Lost Empire 46

0001 – Tempro                                               0403 – Johnathon                     
0003 – Conner- Thomas                                0667 – Marco – Brown                  
0097 – Ace – Zimmel                                      0778 – Jan                    
0098 – Lucy                                                     0798 – Celeste  –  Shelby (human)
0101 – Shelby (mother ship) – Derrick        0908 – Tara – Mara              
0125 – Lars                                                      0999 – Zan                       
0200 – Ellen                                                     1000 – Sherry –  Lucie (for the moment)
0301 – Rodrick           


   
Derrick watched in horror as the beam bounced almost directly back toward the empress. ‘There’s not a lot I can do,’ he thought as he pulled a strange looking weapon like device from his side and shot at the beam. ‘I can’t completely disable it but she’ll live,’ Derrick thought.
 
Derrick’s beam raced against the beam that was heading for the empress. Finally overtaking it passed it striking the empress. Derrick breathed a sigh of relief it had worked. Then he watched horrified as the energy beam from her gun struck within a half meter of her and stopped. Well, almost stopped, and then it was slowly eating its way through the shield he’d just protected her with.
 
‘Damn it! I was afraid that it didn’t have enough power,’ Derrick thought. Then he started to breathe a sigh of relief as he saw that the energy beam was starting to dissipate. Looking closer he saw it wasn’t going to all fade.
 
“Move empress or you’re going to get hit!” Derrick yelled as the woman stood there stunned. “Move damn it! It still has enough power to seriously hurt you!”
 
Still the woman stood there as the beam drew slowly closer to her. Finally seeming to awaken she tried to move away just as the shield failed and the beam struck her arm. There was an acrid smell of burning flesh as the woman began to scream.
 
Derrick moved back as the lead programmer and the emperor rushed to the fallen woman. Moving as quickly as he could Derrick beat a hasty retreat before the emperor started blaming him. Finally outside, Tempro immediately flashed him out of there. A moment later the emperor appeared looking for the man that had just saved his life.
 
Gregor looked at his wrist comp as it signaled him. IMT energy again? Somehow this man had secret and classified technology, though in this instance it had saved his life. ‘Perhaps,’ Gregor thought, ‘I have this one all wrong.’
 
Derrick appeared in the control deck of Tempro. “I see that the confrontation was successful.” Tempro told Derrick.
 
“What!? This was supposed to happen?” Derrick asked incredulously.
 
“Yes, I have often wondered how the empress lost the use of her arm. After this she never left the emperor’s side. You see he truly did love her, tried to show her every day after this happened. I also seem to remember a short search for a thief or assassin though it was never made clear. Plus the search was called off an hour from now. Almost everything is as it should be.”
 
“Yes I know,” Derrick said as he fingered the disk he hadn’t been able to install in Mary.
 
“I’m afraid that you’ll have to try again Sire. From everything I can see this is the last thing that needs done before we can go back. Might I suggest you go now while everything is in confusion? They are obviously hunting for you everywhere but the palace,” Tempro suggested.
 
Derrick thought about it, the strategy was sound though knowing Gregor he’d be there waiting. He was about to open his mouth when they both heard a voice. “Derrick,” came the soft weak feminine voice. “Emperor Gregor was far smarter than you think. He will be waiting for you though after what you did I feel that he will be alone.”
 
“Shelby?” A startled Derrick said. “I thought you’d be out for another day or two.”
 
“Normally I would be, in this instance I had to tell you. Gregor was extremely smart. You are the only one I have ever seen as smart if not smarter. Be careful, his curiosity will outweigh his wisdom for a short time; you have to use that to your advantage. It will be a small window so hurry.” Shelby told Derrick though he could hear her voice getting weaker as they went.
 
“Thank you Shelby, I will be on my guard at all times.” Turning to Tempro a sudden thought struck Derrick. A sly smile crossed his features then was gone as suddenly. Yeah he knew what he had to do.

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Duke Risen’s face and forehead were starting to seriously sweat. Damn that bitch that the fake emperor had taken as his fake Empress was deadly serious. “I want the weapon brought to bear on the ship she is on!” Risen was almost screaming.
 
Those around him were looking as if they were starting to seriously doubt him. It didn’t matter; he had a hell of a lot more power than either of those fakes. Laughing, he watched as the cannon he’d used on the fake emperor was brought out to bear on her position.
 
“Empress!” Celeste yelled when she detected it. “The planet is preparing to fire the Chronotron cannon on our position!”
 
Smiling Shelby said, “All ships redouble your efforts! Increase fire by a factor of four!” As the ships and the captains confirmed, Shelby watched as the planetary generators were starting to strain.
 
Duke Risen was smiling evilly; well he was ’til several technicians ran to him. “Sir! The ships firing are taking all the shield and generators can do to stop them. If we fire the weapon it will allow their weapons to hit the castle! We might not even get a shot off!”
 
Snarling the Duke turned and punched the first of the Techs in the nose knocking him to the floor, his nose broken pouring blood.