CHAPTER 95

Randall, Mack, and Mara were still running when they exited the building. Suddenly Mara started to laugh, the others stopped looking at her as if she were crazy. "What the hell are you finding so damn funny?" Mack asked her.

Almost about to fall down Mara laughed even harder at the look of astonishment on Mack's face. Finally able to talk Mara said, "Here we are hurrying to say goodbye, to get our stuff. I know for a fact that we all told our families good bye years ago. As for all our stuff I have most of it here or in a bag in my room."

Both Randall and Mack's eyes went wide as they both realised that they were the same way. All three of them had transferred so much they rarely unpacked for long. "Huh, see you both in about 15 minutes!" Randall said then walked to the officer BOQ (Bachelor Officer Quarters). Mack and Mara looked at each other and shrugged and headed after him.

A mere thirty minutes later they all three were back in the building. Sitting down they all decided it would be a while 'til they left well... at least they thought so.

The computer screen in front of them lit up as Derrick appeared on it. "Damn I'm glad I was right about all of you! Ok prepare, your ride will be there in a few seconds. Thomas?"

"Yes Sire?" A voice came off screen.

"Go get them, they're already ready," Derrick said.

"Crap! More techs," there was a big sigh then nothing.

"I'll see you in a few minutes." Derrick told the absolutely confused trio.

A moment later several alarms were going off in the building, hell all around the whole complex. Then suddenly all three were standing on a huge command deck. All three were still blinking that was 'til they spotted the equipment in front of them.

"Oh my god!" Mara said as she started to run her hands over several panels. Both Randall and Mack were practically drooling over everything they were seeing.

"Everything is so beautiful! All three of them were repeating over and over. Conner appeared a moment later and looked at Thomas and nodded. "I am glad you find my systems to be as stimulating as you do." Conner told all three of them.

"A projection within a self contained system of a three-dimensional image!" Mara was saying as she stared at the image of Conner.

"Oh god! Sire! You have to save me from these techs! Christ, they are as bad as Kimison and Rayburn!" Thomas was shouting at the hologram of the emperor that had appeared.

Chuckling Derrick told him, "Just get them here, then I'll take it from there."

Thomas nodded, "Conner! Get us back now!"

"Yes prime, engaging trans warp now!" Conner said with a huge smile on his face.

All three of the new arrivals looked around as there was a winding up noise then a whoosh. Looking at the view screen Randall tried to speak as did Mack. "Hmmm" Mara said. "Trans-warp, half the galaxy in a few seconds. I assume the emperor uses it quite a bit to keep order in the empire?"

This time Thomas smiled and finally they were talking more in his language. "At present we are stretched rather thin but that shouldn't be a problem for long."

Mara looked at the readouts and nodded. "This ship has a great deal of fire power it ought to provide a hell of a lot of protection."

"You've got that right!" Thomas said.

"I'm sorry sir," Mara started again, "you look familiar. Very familiar."

"I served with the emperor in some of the bloodiest campaigns of the Republic wars." Thomas spit out the disgust apparent in his voice.

Mara nodded, "Yes I remember those as a child, my father served in them also on the Republic side."

"Ah! So you knew of the terrible things we were required to do!" Thomas again spit out his disgust growing by the minute.

"Yes sir, father made it to the end. He was killed in an accident years ago, I barely knew him, but he inspired me to enlist." Mara said with a few tears in her eyes.

"I'll have to ask you about him later. If he made it through he was exceptional, there weren't many of those." Thomas said as he looked at the woman closer, now that he thought about it she looked rather familiar also.

"Sire we're back ready for IMT when you are sir!" Thomas said to the air.

"Thank you Thomas, Shelby?" Derrick said.

This time there was a flash and they were standing in a large room in front of a tall man with sandy blonde hair. All three nodded to Derrick who was smiling hugely. "Reporting as you asked Sire." All three of them stated.

Looking back at Hartwell Derrick said, "See? Why in the hell can't most of those that work for me be this fast? Christ, it would damn sure speed things up that's for sure!"

All three of the officers looked past Derrick and saluted standing at attention. "Alright that's enough of that!" Hartwell stated. "Keep that up and we'll never get anything done! Now then the reason you are here..."

