tech advanced as the last one Derrick, though this one is better mannered. Uh Derrick suggestions as to our current problem?"

"Can you effect a shutdown of the systems?" Derrick asked her.

"NO! You can't shut down; it will cause massive power feedback destroying half of the planet. Just decrease the input power to the 5 central nodes; that should render the system in standby mode." Rayburn advised.

"Thank you sir I would have discovered that fact 2.3 seconds too late." Shelby told the startled man.

"My god man," Rayburn told Derrick, "a fully sentient, anatomically perfect, cybernetic advanced artificial intelligence." Rayburn fell to his knees, and then looked up at Derrick. "Uh sir? Would I like to stay here for an extended period of time? At least 'till I expire?"

Laughing Derrick patted the man on the back, "I felt quite the same way Rayburn, though I must caution against trying to pry too far."

"Why so sir?" Rayburn asked, still staring at the hologram of Shelby.

"They don't like anyone probing too far in their memory circuits; they can provide quite a nasty shock." Derrick told the man with a smile. Rayburn looked up at Derrick again, shocked that Derrick had understood all that he'd just said.

"Are you sure you are Commander O'Toma? He never seemed to understand what I was talking about before." Rayburn told Derrick, sighing Derrick took the man to his experiment that had almost killed him.

"Ah! I see you have incorporated a human cyber download station," looking over the system Rayburn shook his head mumbling to himself. "Seven buffers yes, sync capacitors, overload drain good, good." Then Rayburn stopped and looked at Derrick, "My god sir! You have no backup in case of primary failure! You are one lucky son of a..." Looking at Shelby, Rayburn swallowed, "... gun sir. This could have cut out and took you with it!"

Derrick was startled a moment then began to smile, damn he was glad that Rayburn was on board he hadn't said so yet but Derrick knew he was with them.

"So," Derrick began, "can I count on you? I need a trouble shooter like you in the new Empire."

Rayburn stared at Derrick for the longest time then tears began to slowly fall from his eyes. "Sir I have had such a hard time since I got out, no one has wanted me or to have me around. Are you sure you want as big of a.... messed up old soldier like me? They said I have a type of delayed PTSD. It isn't like what most have." Here the man sighed, "I can become extremely violent, are you really sure sir?"

Derrick had been smiling the whole time, "Well, you remember how bad Kimison was? With all the trouble he had when he got out. Then they sent him to that hell hole. We got him out and he, for better choice of words is a hell of a lot better. I think we can help you without much problem, Mary?"

A moment later the hologram of Mary appeared, "Yes Sire?"

"I need you to scan Rayburn here, tell me if his condition is curable." Derrick told the hologram.

Rayburn's mouth dropped open, "You ha...ha...have two of them? It's not possible. NO!!!" Grabbing a nearby pipe Derrick had been using a few days before, he was soon advancing upon Derrick.

"Sergeant!" Derrick yelled at the man. For a moment the man looked as if he recognized Derrick then roared and started to advance again. Suddenly a stream of electricity hit the man whose face registered shock then he slumped to the deck.

"Really, your Lordship, you have to stop putting yourself in these situations!" Mary told Derrick, shaking her finger at him as if she were a child. "Sire it is extremely difficult to protect you if you are out here so much."

"Just scan Rayburn and see if we can repair the damage that was done by the war." Derrick advised her.

A small rectangular shaped light panel detached from the console. Emitting an eerie green beam that swept back and forth across the man's head. A few minutes later the light panel retreated, "I have finished Sire. It appears that this man has a high state of resistance to all that is affecting him. He is curable but it will take at least three treatments. I am sorry Sire, but his higher resistance requires that I go slower."

Derrick smiled, "As I told you with Kimison, Mary, there is no need to apologize, the simple fact that these men can be healed is in itself a small miracle."

"No Sire, no miracle just a science that seems to have been lost over the centuries that the empire has been lying dormant." Mary told Derrick watching him to gauge his reaction.

"We really need to bring the empire back to what it was, Mary. We have to or everything that all the emperors worked for will be for nothing." Derrick suddenly noticed that Mary was watching him as closely as she was. "What is wrong Mary?"

"You," Mary started, "embody all that the first emperor did. I am so very proud to be able to serve another man as great as he was, Sire."

"Uh, thank you Mary but it is just how I feel, what I feel is right. This Empire survived for over 800 years only to be destroyed by petty greed and jealousy. All the things I was taught to not be." Derrick told her as his mind drifted back to the past for a few minutes.

On board Tempro the short cropped blond hair, medium build man, with a smooth face was worried. So far none of the experiments had yielded any successes as of yet. He was pacing back and forth his mother Mary wasn't going to be happy he'd tried all 100,000 tissue samples that he had, nothing had worked. They had all failed, each almost as horrible as the last, even terminating them as early as he had, still had caused a bit of instability with him.

Mary appeared a few moments later noticing immediately that her son Tempro was starting to experience a slight breakdown in his programming. Sighing, she walked to him and embraced Tempro, "I am so sorry my son, I didn't mean to cause you such pain. I know that the experiments all failed but I have gone over all the data and I think I am beginning to see a pattern."

Tempro was surprised then slowly melted into the embrace of Mary then the tears started. "I am so sorry mother that I have failed so much. A pattern mother?" Nodding Mary outlined what she'd seen from all the samples so far. Tempro also nodded, finally seeing why they had started to fail.

Mary stood by watching as Tempro started again armed with the new knowledge. He had gotten twice as far before there was any sign of failure. Smiling this time he'd watched all the indicators and was actually starting to see where he needed to go. Smiling he thanked Mary it made things a whole lot easier when the body had no real consciousness or even the beginning of a personality. Smiling Mary figured now maybe they had a chance to succeed; unfortunately they would have to have Derrick or hmmm maybe this new compatriot of the Emperor.

Shelby and Conner emerged near the moon of the Imperial world. Derrick was preparing to go back to the palace when Zan called.

"Yes Zan is everything alright?" Derrick said.

"Yes Sire, I thought you would like to know my wing mate is ready." Zan told Derrick excitedly.

"Very well, 1000?" Derrick asked of the newest addition to the fleet.

"Yes Sire," A young, slender, long straight brown haired teen appeared in front of Derrick bowing Low. She was of course stark naked stifling the urge to smile (it was nice yes but he really had to talk to all the A.I. 's about appearing naked).

"I'm not sure if you were told of this but I insist that all the ship's A.I. go by the name that they were given." Derrick instructed the new hologram.

Still bowing, the young teen nodded, "Yes Sire it will be so."

"So please what was the name that you were called." Derrick smiled pleased that this was going as well as it was.

Shyly at first the teen looked up smiling and she stated, "I was named Sherry Sire."

Derrick's mouth dropped agape, holy crap he hadn't expected this!