The Search

by Jim Laughter

  "Are you going to put it away or wait till the dew settles on you?" Pete yelled at his friend.

  "I just wish sometimes I never had to come back to Earth,” Yohan replied with a sigh. “I’d like to pull her nose up and right on out into space. Wouldn’t that be something?”

  “Just in case you haven’t noticed, these buggies don’t have a canopies. They’re not exactly space shuttles, and you don’t work for NASA.”

  Yohan unfastened his safety straps and climbed out of his plane. Together the two men pushed the small biplanes into the hanger and secured them. After shutting and locking the hanger, they walked toward the parking area.

  "You know, I wish they'd get a new tow truck for this place,” Pete said. It was an old beef of his and had become part of his going-home ritual.

  "You're just getting lazy,” Yohan chided mildly, picking up his line in the ritual. "You just hate having to push your bird around by hand."

  Silence fell again as the two continued their walk.

  "Did I tell you that Mark is taking an interest in learning to fly,” Pete said.

  The mention of Pete's youngest son brought Yohan up short. He stopped and stared at Pete.

  "You mean after all this time he's finally feeling the itch?"

  "Far as I can tell. And I think it's the real thing this time. No hemming and hawing."

  "Well, that's good to hear,” Yohan said heartily and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Maybe I won't have to fly with a broken down old buzzard like you much longer."

  "Hey!" Pete said as he took a playful swipe at his friend. "You're the old buzzard around here.”

  "Since when is fifty Earth years old?" Yohan shot back. Pete just shook his head.

  “You say the craziest things.”

  “What?”

  “Earth years? What other kind of years would they be? You sound like you’re from Mars or someplace.”

  Yohan realized he’d made a tactical slip of the tongue. He accredited it to his nostalgic musing in his room last night. He watched his friend to see if he showed any signs of suspicion that he might not originate on this planet.

  "See you tomorrow night? Peggy is making pot roast."

  "Just might be there if I can break free,” Yohan said. "It depends on what they rope me into tomorrow at the staff meeting."

  "Good luck with those pointy-heads. Just let me know,” Pete said as he unlocked his Jeep and tossed his gear inside. "I'm hoping you might be able to encourage Mark a little."

  "I'll see what I can do,” Yohan answered. "I'd sure love to see that boy in the air."

  "Take care,” Pete said.

  He climbed inside his Jeep and Yohan watched him back out of the parking spot and head down the airport road toward home.

  Yohan just stood there for a while enjoying the gathering dusk after the Jeep taillights had long disappeared. In many ways, he envied Pete with his family and all. Although he had been tempted many times to totally forget his lost past and start anew, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Deep inside, he knew he had a family waiting for him out there among the stars.

  ∞∞∞

  It was well into evening when Delmar and the Hassels walked into the front room and settled down with their coffee. The chores and dinner were finally behind them. Agnes watched Delmar and sensed there were things he wanted to talk about. All day he had seemed a little preoccupied, and more than once she saw him looking down the valley toward his old home. As much as she wanted to dive directly in and ask, she decided to let Delmar open up on his own, especially when it might have to do with his family. Robert thought otherwise.

  "What's been on your mind so much today, son?" Robert asked after they were all settled.

  "I don’t know. Lots of stuff, I guess,” Delmar said evasively as he took a sip of his coffee.

  "I noticed you kept watching when those planes flew overhead.

  "Yeah, I watched them,” Delmar said, thankful for an alternate subject. "Makes me think of Abby every time I see them."

  "From what you say, she's quite a girl,” Robert came back. Delmar nodded.

  "But that's not what's on your mind, is it?" Agnes asked, easing herself into the conversation. All three grew quiet for a minute before Delmar finally answered.

  "No, it's not,” he said simply. "It's deeper than that. I want to know more about my biological parents."

  "We've already told you all we know,” Robert said. "All we could do now is rehash old pain. Was there something specific you had in mind?"

