Galactic Axia Adventure 1: Escape to Destiny (13 page)

The sudden change from living in an enclosed space with only a few other people to the crowds of the spaceport was overwhelming to the young man. The sounds of the spaceport were confusing and frightening, and the noises and hustle and bustle of the freighters, transport ships, and military shuttlecraft added to Delmar’s anxiety.

His flight out from Erdinata on the old freighter had been his first time in space. Now he found himself alone on an alien planet. He didn’t know anyone except Cargo Master Preston and the skipper back on the
Malibu
. Suddenly, running from the authorities didn’t seem like such a good idea.

Delmar threw his duffle bag over his shoulder and pushed his way through the crowd. He had never seen such a mix of humanity, nor heard many of the languages being spoken. He paused for a moment beside a ground vehicle and listened to the conversation taking place between the driver and a prospective passenger. There seemed to be some dispute over the fare but the boy could not understand a single word they said.

With conscience deference, Delmar walked along the breezeway of the spaceport. He figured the port was located outside of Mica City, the largest population center on the planet. At least, that was true of Jasper Station back on Erdinata. If this held true, he would have a long walk ahead of him. He decided not to take the public transportation but instead to save his limited funds.

“No need getting anywhere quick,” he reasoned aloud. “I don’t know where I’m going or anyone to see when I get there.”

Delmar studied the short list of names the skipper had given him, so he decided to look up a few of them in hopes of securing an immediate berth. The cook onboard the freighter had insisted Delmar eat a good meal before leaving the ship, so he knew he could save the expense of at least one meal, maybe two.

Turning in at an open gate, Delmar spotted what appeared to be an operations building. He knew he had to avoid the civil and Axia authorities. He had the list of names the skipper had given him so he hoped he could locate a few of the freighter captains at the flightline cafeteria. If he were lucky, he would have a job by the end of the day. If not, it was going to be a long, cold night.

The cafeteria proved to be little more than a large open-air gazebo with tables and vending machines. It didn’t take Delmar long to realize he’d have very little luck here. He did spot one grizzly old character that looked like he’d spent fifty years in deep space. His hair was long and unkempt, his dirty coverall uniform was torn in several places, and Delmar thought he could smell the pungent aroma of pigs.

The old man spotted Delmar about the same time and motioned for him to come to his table. Delmar shook his head and started toward the exit. Before he realized it, the old man was at his side, his rough hand firmly gripping his elbow.

“Ya lookin' fer passage to the outer planets, sonny?” the old man asked. “I’m haulin’ me a load’a hogs, and I could sure use a strong young buck like you to swab out the pens.”

The foul odor emanating from the old man was nauseating. Delmar twisted right and left, trying to break the vice-like grip of the old man.

“What’cha fightin' fer, boy? I’m offerin' ya gainful employment.”

“Just leave me alone!” Delmar exclaimed. “And turn loose of my arm.”

He twisted again but still could not break the powerful grip of the old spacer.

A voice from behind Delmar startled him. “What’s going on here?” Delmar spun around just as the old man released the grip on his arm. Delmar stumbled and fell to the floor.

“Nothin' Captain,” the old man said, taking a step back away from Delmar.

Standing only a few feet from Delmar and towering over him like a giant tree was a man unlike any Delmar had ever seen before. He was at least eight feet tall and Delmar guessed he weighed at least three hundred pounds. There did not appear to be an ounce of fat on the man.

Delmar still lay on the floor peering up at the giant. He wore the blue uniform of the Mica Civil Patrol. A heavy wooden baton swung from a leather strap around the giant’s right wrist. “You alright, boy?”

“Yes sir,” Delmar croaked. “This man grabbed me and wouldn’t let go.”

“Zeke?”

“Yes, Captain?”

“What have I told you about strong-arm recruiting in this port?”

“But Captain, sir,” Zeke sputtered. “I was just offerin' the boy a legitimate job.”

“That’s not what it looked like to me,” the guard said. “Now you get your things and get out of here before I run you in.”

