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Hi all!  Lord Baldrith here with the Third and final part to the wonderful story written by Gabriel Nightshadow and Time Lord.  Narrated and produced by Lord Baldrith.  Amber Raine voices the character Cheriya.

Here is the text version:

The Imperial Throne Room

The Jinrazi Home World of Sukidayo Prime

Ten years later…

Emperor Kuzai sat on his throne, a look of disbelief on his face. How could one man, a gaijin – no less!, single-handedly destroy the mighty Jinrazi Empire, he thought to himself. The Jinrazi were a proud people, descended from Japanese samurai who had taken to the stars. The Emperor vowed revenge against the man responsible for all this – the man known as Nystal!

Suddenly, he heard the sounds of guards shouting and two figures, a male and a female, rushed into the room. The male pulled a device out of his pocket and short circuited the door’s controls. The couple turned around and the Emperor immediately recognized the male.

“YOU!”, shouted the Emperor, pointing his finger at the male, “You are the one responsible for destroying my empire! You are Nystal!”

“Indeed, I am.”, replied Time Lord, “But you brought this all upon yourself, Emperor. I knew your grandfather. He was a good and honorable man and a very wise ruler. He never would have approved of any of this!”

“Grandfather was a weak and pathetic fool!”, said the Emperor, a crazed look in his eyes, “It is our destiny to conquer the universe!”

“You’ve enslaved hundreds of worlds in your bid for ultimate power.”, said Time Lord, “Countless trillions have suffered under your reign!”

“And so you took it upon yourself to stop me?”, asked Emperor, “How are you any better? You’ve slaughtered millions of people in your quest to restore “peace”. My capital is in flames and the once mighty Jinrazi battle fleet lies in pieces high above this world!”

“That may be true, but your civilian population is safe and sound.”, replied Time Lord, “I’ve seen to it that they have been teleported to a nice, fertile planet far away from here where they will have a chance to start over again as farmers, free from your evil influence! Once I was merely an observer, but my wife has taught me that sometimes it is necessary to take action in order to do what is right!”

“You, this is all your fault!”, shouted Emperor Kuzai, pointing at Chariya.

The Emperor suddenly pulled out a concealed energy pistol and shot Chariya in the chest!

Chariya’s heavily armored, high-tech vest was no match for the Emperor’s high-powered energy pistol, and Time Lord instantly saw the burn marks and huge gaping wound. He smelled the odor of burnt flesh as Chariya crumpled to the ground, a stunned look on her face.

“NO!”, screamed Time Lord.

The Emperor immediately dropped his energy pistol and charged at Time Lord with his katana!

“DIE, NYSTAL!”, shouted Emperor Kuzai.

Time Lord reached for the katana lying on the floor next to the body of a fallen guard.

The Emperor was a skilled combatant, having been trained by the finest sword masters in the empire.

He swung his katana right at Time Lord’s neck in an attempt to decapitate him!

Unfortunately for the Emperor, Time Lord had studied under the legendary Japanese swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi. He was easily able to parry the Emperor’s blow and cut him down with one swift stroke!

Time Lord dropped the katana and rushed to his beloved Chariya’s side. He pulled a medical scanner out of one of his pouches and took a scan.

Time Lord began crying as he said, “My love, you’ve been fatally wounded. There’s nothing I can do to save you!”

“Don’t cry, my love.”, said Chariya, as she reached up with her right hand and stroked his cheek, “I was well aware of the dangers I would be facing on my journey with you. These past ten years have been the happiest in my life. I’ve seen so many exotic places and met so many important historical figures thanks to you. I…”

Chariya’s hand fell to the ground as she lost consciousness.

“No, don’t leave me!”, cried Time Lord, tears streaming down his cheeks, “There must be something I can do!”

Time Lord suddenly remembered something, and pulled the Radozan mind cube out of his pouch.

“Of course, the Radozan mind cube!, ” he shouted excitedly, “This is why Mingo gave me this to me on our wedding day. Thank you, cousin!”

“Hang on, honey!”, Time Lord said, as he placed the mind cube on top of Chariya’s forehead.

The cube began glowing bright white as Chariya’s consciousness was transferred to it. It returned to its normal blue color when the transfer was complete. Time Lord picked up the cube and spoke to it.

“Are you OK, dear?”, asked Time Lord.

“I feel OK, honey.”, replied Chariya, “Although it feels kind of strange not having a physical body.”

