The Search

by Jim Laughter

  The Search

  Book 7 of the

  Galactic Axia Adventure Series

  * * *

  Jim Laughter

  Tulsa, Oklahoma

  www.jimlaughter.com

  Dedication

  I dedicate this book to the brave men and women of the United States armed services, wherever they serve and in whatever capacity. They are the standard protecting our freedom and ensuring our liberty.

  * * *

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Axia Books

  1547 S. 78th E. Ave.

  Tulsa, OK 74112

  © 2019 by Jim Laughter

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. All characters and concepts of Galactic Axia are the property of the author and may not be used in any other work by any other author without written permission by AXIA BOOKS and Jim Laughter.

  Foreword

  We are not alone in the universe. But you already knew that. It is the way in which we are not alone that is the question, isn't it? Of the billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy capable of nurturing life-sustaining planets, our sun out on a lonely spiral arm is not unique. Although a beautiful gem in space, our little planet Earth does not stand alone as nature’s supreme creation.

  Many billions of Earth-like planets orbit suns where life similar to humanity can exist. It stands to reason that of these billions of planets orbiting yellow suns, there are many civilizations in all stages of evolution ranging from early primate cavemen to deep space travelers. Many civilizations are younger than us and not as technologically advanced. But there are no doubt others that have existed for hundreds of thousands of years, perhaps millions, whose technology far surpass Earth in every way and who travel among the stars in interstellar ships. Some of them have visited Earth and influenced our cultures, intermingling with early humans and creating a new species – modern man.

  The ancient deities of Rome and Greece may very well have been visitors from other planets, each one influencing our religions when believed to be gods. Others may have been mistaken for evil spirits sent from Hades to torment and torture mankind, giving rise to the modern day myth of angels and devils. Like the universe, the possibilities are endless.

  If you are expecting this book and others in the Galactic Axia series to be about silicone-based aliens that look like green Jell-O, or little gray creatures that abduct people in the night, you will be sorely disappointed. But on the other hand, if your mind is open to the unexpected possibility that whoever is out there is the more normal of the universe, and we, in fact, are the odd ones, then hang on tight.

  Welcome to Galactic Axia, a benevolent commonwealth of planets spread across the galaxy and ruled by an absolute monarch on the capital planet Shalimar. And just like here on Earth, they have their military service, a branch of heroes dedicated to the preservation of peace. They stand ready to defend the Axia and the independent planets with their lives, and many times they pay the ultimate price for the safety of their citizens. You’ll meet a large number of them in this and other books in the Galactic Axia adventure series. You’ll get to know them on a personal basis. You’ll learn to love some and hate others. Many will not survive.

  The Axia only has one mortal enemy; a violent reptilian species called Red-tails. Conjecture has it that a Red-tail vessel crashed on Earth many millennia ago, giving rise to Earth’s mythical vision of red devils.

  Red-tails are heavy set with thick leathery red skin. They have vestigial horns protruding from their foreheads, and they have heavy barbed tails for balance. Red-tails invade from their home galaxy of Hadeous by means of intergalactic transit tubes that can transport hundreds of raiding ships at a time. They are always hungry and their planet is always starving. Their main quarry are humans.

  The humans of Galactic Axia (yes, they are our parent stock here on Earth) are not very different from ourselves. They have the same needs and wants as we do. They live their lives as we do, some in conflict and struggle and others in mundane routine. They raise their families, go to work and school, and have both triumphs and disappointments.

  Earth isn't the center of anything in Galactic Axia. In fact, our planet is closed – quarantined. Seeded with threatened species of plants and animals from other similar worlds for hundreds of thousands of years, it was later used as a safe place to exile criminals and malcontents. Watcher ships in deep orbit, along with observers on the surface, stand vigil over Earth (or Sol-3 as they call it) hoping for the day when we’ll mature enough to be adopted into Galactic Axia society.

  The day will come when we’ll grow up enough to where we’re not a threat to civilization here or out there. We’ll abandon our nation-against-nation and religion-against-religion bickering and strife and learn to live together on this small orb in space. We’ll put away our weapons and stop spilling each other’s blood for ideals that mean nothing in the grander cosmic scheme of the universe.

  In the meantime, we are being prepared. This book and its companions are but one way that is being done. So journey on, dear reader. It is not by happenstance this book came into your possession.

  Chapter One

  A shudder rang through the fast scout as its captain brought it down to sub-light speed. Captain Delmar Eagleman’s eyes flicked from one instrument to another while he stabilized his erratic drive system.

  "Problems over there?" said a familiar voice over the comm.

  "Just had another power spike, Waldon,” Delmar reported. "I got it steady now.”

  "Well, we only have a little over an hour to go,” Waldon reminded Delmar. "I'll alert the shipyard that we're inbound."

  "Acknowledged,” Delmar replied with a grimace. He suppressed his growing frustration and settled back to wait.