“Yes'sir, Captain,” the old spacer answered. He then turned to Delmar and leered down at him with menacing eyes. “I’ll see you 'round, boy,” he said, then turned and walked away, leaving Delmar in the presence of the Mican giant.

Delmar pushed himself up from the floor and turned to leave but the guard placed his enormous hand on Delmar’s shoulder. “Hang on there a minute, young fella,” the guard said. “You here in port alone?”

“Yes sir,” Delmar answered. “I just shipped in on the freighter
Malibu
but they’re laying over for repairs, so I’m just starting to look for another berth.”

“How old are you, boy?” The giant did not seem impressed or convinced by Delmar’s story.

“Eighteen, sir.”

“You in some kind of trouble?” the guard asked, seemingly fully aware that Delmar was on the run.

At just that moment, a commotion outside caught the giant’s attention. He turned to get a better look at what appeared to be two kids scuffling on the ground, losing sight of Delmar for just a second. Delmar took advantage of the disturbance and took off running through the cafeteria and out onto the tarmac.

“Hey you! Boy! Stop!” the guard yelled after Delmar. But Delmar didn’t look back. Instead, he darted back through the open gate and out onto the breezeway where he had been earlier. He looked up and down the street and decided to follow the general flow of outbound traffic.

Several hours passed and Delmar was still walking toward what he hoped was a population center. His last meal had long since digested and he could feel the grumblings of hunger churning on his insides.

The Mican sun hung low in the western sky. Delmar looked around to see if he could find a shelter of any kind. He was standing at the edge of a large field of what appeared to be some kind of grain he did not recognize.

A low structure that Delmar assumed was an equipment shed stood two or three hundred yards away in the field. Although it went against everything Delmar believed in, he decided to break into the shed and spend the night out of the elements. He walked carefully through the field, making sure he stayed between the rows so he wouldn’t damage any of the grain. He remembered how Mr. Hassel hated it when anyone would cut across his fields and trample his crop.
I wonder what’s he’s doing right now?

Delmar found a piece of iron beside the shed which he used to pry the hinge off the door and let himself in. The shed was eerie but dry. A piece of farm equipment that resembled a tractor and a scattering of farm tools was the only thing in the shed. Delmar had just never seen a tractor with two engines and eight wheels before.

A low wattage light bulb hung from an exposed wire in the middle of the shed. Delmar stood on the fender of the tractor and cupped his hands around the bulb, trying to capture as much of its feeble heat as possible.

The floor of the shed was hard-packed topsoil and there was no hay or anything else on which to lie down. Delmar unrolled his sleeping bag; the same one Mr. Hassel had smuggled to him in the cave so long ago, and found a corner in which to sleep.

He lay on the floor of the equipment shed and tried in vain to justify his situation.
Eighteen years old and a fugitive
, he thought.
But what crime have I committed? Why do I have to run?

“I’m not a criminal,” he spoke aloud to himself. “I’m an orphan. Is that a crime? Why are the authorities after me? And why did Axia ships attack the Hassel farm?”

Delmar lay with his arm across his eyes and wept.
Were the Hassels still alive
? H
ave they been arrested and are sitting jail because of me?

Sleep was a long time coming for Delmar that night. He knew he couldn’t go back to the spaceport. The Mican guard had surely put out an alert for him by now. He didn’t know anyone in town or even on the planet except the crew from the
Malibu
, and he could not go back there. He lay in the equipment shed, alone and forsaken by everyone he knew and silently wept himself to sleep.

The morning Mica sun filtered in through the cracks in the slat walls of the equipment shed. Delmar sat up and tried to stretch the kinks from his back. He missed his comfortable bunk on the
Malibu
, and even the mop he had grown so accustomed to using every day. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he stood and rolled his sleeping bag into a tight bundle and stored it in his duffle bag.

Not wanting to draw any attention to himself, Delmar pushed the shed door open only a crack. He peered out cautiously, and not seeing anyone around, stepped out into the cool morning air. He tried to reattach the hinge he had broken off last night but the hole was completely stripped out. An audible growl from his stomach reminded him that he would need to find nourishment soon.

