Galactic Axia Adventure 1: Escape to Destiny (8 page)

Neither wanted to part but Robert knew he had best be going. Giving Delmar a hug, Robert went out through the concealed entrance and into the night. Inside, Delmar gathered the supplies and the lantern and stored them in a crevice deeper inside the cave. Rolling a sleeping bag out that Mr. Hassel had brought, the boy doused the light and settled in for the night.

Chapter Six

Tumbling out of yet another canvas bag, a certain packet landed on the sorting table in an obscure back room. The duty clerk at the Imperial Postal Center in the palace on Shalimar, the home world of Galactic Axia, began sorting through the pile. After bringing order to the several hundred letters and packets, he began to read the priority stamps on each one and sort them accordingly.

Not everything went immediately to the empress’ famous red box. Some had been marked for further research. He dealt with this first. Sorting to each department according to priority stamps, in a short while, he had a smaller pile of material that would require unspecified research. He placed these items in another bin that would go to a department where each inquiry would be thoroughly studied before going to the red box.

Robert’s packet nearly went into this bin until the clerk noticed the small blue seal under the return address. He pulled the packet back out of the bin and tossed it into his IN basket.

The trooper sat down at his desk and sighed as he eyed his in basket filled to overflowing. He swallowed another slug of coffee, made a disgusted face, and set the cup down. Taking the top packet, he opened it and began to review the material inside.

An hour later, the trooper resealed another packet and tossed it into his “out” basket. He had managed to get halfway through the stack. Pushing his chair back, he stood, stretched, and went in search of fresh coffee. He found a percolator singing its song in the break room where he rinsed the sludge out of his cup and refilled it with the brew someone had recently made.

Returning to his desk, he sat down and pulled the blue-sealed packet from his in basket. He scanned the hand-written pages inside and then reread them carefully. Turning to a fresh page on his yellow tablet, he scratched several notes. A few minutes later he was satisfied that he had a grasp of the essentials noted on his tablet. He picked up the telephone on his desk and made several calls.

∞∞∞

The weather turned warmer as spring crept into summer. Delmar settled into the cave and set himself up pretty well. Among the tools Mr. Hassel had brought him was fishing tackle, and the boy made good use of it. Early fruits were coming in, so he was able to supplement the supplies his benefactor brought to him.

A routine of sorts had developed whereby the Hassels left him caches of supplies in different places for him to pick up. This minimized traffic to Delmar’s hiding spot by outsiders and kept Delmar’s exposure to a random and minimal level.

The hikes in the woods by the Hassels were irregular enough not to arouse suspicion, and taking a pack along on such trips was easily acceptable. They had met a few other hikers on a few occasions, but without any problems. Robert or Agnes would just change routes and drop off the supplies later for Delmar to retrieve after dark.

Delmar’s only serious problem was loneliness because they avoided contact with each other in case the Hassels were being followed. Robert suspected they had been followed once or twice early on when they heard the noise created by someone not wood-wise a distance behind them. By previous arrangement, they would not leave anything at the alternating drops if they suspected followers. Delmar would know to lay low a day and the drops would resume two days later.

To ease the situation for the boy, Robert left an occasional book and Agnes would write letters. Return of the books and replies to the letters from “home” were avoided because it increased the risk of exposure. When it was all over, Robert knew the materials would be returned. In the meantime, the Hassels had to content themselves with the thought that
no news is good news
.

∞∞∞

Empress Ane was working through the material on her desk when a silent form entered her office. She looked up in time to see the trooper empty his carry pouch into her red box and collect the packets from the green one that she had finished. Sighing, she reached for the next packet. She made a game of trying to empty the red box before the trooper showed up with more. She occasionally succeeded.

She almost made it twice this morning but still had one or two packets left when he arrived. Ane suspected the trooper was peeking so he could get his timing just right but she couldn’t prove it.

