On March 19th, 2033, Lucas Wolenczak died. For those of us who knew him, nothing would ever be the same. It was almost a surprise when the sun continued its journey across the sky. Somehow we could not imagine a day that ended without him. The funeral was held three days later. He was buried on Bridger's island with over a thousand people attending the private ceremony.
I wrote this book almost a year after his death. It was my way of coming to terms with the loss. I never intended this to be read by the public but Captain Bridger approached me asking me to tell Lucas's story. After my first book; SeaQuest: The Legend, The Boat, The People; became so popular, I sat down to edit my manuscript. This book was the result.
When SeaQuest set sail again after the funeral, Lieutenant Krieg accompanied us. He continued to serve until the SeaQuest was decommissioned in 2043. Captain Hudson resigned his Captainship following the signing of the Macronesian Peace Treaty in 2035. He left his boat in Captain Ford's capable hands. The remaining crew stayed together for the rest of her time in the water.
I wedded Heiko Kimura in a double ceremony with Jonathan Ford and Lonnie Henderson soon after our last tour. Heiko decided to legally change her name to Kim O'Neill in honor of Lucas's nickname for her. We are expecting our first child, a boy, next month. His name will be Frederick Miguel. We have already decided that if he has a little brother, his name will be Lucas. Most of us live near each other in the same neighborhood. Others are scattered around like Kristin and Nathan who come in for visits from their island. We are still a tight knit group. I do not think anything will change that.
We all miss Lucas. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him. I will always wonder what he could have accomplished if he had lived. We are missing out on so much by not having him in our lives. I can only hope that knowing what we went through might keep someone from making the same mistake he did. Maybe if he had known, this story would have been different.
Timothy O'Neill