Lost Empire

Chapter 14

Joseph Hartwell was standing there with his mouth hanging open there was no way in hell that he was going to believe that O'Toma was emperor.

Shaking his head he had to sit, almost as if by magic a seat appeared under him.

"I'm sorry I am finding this a little too hard to swallow." That was when Hartwell started to laugh.

"It's a good one I have to admit, now then, I really need to meet or talk to the man. The genius, that brought about the capture of over one hundred pirate ships, near the old ship yards."

Sighing Derrick wasn't exactly sure how he was going to prove to this man he was the genus emperor.

Mary appeared a moment later.

"Rear Admiral Hartwell," she stated. "Do you by chance recognize me?"

Nodding he looked straight at her, "You are a computer generated hologram, I recognize you from the few pictures that remain of the first and last emperors."

"Very good sir, what you may not know is that I was given the power to enact all imperial mandates, in all imperial matters. The most important in the last two centuries was finding someone from this man's family."

Laughing a bit she continued, "In this case he actually found us. I was the one who sent the proof that the next emperor had been found. Though I am sure you noticed I left his name off? That was to protect what was left of his family. I am the only one who can declare anyone to be the emperor."

Derrick looked over at Hartwell, nudging him he whispered, "Joey, close your mouth." Nodding Hartwell did as Derrick told him.

"You really are the man? The one who scared the hell out of command? You almost gave me a coronary with that first then the second message, crap; I thought we were toast after that second one." Shaking his head, "When did you get that brilliant?" Hartwell asked.

"Well I had help," Derrick told him. Showing the man his download head set, Derrick was tempted to give the man a little taste, but he didn't want the man in the infirmary for days.

"I have to say it is you, my god man you have an empire waiting for you," Hartwell said.

"I want you to be a part of it, I also want the others that are left, we can help almost everything that might be wrong with them." Derrick said excited that he finally had a human he could actually trust.

Sighing Hartwell looked away tears filling his eyes, "Of the nine that were left only five of us are still alive. Shilo and Grant were killed in a transport accident, the whole ship was lost. Jimison was killed trying to stop a robbery. Norman," here Hartwell sighed even harder, "was blown out of a hatch; he'd managed to save fifteen people that were trapped. He heard the hatch failing and shoved them into life boat capsule, he'd just managed to get it shut and secured when the hatch went."

Even bigger tears were in his eyes, "He was a hero! They said it was his fault, he wasn't even there, he was on the other side of the ship when the call came out. The bastards blamed their own incompetence on him; I have tried to reopen the case for two years now. The president was part owner so it was swept under the rug!"

Derrick growled Norman had been the best of his unit, strong and capable with a moral code that was second only to Derrick's own.

Derrick sat there a moment waiting for Hartwell to calm, then Derrick spoke, "There will be justice for them, I'll make sure of that, if it's the last thing I do, there will be justice for them all!"

Hartwell looked up at Derrick, "Listening to you I can tell you aren't the same man I knew all those years ago, I also believe that you will do as you say."