Lost Empire Ch. 11

"NO! I can stop it! There is a failsafe!" Maury was screaming.

"No," Derrick calmly said, "There isn't, we scanned the entire missile there is nothing in it to stop it. Look, this was just a courtesy, so you could die with a clearer conscience. I'd say you have about 30 minutes, good-bye Maury."

"NO! NOOO! I HAVE IT, I HAVE IT!" Here I'll turn it off see. There the bomb is off!" Maury was screaming.

"Uh huh, we'll see," Derrick said.

Suddenly they heard a door open, then they heard the assistant's voice, "I have been waiting for this you little ass, for a very long time!"

"What are you doing here? Where are your clothes! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Then the line went dead.

Derrick chuckled; he guessed every bad guy got it in the end in one way or another.

"Mary what are you reading on the bomb now?" Derrick asked a hint of hope in his voice.

"After whatever he did the bomb has disarmed itself, the only problem is it is still highly unstable. May I suggest that you evacuate it outside the galaxy, possibly detonate it there?" Derrick let out a whoosh of air he had hoped that the damn thing was inert now. Well chalk it up to my family's luck he thought.

"Alright, I need readings on it I want to see if there is any way that we can move it without it blowing up in our faces." Derrick said issuing orders.

"Again, my Lord, though the bomb is now less dangerous, I must protest you going on this mission. I feel that you are placing yourself in the upmost amount of danger." Mary advised a look of worry and fear etched on her face.

"Mary," Derrick started, "I know you have my interests and those of the empire at the fore front of all your thought and actions. As I said before, I have to go; there are still adjustments that will need to be made that none of the ships or your self can do. Look I realize you are trying to protect me but I am protecting all the people doing this." Derrick told her hoping that he could convince her and his self as well.

"Under imperial mandates, I could pull you from the ship, put you in the palace. Your points have merit, the logic is undeniable therefore I concede this time. In the future though if I feel you are putting your life in too extreme of danger, I will enact the mandates to protect your life as I am pledged to." Mary told him as much as she hated to admit it he was their only chance to get rid of the massive explosive device.

"Now then as to your former request, as I stated before though it is disarmed, it is still highly unstable. Upon further inspection, I have determined that anything touching the outer casing might be enough to bring about detonation. The only logical course I can see is to push it gently with energy beams set on a lower setting. The only other problem is it will take a bit of time to reach the rim let alone empty space beyond." Mary advised.

"Just how long are we talking?" Derrick asked.

"Taking the shortest route, possibly four days." Mary replied.

"No that's entirely too long," Derrick said as an idea started to form in his mind. Shelby and the others had seen this before and quietly waited for Derrick to come up with another brilliant idea.

"Mary query," Derrick said after a few minutes.

"Yes my Lord, I am ready," she said.

"If we wrapped the missile in a nullifying energy field, would it be possible to use trans-warp to move it?" Derrick asked.

"Calculating, at first look it would appear so but we would have to be sure, I am afraid that the fields generated by the trans-warp might unintentionally detonate the payload." Mary stated.

"Good then it might be possible, Shelby start calculations on the payload of the missile wrapped in this type of nullifying field." Derrick said as he began to bring up several images. "Also let's see if we can increase the shield power for this, I don't want to lose one of you to this."

All the holograms smiled looking at Shelby before she nodded; Shelby looked at Mary who was nodding yes before she left. 'I need to get to the bottom of this but will they tell me the truth?' Derrick wondered if they would, they usually danced around the answer when he asked anything like it.