  The Cabbage Patch had been repaired from the damage it received when the mothership on which he’d been assigned was destroyed. As soon as the repair depot signed off on it, Delmar had looked forward to being back in service. His unplanned mission to Panay left him itching to be in space again.

  Unfortunately, his situation turned out otherwise. Shortly after Stan and Leatha's wedding, the Cabbage Patch suffered several seemingly unrelated problems. Without effort, Delmar found himself recalling the entire litany of trouble.

  First, the navigational system became unreliable. Its first glitch nearly hurled the ship into a nearby star. Delmar happened to be in the control chair on the routine courier trip and was able to avert disaster. A quick check of the navigational system by service technicians at his destination turned up nothing amiss.

  It was another month before it happened again, diverting the Cabbage Patch many elms out to the middle of nowhere. The ground crew chief at the next base yellow-tagged the system even though once again the problem could not be found or duplicated.

  The yellow tag status required the ship be restricted to flight only when a captain or pilot was in the control chair. Such a limitation caused the Cabbage Patch to be bumped to only short flights of ten hours or less. Only his wariness of the mysterious glitch counteracted Delmar's growing frustration with the necessary and prudent limitation.

  The next malfunction was just as dramatic. While on a short flight through the Rynar asteroid and dust belt, the repulsion field suddenly distorted. As a result, the Cabbage Patch suffered scra
tches and dents along the port side where the distorted repulsion field allowed space debris to abrade the skin.

  This problem also tended to fade in and out at random and indicated serious problems with the major systems of the ship. A chance picture by Delmar of the dust pattern he was flying through helped give the technicians that extra clue they needed to sleuth out the problem.

  Power spikes and drops also developed while service personnel tried to debug the repulsion field. This played hob with other ship's systems, including the food synthesizer. Some of the results reminded him of the strange meals he had suffered in computer school on Mica before Ert had finally fixed the systems.

  Next, the comm system started acting up, limiting Delmar's effective range to low orbit only. Considerable efforts by yet another team of specialists also failed to locate this problem. It was finally decided that the recently repaired Cabbage Patch had to be torn back down to its bare bones and undergo a complete rebuild. Delmar still remembered sitting in his commanding officer's office and hearing the bad news.

  "That's the conclusion of the shop Chief, Delmar,” the Lieutenant said. "Your ship is to be completely overhauled."

  Delmar's shoulders slumped at this expected bad news.

  "Where am I to take her, sir?" Delmar asked after a moment. He was definitely not looking forward to this.

  "That's the one bit of good news,” the Lieutenant replied with a mischievous smile.

  "Since it will necessitate you being effectively grounded, it was decided to let you choose your own assignment for the month or so the refit will take. Do bear in mind however that this will take a class three repair depot."

  Delmar sat for a moment and tried to think of the nearest class three repair facility. His mind drew a blank.

  "I can't think of one, sir,” the young Captain finally replied. "I guess the nearest one would be just fine."

  "Might I make a suggestion?"

  Delmar nodded.

  "I knew you might not be up on these things since you've been working the core systems lately,” the Lieutenant continued. "One of the class four facilities has just finished an expansion and upgrade program and are now rated as a class three repair and refit depot."

  "Yes sir?" a perplexed Delmar asked.

  "Jasper Station on Erdinata.”

  The Lieutenant watched Delmar's eyes grow wider while he considered the arrangement. He was unaware the repair depot on his home planet had been upgraded to a class three facility.

  "But getting there would violate the yellow tag on my navigational system. And my comm system is limited to short inter-system range, not to mention the problems with the repulsion field."

  "I know all that,” the Lieutenant said as he held up his hand to stop Delmar’s list of problems. "And the chief has already affected temporary repairs to some of them. The repulsion field is now getting by on an extra fusion cell, but he'll only rate it for a matter of days. That should give you enough usable flight time to make it to Erdinata and turn your ship over to the Jasper Station repair depot."

  "But how will I navigate and communicate?”

  "That's where I was able to exercise an unusual option,” the Lieutenant answered. "I've arranged for another ship to accompany you. You’ll arrive safely at your destination, that is, if you don’t both get lost between here and there."

  The Lieutenant reached over and pushed the button on his intercom. "Send him in.”

  The door behind Delmar opened and he turned to see who had entered the room. The sight of his fellow FAR (Fast Attack Recon) captain and friend Waldon greeted him.

  "Hi there, sport,” Waldon said as he took an empty chair and sat down next to Delmar.

  "I thought you were patrolling the Saginat sector,” Delmar said, shaking his friend's hand.

  "He was,” the Lieutenant said, interjecting himself back into the conversation. "But considering the situation, I had little trouble having him reassigned for this mission."

  "So Waldon gets to play babysitter while I nursemaid my basket case to Erdinata,” Delmar said.

  "Essentially correct, although I'd have preferred escort instead of babysitter,” the Lieutenant replied. "I know you're frustrated with all the problems, but insulting your ship and your friend won't help any."