  "Yes,” Delmar admitted. "I remember my mom, especially the day she was killed in the traffic accident. But I want to know more about what happened to my father."

  "All we know is that he was killed while on Watcher duty on a closed planet called Sol-3 out on the spiral rim of the galaxy. His body was never recovered."

  "I have reasons to believe there's more to it than that.”

  Since he had promised his commander not to talk about it, Delmar felt constrained from saying more.

  "I think I may have something for you,” Agnes said, getting up. The men waited while she went upstairs. Robert could hear her rummaging around in her closet.

  "I suspect that someone told you something about it,” Robert said to Delmar while they waited for Agnes. "Am I correct?"

  Delmar's silence confirmed Robert's suspicions.

  "Don't worry,” Robert finally said. "I'm not going to pry. But I will say that whatever you've been told has fed both the doubts and hopes you hold inside."

  Just then, Agnes returned from upstairs carrying an old box.

  "This is something your mother asked me to pass on to you at an appropriate time,” Agnes said and handed the box to Delmar. "It's her old diaries."

  Delmar just sat there staring at his unexpected inheritance. With deliberate care, he untied the binding cord and opened the lid. Inside were a dozen notebooks with dates printed on the covers.

  "I don't know what to say,” Delmar said, examining the books.

  "Don't say anything,” Robert said.

  Agnes sat back in her rocker. "Just take them upstairs and read through them. You might find the answer you're looking for."

  Robert and Agnes watched while Delmar awkwardly stood with his precious load. Agnes found herself silently praying as Delmar's footsteps receded up the stairs.

  ∞∞∞

  It was late into the night before Delmar set the particular diary he was reading down and rubbed his tired eyes. Half a dozen of the notebooks lay finished on his nightstand with only a few more to go. He was amazed when he glanced at his clock and saw what time it was.

  It seemed like only an hour since Agnes had given him the precious books. But for Delmar, it was half a lifetime. Every page and every passage evoked memories he thought long forgotten. Combined with his mother's entries, Delmar's own recollections took him back to times long ago.

  He relived the trials and triumphs of growing up in the Eagleman household. He now saw his brother Dorn through his mother's eyes and was shocked to realize that he had once been a thoughtful and sensitive boy. To realize that now only made the self-fulfilling tragedy of Dorn's death even more bitter. Though he now missed her terribly, Delmar was glad she had never seen what self-indulgence had made of her firstborn.

  Delmar looked again at the few remaining diaries left to read. Deciding to skip ahead, he chose the one covering the time of his father's premature death. He took a sip of tea that had gone cold and plunged back into his mother's narrative of their family.

  Chapter Five

  Eaton was just finishing his second cup of coffee when the research team finally entered the conference room. He had been told to report here at 0830 hours for the briefing, and had now been waiting alone in the spacious room for forty-five minutes.

  "Glad you could make it,” the lead research scientist said without preamble or apology. "We have the test results, Captain, uh..."

  "Just call me Eaton.”

  In the month
s they had been working on this project, no one ever seemed able to remember his name.

  "Uh, yes, Captain Ethan,” the researcher continued. Eaton cringed. "The results of the tests are very promising."

  "So, how well does it work?" Eaton asked.

  The other eggheads started spreading charts out all over the table. Only a last minute grab by Eaton saved his coffee cup from being swept off the table.

  "The preliminary estimations on the operational probability possibly indicate that our hypothetical projections fall within expected parameters,” the researcher replied. Eaton sat there trying to untangle the response.

  "Do you mind putting that in layman terms?"

  "Of course,” the researcher said with a look of longsuffering. "To put it crudely, we think it works."

  "I and half the guys in the docking bay could have told you that.”

  "Yes, we are aware of your unauthorized experiment,” the researcher said coldly. "And unfortunately, those above us are also aware of it."

  Eaton found his mouth going suddenly dry. He wondered if his little experiment might now cause him some official grief.

  "As a result,” the researcher continued, "you are authorized to take the ship out for what could be termed field trials.”

