Where No One Has Gone Before Pt. 05

"It almost looks like you could just reach out and touch it," Gloria said.

"Except it's a long way down," Kyra quipped.

"Go ahead and take a couple pictures if you want," Alan said. "Not many people get a view like this." They all pulled out their camera phones and took pictures of the planet. Dad asked me to take a picture of him and Mom, then another of him, Mom, and Kyra's parents with the planet in the background.

"Don't you want a picture of me?" Senator Jacoby asked.

"Sure, why not?" Dad said, taking photos of the Senator with the other three. I was reminded of that old 20th-century saw about the most dangerous place is between a politician and a camera.

"We'd better head back to the bridge," I said. "We'll be entering light speed again, and it's best if we're not here, standing when that happens."

After returning to the bridge, we secured ourselves in our seats and made the jump to light speed. I made sure our guests were doing okay, then turned to Jim.

"Status, Number One?" I asked.

"All systems go, Captain," he responded. We pulled back into Starbase One and shut everything down. When all stations reported secure, I addressed Jim one more time.

"Go ahead and release the crew for leave, Number One."

"Aye aye, sir," Jim said. "I know they're looking forward to it. As am I." I stood and faced our guests.

"I hope you've enjoyed your little trip," I told them.

"It was a memorable and rewarding experience, Captain," Senator Jacoby said, shaking my hand. "Thank you very much. I know you'd much rather be at home with your family after spending five years in deep space, and I appreciate you taking the time to humor us. I feel comfortable knowing Enterprise is in such capable hands."

"My pleasure, Senator," I responded. "I had two very good teachers," I added, looking at Alan and Leesa, who smiled with appreciation.

"So I understand, Captain," the Senator said. "Well, I'd best be going. Good day."

"Listen, I need to speak with Captain Jones and Commander Decker for a few minutes, if you don't mind," Alan told Kyra and our parents after the Senator left.

"That's quite alright, Admiral," Kyra said. "Ping me when you're finished and we'll catch up. I'm going to change into something a bit less formal, then we're going to find a restaurant, grab a bite to eat and catch up," she told me.

"Sounds good," I acknowledged. "I'll see you all later." Mom approached me after Kyra, her parents, and my father left the bridge.

"Bill, I want to thank you for what you did for your father. You have no idea how much that meant to him," she said with a tear in her eye.

"I think I do, Mom. After all, he did help design this ship. And I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him, in more ways than one. I just wanted to show my appreciation in some small way," I told her.

"You did, son. And thank you again. I haven't seen him so happy in quite a while," she said before kissing my cheek. "I love

you, son, and I know your father does as well."

"I love you, too, Mom," I said. "You'd better go catch up before they get too far. I'll be done here shortly."

"Alright. We'll see you on the base." After she left, I turned to Alan.

"Why don't we go into my ready room, Admiral," I said. Alan nodded his head and motioned for his aide to join him. Jim followed us into the room, closed and secured the hatch after we were all inside. I took my seat, invited the others to join me, and offered them a cup of coffee or tea. They all accepted the offer of coffee, so I poured each a cup from the dispenser.

"I wanted to speak with you about your upcoming mission, Bill," Alan said.

"Alright. So, where are we going, Admiral?" I asked.

"No place specific, at least not at the moment," Alan said, taking the case from his aide, who also happened to be a Captain. Alan opened the case, pulled out a tablet, and turned it on.

"I don't understand, Admiral," I responded, more than a bit confused.

"It seems we have a bit of a mystery that needs to be solved, Bill," Alan said. "Three and a half years ago, we began receiving reports from other interstellar missions of what they initially thought were 'sensor shadows.' Basically, they reported seeing something right on the edge of their trackers that mimics and echoes their movements.

"At first, we believed there was maybe something wrong with the calibration of the sensors, but multiple teams of engineers and analysts reported no issues."

"So, we're chasing sensor ghosts now, Admiral?" Jim asked.

"I understand and appreciate your skepticism, Commander," Alan said. "If they were sensor ghosts, as you surmise, then it would stand to reason we would see this phenomenon with all of our missions. But we don't." He pulled up a map on his tablet and showed it to us. It was a standard 3D star map, but an oblong area was depicted in a different color. "All of the reports came from within this specific area of space."

I looked and saw the forward edge of the area was about nine light years out. The back end of the oblong did not appear to be delineated.

