A NEW WORLD

CHAPTER FOUR

Tucker and Jennifer are on the bridge sitting in their seats, Tucker looks around at the fully staffed bridge and  Jennifer looks straight ahead at the viewscreen, Tucker smiles and looks at the viewscreen as well.  Tucker looks at Jennifer. " Well, Jennifer here we go."  Tucker looks back at the viewscreen. " Communications officer, are we clear to launch out of dock?"  A man at the communication station calls the dock control tower.  "Dock control tower, USA Ohio request permission to depart, over." The communication officer gets a reply on his earpiece and then turns in his chair to face Tucker. " Yes, captain, we have permission to depart." Tucker sits up more right in his seat and holds on to both armrests. " fine, helmsman full thrusters ahead." The helmsman replies and executes the order.  " Aye aye, Captain."   The Ohio jerks forward and clears the dock with such ease through space. Tucker releases his grip on the armrests.  " Ok helmsman, zoom speed three."  " Zoom speed three, aye sir."  The helmsman follows the order and on the viewscreen stars, planets, and even galaxies flash by.  The ship zooms very fast into a wormhole causing a flash of white lightning as it enters and  Tucker jumps to his feet. " Helmsman all stop!" The ship immediately comes to a halt. The helmsman replies. " We're stopped, Captain."  Jennifer stands from her seat and looks to the navigator officer. " Ensign Jones, where are we?"  Ensign Jones turns to look at Jennifer and straightens up in her chair at her console.   " According to my instruments ma'am, we're off the charts."  Tucker looks straight at Ensign Jones.  " What does that mean Ensign?"  " Well, sir it means that we're at where no other Earth ship has ever been before."   "Security scan the area, engineer deploy a marker, and from this point, we can map this part of space."  Jennifer says while looking at both the security officer and engineering officer at the same time.  The security officer looks up from his console to Jennifer.   "Ma'am, I have detected an earth class planet five hundred light years from where we're at."  The engineering officer turns in her chair to face Jennifer.  " Ma'am the marker is now deployed and transmitting."  Jennifer looks at both officers.   "Thank you both."  Jennifer sits back down and Tucker looks at the security officer.   "Security send the coordinates to navigation."   "Aye captain."  Tucker looks at the navigation officer.   "Navigation plot a course to that planet, and helmsman engage."  The navigation officer replies.  "Yes, sir."  The helmsman also replies.   "Aye sir, at what speed Captain?"  Tucker looks at the helmsman. " Zoom speed four."  Tucker sits back down in his seat. The helmsman replies.   "Zoom speed four aye."  The ship jerks forward.  After arriving at the planet the ship comes to a complete stop, and Tucker stands up and looks at the security officer.   "Security can you detect any life forms down there?"  Before the security officer can answer him the ship goes dark, and All lights on the bridge go out, but after a few seconds pass, the emergency lights kick on as does the backup power for the ship, Tucker and Jennifer look at each other.  " What just happened?"  Jennifer asks while jumping to her feet, Tucker looks at the engineer officer.   "Engineering, what happened to our power?"  Before the engineering officer can answer Tucker, the lights and power all come back online and the emergency lights and power go out. The engineering officer turns to look at Tucker and sees Jennifer looking at him too, no dought waiting for a reply, so the engineering officer looks at both of them and replies.   "I don't know sir everything is back online and running normally."  The science officer speaks while looking at Tucker and Jennifer. " Captain the wormhole for which we came from is gone."  Tucker and Jennifer look at the science officer, Jennifer speaks to the science officer with a stern puzzled voice.   "What do you mean gone, where's our marker?"  The science officer looks at his console and then back at Jennifer.  " The marker too is gone, ma'am."   Jennifer walks up to the science station to see for herself, Tucker sees the shocked look on Jennifer's face as she looks at him.  " He's right Tucker, the wormhole and the marker are both gone."  Tucker slowly sits back down in his chair and Jennifer walks and sits back down in her chair.  Tucker and Jennifer look at the blue planet on the viewscreen.  Tucker looks over at Jennifer and Jennifer looks at Tucker.  " Commander take a team down to the planet and check it out."   "Aye Captain."  