The Search

by Jim Laughter

  “You’re not telling me everything, are you Dad?” Delmar asked.

  “No son, I’m not,” John answered. “I already knew about Eaton’s offer to provide transportation to Erdinata.”

  “You did?” Delmar seemed stunned at the news. “How?”

  “Because I’m the one responsible for escorting you back to Jasper Station to face your board of inquiry,” John answered. “You see, son. I’m the arresting officer.”

  ∞∞∞

  Robert Hassel was washing the few dishes from his lunch and contemplating what chore to tackle next. It was an effort but he was keeping himself busy while he tried not to think about the sad news he would have to break to Agnes. Suddenly he heard a beeping from the other room.

  "What now?" he said when he heard it again.

  Grabbing a towel, he dried off his hands and followed the noise. It was coming from his office.

  Upon entering the room, he discovered his computer was on and his name printed on the screen. Sitting down, he was reaching for the power switch when he realized it was the format used by Ert.

  Robert reached for the keyboard and typed in a single word – ERT. The screen immediately went blank and then words scrolled across the screen.

  GREETINGS, MR. HASSEL.

  What's up? Robert typed as he broke into a cold sweat.

  I HAVE NEWS ABOUT DELMAR, Ert responded. HE HAS BEEN FOUND AND IS SAFE. HE IS UNDER ARREST ON ONE OF THE MOTHERSHIPS.

  Where? How? typed Robert. Is he alright? He isn’t hurt, is he?

  THE WHERE IS NEAR A STAR SYSTEM CALLED SOL, answered Ert.

  Sol? Never heard of it.

  IT’S A MINOR SYSTEM ON A SPIRAL ARM OF THE GALAXY, Ert answered. THERE’S NOTHING MUCH THERE, JUST A SYSTEM OF NINE OR TEN PLANETS AROUND A MEDIUM SIZE STAR.

  But what was he doing way out there? Robert asked.

  I DON’T KNOW, Ert answered. ACCORDING TO THE REPORT I PICKED UP, HE JUST SHOWED UP AT A REPAIR MOTHERSHIP. ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO RETURN HIM TO ERDINATA.

  Robert let out a sigh of relief.

  That's great! Robert typed happily. Have you notified Stan and Leatha?

  YES, I HAVE, Ert replied. THEY WERE HAPPY TO HEAR THE NEWS. BUT THERE IS MORE.

  What is it? Robert typed back.

  DELMAR WILL BE FACING A BOARD OF INQUIRY UPON HIS RETURN, Ert wrote. THEY WILL BE INVESTIGATING HIS THEFT OF THE DAYSTAR.

  Robert grimaced.

  WORD HAS IT THAT HE IS LIKELY TO LOSE HIS SHIP AND CAPTAINCY FOR THIS OFFENSE.

  Do you know if family will be allowed at the inquiry? Robert typed. Usually such proceedings are close affairs.

  IN YOUR CASE, YES, Ert answered. BUT YOU’RE NOT THE ONLY FAMILY MEMBER THAT WILL BE PRESENT.

  What do you mean? Robert asked. Agnes hasn’t been notified, has she?

  NOT THAT I KNOW OF, Ert answered. ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION I WAS ABLE TO GATHER, DELMAR’S FATHER, JOHN EAGLEMAN, HAS BEEN RESCUED AND WILL BE ESCORTING DELMAR TO ERDINATA.

  You’re kidding me! Robert typed. John has been found alive?

  HE’LL BE ARRIVING WITH DELMAR ONBOARD THE BLACKHAWK. SHOULD BE AN INTERESTING TRIP.

  To say the least, Robert answered. But back to the board of inquiry.

  THAT’S RIGHT. YOUR PARTICIPATION AND OBSERVATIONS ON DELMAR'S CONDITION PRIOR TO THE THEFT WILL BE SOUGHT. YOU SHOULD BE NOTIFIED SOON.

  Just then, the phone rang.

  "How does he do that?" Robert said aloud as he got up to answer the phone. After talking for a minute, he hung up and returned to the computer.

  Jasper Station just called, Robert typed. They are requesting that I give testimony at the board of inquiry. I also asked, and Delmar is going to be confined to the base when he returns.