Delmar walked back across the field to the road he had been on the evening before. Traffic was light but no one stopped to pick him up. He used his right hand as a visor against the bright morning sun and looked to the east. Rising up from the ground only a few miles away was the first signs of the population center he had been heading for. The failing light had prevented him from seeing the buildings last night.

“I’ll find something to eat there,” Delmar said to himself. “Maybe even a job and a place to stay for a while.”

Delmar threw his duffle bag over his shoulder again and started walking at a brisk pace toward the town in the distance. The closer he got, the larger the buildings looked.

It only took a couple of hours before Delmar found himself on the outskirts of a busy population center. He wondered around the streets of the city for what seemed like an eternity. A day and a night passed, then another and another. Every corner he turned lead to dead ends and locked doors. He went from business to business asking for work and lodging but met with rebuff at every turn.

He soon came to realize that these people were accustomed to drifters from the spaceport seeking shelter and employment in their establishments. He wondered how many times help had been offered, only to have the kindness returned by being robbed or taken advantage of. So, instead of finding employment and lodging, Delmar slept in whatever vacant corner he could find. A week passed very slowly.

Delmar had lost track of the days while roaming the streets. He found himself stranded in an alien city on a Sabbath day of the planet. Most of the businesses were closed or would open later in the day. His meager earnings were dwindling fast, his clothes were filthy, and he was in terrible need of a bath. He was alone and afraid and desperately in need of someone to talk to.

Something inside of him screamed for him to run, and he nearly did as a cold sweat trickled down his back. But he had nowhere to run to. He had no idea of how far he had walked and he knew he could never find his way back to the spaceport now even if he wanted to. He wanted to return to the
Malibu
and beg the skipper to take him back. He’d work for free. He’d scrub floors and carry cargo; anything to once again have feel the safe confines of the ship around him.

Trying to fight back his fear, Delmar turned in to a building just so he’d again have the sense of safety similar to the confining walls of the ship. He found himself in a small temple to the Unseen One. A service was in progress. He quietly sat down on the back row so he would not be conspicuous.

He vaguely remembered going to temple as a very young boy. It had seemed dull and lifeless then to an energy-filled eight-year-old boy. Now it was quietly reassuring to him and his heart slowed down from its panicked frenzy. He decided to sit for a while until he could regain his composure.

The Holy One was standing at the front with several parents and their infants. He took each child in turn and held it before the parents while they all prayed together. He spoke about the overseeing eye of the Unseen One watching each small life. After he finished with the young families, they returned to their seats and he stepped back behind the Anointed Desk.

Opening his Sacred Book, the Holy One turned to a passage and began to read. Delmar did not have a copy to follow along, so he sat still and listened. The Holy One spoke of the faithfulness of the Unseen One, how his love extended beyond the atmosphere to all those on all of the planets. He spoke personally of the loneliness of space and its inherent terrors. He finished by reminding his flock of the personal care of the Unseen One, even when least apparent.

The Holy One stepped back from the Anointed Desk and another man took his place. Everyone stood, so Delmar did too. They sang an ancient hymn about the Unseen One and keeping the faith.

The words of the song ended but the soft, soulful music continued as the Holy One’s assistant prayed the dismissal. When the prayer ended, everyone turned to go. Delmar noticed that the Holy One had disappeared. Turning to leave, he saw the man was already at the back of the temple speaking with everyone as they were leaving. Delmar could not slip out because of the press of people, so he waited his turn to exit.

When Delmar reached the door, the Holy One shook his hand and looked him in the eye. “I saw you come in during the dedication,” he said. “Please stay. We need to talk.”

Delmar didn’t know quite what to do so he stayed and waited while the Holy One finished greeting his congregation. After the last parishioner had left, the man closed the door and walked to where Delmar waited.

“Please come with me,” he said. Delmar followed the man to his office. He noticed the man had a decided limp that had not been apparent when he’d been up on the platform. He reminded Delmar of Mr. Hassel back on Erdinata.