“Oh my, is that my dead body down there?”, asked Chariya.

“I’m afraid so, dear.”, replied Time Lord, as he reached down and removed Chariya’s wedding wing from her finger, “I promise I will give this back to you the day you receive a new body.”

He placed the ring in his belt pouch.

Suddenly, Time Lord and Chariya heard shouting from outside the sealed door.

‘Emperor Kuzai, are you all right?”, yelled a soldier, “Don’t worry, we’ll be in there shortly!”

Blaster fire could be heard outside and the door started turning red hot!

“Honey, I think we better leave before they get through.”, said Chariya, “Is there another exit to this room?”

“Not an obvious one, but I suspect the Emperor has a hidden escape route somewhere in this chamber.”, replied Time Lord.

Time Lord quickly looked around the room.

“Hmm…,” said Time Lord, as he sat on the Emperor’s throne, “I wonder if there’s a hidden switch somewhere down here…”

Time Lord felt under the right armrest. There was an audible click and the throne moved to the left, revealing a hidden passageway underneath the throne.

“Let’s go!”, he said, placing the mind cube in his other belt pouch.

Time Lord ran down the staircase.

A few minutes later, the door melted away and five guards came rushing in.

“The Emperor has been slain by Nystal!”, shouted Major Ozai, “Captain Shobu, take your men down that passageway and capture the war criminal! He is to be taken alive, so he may stand trial for his crimes. Is that clear? I will notify General Ruko of the Emperor’s murder.”

“Yes, sir!”, replied Captain Shobu, “Follow me men!”

The guards charged down the staircase.

Major Ozai activated his wrist communicator and said, “Imperial flagship Doragon (Japanese word for “dragon”), this is Major Ozai. Priority one message for General Ruko!”

****************************************************************************

On board the Imperial flagship, Doragon, one of the seven remaining Jinrazi battlecruisers in space orbiting Suidayo Prime, General Ruko, the highest ranking surviving member of the Imperial Army, entered the bridge with a somber look on his face.

“Lieutenant Nakimora, fleet-wide intercom, please. I have an announcement to make.”, said the General.

“Aye, sir!”, replied the Lieutenant, “Lines are open.”

“This is General Ruko addressing the Jinrazi battle fleet. It is with great sadness that I must report that our beloved Emperor has been murdered by the notorious war criminal, Nystal.”, said the General.

Everyone on the bridge gasped.

“General Ruko, I am detecting a small unidentified spacecraft leaving the planet. Ship recognition database indicates that it matches the profile of the war criminal Nystal’s ship!”, said Lt. Fuksa.

“Is the ship within tractor beam range?” commanded General Ruko.

“No, sir!”, replied Lt. Fuksa.

“Launch all fighters!”, said General Ruko, “Instruct them to disable Nystal’s vessel and surround it until we are within tractor beam range. Plot a pursuit vector. Is that clear?”

“Aye, sir!”, replied Lt. Nakimora.

Shortly thereafter, two dozen Imperial Dragon fighter ships were in pursuit of Nystal’s ship, followed by the Doragon. The other six battlecruisers remained in orbit around Sukidayo Prime.

********************************************************************************

On board his ship, Time Lord spoke to Max, the ship’s AI (artificial intelligence).

“Max, what is the status of ship systems?”, asked Time Lord.

“Camouflage field damaged beyond repair.”, said Max, “Shield strength holding steady at 98%. I’m tracking two dozen hostiles pursuing us. Would you like me to activate ship’s laser cannon turrets and energy torpedo launchers?”

“Laser cannon turrets only, Max, and please increase speed to .6 light speed.”, said Time Lord, “If only we had enough time to reach light speed and engage the quantum temporal drive…”

“Sure thing, boss!”, replied Max.

“Honey, I’m worried. Will we be able to outrun them?”, asked Chariya.

“Not for long, but I’m sure I’ll think of something…”, replied Time Lord, “It would really help if I could see you, darling. Concentrate real hard. You can project a holographic image of yourself.”

“Is this better?”, asked Chariya, as her holographic form appeared in the co-pilot’s seat.

“Much better!”, said Time Lord with a smile on his face.

******************************************************************************

Meanwhile, on board the Doragon…

“General Ruko, I’m detected a massive energy buildup on Sukidayo Prime!”, shouted the ship’s science officer, Lt. Cmdr. Yoshi.