  I WILL REPORT THAT TO STAN AND LEATHA, Ert wrote. IF I CAN BE OF ASSISTANCE, LET ME KNOW.

  I will, Robert replied. Delmar is going to need all the help he can get.

  ∞∞∞

  "You ready to go, buddy?" Eaton asked as he popped his head in the room Delmar had been assigned.

  At least I’m not in the brig, Delmar thought.

  He was in uniform sitting on the side of the bed. A small disposable bag containing his civilian clothes lay on the floor near his feet.

  "Sure,” he said absently. He got up and straightened his bed. "Let's go."

  "You all right?" Eaton asked. He looked sideways at his friend.

  "I guess so,” Delmar said, avoiding Eaton's eyes.

  "Look,” Eaton said, putting his hands on his hips. "I know what you're thinking. You think they'll throw the book at you. Maybe they will. Maybe they won't. Either way, life isn't over."

  "That's easy for you to say,” Delmar said with suppressed anger. "You have a ship! You can still fly! I’ll probably spend the rest of my life making little rocks out of big rocks."

  “Could be worse,” Eaton answered. “You could be stuck filing paperwork at the palace or at Service headquarters.”

  “You’re just tons of fun, you know that?” Delmar answered and took a friendly swing at his friend.

  Eaton ducked out of the way, smiled at the reaction, and grabbed Delmar's bag.

  "C'mon flyboy,” Eaton said. "Let's check out of this tin can and go catch some space!"

  "Sure,” Delmar said through gritted teeth. Eaton led the way toward the docking bay where the Blackhawk waited.

  A Trooper-First wearing the insignia of provost marshal met them at the door of the docking bay.

  "Captain?" the Trooper-First said as they approached.

  “Yes?" Eaton and Delmar both answered, but the Trooper turned to Eaton. Delmar felt part of his heart being ripped out.

  "Here are your orders to transport the detainee to Jasper Station on Erdinata,” the Trooper said firmly, handing Eaton an envelope.

  “I’ll take those,” a voice said from behind the Provost Trooper.

  All three men turned to see a Trooper-First approaching them. Delmar recognized his father dressed in a resplendent Service black uniform. He carried a small duffle bag in his hand.

  “I’m the arresting officer,” he said while reaching for the envelope.

  “Very well, sir,” the Provost Trooper said and handed the envelope to John. “If you'll sign for him, you'll be cleared to lift,” he added, producing a clipboard.

  Eaton glanced at his friend while John signed the necessary form. Eaton tried to cheer Delmar with a listless smile. The Provost Trooper gave John a copy of the form and then watched while Delmar was led out into the docking bay.

  Delmar glanced around the bay. The Blackhawk was to one side and dock personnel were just finishing servicing her for flight. Delmar looked over to where the damaged Robin Murrin rested on a set of docking cradles. He noticed Jim Ontak who waved and got up from where he had been looking at something with another dockworker. John and Delmar waited while he strode over.

  "Glad I caught you before you left!" Ontak said happily. Delmar introduced him to Eaton and to his father.

  “You’ve got some kid here,” Ontak said to John. “My crew and I would have been dead meat if it hadn’t been for him.”

  “I’m just beginning to learn what a remarkable young man he is,” John answered.

  He turned to Delmar.

  “You say your goodbyes, son. I’ll wait onboard.”

  “Yes sir,” Delmar answered.

  Jim Ontak couldn’t help but think something wasn’t right here. Delmar’s father, a Trooper-First, seemed distant and removed.

  “What’s going on here?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle,” answered Delmar.

  Ontak pursed his lips but didn’t reply.

  “Now, what's the story?" Delmar asked, nodding toward the Robin Murrin.

  "Nothing that can't be fixed,” Ontak replied. "They're going to rig her up for tow and take us to that repair depot we were trying for,” he continued. "Then it's a teardown and refit. Should be able to lift again in a month or two."

  "Glad to
hear that,” Delmar said honestly. "She's a good ship."

  "They say you’re headed for Erdinata on that thing,” Ontak said, nodding toward the Blackhawk. Delmar looked at the sleek FAR ship and then back toward the Robin Murrin.

  The ancient DayStar sat beside the battered freighter.

  "What are they going to do with her?" Delmar asked, suddenly feeling sorry for the little old ship. He was glad he had helped her fly one last time.