  "He's right, Delmar,” Waldon added. "The Flash and I will only be along to help you navigate and communicate. If we get jumped by Red-tails, you’re on your own."

  Delmar managed a weak smile at the ribbing.

  "Enough of this chitchat,” the Lieutenant said as he rose to his feet. The two Trooper-Thirds rose as well.

  "You ship out as soon as the chief issues a temporary waiver for the Cabbage Patch. Good flying, gentlemen."

  "Excuse me, sir?" Delmar asked while Waldon was turning to leave. Waldon stopped and turned to see what Delmar was wanting.

  "To whom am I to report after I deliver my ship to the crew at Jasper Station?"

  "You will report to the liaison officer assigned to the Jasper Station facility,” the Lieutenant replied. "He will determine your duties during the refit."

  "Thank you, sir,” Delmar said. He and Waldon saluted and then were dismissed.

  The conversation kept replaying itself in Delmar's mind. He had the nagging feeling that he would be assigned to fly one of the general-purpose inter-system ships. They were usually old trainers near the end of their service life and had no regular captain. Since supplies always needed to be flown between the planets and bases in a system, there was a use for these tired old ships. Although it was still flying, it was nothing compared to the Cabbage Patch in her prime.

  "Approach control just gave us clearance,” Waldon reported over the short range comm. "We're to enter low orbit and proceed at the direction of the controller covering Jasper Station. We'll arrive there in about an hour."

  "Acknowledged.”

  “Hey, I just had a thought.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Do your folks know you’re on your way to Erdinata?”

  “Nope,” Delmar answered. “I’m just going to drop in on them. Should be a nice surprise.”

  “Didn’t you tell me once that your mom is a crack shot with a rifle?”

  “So?”

  “So, you might get a britches full of buckshot if you show up in the middle of the night.”

  Delmar didn’t answer. Instead he settled back in his control seat for the rest of the trip. He would have rather set the Patch on auto-pilot and let the computer fly while he napped in his quarters. But his flight restrictions called for someone to man the seat, and since he was the only person onboard, that job fell on him.

  It still seemed somewhat odd to hear Waldon's voice over his comm. After their graduation and the assignment of FAR ships, he had seen little of his fellow captain until he appeared at Stan and Leatha's wedding three months ago. A hurried visit with the other FAR captains after the reception was all they had time for before they all headed to their new assignments.

  Leatha and Stan were allowed two weeks for a honeymoon before being assigned to survey work near the galactic core. Stan's association with Ert, the ancient computer from Horicon, coupled with Leatha's FAR scout, made them the logical choice for the mission.

  The last letter he’d received from them spoke of their excitement at exploring and settling down to married life aboard the Aurora. Stan had even qualified as a Pilot, as was required since he was Service personnel married to a captain. Delmar chuckled to himself when he imagined the drills Stan would have to learn if he went for his captain rating as their letter hinted, especially since it would probably be Leatha doing the drilling.

  His other friend, Eaton, had been assigned to courier service between Shalimar and bases on the rim. As far as Delmar knew, Eaton's fiancé was still patiently waiting. Eaton had said something about her finishing graduate work at a university, but he couldn't recall her specialty. What he did remember was the name Eaton had finally chosen for his FAR scout ship: Blackhawk.r />
  As Eaton had originally intended, the ship suggested its own name. He’d tangled with a Red-tail scouting group not long after reporting for his first assignment. Although he chided himself for sloppiness, the reports Delmar had heard spoke of Eaton's prowess in combat. Hence the name Blackhawk.

  The thought of Eaton's fiancé made Delmar's heart unexpectedly ache. It had been almost four months since his rescue from Panay. He still found his thoughts straying to Abby Henke, the young lady he’d fallen in love with while stranded on the closed planet. He’d reviewed more times than he cared to think about the protocols necessary for him to bring her off what was classified a closed planet. He had taken a personal and professional risk when he showed her Leatha's scout and revealed the existence of Galactic Axia.

  Stan and Leatha’s wedding had also tugged at Delmar's heartstrings, and shortly after that he managed to get a letter sent to Abby. It entailed sending it through the watcher on duty over Panay. Fortunately, George Citti, the scout captain he’d met after being rescued, had been more that amenable to slip the first of several letters through. Delmar knew that when the time came to bring Abby off her backward world, George would no doubt be instrumental in it.

  The comm sounded, stirring Delmar from his reprieve. "What's up, Waldon?"

  "Just got word from Approach Control. They want us to enter their pattern on high orbit. Shift your X-axis drift up two degrees and follow me in."

  "Acknowledged."

  Delmar watched Waldon move the Flash into the lead position and adjusted his course accordingly, flying a parallel pattern beside his sister FAR scout.

  How many times have we done this? Delmar wondered to himself. He recalled the times he, Waldon, Eaton, and Leatha had flown this same pattern together after receiving their initial instruction.

  First, they performed it in simulators, which was good since they’d experienced several spectacular crashes. But that was the beauty of simulation – no damage done. Only their pride was wounded.