“Lt. Nakimora, have the fleet move away from the planet immediately!”, ordered General Ruko.

“Aye, sir.”, replied Lt. Nakimora, but before she had a chance to transmit a message, the entire planet exploded, wiping out the rest of the Jinrazi battle fleet!

The Doragon was far enough away from the planet to avoid any damage. The entire bridge crew gasped in astonishment, for they realized that they were all that remained of the once mighty Jinrazi Empire.

“Curse you, Nystal!”, shouted General Ruko, pounding his right fist down on his armrest.

******************************************************************************

Meanwhile, the Tanken-ka was being taking heavy fire from the Dragon fighters.

“Shields down to 50% strength, boss!”, said Max, “Gun turrets One and Three have been rendered inoperative. Eight hostiles have been destroyed, sixteen hostiles remaining. We will be within tractor range of the Doragon in ten minutes…”

“What do we do?”, asked Chariya.

“Max, is there a nebula close by?”, asked Time Lord.

“Yes, the Quarox Nebula is within range…”, replied Max.

“Do you have a plan?”, asked Chariya.

“I’m going to use a trick employed by an old friend of mine, a noted starship captain.”, replied Time Lord, “But first we have to get rid of these pesky fighters. Max, I want you to simulate a sudden engine failure and standby to activate the EMP generator. Once the fighters are disabled, head for the nebula at full speed.”

“Sure thing, boss!”, replied Max.

The Tanken-ka’s engines soon began venting gas and came to a dead stop. The Dragon fighters soon surrounded the vessel.

“Enemy vessel, this is Captain Jiro.”, said the fighter squadron leader, “You are surrounded! Prepare to be tractored aboard the Imperial flagship Doragon shortly!”

“Now!”, shouted Time Lord.

Time Lord’s ship suddenly emitted an electromagnetic pulse in a five mile radius around the vessel. Long ago, Time Lord had developed a unique compound, which when bonded with the metal in the Taken-ka’s hull, would shield it from the effects of electromagnetic pulses. The Dragon fighters weren’t so lucky, and were rendered inoperative. They were soon adrift in space.

******************************************************************************

“General Ruko, our fighters have been rendered inoperative by an EM pulse!”, said Lt. Fuksa, “Nystal’s ship is now headed for the Quarox Nebula!”

“Our sensors and shields will be rendered inoperative within the nebula, General.”, said Lt. Cmdr Yoshi.

“I’m well aware of that, Commander!”, said General Ruko, “Lt. Fuksa, plot an intercept course and engage quantum drives at .8 light speed!”

“Aye, sir!”, replied Lt. Fuksa.

*******************************************************************************

Within the Quarox Nebula, the Tanken-ka was being buffeted by fierce electromagnetic storms.

“Status of weapons systems, Max?” asked Time Lord.

“Forward gun turret one and rear gun turret three are inoperative, as are rear energy torpedo launchers three and four.”, replied Max.

“How many energy torpedoes do we have remaining?”, asked Time Lord.

“Four, boss. Two each for the forward energy torpedo launchers.”, said Max.

“Hmm…”, said Time Lord, with a serious look on his face.

“Honey, is it wise to be hiding here in the nebula?”, asked Chariya, “It’s only a matter of time before the Doragon finds us.”

“It’s part of my plan, darling.”, replied Time Lord, “They will have to enter the nebula itself in order to find us. We have an advantage over them in that our shields and sensors continue to function here, thanks to my ingenuity. The plan is to sneak up behind them and disable their main engines, thereby allowing us time to escape the nebula and engage the quantum temporal drive.”

“Do we have enough firepower in order to disable their engines?”, asked Chariya.

“This ship’s lasers are not powerful enough to penetrate the Doragon’s hull.”, replied Time Lord, “We will have to rely on the energy torpedoes. With only four torpedoes remaining, the best we can hope to do is disable one of the two engines, but that should be enough.”

“Hey, boss, the Doragon has just entered the nebula!”, said Max.

******************************************************************************

On the bridge of the Doragon…

“Any sign of Nystal’s ship?”, asked General Ruko.

“No, sir!”, replied Lt. Fuksa, ” I…

Suddenly, the Doragon was rocked by massive explosions and the ship began to rock back and forth! Everybody on the bridge quickly tried to grab hold of the railings. Those who didn’t respond fast enough were thrown about.

“Report!”, yelled General Ruko.