  "You haven’t heard!" Ontak exclaimed. "She's going into refit as well!"

  "What do you mean?" Eaton asked. Delmar had told him about the fate of the old retired patroller.

  "Seems all the publicity about our little adventure got someone's attention,” Ontak said with a grin. "A family member of the old captain got the news and contacted the Service. The great-granddaughter of the old captain is in flight school now. She spoke up for the DayStar and exercised her rightful hereditary claim. So they're going to rebuild her from stem to stern and put her back into service."

  "That’s about the only good news I’ve heard today,” Delmar said

  "So where's your ship?" he asked Delmar.

  Ontak had learned from Delmar during their trip that he had borrowed the DayStar. Beyond that, Delmar hadn't said much.

  "Back at Jasper Station on Erdinata getting a refit,” Delmar said evenly. "I've got to go back there and take care of some business."

  "Well, you boys have a good trip!" Ontak said as he grasped Delmar's hand. "See you around some time!"

  With that, he turned and headed back toward his freighter.

  "You didn't tell him everything, did you?" Eaton asked quietly.

  "No,” Delmar confessed. "Didn't seem appropriate at the time."

  "We've got an audience,” Eaton said, glancing up toward the windows of the dock control room.

  Delmar glanced up and saw the commander and the Dock Chief watching. Turning, he raised his right arm and gave the Axia salute. The commander nodded, came to attention and returned the salute.

  "Well, there they go,” the commander said to the Chief.

  They watched the two young men turn and proceed to the Blackhawk. Shortly after they entered the sleek ship, a klaxon sounded and dock personnel cleared the docking bay. As soon as everyone was accounted for, the air was evacuated and the bay doors opened.

  "That's one beautiful ship,” a voice behind the commander said. The commander turned to find Jim Ontak behind him, looking out the windows into the bay.

  "Yes it is,” the commander agreed. He noticed Ontak's captain plate. "Which ship is yours?"

  "The Robin Murrin,” Ontak proudly replied, indicating the damaged freighter. "She ain't much for looks, but she's a good ship."

  "From what I heard, you had quite an adventure,” the commander said. "Glad you made it all right."

  "So am I,” Ontak agreed. "And the man responsible is leaving on that ship," he continued as they watched the Blackhawk slowly lift. "Sure seemed distracted though. Wonder what's eating him?"

  "Nothing good, I'm afraid,” the commander replied. "He took the DayStar without authorization and is now going to face a board of inquiry back on Erdinata. He’ll probably lose his ship as a result, perhaps his captaincy as well. Could even do some time in the brig."

  Ontak looked at the commander in disbelief and then his face darkened. "Thank you, sir” he said tersely and then stormed off.

  The commander watched him leave the control center and then turned back toward the windows. The Blackhawk hung motionless while Eaton performed a final check. Then with a blink of her navigation lights, the sleek ship moved out of the docking bay and into open space. A moment later the Blackhawk disappeared in a flash of light, the first step on a journey that could spell the end of Delmar’s career.

  “Young people make foolish choices sometimes, don’t they Chief?” the commander asked.

  “Yes sir,” the chief answered. “But you know what the poet said.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Youth is wasted on the young.”

  CHAPTER 21

  "Trooper-Third Delmar Eagleman,” the major heading the inquiry board intoned. Delmar stood and strode smartly to a point directly in front of the seated inquiry board. Standing at attention, he answered the board.

  "Yes sir," he said, staring straight ahead.

  Robert, also dressed in uniform, watched from the gallery behind the rail. He thought Delmar looked resplendent in his dress uniform, his insignia on his shoulder. He felt a tinge of sadness knowing this might be the last time Delmar would wear his captain plate.

  Seated across from Robert in the gallery were Security Officer Rome, the yard foreman, and Doctor Alt from the Jasper Station hospital. They had all given testimony to the board as it probed the circumstances surrounding the theft of the DayStar. The yard foreman looked the most uncomfortable trying to explain how they sometimes lost track of ships stored at the facility. Robert was sure changes were already in progress to prevent such occurrences from ever happening again.

