by Jim Laughter
Soon the lip of a canyon hove into view as the ship slowly lowered behind it. The scene changed as Leatha carefully maneuvered the ship around boulders and rock outcroppings. The mouth of a large cave appeared with a suited trooper standing in front of it. As soon as Leatha touched down, he came out, dragging the power jumper cable they occasionally used to power up a dead ship. Leatha locked her controls and turned toward Delmar.
“The confines of the cave are too tight to simply tow the Cabbage Patch out,” she said. “George will jumper around the dead green boxes and directly to the drive unit. Aurora will provide power so he can ease your ship out of the cave to where we can hook onto tow her.”
It didn’t take very long for George to run the power cables from the Aurora through the opening to the Cabbage Patch hidden deep within the cave. The green box power units were drained of all their energy, but the Aurora had plenty to spare. The lights on the Aurora dimmed when George activated the power units aboard the Cabbage Patch and began to syphon power.
In a few minutes, George signaled that he was ready to give it a try.
“Tell him the axis controls felt a little sloppy,” Delmar warned as a memory clicked into place. “I think the drive array was knocked out of alignment.”
Leatha immediately keyed up her headset and relayed the message to the other captain.
“He understands and is ready to lift,” Leatha advised as she turned back around. “And he says not to worry. He won’t hurt your baby.”
Delmar and Stan watched the Cabbage Patch drift slowly out of the cave, dragging the power cable behind her. In the harsh winter light, she looked a sight. Delmar was shocked at the amount of damage his ship had sustained when it was smashed around exiting the destroyed mothership. How had he survived? What act of miraculous fate had caused his single ship to remain intact and him be the only survivor?
“Don’t let it shake you up too much,” Stan said to his friend. “You got off light.”
George set the battered ship down as soon as he was clear of the cave. Disconnecting the jumper cable, he then rigged the tow cable so they could take the Cabbage Patch into space using Aurora’s field effect for protection. George came through the hatch a moment later.
“You’re all set out there,” he reported to Leatha. “She’s as secure as I can make her.”
“I just received a report that a retriever ship will meet us in high polar orbit,” Leatha replied. “Now what about your ship?”
“It’s hidden on the opposite side of the town,” George answered. “Just drop me off near there.”
“I’ll run you down as soon as we get the Cabbage Patch delivered,” Leatha said. “In the meantime, help yourself to the food synthesizer. It makes a good cup of coffee.”
“Thanks,” George said.
He crossed the control cabin and sat down next to Delmar and Stan.
“You’ve got some real friends here,” he commented to Delmar. “I hope you know that.”
“I think I’m just now realizing exactly how right you are, George,” Delmar answered. “Does this mean I can count you among them?”
George reached across the table and took Delmar’s extended hand. “Nothing would make me happier.”
Still listening from the control cabin, Leatha advanced the throttle and slowly lifted her ship until the tow cable became taunt. After double-checking her systems, she advanced the throttle again and took the connected ships upward through the swirling snow clouds.
∞∞∞
Night was falling when a messenger entered the sheriff’s office. Sheriff Stoddard and Abby looked up to see the runner from the local telegraph office puffing from the biting cold.
“What are you doing out in this cold, boy?” the sheriff asked.
The messenger walked directly to the sheriff’s desk and handed him a small envelope.
“I have a message here for you concerning Del Erdinata.”
Abby jumped up at the news, fear written all over her face. Sheriff Stoddard took the telegram and the runner headed back out into the cold night.
“It says that Del is safe and with friends at Fern Gulch,” the sheriff said to Abby. “He is all right and will meet you at the airpark in two nights, weather permitting.”
“Did Del send the message himself?” Abby asked anxiously. The relief she felt at the news of Del’s safety was more than obvious.
The sheriff read the telegram.
“It’s from someone called George something-or-other.”
“Is that all?”
She couldn’t help wonder who this man was who had stolen away the man she loved.
“No, there’s more here for Doctor Murphy,” the sheriff said. “It says to tell him thank you and that Del has recovered his memory.”
∞∞∞
High above the planet in polar orbit, a group of friends gathered around Delmar in the retriever ship’s upper mess. Leatha had only just returned from taking George back down to the surface to retrieve the Reacher from its hiding place.
“I’ve already contacted Ert to pass on the good news to the Senders and to your folks,” Stan informed Delmar as soon as Leatha had poured a mug of coffee and sat down next to her fiancé.
“Beginning to feel better now that the doctor is finished with you?” Leatha asked.
“Definitely,” Delmar said. “As far as he can tell, I suffered an extended memory loss due to physical trauma and the electrical shock. There are still a few gaps here and there, but he says those will return in time.”
“You mean you were down there all this time and didn’t know who you were or anything about the Axia?” Leatha asked incredulously.
“Well, I did have a few pieces, but they didn’t make much sense,” Delmar answered as he sipped his own drink.
“And you spoke their language?” Stan asked. “Spoke and understood it?”
Delmar nodded.
“I was assigned to visit the planet anyhow, so I was listening to a tutorial of their primary language when the attack happened and never disengaged it. The doctor says I learned it by subliminal suggestion, whatever that is, while I was unconscious.”