"All of the reports came from this sector of space?" I asked. "And nowhere else?"

"Yes," Alan said. "And there's more." He pulled up an audio file and played it for us. Listening closely, I heard a series of beeps, chirps, and what sounded like leaves or trees rustling in the wind.

"Sounds like background noise to me, Admiral," I said.

"And it did to me as well, at first," Alan said. "We've picked this up periodically over the last ten to fifteen years and thought nothing of it. But as our tempo of interstellar operations increased, so did the frequency of... this."

"Any idea what it is?" I asked.

"None," Alan said. "As you know, Bill, we've spent the last decade pre-positioning comm arrays in interstellar space to help facilitate operations. This has been picked up by several of those arrays. And our analysts say all those transmissions originated in the same area where the sensor anomalies were reported."

"That is interesting," I said.

"The analysts also say they believe there's an intelligence behind these transmissions," Alan added.

"What do you think, Admiral?" I asked.

"At first, I thought it was all a coincidence, Bill. But now, I simply don't know. People are asking questions. Very important people."

"Like Senator Jacoby?" I asked.

"Yes, like the good Senator. Who, by the way, chairs the Senate Intelligence, Defense, and Interstellar Operations Committees. He's the guy who provides our funding. And he wants answers."

"So his being here today was no coincidence," I mused.

"He wanted to get a look at Enterprise, and at the man commanding her," Alan said.

"I take it we passed inspection," I said.

"Yes, otherwise you'd be out of a job right now," Alan said. I let that sink in for a moment.

"What do you think, Admiral? What is your gut telling you?" I asked. I always respected Alan - his instincts always seemed to be spot on.

"You don't really want to know what I think, Bill," he said quietly. "Anyway," he added after a pregnant pause, "this mission is going to be a bit different from anything else we've done. There's a small contingent of mission specialists who will be assigned to you, along with a platoon of Marine Special Operators who are wrapping up their training."

"Special Operators?" Jim asked, confused.

"Yes, Commander," Alan said. "We don't know what we're going to encounter, and we want to be ready for any contingency."

"You think there's an intelligence behind all this, don't you, Admiral?" I asked.

"At this point, I'm not dismissing any possibility, Bill," Alan told me.

"What if it IS an extraterrestrial intelligence? What do we do then?" I asked.

"You'll be given a great deal of latitude on this mission, Bill," Alan said. "I trust your instincts. You do what you see fit based on the situation." I understood what my old commanding officer was telling me.

At this distance, it would take some time for effective communications between Enterprise and Star Fleet Command. If all went well, it would be a feather in our caps. But if it went wrong, it would be my ass. And mine alone would pay the price. But I knew that was part of the job with my new rank.

"At this distance, it will take us a couple years to reach the forward edge of this space, Admiral. What time-frame are you looking at?" I asked.

"There's been a number of breakthroughs since you were here. The new engines you're getting can have you there in three months at top speed," Alan said. "As for the time-frame, well, that's open-ended. The mission will end when you find some answers." He handed the tablet over to me.

"Everything you need to know is on that tablet," Alan said. "I don't need to remind you that it's classified. We'll be in touch before you depart. I figure the refit will take about seven to eight months, tops. In the meantime, why don't you change and join your family."

"I'll do that, Admiral. Thanks," I said, shaking his hand. After Alan and his aide left, I put the tablet in my safe, locked it, and turned to Jim. "What do you think, Jim?"

"I think we're in for an adventure," he responded.

"You may be right. I'm going to change and catch up with Kyra and the folks. Why don't you go spend some time with your family? I think you've been approved for three months of leave, right?"

"Something like that."

"What are your plans?"

"I thought I'd do some camping. Maybe go to Yellowstone and spend some time sleeping under the stars," he said.

"Sounds like fun," I said. "Have a good time, Jim. Stay safe out there. I'll see you in three months." We said our goodbyes and left the ready room.

...

"Well, it's about time you showed up," Kyra joked as I walked to the table where she and our parents were sitting with Leesa and George. I saw they had already been served, and a waitress came to the table as I sat down.

"What can I get for you, sir?" she asked.

"The beer here is quite good," Dad said. "And the burgers are excellent."

"That sounds good. I'll have what the Chief had. That's real meat, right?"

