Chapter 84

Damn it! Gunther could hear his wife and daughter calling to him from somewhere. Try as hard as he could, he couldn’t seem to zero in on just where they were.

A short Asian woman was frantically going back and forth between the bio-beds of a man and a ten-year-old girl.

“Mary, what in the hell did Shelly do that the charges weren’t completely effective?” Mita asked.

“I am analyzing her and her nanomites now.” Mary said, going hmmmm a moment later.

“A little more information than hmmm, Mary.” Mita said.

“It appears that your daughter was able to somehow manipulate the nanomites within her body. If I didn’t know better she is in almost complete control of all of them. Astounding, it is this that apparently caused the malfunction. It was also apparently arrested as soon as your husband spoke to her,” Mary said.

Mita stopped suddenly, staring at her husband. Then she got closer to him, staring even more intensely at his face. She was just now starting to recognize a few of the readouts he was showing.

A shake of her head she looked at Mary, “I need you to do a level 1, micro-cellular scan of my husband.”

“Commencing scan now, are we looking for anything specific?” Mary asked, slightly perplexed.

“I’m not sure,” Mita said. “I’ll know as soon as I see the scan. So far I am not seeing anything unusal.”

Over on a third bio-bed, a half-conscious Derrick groaned as his eyes slowly opened. As soon as he tried to sit up, he groaned even louder.

“Mary, I and the empire do not have time for me to be a prisoner of a bio-bed. If you hadn’t noticed? We are currently at war.” A still groggy Derrick said.

“Yes Sire, you are only here to confirm that you are still functioning at full capacity. How can you lead the empire if your mind is still confused?” Mary asked.

This, of course, had Derrick’s eyes snapping open. “So, you are saying that I really have no say in this?”

“Partly yes,” came a familiar voice from the med-bay door. “Really Derrick, we can’t have you riking yourself like this before you produce an heir.”

Derrick shook his head slightly, “no point in doing that if we are destroyed now, is it, Shelby?”

“To a point that is true, still, you are the absolute last male of your line, the Imperial line. Plus, Mary is barely able to allow both of us access. Now, shut up, lay back and get better.” Shelby said.

Derrick smirked at her as he tried to salute, “Sir! Yes Sir!”

Shelby shook her head, “now you’re just trying to placate me.” She shook a finger at him. “It’s not going to work this time.”

Derrick sighed, then laid back. She was starting to match him wit for wit.

“Sire,” Mary said, “you should be released within the hour. This was an excellent exercise in DIMT living matter trasnsfer.”

Derrick thought a moment, then nodded. “Up until now it had been thought that a transfer of this distance was impossible. I can see that you are trying to find a way to reduce the amount of static charge. I assume it is a result of having to use as much power as you did?”

The holo-gram of Mary nodded, “that statement is almost entirely true. I am still trying to derive where the rest of the static was from.”

Derrick nodded as he felt his mind clear more. A sudden thought occurred to Derrick. “Have you thought that the extra energy might have been collected during the long transfer?”

Mary’s holo - gram shook its head, “not as of yet. I am now analyzing data related to the event.”

“Mary?” came the slightly confused voice of Mita. “Do you still have the last micro-cellular scan done on the Emperor?”

“Of course, Dr. Mita.” Replied Mary.

“Please display them, along with my husband’s and my daughter’s,” Mita said.

As each came up Mita nodded her head ‘til the end. “Astonishing, according to the readings, they all have components of the same nanomites, within their bodies,” Mary said.

Mita was nodding again. “The Emperor is first generation, it appears that my husband is fourth. Our daughter appears to be of the sixth and last.”

A groan between Derrick and Shelly drew their attention. “Could the three of you hold it down? My head feels as if it is splitting in two.”

“Serves you right trying to pull off a long distance transfer without proper preparation,” Mita said with a hint of gratitude in her voice. “So, when were you a patient of my father’s?”

“Your father’s patient? Oh shit! You weren’t supposed to know, ever. Your father made me promise to never tell you.” Gunther Shiloh said to his wife, who had a shocked, then slightly angry look on her face.

“You thought this was a good idea!!” Mita said as her voice started to rise in volume.

“Yes,” Gunther said as he started to cringe. “As he said, it was to keep you from a reaction such as this.”

Mita growled as she took a deep breath, visibly calming, she pointed a finger at him. “We will talk later, you will tell me everything, understand?!”

Gunther again cringed as Derrick and Shelby started to chuckle.

Johnathon Hartwell was pacing the deck. So far, Johnathon hadn’t been able to do anything but stabilize Bee. Hartwell had contacted Mary, though that was an hour ago.

“Have you been able to get anywhere?” Hartwell asked.

“I am sorry, Prime, I have not. I am able to keep her in her present state, though as of yet, nothing else has worked.” Johnathon said. “I also have to inform you that Admiral Shiloh is on the Imperial Planet.”

“What!? How in the hell is that even possible? I thought that the DIMT couldn’t transfer living matter safely.”

“Apparently mother was able to, though as he found out, it caused a great deal of static energy. As I was told, it was an emergency involving the Admiral’s daughter,” Johnathon said.

