Lost Empire 58

0001 – Tempro

0003 – Conner- Thomas

0097 – Ace – Zimmel

0098 – Lucy

0101 – Shelby (mother ship) – Derrick

0125 – Lars

0200 – Ellen

0301 – Rodrick

0403 – Johnathon

0667 – Marco – Brown

0778 – Jan

0798 – Celeste – Shelby (human)

0908 – Tara – Mara

0999 – Zan

1000 – Sherry – Lucie (for the moment)

——————————————————-

Ungrown – unnumbered

——–

3 – on board Tempro awaiting Sherry

1000 – Sherry- Lost at the moment

——————————————–

Derrick watched as Zan appeared out of the trans-warp portal. ‘Something’s going on,’ he thought as he waited for Sherry to exit the portal. When there was no Sherry forth coming Derrick’s fist hit the desk in front of him.

Shelby backed away from Derrick as she saw his face twist into anger. Derrick had just reached for the com, when Zan appeared in front of him. The distraught look on Zan’s face was all Derrick needed to see to know that Sherry was lost.

“You son of a bitching COWARD,” Derrick heard Lucie’s railing voice not far behind Zan. “You just let her die. I hate you; get me off you I will have nothing more to do with you!”

Zan looked at Mary as she nodded her head. A moment later Lucie appeared in the throne room. Looking at the holo-gram of Zan, Lucie pointed an accusing finger. “I suggest Sire,” Lucie hissed between her teeth. “That you get that unfeeling piece of garbage out of here before he stinks up the place with his treachery.”

Lucie growled as she whirled leaving the room her face blood red with rage.

Derrick nodded, though said nothing ’til Lucie was gone. “I want everything, every little detail.”

Zan his head still low started to recount what had happened after Sherry contacted him. The whole time Derrick kept his anger in check. Then tears started as Zan started the last part of the tale.

“I had destroyed the ship that was emitting ripalon energy. Sherry’s trans-warp and hyper drive were down. We’d destroyed the last of the visible ships, I was about to pull her with the attractor beam when many more of them appeared. It was then that she sent Lucie to me asking me to protect her. She told me she was about to fire ALL her thermic missiles, that I had a minute to escape.”

Here Derrick could see Zan reliving the last moments he saw his wing mate. “I see you had no choice if you were to save her prime Lucie. Continue please,” Derrick’s terse voice stated.

Zan nodded as fresh tears started, “She kissed me goodbye. It… it was the hardest thing I have ever done Sire. I was so thrilled to have her with me again, only to be completely helpless to aid her. If you wish for my termination Sire, I will understand.”

Derrick’s knuckles were white having gripped the arm of the chair next to him. Even his Grandmother Milley O’Toma, who’d been standing nearby had backed away from Derrick.

“First,” Derrick said in a low angry voice. “If you were terminated Sherry would be far angrier with me, than I am at the moment. Second you are the key to defeating these aliens. With all the readings I know you took I’m sure we will defeat them. Third you are the only one who knows where she was when she set the thermic missiles off. No, I don’t want your termination though I am going to work you as much as possible to find her.”

Zan’s face went through several emotions as Derrick made his speech; first shock, which melded into a look of anger, and then one of fierce determination. “I will do all and everything I can do to find her!” Zan nearly shouted.

Derrick looked at Zan and nodded, “Until we find her, I’m afraid that Lucie will continue to hate you. I’m sorry to say that can’t be helped. As I am sure you noticed they bonded quite closely.” Derrick looked at Mary as she nodded.

A moment later both Rayburn and Kimison appeared. “Yes Sire; you called us?”

Derrick nodded as he pointed to Zan. “Zan contains information, about an old enemy that has a new defense, you might say. I’d find it desirable if the both of you could find a counter for it.”

Both men looked at Zan intrigued by what Derrick had just said. “We need to start…” Kimison started then nodded as he saw that Zan was already downloading all that he had recorded. “Alright Sire we’re on it.” Kimison said then they winked out.

Derrick turned back to Zan, “I want you to start scanning for the new signal I had installed on all of you. With more than luck we should be able to find her quicker.”

A determined smile covered Zan’s face as he bowed then also winked out. Shaking his head Derrick sighed as he let his shoulders droop a bit. ‘Now to handle the rest of this,’ he thought. Turning toward his grandmother he steeled himself up for the fight he felt he was about to have.

“Alright Grams we are here.” Taking Shelby’s hand he presented her before his Grandmother and his mother who’d just appeared. Bowing to both of them even as Shelby did also Derrick stated, “I’d like the both of you to meet our Empress and my soon to be wife, Shelby.”

Milley O’Toma was about to reach out to Shelby when she stopped withdrawing her hand as if she were burned. “Shelby?” Milley said a hint of disgust in her voice. “The same as the ship that was responsible for my grandson getting hurt?” Milley angrily backed away scowling at the blonde, green eyed woman before her.

Sherry O’Toma had also backed away from Shelby a look of fear on her face. “You can’t unite with her, Derrick!” Sherry O’Toma stated as she backed further away.

Derrick’s face suddenly contorted into a mask of anger as he pointed at both his relatives. “I AM uniting with her. She was made for me literally. She has been through hell while I was in the past; she has been through hell even after I returned. She has more than earned the right to this union!”

Shelby’s face held a look of genuine shock at Derrick’s words. She then threw her arms around a startled Derrick as she kissed his cheek. Try as she might, she couldn’t hold back the tears of happiness that were threatening to spill from her eyes. Finally she thought he is starting to have feelings for me.

Milley O’Toma was about to object to Derrick, though the look in his eyes made her think he’d brook no argument. “Alright Derrick,” turning to Shelby she asked.