"Of course, sir. Unless you prefer the bean and soy-based or manufactured variety," the pretty waitress said with a smile. I remembered what they said about the fake meat - it tastes like shit but fills you up - and opted for the real thing. I guess life on the Enterprise spoiled me.

"No, I prefer the real meat," I told the waitress.

"Very well, sir. That will cost a bit extra - carbon taxes, you know."

"That's fine," I said. The waitress left, and I turned to everyone at the table. "So, what did I miss?"

"Your father told me all about how you terrorized your poor parents as a kid," Leesa said to laugh.

"I hope Mom didn't show you her pictures," I joked. Mom laughed as she pulled out her phone.

"Pictures?" Leesa asked. "You have pictures of Bill as a child?"

"Of course," Mom bragged. "I just happen to have some of Bill taking a bath. He was such a cute little boy..."

"Oh, please. I'd love to see them," Leesa exclaimed.

"Mom!" I protested as everyone laughed.

"Oh Bill, don't be such a spoil sport," Leesa cracked. "By the way, you never told me your father-in-law runs XNN Interplanetary."

"It never came up. Sorry, Tom," I said.

"Oh, that's alright," Tom said with a smile. "At least you didn't disavow my existence." More laughter. We ate, drank, and talked for the next half hour before Gloria got a serious - almost sad - expression on her face. She looked at Kyra before speaking; by then, the table had gotten quiet.

"Mom? Are you alright?" Kyra asked Gloria.

"Yes. It's just... You've grown so much since we saw you last. I've been following your career and I must say, I am very impressed with what you've done. Leesa tells me she's asked you to form the curricula for the Academy's counselor program. That's quite an accomplishment. I know I haven't told you this very often but... I'm proud of you, sweetheart," Gloria said as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Thank you, Mom," Kyra said. "That means so much to me."

"That goes double for me," Tom said as he looked at his daughter with pride. "And you, Bill. I could not have asked for a better son-in-law. We're both very proud of you kids. Aren't we, Gloria?"

"Yes," Gloria agreed. "I know I was a... bitch... to you when we first met, Bill. But I see how you treat our daughter, the way you love her. And I watched you on that ship of yours. I honestly don't know how you two do what you do - living on the edge, cooped up in that thing all the time. God knows I couldn't do that, even when I was a young girl. But I am so very proud of both of you."

"Thank you, Gloria. That means a lot to me. More than you know," I said. I appreciated what Gloria said, and I knew it was hard for her to admit she was wrong - about anything. But I wanted to change the subject before things got too

maudlin. I looked over at Leesa.

"So, Leesa, what are your plans?" I asked.

"Well, George and I are going to visit his folks in Maine. They have a nice country estate there. We'll be married in their back yard, just a quiet ceremony with family and a few friends, and then we're off to Hawaii for a month," she said. "Isn't that where you and Kyra went for your honeymoon?"

"Yes, it is," Kyra gushed. "We had a wonderful time. Didn't we, sweetheart?"

"We did. The beaches there are wonderful. Especially at night," I added, recalling the night we made love on the beach.

"By the way, Bill," George piped in. "I know you've been busy these last few weeks, but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind being my best man."

"And I'd love it if you would be my maid of honor," Leesa told Kyra. "After all, we've been shipmates for the last ten years, and if it weren't for your profiling, I would never have met George."

"I'd be honored," Kyra said. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Leesa responded. "Bill?"

"Of course we'll be there, and yes, I'd be honored to stand as your best man, George," I told him. "When is the wedding?"

"It won't be for another month yet," Leesa said. "I have to report to the Academy first, get settled in there, and arrange to have our things delivered from Enterprise. I can send you all the details if you'd like."

"Please do. We'll probably be in Idaho for that first month, then we're going to Los Angeles," I told her.

"Your folks didn't tell you?" Tom interjected.

"Tell me what?" I asked.

"Well, I'll be in New York meeting with network executives and Gloria will be on another book tour. So your parents invited us to join them in Idaho for a little bit. You kids are certainly welcome to stay in the house, but we won't be there. Anyway, your father promised to take us out on his boat," Tom said.

"I thought it might be nice to take everyone out on Pend Oreille, maybe do a little fishing," Dad said, referring to the large lake in the North Idaho panhandle close to the house.

"Sounds like fun," I said. "It's been a while since I've gotten any fishing in. So, Tom, how long are you going to stay up north with us?"

