The Search

by Jim Laughter

  "Here we go again,” Delmar said aloud as he advanced the DayStar's throttle. The old patroller accelerated along its new flight path while the man at the controls again pondered his fate.

  ∞∞∞

  Another mind was pondering something quite different at the moment. Keith sat at a visual scanner reviewing the old UFO film they had recovered from Darrel's residence. The scrape of a foot behind him caused him to turn. Darrel was leaning against the doorframe of the small workroom with two cups of coffee in his hands.

  "I brought coffee,” Darrel offered as he entered the room and handed a cup to Keith. "That looks like my movie.” He took a seat next to Keith.

  "It’s actually a copy we made,” Keith said and took a sip of the brew. "And thanks for the mud."

  Darrel chuckled.

  "I find that so disconcerting and yet comforting at the same time,” he said with a smile. "At first I couldn't figure you guys out, but now it makes sense."

  "Glad to see you’ve come around,” Keith said. "I thought you would or I wouldn't have taken the chance of bringing you here."

  "So I passed some sort of test?"

  "In a way,” Keith answered. "It's not everyone that can lay aside their preconceived notions when faced with knowledge of the Axia."

  "Glad to hear you think so well of me,” Darrel said, grinning. "I figured you had me pegged for a kook."

  "You said it, I didn't!" Keith shot back. "But you turned out to be a pretty good egg."

  "Haven't heard that one in a while,” Darrel said. "Better watch those idioms or it'll get you in trouble. Now, what are you doing here?"

  The image of the shuttle crash was frozen on the screen.

  "I was just trying to figure something out,” Keith said. "We know from records that the number of bodies your military recovered from the wreck matched the number of people on the mission roster, yet we have evidence that it shouldn't have been that way."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well, there was the normal crew compliment on the shuttle, and we know what their mission was,” Keith answered. "If we then extrapolate their location when they were attacked, we surmise that maybe they hadn't completed their assignment, which was to pick up an observer team."

  "And yet you had a full ship when it crashed?”

  "That's right, if we can believe the military records,” Keith said. "But it doesn't add up. Why would they be coming in for a landing if they’d already picked up all of the survey team members?"

  "Let me show you something,” Darrel said. "Run the film backward a few seconds."

  Keith obliged and ran the film record back several seconds to where the shuttle was still airborne. The image showed the stricken ship smoking heavily from several missile hits. His experienced eye could see the damage to the drive system on the rear of the shuttle and he knew the pilot was fighting a failing drive system. It would make for an ugly crash.

  "Ok, now run it ahead slowly,” Darrel instructed.

  Keith set the reader's controls for slow forward and they watched together.

  The smoking shuttle descended slowly as the film advanced. The roll induced by the drive failure became more intense as the ship neared the ground. Keith found it painful to watch the crash of an Axia ship.

  "Ok. Do a frame by frame advanc,” Darrel said while he continued watching the images.

  Keith slowed the reader even more. Now instead of a moving picture, each frame appeared individually, recording the last moments of the shuttle.

  "There!" Darrel cried out. "Stop the film!"

  Keith froze the image. The screen showed the shuttle, now nearly inverted, only feet above the rocky hill it would impact.

  "Now, can you enlarge the image?" Darrel asked.

  "Sure,” Keith said, wondering what this was all about. "Where do you want to magnify?"

  "The area between the ship and the ground,” Darrel said excitedly. Keith adjusted the controls on the reader. The area in question now filled the screen.

  "Now can you clean up the image?" Darrel asked. "I want to show you something I spotted once, but never figured out."

  Keith again adjusted the controls. The image blurred for a second and then sharpened noticeably.

  "There!" Darrel said, pointing at a spot on the screen. "There is your answer."

  Keith looked and his jaw dropped. The image was that of a hiker ducking down as the shuttle was about to crash on top of him.

  "So that's why all of our people were accounted for!" Keith said in a hiss. "How did you know?"

  "I didn't until I added in the fact that you are as human as we are,” Darrel answered. “It’s apparent to me your people mistook the hiker's body for one of your people. I’ll bet we could search the missing person’s database and find where some hiker went missing about that same time.”

  "You know what that means don't you?" Keith asked excitedly.

  "Can’t say,” Darrel replied in bewilderment.

