Galactic Axia Adventure 1: Escape to Destiny by Jim Laughter Page A

authority vested in me by Imperial mandate, I find that Prudence Hornbeck acted in wanton disregard of the laws and policies of Galactic Axia. Without legal authority, she endangered a legal ward and other citizens. I also find the judge in violation of his oaths of office and party to travesty of justice. I hereby turn them over to the district attorney for prosecution under the laws of Galactic Axia at a trial commencing within thirty days.”
    Both the judge and Ms. Hornbeck sat stunned. “You can’t do that!” she screamed, jumping to her feet. Mike waited while two troopers firmly returned her to her seat and then stood right behind her.
    “I can and I have,” Mike said quietly. Then in a louder voice he said, “This hearing is adjourned.” He banged the gavel.
    Troopers escorted the former director and judge out of the courtroom. Mike stepped down and motioned for the Hassels to follow him into the quietness of the judge’s chambers.
    “Good job, Mike!” said Robert, closing the door. “What do we do now?”
    “The same as yesterday,” Mike replied, “search for a missing boy.”
     

Chapter Eight
    The lengthening shadows signaled the approach of another lonely night and slowly covered the brush of Delmar’s hiding place. He had been watching the activity at the small space field for a couple of hours. Trying to determine the patterns of activity around the private freighters had proven to be a challenge.
    Delmar lay his head down and rested his eyes. The ride he had managed to catch in the back of a poultry truck helped him cover the distance to the cargo field two districts over from the field in Big Valley, and gave his tired legs a much-needed rest. It also put him farther away from the terrifying scene in the valley. He’d traveled mainly at night to remain safe from those he feared.
    Hunger had slowed him a bit after the third day but he finally arrived at his destination. Now he just needed to wait a while before trying his plan.
    ∞∞∞
     “That’s all we know so far,” said Mike as he tossed the small stack of paper onto the desk. Robert and Agnes looked at the pile of reports with obvious disappointment.
    The search for Delmar had gone on nearly continuously since the day Mike had arrived. It had been almost a week and they had turned up nothing. Mike had even ordered one of the ships to fly over the woods with its aura detector system tuned to humans. They had spotted several indications of humans and sent ground searchers to check them out, but each had proven to be hikers unaware of the search. Teams thoroughly searched all of the caves in the hills and found no trace. The local police chief also agreed to send out a planet-wide bulletin in an effort to get a lead on Delmar.
    “It’s like he just disappeared,” Robert said.
    “What if he’s hurt?” fretted Agnes.
    “Then we would have found him,” answered Mike. “An injured man can’t run.”
    “So the bulletin goes out tomorrow?” Robert said.
    “Yes,” replied Mike. “But in the meantime, I need to send an update to Our Lady.”
    Other matters in the case had not gone well either. Prudence Hornbeck and the judge had both been dealt with quickly. The new director cleaned house at the social agency. However, in spite of the changes, some things remained the same. Dorn had somehow managed to avoid prosecution, although Mike had been able to cut off his government payments for taking care of Delmar.
    The warrants against the Hassels were summarily dismissed, as well as several of the other legal suits the former director had initiated. As a result, the caseload in the courts had eased considerably and morale among local law enforcement personnel was definitely high. Still, there was the nagging problem of the missing boy.
    ∞∞∞
    Using the cover of darkness to slide under the fence, Delmar slipped onto the field. He hid his small pack of belongings, straightened his clothes, and crossed briskly toward the nearest