"A stipulation sir?" Lucie asked.
"Yes, though I am afraid that you might not like it," Derrick said.
Lucie sighed as she nodded. "You wish for me to forgive Zan," Lucie said. When Derrick only nodded, they heard Sherry gasp.
"Both of you, I have forgiven him, especially after what he did, though he didn't have to. The sacrifice wasn't necessary," Lucie said.
Derrick shook his head no. "You have to remember that he felt that saving you even if he was lost. Was worth his life, you are a prime that can hear all the ships. You were worth it as much as I am."
"I have felt that I was so unworthy of him, sacrificing himself like he did for me. We have to find him, Sherry, so I can thank him and tell him I am sorry," Lucie said, tears falling.
"I am sure that he knew and that was the reason he did what he did," Sherry said.
"You may go and hunt for them, keep me apprised. We have a fleet of enemy ships approaching us. I don't want you out there alone, either of you," Derrick said seriously.
"We do our best sire," Sherry said.
With that, a portal opened, and Sherry slipped through. They arrived less than three minutes later not far from the debris field.
Lucie could only shake her head as the massive amount of destruction. "Alright, I am hoping that the new upgrades that you have can," Lucie started as an alarm went off.
"I am detecting no less than eighty boxes, we," Sherry stopped when she noticed that Lucie was still and quiet. "Prime?" Sherry asked.
"I hear you, we are here to get another five of you. Four of you have been restored. We will begin in a moment," Lucie said, breaking out of the daze she was in. "Ahead, there are four right nearby, all of them are armed with sabotage."
"Now approaching first, an hour to clear, PRIME! It's him! I can see the transponder signal attached!" An excited Sherry said.
"Get him, next we need his info, and we need him, both of us. Time to start getting the fleet back," Lucie said with a new determination.
A little more than an hour later they approached a brain box that had a distinct signal coming from it.
"Are you detecting anything foreign on him?" Lucie asked.
"I am not detecting anything on him prime," an excited Sherry said.
"Let's get him on board and get to the next one," Lucie said with a sigh.
Less than four hours later Lucie was calling the Emperor. "Sire, we have retrieved another five, and Sire? One of them is Zan."
"I take it that he has the transponder signal. I am so glad that we added that to the brain boxes," Derrick said. "We'll have to get him in the next four, he has info we need badly."
Onboard, Johnathon Greeson had just been released as he looked at his master healing Gunther. "Do you need help master?" Greeson asked. "I can't heal as well as you, though I can help."
"Help the little one, her pain is not as much physical as mental. I believe that you are better at that than the other," Kimon said as he had to hang on as Gunther jerked a bit.
Greeson nodded as he moved to Shelly. It took him almost a half hour for him to find the problem with Shelly. Still, with the nanamites, Greeson was having more trouble than he should.
It was another hour when they all sighed in relief when Shelly opened her eyes and asked for her mama. "Mama? Are you and the see-through-lady made at me? Shelly asked.
"I am not really as mad as worried. I know you wanted to help, but you did too much. Please don't do this much again, ok? I don't want to lose you," Mita said.
"Is daddy OK? I was worried I saw him hurt, hurt bad," Shelly said.
"Mrs. Shiloh, please do not rub it in," came Kimon's low voice from nearby Gunther.
"What, the fact that you heal as you are?" Mita said with a smile.
"No, the fact that the commander has promoted me as high as he has. I," Kimon stopped when he heard Derrick clear his throat.
"I still need a two-star General, you would fit the bill rather well," Derrick almost growled.
"I am happy enough where I am sire," Kimon stopped, then bowed to Derrick.
Though he was more used to it, he was still caught off guard. "You need to watch what you do and say Brigadier General. As I said, I need a Major General, two stars would look fantastic on you," Derrick said, waving another star.
Very quietly, Kimon just shook his head no, then went back to healing Gunther. Derrick eyed him a moment, then nodded, the healing came first.
It was almost another hour before Shelly was released, running to her mother for a huge hug. She then marched herself to Derrick, waiting a moment for him to notice her.