“Do you realize you could have contaminated that whole society with knowledge of the Axia before they’re ready to know about it?” Stan asked.
Delmar shrugged his shoulders.
“What could I have told them? I couldn’t remember my own name?”
Stan and Leatha exchanged wary glances. They knew Delmar would undergo extensive debriefing and counseling before he’d be allowed to assume his duties. Contamination of an unprepared society was a major infraction of the Axia’s basic laws. And with a society still in their pre-industrial era, any upsetting of their natural evolution could be devastating to their future.
“But some of the people down there helped out quite a bit. I made a lot of new friends, learned how to ride a horse and to pilot a primitive aircraft, and I even had a job repairing primitive combustion powered vehicles.”
Delmar winked at Stan.
“I even had a girlfriend,” Delmar continued, oblivious to Stan and Leatha’s concerns about his immediate future.
“I seem to remember predicting that a few months ago,” Stan said with a laugh.
“What? That’s he’d have a girlfriend?” Leatha asked.
“No, that he’d be working on mechanical contraptions.”
“Oh.”
“I hope you gave your employer at least a two-week notice.”
“That’s one of the things I hope to take care of tomorrow night,” Delmar said, looking at Leatha. “I have a few loose ends to tie up.”
Chapter Twenty
Stan was waiting outside the door of the debriefing officer’s cabin when Delmar finally emerged. This would be only the first of many such sessions his friend would undergo in the days and weeks to follow.
“Are they finished squeezing your brain dry for the day?” Stan said to his glassy-eyed friend.
Ever since the medical o
fficer had released Delmar for light duty, the debriefing officer had been questioning him thoroughly about the destruction of the mothership. The effort of trying to recall every possible detail of the incident had caused Delmar’s head to ache several times, but he finally managed to answer all of the questions he could. He also included his report about the lax attitude of the ship commander and how all of the picket and scout ships had been called in off of patrol, leaving the mothership unprotected from possible attack.
“I sure hope so,” Delmar said as he shook his head. The motion caused him to stumble. Stan reached out to steady him.
“Remind me not to do that again for a while,” Delmar quipped when the room stopped spinning.
“The drugs the medical officer gave me has some pretty interesting side effects.”
“Well, get a handle on them, boyo,” Stan ordered, leading Delmar along the passageway. “You’ve got an appointment to keep down on that planet.”
“I know. And there’s so much stuff yet to take care of. Like, what about Mom and Pop Hassel?”
“Already done. Jake and Sherry Sender are already on Erdinata. I contacted them personally and told them everything. They’ll stay with your folks until we can get you home for shore leave.”
“I sure hope Mom and Pop took it well,” Delmar said, thinking of Agnes’ possible reactions. To go from having a dead son to one alive would be quite a shock for anybody.
“Better than you would’ve thought,” Stan said with a smile. “I told the Senders you would be contacting them in the next few days when you’re up to it.”
“Thanks… I think,” Delmar said as they entered one of the landing bays of the retriever ship.
Waiting for them was the Aurora with Leatha standing next to the airlock. “It’s about time you two got here,” she quipped when she saw them approach. “We’ve got a tight schedule to keep.”
Turning, she climbed aboard, followed by the men. While Leatha strapped into the control chair, Stan and Delmar buckled in to the extra chairs behind her. It felt strange for Delmar to be a passenger on a ship so similar to his own and not be at the controls.
“Do you know where you’re going?” Delmar asked.
“Sure do,” Leatha replied. “I double-checked everything with George when he got back. He drew me a map and marked several good landing areas where we can conceal the ship.”
The comm squawked and Leatha turned her attention to it.
“Time to lift,” she said to her passengers. She advanced the throttle and the Aurora lifted off of the deck and exited through the docking bay doors.
“I have news on the Patch,” Stan offered Delmar while Leatha piloted them back to the planet.
Delmar remembered the last time he’d seen his battered Cabbage Patch. It hurt to see her all torn up, but he had to admit that she’d taken him to safety with her last ounce of power.
“What’s the word?”
“The dock master said she’s easily repairable,” Stan answered. “But he’d prefer to have her worked over at one of the shipyards. Arraignments are already being made at Theta to receive her. I also spoke to your dad about shipping over the last necessary part.”
“What are you talking about?” Delmar asked, puzzled.
“An important piece of your hull is on Erdinata.”
“Oh that.”
Delmar remembered what Stan had told him about the memorial service and how the piece of hull plate from the Cabbage Patch had been used as a marker.
It had taken several hours for Stan and Leatha to bring Delmar up-to-date. They contacted Ert to answer most of Delmar’s questions and show him the visuals.
Delmar and Stan watched through the Aurora’s front portals as the planet Panay rapidly grew larger. Delmar’s mind raced ahead to his meeting with Abby while Leatha lowered them down through the atmosphere.
This is going to be awkward, he thought. How am I going to explain all of this to her? Will she really believe I’m a man from another planet? How will I convince her that our meeting was an accident that should have never happened and that our love can never be?