“The left engine nacelle has been partially destroyed by torpedo fire, sir.”, said Lt. Cmdr. Yoshi, “We are venting quantum energy! Inertial dampers are offline!”

“Return fire!”, yelled General Ruko.

******************************************************************************

The Tanken-ka was turning away from the Doragon and headed in the opposite direction when it was hit in the rear by both laser fire and energy torpedoes!

“Boss, our shields have been penetrated and both the main engines and quantum temporal drive have been hit! We are venting both quantum energy and chronometric particles!”, said Max.

“Chronometric particles?! Oh no!”, cried Time Lord.

The energies released by the explosion, coupled with the chronometric particles, caused a time vortex to form in the nebula, and both the Doragon and the Tanken-ka were pulled in!

*******************************************************************************

New Britannia

200 Years Ago…

Midnight

Mingo exited the tavern and lit his pipe. Taking a puff, he suddenly heard a dull roar. He looked up into the dark night sky and saw the flaming trail left by the Tanken-ka as it streaked across the sky and crashed into Mount Krendor.

“So at last, he has come!”, remarked Mingo.

Mingo sighed.

“I wonder how many more of our people will return here to live amongst their children.”, pondered Mingo, “Only time will tell…”

Mingo’s eyes glowed briefly.

****************************************************************************

Mount Krendor

8:00 AM

“Honey, are you OK?” , asked Chariya.

“Yeah, I seem to be in one piece.”, replied Time Lord, “Thank heavens for my regenerative abilities! Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t be a very pretty sight right now. Max, what kind of shape is the Tanken-ka in?

“Luckily, the shields stayed up long enough to prevent any serious damage to the ship’s hull, but unfortunately both the main engines and quantum temporal generator are completely shot!,” said Max, “All weapons systems are down as well. I have managed to get the camouflage field working properly now.”

“I see. Are suitable replacement parts available on this planet?”, asked Time Lord.

“Negative, boss.”, replied Max, “At this society’s current rate of technological development, suitable replacement parts will not be available for approximately 2,000 years.”

“2,000 years!”, exclaimed Chariya, ” Do we have enough power to keep the ship running that long?”

“I believe that if I shut down everything except the camouflage field and anti-intruder system and put Max in sleep mode, we should have just enough energy to power up all systems in 2,000 years.”, replied Time Lord, “Am I right, Max?”

“As always, boss!”, replied Max.

“By the way, Max, where exactly are we right now?”, asked Time Lord.

“We’re on Mount Krendor in New Britannia, 200 years after The Great Cataclysm.”, replied Max.

“New Britannia? Hmm…I haven’t been back here in a long time.”, said Time Lord, “Better pack up some supplies before we head out!”

Time Lord grabbed a backpack and began filling it with supplies from the cabinets. Once he was done, he put on a hooded robe and grabbed a wooden staff.

He turned to Chariya’s holographic form.

“Honey, you better switch to audio mode now in order to conserve power. Without a means to recharge it, the mind cube will run out of power in about 500 years.”, said Time Lord.

“500 years?”, said Chariya, with a worried look on her face, “Will that be enough time for you to find a way to get me a new body?”

“Science alone is not enough to accomplish that.”, replied Time Lord, “I hope that by combining both science and magic, I will be able to create a new, immortal body for you. 500 years should be a sufficient amount of time for me to master all of New Britannia’s schools of magic.”

“I believe in you, my love!”, said Chariya, as she vanished.

“Initiate shutdown process. Pleasant dreams, Max. I’ll see you in 2,000 years!”, said Time Lord.

“Looking forward to it, boss!”, replied Max, “You and Chariya be careful out there!”

“We will, Max.”, said Time Lord, as he exited the Tanken-ka.

Once outside, the door sealed shut and anti-intruder system came online. The Tanken-ka now appeared to the untrained eye as a row of trees. Inside, Max dreamt he was a handsome, young high roller at The Bellagio in Las Vegas. He had a gorgeous blonde on one arm and an equally stunning redhead on the other.

“Time to party!”, yelled Max, as everything faded to black…

******************************************************************************

“Where to now?”, asked Chariya.

“Down there!”, said Time Lord, pointing down to the city of Brittany which lay below, “We should be able to reach it by nightfall.”

“Why are we going there?”, asked Chariya.

“I think it’s time to look up an old friend.”, said a grinning Time Lord, “On Earth, you knew him in the SCA as Shamino, but in this realm he goes by another name…

Lord British!”

THE END

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