  "It means that one of our people is still out there and alive. We left him here stranded on this backward planet. He probably feels abandoned and wants to go home,” Keith said with a glimmer in his eye.

  “Now all we have to do is find him,” Darrel said. “Any idea where to start?”

  “When in doubt,” Keith answered. “Start at the beginning.”

  ∞∞∞

  "So you're saying my son stole a ship and flew it out of here!" Robert Hassel said in disbelief.

  "That's right, sir,” Security Officer Rome said to the older man. "We've totally searched the facility and he’s nowhere to be found. The only person or thing to leave the repair station was that ship, and only a good pilot could have pulled it off. So you can see why we think it was your son."

  Robert shook his head. The thought that Delmar would do something as criminal as this was almost more than he could take. He knew the boy had been under a lot of stress lately, but this was insane. And even if he did this crazy thing, there was only one reason he would do it, and even that answer baffled him. He’d know such a stunt could mean the end to his career.

  "I assume you've contacted the control facilities to see if there is a record of any ships leaving the planet without normal clearance,” Robert asked the security officer.

  "Yes sir,” Rome answered. "And turned up nothing. All shipping was accounted for."

  "Then you think he might still be on the surface somewhere?"

  "Some think so, but I don’t,” Rome confessed. "I don't think a captain would take a ship and risk his career just to go to the corner store."

  "I agree with you there,” Robert said. He struggled to take this all in. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced Delmar had indeed committed this crime.

  "I was thinking maybe you might know of a reason for him to take off like this,” Rome said.

  “I’ll give it some thought,” Robert answered.

  He was certain Rome didn’t know about Delmar’s experience on Panay, and he wasn’t about to tell him. Of course, Dr. Alt knew, but since it fell under doctor patient privilege, he didn’t think the doctor would voluntarily release the information.

  Robert needed time to contact Stan and Leatha, and maybe even Jake Sender. He knew he’d have contacts within the Axia he could access. He thought about Ert, the Horicon computer. Perhaps he could work his magic and come up with a viable solution to finding Delmar.

  "If you come up with any ideas, no matter how unlikely, let me know."

  “Why? Do you think Delmar could be in danger?”

  "Absolutely,” Rome said. "Assuming he took it, that ship is old and tired. From the records we have, we figure there isn't much life left in her."

  Security Officer Rome looked Robert directly in the eye. Robert's mouth went dry. Rome continued.

  "The navigational beacon and emergency signal transponder have already been removed, and the green box is down to at least half life. The weapons system probably isn’t even charged, and there are no torpedoes on boar
d. So yes, I’d say there’s a problem.”

  Robert considered Rome’s words. Should he tell the security officer about Delmar’s medical problems? Would there be time to find the boy before anything serious could happen to him? What repercussions would there be when the officer discovered he hadn’t been completely up front with him? What’s worse, what is Agnes going to say when she learns about this? He was happy she was away on her reunion trip and not yet aware of the situation.

  It's only a matter of time,” Rome said quietly. "We need to find him before that old ship fails completely or he gets himself killed."

  ∞∞∞

  Aboard the Aurora hurtling through the void, another person was also trying to solve the puzzle. Leatha was checking their navigation while Stan mentally chewed on the situation concerning his friend. After a moment, he grabbed the computer keyboard and typed in the code for Ert. He waited a moment. The screen blanked and then the display lit up again.

  HELLO STAN.

  Anything new?

  I JUST GOT A REPORT FROM JASPER STATION, Ert said. THERE IS CLEAR EVIDENCE THAT DELMAR STOLE A SHIP THAT WAS SCHEDULED FOR THE SCRAP YARD. HE’S NOWHERE TO BE FOUND.

  "What!" Stan cried aloud. His shout brought Leatha to his side. She read the message on the screen and shook her head in disbelief.

  "That's not like him!" she exclaimed.

  Are you sure? Stan typed back to Ert.

  POSITIVE AS CAN BE DETERMINED FROM THIS LOCATION, Ert answered. OF COURSE, I COULD CONFIRM THIS THROUGH OTHER SOURCES IF YOU LIKE, BUT THAT WOULD TAKE MORE TIME.

  We'll go with what you have, Stan answered back. Do they have any idea where he might have gone?