  Trooper-First John Eagleman sat next to Robert. Is face was stern and showed no emotion. Had he failed his son somehow and this was happening as a result? He was appreciative for all the Hassel’s had done to help his son, but nothing could take the place of a father. John determined in his heart that if given the chance, he would become a part of Delmar’s life.

  The past two weeks had been trying times for John and his son, not to mention the strain it put on Robert Hassel. John knew the Hassels had legally adopted Delmar, and that he’d been calling Robert and Agnes mom and dad for some time now. When the Blackhawk landed at Jasper Station, Robert was there to meet them. He couldn’t forget the embrace that Delmar and Robert had shared upon seeing each other, and how Delmar had asked if Mom were there too.

  Since Delmar was officially under arrest, he was confined to Jasper Station and couldn’t leave the base. Robert invited John to stay with him at the farm, but he’d refused, saying he wanted to spend time with Delmar. And since Delmar wasn’t being held in the brig, he was able to secure billets that would accommodate both of them. They spent their time talking about the years they’d lost and the adventures they each had experienced.

  Robert visited every day, and a couple of times brought Daren and RoseMary Sabeti along with little Del-Robert. John became very fond of the Sabeti’s and let them know he approved of their purchase of the old Eagleman farm, and that he held no grudges against them. They invited him out to visit the old farm. He even checked a flitter out from the motor pool and took a whole day revisiting the old haunts of his youth. He found it reassuring to know the spirit of his wife still lived at the old farm. He could feel her presence as he walked through the old house and barn.

  But now it was decision time. The board members, Troopers all, and a few of them captains as well, had recessed several hours earlier to deliberate. Now it was mid-afternoon and the board had reconvened to deliver their sentence.

  "You have been charged,” the senior member of the board, a major started out, consulting a sheet in front of him, "with charge one, willful disobedience of a superior officer, in this case Dr. Alt. Charge two, absent without leave. And charge three, theft of Axia property, in this case the patroller DayStar, and unauthorized use of the same. Do you wish to change your plea of no contest?"

  The room grew silent. Robert held his breath. John closed his eyes.

  "No sir,” Delmar answered.

  Robert let his breath out. He and John exchanged wary glances. Here it comes, thought Robert. Delmar had refused to petition the board for witnesses, counsel, or the presentation of mitigating evidence. Robert was proud of Delmar at that moment, but felt heartsick as well.

  "Noted in the record,” the major announced and then cleared his throat. "Do you have anything to say for yourself or want any defense entered into the record?"

  "Nothing beyond the facts, sir,” Delmar said evenly. "I freely submit myself to the judgment and sentence of the board."


  “Then would you mind answering one question, on or off the record, your choice?”

  “If I can, sir.”

  The major consulted his notes.

  “According to our investigation, everyone we spoke to seemed to believe you were trying to get to a planet called Panay, a closed planet by the way, to visit a young lady you met while stranded on that planet.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “But according to your flight path, you detoured from that course and diverted toward the Sol star system instead.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Why?”

  Delmar paused for a moment to gather his thoughts.

  “I was never going to Panay, sir,” he answered. “My goal was always the Sol star system, sir.”

  “But your flight pattern indicates…”

  “It was a decoy, sir,” Delmar continued. “I knew I could never make it to Panay without being intercepted by the patrollers in Sector 2o46-W. Besides, it’s against Galactic Axia law to remove a citizen from a closed planet without authorization. It could upset the whole evolutionary growth of the planet by doing that.”

  “I see.”

  “Not to mention I could get into real trouble,” he added, a mischievous grin crossing his lips.

  The major smiled and exchanged knowing looks with the other board members. He liked this young pilot more than he cared to admit. He could see the future of the Axia resting in the caliber of people coming up through the ranks now.

  “Anything else, Trooper Eagleman?” the major asked. “Anything serious, that is?”

  “My plan was to confuse any ships pursuing me into thinking I was headed for Panay. But I had to get to Sol-3, sir. My father was listed as lost on a mission when I was a kid. I had evidence he was still alive. I had to do something to rescue him. I know what I did was the right thing to do. I just went about it the wrong way, sir.”

  “Are these statements for the record, son?” the major asked.

  “No sir, they’re personal. I’ll accept the ruling of the board in regard to the official charges.”

  "So noted,” the major replied. "Let the record show that the accused offered no defense or evidence in regards to his actions."