"We have a week before I have to be in New York, and Gloria starts her book tour there with some network appearances," Tom explained.

"So, you wrote another book?" Kyra asked her mother.

"Yes, it's about recognizing when you're wrong and repairing broken relationships," Gloria said. "Believe it or not, your last visit inspired me."

"Wow. I don't know what to say," Kyra told her mother.

"You don't need to say anything, dear," Gloria responded.

"By the way, Bill, I wanted to ask you and Kyra something before we head out," Leesa said.

"What's that?" I responded.

"After George and I return from our honeymoon, would you two mind if Kyra works at the Academy for a couple months while she firms up the counselor curriculum? I know you're going to be up to your armpits in alligators with the refit, and there is a regular shuttle from San Francisco to Starbase One. I just thought it might be easier for her to work at the Academy."

"It does make sense, dear," Kyra said. I thought about it for a moment before answering. Of course, I trusted Kyra with my life, so that wasn't a problem, and Leesa was right about the refit. And Kyra was right - it did make sense.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt. After all, the ship is going to be a mess for several months," I said.

"And I promise I'll be in touch every day, and I'll come up every weekend," Kyra said.

"Or I'll come down and we can spend our weekends touring the area. Besides, I'd like to see this new Academy for myself," I answered.

"That works even better," Kyra said.

"Promise you'll be good?" I jokingly asked.

"Of course," Kyra said with a mischievous smile.

"Don't worry, Bill. I'll keep an eye on her," Leesa joked.

"Why the hell not?" I asked. Kyra smiled, and we kissed.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Kyra said. We visited for a bit longer, then Kyra checked the time.

"The shuttle is leaving in a half hour. We'd better get going," she said. I knew she had already arranged for our luggage to be loaded on the shuttle, so there was no need to ask about it. We all got up and left the restaurant after paying our bills. Dad spoke to me quietly as we made our way to the shuttle deck.

"I just wanted to say thanks for what you did on the Enterprise," he said. "That meant more to me than you know."

"I was happy to do it, Dad," I said.

"I'm proud of you, son," he told me. "I'm proud of both of you."

"Thanks, Dad. That means a lot to me." Turning to Kyra, I asked, "By the way, did you ever get with Jim's parents?"

"Yes, I had a chance to speak with them," she told me.

"And?"

"They're open to the testing. They live near San Francisco, so it should be easy to get it done," Kyra told me.

"Good," I responded. We got to the shuttle bay, checked in, and climbed aboard. I looked at Gloria, who seemed a bit nervous. "Don't worry. They'll minimize the turbulence as much as possible, and it's normal to see heat buildup during re-entry. Nothing to get alarmed over."

I hoped my words put her to ease, but I knew how dangerous re-entry could be. Even with all the systems and the best pilots, there was always the possibility of catastrophic failure. Soon, everyone was on board, and the hatches were closed. I could feel the pressure build-up, and the craft finally disconnected from the station.

The ride down was much smoother than I thought it would be, and there was less friction than I expected. Nevertheless, Gloria looked frightened as she gazed out the window at the bright yellow heat and the glowing forward edges of the shuttle's wings.

"That's normal. We're re-entering the Earth's atmosphere, so there will be friction as we go down. Once we get through this, it'll taper off," I told her. Of course, I didn't tell her that a slight change in the shuttle's attitude could destroy the vessel in a blaze of fire. I didn't want to freak her out more than she already was.

"My God, this is even more dangerous than I thought," she cried. "How do you and Kyra deal with this all the time? Living and working so close to death's door day in and day out?"

"It's part of our training," I said. "Knowing the potential dangers we face helps keep us alert and on our toes." Gloria looked at Kyra and saw her daughter had fallen asleep in her chair and was oblivious to the turbulence and fire outside the window.

"I'll never say another bad word about what you do, ever again. I promise," Gloria responded as she shook her head in disbelief at her daughter's apparent lack of fear. Giving me a knowing smile and a nod of approval, Tom took his wife's hand and held it as the shuttle went deeper into the Earth's upper atmosphere.

Gloria relaxed when the shuttle entered the lower atmosphere, and the sky outside became blue. A couple of hours later, we landed at SeaTac Spaceport and stopped at the terminal. Leaving the craft, we collected our luggage. We said farewell to Leesa and George, who were heading for a connecting flight to San Francisco. The rest of us went to another, smaller, craft that would fly us to Spokane.