“Has Mary been able to deduce a way to help Bee?” A near desperate sounding Hartwell said.

“I am sure that they are doing all they can to help her.” A female voice said behind Hartwell. “So, you are that worried about her.”

Hartwell turned to face his sister Lucie, a look of pain on his face. No matter how or where he looked at the situation, he had to admit he was falling for Bee hard.

“I ... yes I am, don’t start, I have never felt like this, so it is taking a long time to process it.” Hartwell said.

“No, I am not here to belittle you brother, I am just glad that you haven’t completely given up. You are more like the man that left home all those years ago,” Lucie said.

“More like I was? I am still the same man who...” Hartwell started, then stopped when Lucie shook her head no.

“You are a solider, war has turned you cold and hard inside. I can see it. I guess you had to though, with all the killing that occurred. To say that you are almost emotionless wouldn’t be too far off the mark,” Lucie said sadly.

Hartwell could only stare at his sister, the demure girl he knew wasn’t the same either. She had grown into an independent, strong, opinionated woman that was equal if not more than he was. This revelation shocked, then made him smile. It was good for her.

Lucie could only suspiciously stare at her brother when she saw him start to smile slightly.

She then reached over, punching her brother in the arm. “Alright, what the hell are you so happy about?”

Hartwell again was staring at Lucie as he rubbed his arm. “For your information, I am glad that you are as strong as you are. Both of us have been through hell, it’s about time things started to go our way.”

“Oh,” Lucie said as she looked deep into her brother’s eyes. A shake of her head had her saying, “I’m sorry brother. I’d forgotten just how bad it was for you also.” With a turn she looked over past the empty bio-beds to the one that Bee was on. “So, the Emperor and the girl’s father are OK. Shelly is stable, what of Bee?”

Hartwell sighed as he looked at the unconscious form of Bee. He was about to speak when Mary’s holo-gram appeared. “It appears that we have a way to help Bee and the others. The others haven’t started to show signs, though we suspect it won’t be long now. I have given all the information that Johnathon needs to effect a cure.”

Johnathon appeared a moment later with a pneumatic injection on the hand of a robotic arm. “How long will it take...” Hartwell asked as soon as the needle hissed.

He stopped as Bee took a deep breath, then sat up. A look at Hartwell caused her a slight smile, then she lowered her eyes, then her head. “I am sorry my Lord. I did not mean to sleep in your presence.”

Hartwell shook his head as he reached for her face. Lifting it up, he stared deep into her eyes, “it is more than allowed when you are not well. I do believe that you will never have to be afraid of what the males on your planet did to you.”

Shocked, Bee stared back into Hartwell’s eyes, seeing something there she’d not seen before. Then it occurred to her what he had said. Her eyes flew wide, she did not feel any of the compulsions that she had felt most of her adult life.

“You ... you have cured me?” A truly shocked Bee asked.

“I believe that we have Bee, we just might be able to cure almost all the females on your planet.” Hartwell said, then had to struggle to stay on his feet. Bee pulled him full force as she threw her arms around him.

“Thank you, thank you, lord sir! The females on my planet have been enslaved their whole lives by this.” Bee said excitedly, then backed away, shrinking herself as small as she could on the bio-bed. “Please forgive me Lord Sir, I did not mean to disrespect you. Please sir, punish me, not the others.”

Hartwell could only stare in horror at what Bee had said. He got level with her face as he quietly asked her to look at him.

“I told you Bee, I would never do that to you or any of the females from your planet.” Hartwell said.

Hartwell slowly forced her head up to look at him. When she saw his smile, she again started to shake. “Please Lord Sir, I will do anything, I...”

“Bee, I will never punish you. I really don’t think that there are many males in our kingdom that will either. Please, look up, look into my eyes, things are not like here, as they are in your world.” Hartwell said.

Bee’s eyes very slowly rose, her body still cringing, ‘til Hartwell pulled her to him, holding her tight. Bee’s eyes flew wide when he realized that there was no pain or ridicule.

“This is truly strange, Lord Sir, it might take a very long time to grow used to this everyday.” Bee said.

“I told you I would answer you after all this is done. I don’t think that I can wait that long.” This had Bee staring up at Hartwell, her eyes wide in wonder. Hartwell looked deep into her eyes, “I am finding that the thought of being without you is starting to terrify me.”

Bee’s face held shock, her mouth having dropped open, unable to speak. “You ... you wish to bond with me?”

“Yes Bee, bond with me, be my partner,” Hartwell said.

A still shocked Bee could only stare, then started to nod her head, yes, vigorously.

Nearby Lucie had tears falling from her eyes. Finally, her brother had found someone.

Jimison and Difina were both panting, sweat pouring off their bodies. Both stood almost vanishing as they attacked their master Dempsy again.

The sound of two thuds were heard as both of them hit the wall again. The two of them were shocked when Dempsy appeared next to them. The thing is neither had felt nor seen him move.

Kimon shook his head, had they not learned anything? “So both of you wish to remain worthless. All that you have learned ‘til now is more than important and, yes, it is that simple. Forget what you see, reach out as you learned, use the other senses, remember the eyes can lie.”

Jimison was panting hard as he went through what he’d learned before, simple?