A NEW WORLD

CHAPTER EIGHT

Tucker, Jennifer, Joyce, Elaine, Derek, Tatto, sally, and Lisa are on the bridge of the Ohio, everyone is standing around Tucker as he speaks.  " It's been three months now since the ship has been fixed, I've decided of who I want to be temporary secretary of defense and that is Han Glades, for those of you who aren't familiar with him, he's one of the teachers on board the ship, well he was a teacher that is,  my first officer is Commander Joyce Steed."  Everyone looks at Joyce and they all clap and smile at her as she just smiles at them and says thank you,  Tucker looks at everyone while smiling and then he gets serious.  " Ok everyone quiet, please!" Everyone gets quiet and Tucker speaks again.  " This ship will be launching in one hour." Tucker looks at Joyce. " Commander Steed congratulations, and get all USA personnel on board and accounted for."  Joyce looks at Tucker.  " Aye Captain." Tucker looks at everyone.  " Everyone is dismissed."  The crowd disburses and go their own way, Tatto leaves the bridge and Tucker and Jennifer sit in the command chairs like they've done many times before, Tucker looks over at Jennifer and smiles, Jennifer looks at Tucker, Tucker speaks.  " You miss it?"  " Sometimes I guess, I never made Captain."  " No, you'd made higher, Madam President."  As Tucker and Jennifer are talking low to each other, Joyce is going to every station on the bridge barking out orders out loud, an hour passes by, Jennifer stands up as Joyce walks up to Tucker, Tucker stands up as well and looks at Joyce.  " Captain all personnel is on board and accounted for, we are ready to launch, all is green sir."  Tucker looks at Jennifer.  " Madam President, it's time." Jennifer looks at Tucker and can feel her eyes wanting to tear up. " Yes, Captain it is, you all have a good journey."  Jennifer walks away and leaves the bridge, Tucker and Joyce watch Jennifer leave, Joyce looks at Tucker. " Captain, do you think the President and the rest of the government officials like their new offices and homes?"  Tucker looks at Joyce. " They work and live in rock structures which are cooler than huts and tents, so I would say that they do." " I think so too, in fact, I'd heard that more rock structures will be getting built as well."  Elaine turns to look at the both and speaks.   "The President's shuttle has departed the Ohio."  Joyce turns to Elaine.  " Thank you."  Elaine nods at Joyce then turns back to her console, Tucker sits back down in his chair and speaks.  " Commander, take us up." Joyce sits down in her chair and looks at Lisa Tipps.  "Take us up helmsman."   Lisa goes to work on her console and the ship thrust upward, What took only less than an hour seem like a lot longer to Tucker as he and Joyce sit in their chair watching the viewscreen, On the viewscreen Tucker and Joyce see Eden, Joyce looks over at Tucker and speaks.  " Captain, should we head to our last known coordinates that we have?"  " Yes of course."  Joyce looks at Lisa. " Helmsman go to last known coordinates in this sector, engage at zoom speed five."  Lisa works her console  and  again the ship jerks forward toward where the Ohio had entered the sector years ago.  After arriving where the wormhole was years ago the ship comes to a stop, Joyce looks toward the science station. " science officer, where's our wormhole?"  A Russian man wearing his USA uniform checks his console before replying in somewhat broken English.  " There's no wormhole ma'am, but I'm picking up a signal coming straight for us."  Joyce looks at the viewscreen.  " Security put that signal on the viewscreen."  The viewscreen switches from the spot where the wormhole used to be, to a bright white energy ball heading right to them at a massive high speed, Joyce barks orders out to Lisa.  " Helmsman get us out of here fast!"  Lisa starts to work her console when the ball of energy hits the ship violently and everything turns bright white and some bridge crew members are tossed out of their chairs as the ship jerks backward due to the massive impact. After a few minutes pass, the brightness fades and so does the energy ball, the crew of the USA Ohio finds themselves drifting through space, Tucker stands up and looks around, he sees Joyce laying on the deck on her stomach, he goes over to her and wakes her up, other crew members start to wake up as well after being knocked out cold by the massive impact, Tucker and Joyce sit back in their chairs, and Tucker presses a button on the arm of his chair and speaks.  " Engine room status report. " Tatto's voice comes over the armrest speaker.  " I'm sorry Captain but the engines are offline right now, I've got people badly hurt down here, and it'll take a while until the engines are back online." " How long Commander?" " Oh, I'll say two days tops." Joyce leans toward Tucker's chair and speaks. " No chief engineer, we can't wait two days, get your people to sickbay then get to work on the engines stat!"  Tucker looks at Joyce as she leans back into her  chair, Tatto speaks again.  " I can only do what I can do Commander!"  Tucker looks at his armrest and speaks. " Ok Tatto, just do your best as fast as you can and keep us posted." " I will Captain."  Tucker presses the button again and then looks at the security officer, the female German security officer is working at her station when Derek walks onto the bridge and up to her, Derek starts working on the console with her while talking to her in german, Derek speaks. " Why didn't you detect whatever that was before it hit the ship?"  The security officer replies in german while she continues to work. " I did do a scan but didn't see anything, sir."  Tucker smiles and looks back toward the viewscreen, after looking at the viewscreen for a long time he notices that space looks different, before the energy ball hit the ship, he saw some far away stars and now he doesn't see any, Tucker speaks.  " Derek bring up Eden on the viewscreen please."  A very small blue dot comes on the viewscreen. " Magnify that to the tenth power, will you?"  The planet gets bigger to where Tucker can see that it too has changed, Joyce looks surprised as to what she sees on the viewscreen, Derek is surprised as well, Joyce speaks. " Captain, what the heck?" " I know, it's different from before."  Derek speaks in english to Tucker. " Captain I'm detecting a lot of activity on that planet" " I don't doubt it Derek, I don't doubt it at all." Joyce looks at Tucker. " Captain, why has Eden changed?"  Tucker speaks again. " Navigator, how long will it take for a squad of fighters and a shuttle to reach Eden?" The navigation officer works on his console for a moment and then turns toward Tucker and speaks. " Exactly two months Captain at full speed."  Tucker looks at Joyce while Joyce looks at the navigator, then Tucker looks back at the viewscreen, Tucker stands up and heads toward the bridge door to exit, and he speaks. " Commander Steed you have the bridge, I'm going to engineering." Joyce looks at him while he leaves. " Yes, Captain." The door closes behind Tucker and Joyce turns toward the viewscreen, meanwhile a small craft emerges from the planet, Derek looks at Joyce. " Ma'am a small craft is heading right for us." " Yes, security I can see that standby to activate shields and to fire the master blaster guns."  Derek works his fingers on his console. " Standing by ma'am." Joyce taps her wrist communicator and speaks. " Joyce to Captain."  No response. " Joyce to Captain, please respond." Still nothing.  " Security, find out where the Captain is."  Derek replies to Joyce. " Aye, ma'am." Derek looks at the other security officer and speaks in german. " Ensign, find out where the Captain is."  Derek looks back at his console, the security officer works her console while replying back to Derek in german. " Aye sir." Joyce can see the small craft from the planet changing its course, the security officer finds Tucker and reports to Derek in german. " Commander, the Captain is in engineering." Derek presses a button on his console and speaks in english. " Security to engineering."  A female's voice comes on the speaker on Derek's console. " Engineering here, go ahead security." " Yes, I want to know if Captain Johnson is down there." Tucker answers him. " Yes security I'm down here, what is it?" " Sir, Commander Steed has been trying to reach you on your wrist communicator, you might want to come to the bridge Captain." " Roger, I'm on my way, Tucker out." Derek presses the button again and then looks at Joyce. " Ma'am the Captain's on his way." Joyce still looking at the viewscreen replies to Derek.  " Thank you."  Tucker walks onto the bridge and straight to his chair, he looks at the viewscreen. " What is it Commander?"  Joyce looks at Tucker. " Sir, there's life on that planet, I mean it's thriving."  Tucker looks at Joyce. " Yes I know, we just left there." " No Captain, I mean they have spacecraft and a lot of activity going on as if there are cities down there." " Commander, what are you talking about?" " Captain, most everyone here on the bridge seen a small craft emerging from the surface and then change course when it got into space." Tucker looks at Derek. " Commander Bloom,  magnify Eden to the seventieth power." " Aye aye Captain." Tucker looks back at the viewscreen, the planet gets bigger and bigger until finally, the viewscreen shows cities, countries, and even towns, the bridge crew can see cars, trucks, trains, boats, ships, and even helicopters and airplanes, Tucker slowly stands up and slowly walks toward the viewscreen, then he stops, he whispers to himself not knowing that people can hear him. " What the heck?" Tatto's voice comes over Tucker's wrist communicator.  " Captain all engines are back online, everything's green."  Tucker answers the wrist communicator. " Right, very good, Tucker out." Tucker walks back to his chair, but doesn't sit down, he looks at Elaine at her station looking at the viewscreen in total amazement.  " Elaine patch this image on the viewscreen on all of the viewscreens throughout the whole ship."   Elaine looks at Tucker. " Huh? Oh yes sir Captain, right away."  Elaine turns toward her console and goes to work on it, Tucker sits down and looks at Lisa. " Helmsman take us to that planet at zoom speed three, and then hold standard orbit." Lisa replies without looking at him and while getting the coordinates from navigation. " Aye Captain, zoom speed three, standard orbit."  The ship jerks forward and away they go, moments later they arrive at the planet and stay at a standard orbit, Tucker speaks.  " Derek be prepared to raise shields and fire master blasters if necessary." " Aye Captain."  Elaine turns and looks at Tucker.  " Captain, we're being hailed by the temporary secretary of defense."  Tucker still looking at the screen. " Put him on."  The viewscreen switches from an on surface view of the planet to a view of Han Glades, Han speaks.  " Greetings Mister Secretary, or should I say, Captain?" Tucker smiles at Han.  " Mister Secretary will do. Han what happened, how did the colonies evolve so quickly?" " Honestly sir I don't know, but Eden is exactly like Earth used to be." " We've only been gone from the surface for just a few hours haven't  we, Han?" " Yes, you have, sir."  Tucker looks at Joyce.  " Joyce you have the bridge, I'm going down to the surface." Tucker looks back at Han on the viewscreen.  " I'm on my way down there, meet me at the President's office." " Yes sir, I will." Tucker starts heading to the exit and speaks to Elaine. " Communications end transmission."  The scene on the viewscreen switches back to the surface of the planet, and Tucker leaves the bridge.