  "You mean I'm finally out of here?" Eaton asked in disbelief.

  "Yes,” the researcher answered flatly. "You have sixty days to conduct field trials under whatever conditions you can dream up. If you can't break it, then those above us think this system might be installed on regular scout class ships."

  "When can I leave?" Eaton asked anxiously.

  "As soon as the extra recording equipment is installed.”

  Eaton's shoulders slumped at the news. Knowing these people, it could take them another two weeks.

  "I may as well inform you that regardless of your private opinion of the time required for the additional installation, we have been directed to complete it during this shift so you may depart by 1800 hours."

  "Wow!" Eaton said. "Who built a fire under somebody’s backside? I'd like to thank them personally."

  "That may not be entirely practical,” the researcher said with a grimace. "The change in the project's timetable and testing came directly from Shalimar late last night."

  ∞∞∞

  Robert and Delmar came in from doing the morning chores to find Agnes busily putting a large breakfast together. Normally, that would not be unusual, but this time she was doing it while wearing her traveling finery.

  "I thought you were just going to whip up something simple this morning,” Robert commented when he saw all the food she had prepared.

  "I did,” Agnes agreed. "But I also wanted to make sure you two don’t starve. Only the Unseen One knows if you'll eat properly once I'm not here to supervise you."

  Delmar hid a chuckle while Robert snorted. Both knew that Agnes would brook no argument if challenged.

  "Are your bags ready to go, Mom?" Delmar asked, deftly changing the subject.

  “They're in the front room, dear,” Agnes said as she loaded a serving plate with hotcakes. Delmar went to fetch the bags while Robert helped set the last of the fixings on the table. He knew the couple needed a few minutes alone.

  "I'm sure going to miss you,” Robert said. He took Agnes in his arms and kissed her gently on her lips. "But I wouldn't want you to miss this reunion for anything."

  "I know,” Agnes replied.

  She took off her apron and hung it on a hook next to the refrigerator. Just then, Delmar returned from loading the ground vehicle.

  "And I want to go. But it's hard to think of you two batching it here all by yourselves.”

  “Can you imagine Jake Sender puttering around an empty house with Sherry gone?” Delmar asked. “Now there’s a man that needs female supervision.”

  “No, he’ll get so wrapped up in his books, he won’t even know she’s gone,” Robert said.

  “You two better behave.”

  "We'll be fine, Mom,” Delmar said, helping her with her chair.

  "He's right you know,” Robert said. "And if you think we're going to get ourselves into some sort of trouble and then face you later, you've got another think coming."

  "It's nice to know I've finally gotten you whipped into shape,” Agnes said. "But just in case, I've asked RoseMary to check on you anyway."

  Delmar and Robert both groaned.

  "So much for parachute jumping from the barn,” Delmar said with a wink at Robert.

  Agnes looked at the clock. "We better go."

  "But that'll put us at the space field over an hour early,” Robert protested.

  "I don't want to be late and get a bad seat.”

  "What she means is she wants to be there to supervise the entire loading of the ship,” Delmar quipped. Agnes gave him her best behave glare.

  An hour later found the three at the Keeler spaceport on the other side of town. Soon the address system announced the loading of Agnes' transport.

  "Well, I guess it's goodbye time,” Agnes finally said. It was obvious she had reservations about leaving.

  "You have a good trip, Mom,” Delmar said, taking the initiative and hugging her. "Give Sherry my regards."

  When they finished their embrace, he walked over to the windows and pretended to watch the final loading of the ship. Robert silently thanked his adopted son for the moment to give Agnes a private goodbye.

  Minutes later, the two men stood together and watched the passenger transport lift and head for space. Though they knew the two weeks Agnes would be gone would promptly pass, neither looked forward to going back home without her.

  "Well, she's on her way,” Robert said while they continued to watch the ship rise through the atmosphere. Soon it shrank to a mere dot and was gone.

  "It won't be so bad,” Delmar said when they turned to go. "Maybe we can even stay out of trouble for a whole week if we really try."