Jennifer jumps to her feet and heads to the exit to go off the bridge, and while walking fast toward the exit she talks to her wrist communicator and tells a team to meet her in the shuttle bay.  Tucker looks back at the viewscreen after watching Jennifer leave the bridge, he cringes at the very thought of sending Jennifer and an away team down to an unknown planet, but he knows as a commanding officer he did what he had to do. The security officer looks up from his console to Tucker and speaks. " Captain  I've scanned the planet four times and can not find any humanoid life forms at all on that planet."  Tucker still looking at the viewscreen replies.  "Security keep tabs on the away team while they're down there."   "Aye, sir I sure will."   After a few minutes pass by, Tucker sees the shuttle on the viewscreen flying toward the blue planet, and he can hear the communication's officer communicating with the shuttle. Tucker leans back in his chair trying to relax more while telling himself in his mind that everything is going to be just fine, but for some reason, that doesn't work. He stands up from his chair while looking at the viewscreen and speaks.  "Science officer find out everything you can about that planet, security officer you do the same."  The science officer replies.   "I'm working on that now Captain."  The security officer speaks.  " I'm doing that too Captain."  Tucker sits back down in his chair while still looking at the viewscreen, watching the shuttle getting closer and closer to the planet.  What only took two hours seemed to Tucker like a lot longer, but the shuttle finally made it to the planet's surface.  The communication officer looks at Tucker and speaks.  "Captain the shuttle has landed and all twelve hands are safe and sound."  Tucker turns and looks at the communication's officer. " Great, put the away team on the speaker so I can hear the commander."  The communication officer complies with Tucker's orders and then speaks. " Speaker is on Captain."  Tucker sits up right in his chair and then presses a button on the right arm rest panel.  " Commander, can you hear me?"  After a second or two Jennifer's voice comes over the speaker. " Yes, Captain we can hear you."  A smile crosses Tucker's face and relief washes over him.   "How is it down there Commander?"   "Captain, it's exactly like Earth, like from the very beginning when it was formed."   "Away team turn on your body cams so we can get a look on the viewscreen." The view on the viewscreen whiches from the view of the planet to each member of the away teams' point of view as to what they were seeing.  Tucker looks at the security officer.   "Security click in on the Commander's body cam only."  " Aye Captain."  The viewscreen switches to only what Jennifer is seeing, the view is so beautiful. Tucker stares at the beautiful scenery.  The scene is green grass, a clear blue river with flowing water, flowers of all kind in a medow, and fruit trees. In the scene Tucker sees where the shuttle has landed near the river as well. Tucker speaks softly.   "It reminds me of Genesis from the bible, it's a new world that hasn't been touched."  The science officer looks at Tucker and speaks.  " Captain this planet checks out and will serve mankind very well."  Tucker turns and looks at the science officer.  " What do you mean serve mankind very well?"  "Captain, when our governments learn about this planet it will be like Earth is now, all give out and breaking apart.  Oh, and we will have to find another planet to claim."  Tucker looks down and notices a sick feeling building up in his stomach from the thought of mankind destroying this planet like it did Earth, Tucker looks back up at the science officer.  " You're right. We will kill this planet if we tell our governments about it."  Jennifer's voice comes over the speaker.   "Sir, I have the science team checking the water, plant, and animal life out."  Tucker looks at the viewscreen and the science officer turns back his attention to his science station console.  Tucker stands up.   "Good Commander, keep me posted."  " Yes sir I will."  " Thank you Commander, Ohio out."  Tucker turns and presses the button on his armrest again and then walks toward the exit of the bridge.   "Communication officer get Lieutenant Commander Joyce Steed on the bridge."   Before the communication officer can acknowledge Tucker, Joyce walks onto the bridge, and Tucker stops, they both look at each other.  Tucker  speaks.   "Steed you have the bridge and if you need me I'll be in my ready room."   "Aye Captain." Tucker leaves the bridge and Joyce walks over to the command chair.