Opening the top packet, she found several pages of handwritten notes along with supplemental material gathered by one of her staff. She read the original petition and then picked up the packet itself and noted the blue seal under the return address. Setting these aside, Ane read the follow-up research, occasionally reviewing the original documents. She leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and tried to picture the situation in her mind. A hum filled the office.

“Hello, Mary,” Ane said without opening her eyes.

“Hello, boss lady,” Mary came back. “You look like you’re taking something much too seriously again.”

“I am, Mary,” she replied. “This last packet bothers me some.”

“Turn it and let me see.”

Ane spread the pages out and leaned back in her chair again, focusing a small video lens she wore on a chain around her neck toward the pages. After a moment, Mary replied.

“I can see why.”

“It just bothers me when people take more interest in their position than they do in serving the people they’re supposed to help,” Ane said, gesturing at the documents.

“What are you going to do about it?” Mary asked.

“I’m going to delegate one of our staff to investigate it and set it to rights!” Ane answered as she reached for her pen and tablet.

Taking a few minutes to detail her instructions, the empress signed the papers with a flourish and sealed it all back in the original packet. She addressed a routing slip, affixed it to the packet, and tossed it into her green box.

“That’s it for this morning,” she said, pushing up out of her chair. “Mind if I come down for lunch?”

“Sure, boss lady!” Mary’s voice answered. “Better hurry! Soup’s on!”

Empress Ane left the room and took the lift down to the space field to have lunch with her best friend. After she had gone, the trooper entered her office and again filled her red box and emptied the green one, the last packet going into his pouch along with the rest.

∞∞∞

Delmar surveyed the darkness for signs of observers but saw none, then carefully stepped out of hiding and retrieved the bundle of supplies from the thicket. There had been no bundle two nights ago near the old stump as there should have been, so Delmar had stayed holed up. Tonight was the night for the thicket drop and he had come earlier than usual, anxious for the supplies and word from home.

Slipping the bundle into his carry pack, Delmar turned and started for the cave. He arrived at an outcropping above it and surveyed the area around the entrance for signs of visitors. Seeing none, he slipped through the opening and went deep inside before stopping. He’d grown accustomed to the blackness of the cave early on, so he’d gotten in the habit of entering by feel and sound to avoid use of the lantern near the entrance where it might be seen from outside.

Setting the pack down, he reached for the lantern and turned it on, the interior of his makeshift home illuminated by the yellowish light. As Delmar opened the latest bundle, he heard a cough come from the shadows.

“I thought you’d be here about now,” Robert said as the boy whirled in preparation to flee. Delmar froze for a moment and then launched himself into the arms of the older man. They hugged fiercely for a minute and then pulled apart.

“Let me get a good look at you, son,” Mr. Hassel said, holding the boy at arm’s length. What met his eyes was a vast improvement from the last time he had seen the boy. The injuries had long ago healed, Robert noted, and the start of a beard gave his face a look of maturity. The boy was filling out into full manhood and Robert was sure he had added at least an inch to his height since early spring.

“Boy, you look good!” Robert exclaimed as he clapped Delmar on the shoulders. “Here, take this and sit down. Now, tell me about yourself,” he finished and handed Delmar the other pack he had brought tonight.

Delmar took the pack and sat down with it next to the lantern. Robert sat on the edge of the pallet and watched while the boy emptied the contents into his lap.

“How did you sneak in here without me seeing you?” Delmar asked, sorting through the new supplies.

“I came in just after you left for the bundle drop,” Robert answered. “I knew since it was the night for the thicket, it would take you about half an hour before you could be back. So I just waltzed in and made myself at home.”

Delmar chuckled and then looked serious. “You came for more than a visit, didn’t you, sir?”

“Yes, I did. Mrs. Hassel and I thought I better warn you about what’s going on.”

“Wasn’t it risky for you to go into the woods twice in one day?” asked the boy, referring to the bundle.

“I didn’t,” said Robert. “Agnes set out that bundle while I stayed home. That way we can cover for each other if anyone comes to the house.”

“Okay. So what’s going on?” Delmar asked.