  "You want to bet?" Robert said with a grin and clapped Delmar on his shoulder.

  ∞∞∞

  Many light years away another ship was also lifting into space. As the Blackhawk entered the inky blackness, Eaton breathed a sigh of relief. At least for now he could leave behind the frustrations of working with the research team.

  "So, where should we go?" he asked aloud to the empty cabin. According to his orders, he had sixty days to go anywhere he wanted to perform field trials on the Optiveil system.

  The Blackhawk continued to hum around him. Suddenly, Eaton's eyes lit up. Spinning the ship around on its axis, he reached over to his navigational console and programmed in a particular heading. As soon as the system confirmed that it had a lock on his projected destination, Eaton punched the activation button. The Blackhawk leapt ahead, accelerating into the yellow speed arc. After a moment, he activated the Optiveil system.

  "Might as well have some fun.”

  ∞∞∞

  Night had already fallen when Delmar looked up from his mother's old diary. He was surprised at the late hour. Robert had gone to bed a while ago, leaving Delmar alone to read. He looked down again at the passage he had just read. Although they assured me every effort has been made to recover John's body, I find I still ache to touch him, to hear his voice once more, his mother had written. And in spite of reading everything they have about the crash, I still can't believe he is dead.

  Delmar leaned back and turned the words over in his mind. Reading between the lines, he was sure his mother believed her husband had somehow survived the crash of the recovery shuttle. In spite of all his former commander had told him about the incident, Delmar was also beginning to wonder about it.

  Setting the diary aside, Delmar got up and headed into the small room off the living room where he powered up Robert and Agnes’ simple home computer. He entered his Service code and connected to the communication system. When a connection off planet was cleared, he entered in a simple code he had come to know so well. He didn't have to wait long for a reply.

  HE
LLO, DELMAR, Ert printed across Delmar's screen. HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

  I need some help sorting out some information I’ve run across. It concerns the disappearance of my biological father.

  SHOW ME, PLEASE.

  Using a hand scanning wand, Delmar scanned all of the pertinent passages from his mother's diary and posted them to Ert.

  IT MAY TAKE SOME TIME. THE FILES ON THIS INCIDENT ARE CLOSED.

  Delmar's shoulders slumped at the news.

  HOWEVER, I MAY BE ABLE TO OVERCOME THAT LITTLE PROBLEM.

  Delmar became alarmed.

  Hey, don't do anything illegal, Delmar typed. Remember, it's my neck on the line.

  DON'T WORRY, MY FRIEND, Ert replied. Delmar could almost hear the Horicon computer chuckle. I WON'T GET YOU IN TROUBLE. YOU DO THAT WELL ENOUGH YOURSELF.

  Then what are you going to do?

  LET'S JUST SAY THAT I HAVE SOME CONNECTIONS THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP, Ert answered. EVEN THEN, IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME. I'LL CONTACT YOU WHEN I HAVE SOMETHING MORE.

  Thanks, Delmar typed. I'll be waiting.

  NOW YOU QUIT WORRYING ABOUT IT AND GET SOME SLEEP, Ert wrote. Delmar realized that Ert knew how late it was on Big Valley. I'LL BE ABLE TO FIND YOU WHEREVER YOU ARE.

  Delmar obediently turned off the computer, Ert's last statement stuck in his head.

  "I wonder what he means by that?" Delmar said aloud as he turned out the lights and headed toward his bedroom.

  Chapter Six

  The sunlight was already filtering through his bedroom window when noise from downstairs startled Delmar into wakefulness. Realizing he had overslept, he dressed and headed downstairs.

  "Another party finally heard from,” Robert commented when Delmar entered the kitchen.

  Delmar ignored him and headed directly for the coffeepot. After pouring himself a cup, he pulled a chair out where he could see Robert. He had taken two slugs of coffee before Robert spoke again.

  "Feeling more human?"

  "Almost,” Delmar managed before a yawn interrupted him.

  "Up pretty late, weren't you?"