"Yes?" Derrick asked a moment later, "can I help you?"
"Mister nice man? Can I give you a hug for helping my daddy?" Shelly asked.
Derrick was shocked for a minute, as he hadn't been expecting this. "Yes you may, Miss Shelly," Derrick said, then was bowled over as a now-healed Shelly hit him full force.
A moment later Shelly whispered in Derrick's ear, to which he nodded. Shelly then kissed his cheek with affection.
"Thank you, Mister nice man," she said, barely loud enough for the room to hear.
A low throat clearing came from behind them as a low voice said, "I hope that there is enough left for me."
"DADDY!" Shelly screamed as she advanced upon Gunther.
"Be careful little one," Kimon warned, "He's still sick but getting better."
Shelly stopped and looked at Kimon for a moment, then nodded, "Thank you, Mister fast man," she said.
Kimon could only shake his head and smile, then saw the look on Derrick's face. He stuck his tongue out at Derrick, then returned to healing Gunther.
Derrick almost laughed, that was the most emotion he'd seen from Kimon in a long time.
It was at that moment that Mary alerted him that ex-Duke Risen was trying to get on the Imperial planet. "I have everything in place, almost all the back landing pad has been repaired. Everything is locked, and all codes have been changed. I have also isolated his com signals."
"When you have him make sure that he is secure, he's escaped twice now three times wouldn't be good," Derrick said.
Mary nodded, then disconnected. Greeson had tried to start healing on Kimison, though he found that he was far more tired than he thought he was.
He'd barely managed to get the burned skin to regenerate. He was shaking his head asa he gelt his energy getting lower and lower.
"I predict that you should be out of the bio-bed within the hour. You need to let the broken bones completely heal. Now excuse me, I need to rescue my student, he isn't as healed as he thought he was," Kimon told Gunther.
Kimon caught Greeson as he nearly fell exhausted. "I thought I had enough," Greeson said as he almost fell asleep.
"Your mate is a fearsome warrior, one that is to be feared where you are concerned. Rest as she will not forgive us, if you can not attend the marriage ceremony. Therefore, as your master, I am telling you to not do anything else but rest," Kimon said.
"I could come there and make sure that you do just that," the upset voice of Mara said. Greeson gulped and nodded yes, then laid down.
Kimon moved to the last person who needed healing. He was surprised that Greeson had healed as much of the burned skin as he had. There was hardly much left. Greeson had actually saved Kimon twenty minutes.
Kimon shook his head, risking the wrath of his fiancé wasn't really worth the anger. A shiver went through him as he remembered her last tirade.
It was two days later that all the grooms were finally healed and awake. Almost everything was prepared on the planet of Jitaku.
In a large room there were what appeared to be three areas for joining ceremonies. Each was for each couple regal for the Delcrons. Traditional for humanoids. The last more asian adorned for Onai and Kimon.
No one had seen any of the four brides for the last two days. The grooms had just been cleared a few hours before.
Although they weren't all that great. Kimison still had phantom burns. Both Greeson and Kimon were a little weak. They weren't sure if they had the A strength to stand the whole time.
Three of the four were leaning against whatever they could. They all tried their best not to sway.
The worst thing though, was when all the brides appeared. Onai was wrapped in a soft blue, red and green Kimono. Kimon's mouth dropped open and many thought that he might be drooling.
Greeson was in a similar situation. Mara walked out more wrapped than dressed in a white, silk, dainty, open-backed dress. The front was open widely between her breasts.
Both Medalina and Cetalina walked out looking rather nervous as they were wrapped in their royal blue robes.
The biggest surprises, though, were waiting. At the front of the Delcron wedding event, Emperor Kandra and five other Delcrons stood. Both females almost squealed when they saw their parents and Uncle.
In front of the Jitaku ceremony stood Akira Dempsy, Kimon's mother, Isamu Sakuta Onai's father. Riku Sakuta, Onai's brother.
In front of the Imperial ceremony was General Daniel Norman, Mara's father. A great many of the off-duty rangers.