“Well, after the first two or three weeks things got pretty quiet,” Robert began. “A social agency worker came once but didn’t do more than ask if we’d seen you, which we hadn’t that day. We never saw your brother again after Agnes scared him off but figured something was up.”

“So what’s happening now?” Delmar asked, obviously puzzled.

Robert picked his tale back up. “Early this week we heard through Dorn’s neighbors that the agency visited your brother. We think they finally figured out you were gone and came to investigate.”

“Oh no!” the boy said. “If Dorn loses that financial support from the agency, he’ll kill me for sure.”

“That’s what we thought too, so I came to warn you and bring extra supplies,” Robert said. “We expect both the authorities and your brother will start hunting for you in earnest. He wants to find you for the money. If they find you, they’ll either send you home or put you in jail.”

“But I didn’t break any laws!” Delmar cried.

“No, you didn’t,” Robert agreed. “But you did break some of their policy guidelines, which is probably worse.”

They both grew silent while they contemplated the situation. Robert finally broke the silence. “Listen, Delmar. I want to tell you something and then I’d better go. Remember the pocket watch?”

“Of course I do,” answered the boy.

“As you know, I got that from my fellow troopers in the old 653rd after I was wounded. You remember meeting them when we went on our field trip to Jasper Station, don’t you?”

Delmar nodded.

“They’re a great bunch of guys, and if you ever need help, you can count on them. Just show them the watch and explain that I sent you. They’ll take care of everything.”

“But how will I find them?”

“Just go to Jasper Station. The 653rd patrols this star cluster and you’ll recognize their building.”

“How will I get to them if they’re not there?”

“In that case, appeal to any trooper unit,” Robert answered. “We’re a brotherhood. We watch out for each other like one big extended family.”

The cave grew quiet again and Robert rose up to go. “I better go now,” he said. “If I stay out too late, it might look suspicious.”

The boy stood and they embraced. Robert picked up his empty pack and walked slowly toward the entrance. Before he slipped through, they wordlessly shook hands and Robert disappeared into the night.

∞∞∞

The police ground car stopped in front of the social agency office at the appointed time. Looking out of her window, Prudence Hornbeck, the director of the social agency noted the arrival. A glance at her expensive wall clock confirmed their punctuality. Efficiency pleased her, so it was with a satisfied smile that she greeted the officers.

After seating everyone involved in today’s plans in the conference room, Director Hornbeck entered the room and strode to the front.

“I want to thank everybody for coming today,” she began. “We have a serious situation on our hands and our combined efforts today will bring an end to a dangerous set of circumstances.”

She paused for a moment and peered over her glasses at their faces while she pretended to check her notes. She made mental notes of which of her workers were behaving positively to this meeting, and also saw that the police officers looked bored.

“I want to thank the officers for their cooperation in our effort today to apprehend this criminal. For those not familiar with our subject, here is his picture.” She turned and pinned a large photograph of Delmar on the board behind her.

Returning to the front, she noticed that the police officers looked confused. “Is there a question, officers?”

“Yes, there is,” began an older man. “I thought we were going out to pick up this boy’s brother.”

“You are definitely mistaken,” she answered. “His older brother has been trying to raise this delinquent for many years. The boy has been nothing but trouble. He hasn’t made any effort to care for himself, or to help his brother support him. He reported to us that Delmar assaulted him and has run away, and is now terrorizing the neighbors. Irate neighbors have reported numerous thefts and vandalism, and many are threatening him because of the actions of his delinquent brother. He has voiced concern for his personal safety. Our efforts today are to bring this vagrant to justice where he can be punished for his crimes.”

A hand went up hesitantly. “Yes?” she asked one of her caseworkers.

“Ma’am, you mean we’re to bring him in for counseling and rehabilitation, don’t you?”

“Yes, that’s what I meant,” Hornbeck answered. She was pleased that the caseworker understood their policy.

The two officers had not said anything since her explanation, so the director adjourned the meeting and they dispersed to their waiting ground cars.