  NONE, Ert replied. HOWEVER, THEY ARE CONFIDENT THAT HE DID LEAVE THE PLANET, EVEN THOUGH THERE IS NO RECORD WITH CONTROL OF HIS DEPARTURE.

  Stan's heart sank.

  "What about scout logs?" Leatha asked. "Could there be a record of the ship passing observation or navigation stations?" Stan typed in the question.

  THAT IS AN IDEA, Ert answered. GIVE ME A MOMENT TO CHECK. The screen went blank.

  Find the ship name and registry, Stan typed. All ships are on file and records are kept by number and name. It’s all encoded in the ship’s identification beacon.

  Stan and Leatha waited tense minutes while Ert conducted his search. No one knew how the Horicon computer was able to tap into such a vast amount of information. But experience had taught them not to ask. The screen lit back up.

  THERE IS A PROBLEM, Ert began. THE SHIP IN QUESTION IS AN OLD C-34 INTERSTELLER CLASS SCOUT CALLED DAYSTAR.

  “Unseen One, help us,” Leatha whispered.

  “Why,” Stan asked.

  “Because the C-34 has been out of service for the last couple of decades. I’ve seen them in museums but never in active service. If he comes under fire in that thing, he’ll most likely be destroyed.”

  Ert, Stan typed. Since that C-34 was scheduled to be scrapped, is it armed?

  BOTH THE NAVIGATIONAL BEACON AND EMERGENCY TRANSPONDER WERE REMOVED FROM THE SHIP AS WELL AS ALL ARMAMENTS IN PREPARATION FOR THE SCRAP YARD. ONLY THE LONG AXIS RAY AND THE TWO FRONT RAYS ARE STILL OPERATIONAL.

  Stan and Leatha’s hearts sank. Even if he were to pass an Axia navigational relay station, it wouldn’t have a code with which to identify the ship. Delmar would be flying blind. And if he were to get into a fight, he wouldn’t have any weapons with which to defend himself.

  I THINK I HAVE FOUND SOMETHING, Ert reported. THERE IS A REPORT OF A PATROLLER AIDING AN UNIDENTIFIED SHIP IN DISTRESS OUTSIDE THE NORMAL AXIA SHIPPING LANES.

  Was it Delmar?

  THERE WAS NO INFORMATION PROVIDED EXCEPT THAT THE SHIP WAS UNDER ATTACK BY RED-TAILS. HOWEVER, THEY DID IDENTIFY THE SHIP AS A C-34 INTERSTELLAR CLASS SCOUT.

  Send us the location, Stan typed. Almost immediately, the Aurora’s navigational system lit up.

  THE C-34 SUFFERED SOME DAMAGE IN THE ATTACK. THE PATROLLER NOTED NO VOICE COMMUNICATIONS DURING OR AFTER THE ENCOUNTER. ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, THE RED-TAIL WAS DESTROYED BY THE C-34 BUT DID NOT MAKE CONTACT WITH THE RESCUING VESSEL. IT DISAPPEARED FROM THEIR SENSORS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ENEMY VESSEL. THEY COULD NOT DETERMINE IF THE C-34 SURVIVED THE ATTACK OR NOT. THAT’S ALL THERE IS TO THE REPORT.

  "I have a fix on the location," Leatha said from the navigation console. Stan started to feel some hope. "Boy, that's out there a ways,” Leatha added after a moment.

  We got the fix, Stan typed. Is there anything else we should know?

  I’VE CONSIDERED DELMAR'S POSSIBLE MOTIVATION FOR THIS TRIP, Ert said. HE HAD A LETTER STORED IN THE COMPUTER AT THE HASSEL HOME ADDRESSED TO ABBY HENKE ON THE PLANET PANAY.

  "Plot a course to Panay in reference to the coordinates of the unidentified ship,” Stan called over to his wife. Leatha nodded and checked the code registry.

  She continued to work the navigation controls. Stan saw her shake her head.

  "It doesn’t match!" she said, looking angrily back at Stan.

  We don't get a match, Stan typed. Are you positive of the reported location?

  IT IS ACCURATE, Ert replied. TRY IT AGAIN, BUT FIGURE FOR AVOIDING SHIPPING LANES AND AXIA OUTPOSTS.