∞∞∞
Evening was fast approaching the airpark while Abby waited inside her hanger. Standing near the small woodstove and its feeble heat, she tried to be patient. As it grew darker, she lit a lamp and looked outside for any sign of Del.
The storm had blown itself out that morning and left the region covered with a thin layer of dry snow. The winds on the tail of the storm blew most of this away, leaving the frozen airpark almost entirely bare.
Back inside the hanger, Abby checked over her flyer to pass the time. The cold weather flight had caused surprisingly little damage to the fragile aircraft. Her main concern was the simple stroke engine. Fearfully, she checked its various parts for cracks or warping. She was relieved to find no obvious damage. She was wiping the oil off of her cold hands when someone cleared his throat behind her.
“Hello Abby,” Delmar said. He saw Abby jump in reaction.
“Don’t do that to me, Del!” she exclaimed, spinning around. In another moment, she was embraced in his arms.
Tears streamed down her face—happy tears; frustrated tears. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to kiss him or scratch his eyes out.
“You disappeared and we couldn’t find you. Everyone was out searching for you. I even took the flyer up, twice in this bad weather. Where were you, and why did you leave?”
Delmar couldn’t find the words to say. He saw the concern on Abby’s face, as well as the hurt in her eyes. This was going to be more difficult than he’d imagined.
“So this is who you came to see,” Stan said from the darkness behind Delmar. He stepped into the hanger and took stock of the couple.
Abby spun around, placing herself between the voice and Del. She didn’t understand the strange language the intruder had spoken.
“It’s all right, Abby,” Delmar assured her. “I want you to meet a good friend of mine. Abby, this is Stan Shane. Stan this is Abby Henke.”
The two murmured through the introductions. Delmar had only been able to teach Stan a few basic words in Panay’s major language. Abby looked up and down at Stan’s uniform, then noticed Delmar was dressed in similar fashion.
“Is he one of the troopers you remembered?”
“Yes,” Delmar answered and then indicated his own uniform.
“And you’re one of them, Del? A soldier of some kind? A military man? A warrior?”
“I’m a scout pilot in the Galactic Axia Trooper Service,” Delmar answered. “We are not warriors except when we have to be. We fight a common enemy known as Red-tails, and we help enforce the civil laws of the Axia. And my name is not Del Erdinata. It’s Delmar Eagleman. I’m from the planet Erdinata.”
Delmar thought about Leatha. She was more than a simple pilot and had proven herself worthy of the title warrior when she’d averted a Red-tail invasion while on convalescent assignment at the Wounded Warrior camp on the planet Sharpton. But Abby didn’t need to know these things. He’d just let his explanation stand.
Abby stood dumbstruck at the revelations she was hearing. The man she thought she knew was someone altogether different.
“Is it all right if I go on calling you Del? I’m not sure I like that other name.”
“Sure you can call me Del. You can call me anything you want to.”
Delmar took Abby’s hands in his own. “Did Doctor Murphy get my message?”
“Yes. And he’s glad you finally recovered your memory.”
“And what about Sheriff Stoddard?”
Stan’s ears perked up to hear the familiar name.
“The sheriff was relieved that you’re all right,” Abby answered. “He and a posse of volunteers combed the hills on horseback while I searched from the air.”
“I thought it was your skyflyer I heard,” Delmar said. “At the time, I was too cold and groggy to be sure.”
“By the way,” Abby continued, “the sheriff told me to te
ll you that he found the hideout of those men that beat you up and left you for dead. He and a posse are going out there tomorrow morning to arrest them.”
Delmar nodded, knowing he wouldn’t be available to testify at any trial proceedings.
I hope he has enough on them to make any charges stick.
“I think I’ll let you two visit,” Stan said, stepping out through the door. “Leatha and I’ll be waiting when you’re ready. But make it quick.”
“Thank you,” Delmar said to his friend as he excused himself. “It’ll only be a few minutes.”
“You must go?” Abby asked anxiously. “You just got here.”
“This is not my place. I don’t belong here.”
“What do you mean?” A threat of tears welled up in her eyes.
“You have a home here. A job. Your own skyflyer,” she added, waving toward the back of the hanger.
“I’m not necessarily abandoning it all,” Delmar said reassuringly. “Or you,” he added, taking her back into his arms.
What followed was a simplified version explaining about the Axia and Delmar’s place in it. Abby’s eyes grew wide when he explained about his own ship and flight among the stars. Finally, he finished with an edited tale about the destruction of the mothership and his own survival.
“So you can see that I have to go back,” Delmar concluded. “You do understand, don’t you?”
“I think so,” Abby replied hesitantly. “But what am I going to do without you?”
“Go on living,” Delmar assured her. “You have a life here and a place to stay with Mrs. Milton. Your job will support you while you work on your flyer and plan for the future.”
“But what kind of future will it be without you?” Abby cried silently. “I love you and don’t want you to go.”
“I love you too,” Delmar gulped. “But I have to go right now.”
He looked deep into Abby’s eyes and then bent forward and kissed her lightly on the lips.”
“Don’t worry,” he whispered into her ear. “I’ll be back.”
There was a noise at the front of the hanger again and Delmar and Abby released each other.