That moment several alarms went off. Derrick looked up a snarl on his face. "I need a status report now!"

"God damn it!" Thomas was shouting. "The bastards slipped in! I've got them at 3 parsecs (93 trillion Kilometres) from the galactic edge. They are numbering in the thousands!"

"Configuration?" Derrick was asking.

"I am reading it is the race that you, me, Conner and Lucy," here Shelby's voice was tearful, "went against the first time."

"Damn it! Just when things are finally starting to go right!" Looking at the three before him he sighed. "I guess you will have to get a rough start. All ships, I want all of you here now."

A moment later all 14 ship's holograms were there. "Yes Sire?" All of them stated.

"I meant to ease them in but we don't really have time. All of you that don't have a prime, think of all three of the prime candidates before you.

Eleven of the ship's holograms looked at the three candidates. First Mack Brown's eyes went wide as he nodded and looked at the hologram that was talking to him in his mind. Next Randall Zimmel's eyes were wide as he too nodded looking at the hologram that was talking to him in his head.

Derrick nodded a huge smile on his face that was 'til he saw that Mara was still hearing nothing. Hmmm Derrick thought did I make her mind too strong? "The rest of you, her mind was strengthened. I know she will hear one of you, she has all the indicators. Another 20 minutes nothing happened, sighing Derrick nodded, she would need a little more time.

"Alright, we'll try again tomorrow. Captain Brown, Captain Zimmel report to your ships and familiarise yourself with them." Derrick told the two men who nodded then flashed out to their ships.

"What of me sir? If I can't hear a ship then I will be worthless to you." Mara said with a sad look on her face. All her life she'd strived to be as useful as she could to honour her father. Now she was going to fail and as she felt disgrace him forever!

"I have had a detailed analysis of your mind done, more than most. I am afraid that your mind is very strong. It will take a ship just as strong to bond with you. This isn't a bad thing but might take a bit for one of them to do." Derrick told the sad woman. He felt for her it was like the first time he commanded. The impending feeling of failure that he felt if anything went wrong.

"Yes sir I know this, I do not want to be a burden to you. I have been training all my life to honour my father. I have to do this, I have to!" Mara said, upset that nothing was still happening.

"As I said, we'll try tomorrow. Even with Thomas the man you met on Conner, it took a whole day for him and Conner to connect. Thomas is about as stubborn as they come, THAT was what was blocking him. With you it might be almost anything, go rest. Sometimes that's all it takes." Derrick told the disheartened woman.

"Yes sir I will do as you suggest, though if I don't hear one of them then I am really of no use to you Sir. May I request that if that happens that I may have my old post back? As the tech officer onboard Admiral of the fleet Hartwell's old flag ship?" Mara asked though the thought didn't really appeal to her that much.

"We'll see what we can do Ensign Mara Callie," Hartwell said as he stepped forward. "Now please do as the emperor asks and we will discuss this at length if it is necessary."

"Yes sir," Mara said. "Thank you very much for the consideration." Derrick and Hartwell nodded as the young woman moved off through the door.

"Mary!" Derrick suddenly shouted as the Palace AI appeared. "I want a full review of Ensign Mara Callie's cerebral scans. Re-evaluate all her alpha, beta, theta, gamma, and delta waves! I want to know what we did to her that is interfering with her communication with the EIGS."

Mary could hear the seriousness in Derrick's voice, "I am already running through all of the scans that we did on her. I had thought that it was your intention to strengthen her so no one could use her again."

"Initially yes, Mary thought I didn't mean to make her so strong that she couldn't help the empire either!" Derrick told Mary cringing when Mary withdrew a little at his tone of voice. "I am sorry Mary, I didn't mean to lose my temper at you."

"As I said to your Majesty, I am but a tool..." Mary started then thought better gauging Derrick's reaction.

"I told you," Derrick said, his voice calm but a look of anger on his face. "I never want to hear that from any of the ships or you! You are far more than just a simple tool! Please never forget that, or you might actually get to see me lose my temper, understand?"

Mary swallowed hard, the look on the emperor's face would scare her to death if she was organic! Thankfully she was mechanical but such a fierce declaration! Still she felt that he did far too much for her, her children or Shelby's children.