  "He said to figure for avoiding outposts and shipping lanes,” Stan called over to Leatha.

  "Already thought of that,” Leatha answered as he went back to plotting the course. "He's on the lam so it should be a safe bet."

  After a tense couple of moments, she looked up and grinned. "It's a match. Tell Ert it lines up with Erdinata and the patroller report."

  "On it!" Stan called back while typing madly.

  THAT’S WHAT I GOT AS WELL.

  "So he's somewhere along that line,” Leatha said from behind Stan's shoulder. "But where?"

  The navigational screen displayed a star chart and a series of curved lines between Erdinata, the site of the patroller report, and Panay.

  IF I TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT HE’S AVOIDING THE MAIN SHIPPING ROUTES, AND CALCULATE THE LIMITED SPEED OF THE DAYSTAR, THEN DELMAR SHOULD BE ABOUT HERE.

  A blinking star appeared on the displayed star chart.

  "That’s a lonely stretch of space out there,” Leatha observed grimly. She climbed into the control chair of the Aurora. Taking the ship off automatic, she adjusted their course and increased her speed.

  We're headed there now, Stan typed into the computer.

  I WILL CONTINUE TO CHECK MY SOURCES AND KEEP YOU UPDATED.

  Thank you, Ert, Stan typed back.

  He felt the Aurora take on a new vibration as their speed neared sustainable maximum speed.

  ∞∞∞

  The silence was oppressive. Robert sat at the kitchen table and tried to make sense of all that had happened. Carefully shutting out all the emotion that threatened to overwhelm him, he methodically thought through the facts as they stood.

  First, Delmar was missing. The evidence that he had taken the missing ship from Jasper Station was circumstantial, but he was confident the logic was sound. That Delmar would steal a ship was hard to believe, but he was forced to accept it as fact.

  Second was the information Robert had learned from the doctor at the repair facility. In his opinion, the doctor felt that Delmar was suffering from severe stress and possible physical trauma to his brain from all he had been through recently. That these problems would cause the boy to act irrationally was less clear. In any case, the doctor was confident Delmar would recover with complete rest. He and Robert only hoped he wasn't further injured, wherever he was.

  Motivation, Robert thought as he again pondered a feasible course of action. There had to be a good reason for Delmar to take off like this, and he couldn’t imagine it could be as simple as him being love sick. He was normally considerate and thoughtful and always law-abiding, so whatever his reason, it had to be powerful indeed. A thought popped into Robert's tired mind.

  Pushing up from the table, he climbed the stairs and entered Delmar's room. He stood in the doorway and surve
yed the area, hoping for a clue. His eyes came to rest on two stacks of diaries on Delmar’s dresser.

  He noted they weren't in any particular order, so he could discern no clue there. However, it did start him thinking of what Delmar had been talking over with him and Agnes that evening she gave him his mother’s diaries. Robert's eyes grew wide as his mind raced to a fearful conclusion.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The room was silent except for the click of computer keys while Keith hammered out his growing frustration on the keyboard. He stopped and studied the information displayed on the screen. Then he grabbed one of the printouts that were scattered and stacked around him on the desk. He read the shuttle roster and compared it again to the information on the computer screen. Disgustedly, he slapped the page back on top of one of the stacks and stood up.

  "I just don't get it,” he said as he left the office and headed for the small cafeteria. He entered the room and spotted Darrel sitting alone in a corner reading a book.

  "What are you doing here?" Keith asked while he poured himself a cup of coffee and joined his new friend.

  When Keith had first brought Darrel to this underground operation station, he’d been fearful and alarmed. It took him a while to calm down enough to think his situation through.

  Keith was surprised at how easily Darrel adjusted to the reality of the Axia and the Watchers overseeing the closed planet. Although he considered Darrel a kook (he thought it but never said it), it turned out that Darrel had a serious side apart from his interest in UFOs.

  Darrel looked up from his book and smiled as Keith opposite him in the deserted room.

  "Just going through your library here,” Darrel said.

  He laid his book aside and reached for his own coffee cup. "I find it fascinating the take you Watchers have on what's going on in this world. I was surprised to find most of this written in English."

  "That’s just so we stay in practice,” Keith answered. "It's an advantage to understand the common language of the people you're studying."