Chapter 1: Starbase 143 - 12105.10

With a burst of light, the curtain went up for the curtain call of the matinee performance of "Peter Pan." The performers began running back onto the stage to give their final bows. A solitary figure in an Admiral's uniform stood and clapped for the performers, but when 'Wendy' came out, his face brimming with pride, he began whistling as well. The audience continued to cheer through two more curtain calls before the curtain remained closed. A few moments later, a man dressed in black with a headset stepped into the box. "Excuse me, Admiral, I can take you to see Katelynn now."

"Then it would be impolite to keep her waiting, wouldn't it?" The older gentleman picked up a dozen roses from the seat next to him and followed the stagehand with a grin.

"Yes, sir, if you would follow me, please." He gestured for the Admiral to follow him into a hidden door, down a set of tight stairs, behind the scenes, and props. The moving parts behind the curtain reminded him of a busy flight deck. People were moving everywhere in all the chaos. Still, it made sense, and everyone knew exactly where to be and which way to move at any given moment. Here in the organized chaos unfolding in front of him, a busy theatre production company hard at work resetting for the next show. Finally, after carefully dodging a costume rack, he came to a stop behind the stagehand in front of a grey door. The name on the door made him smile broader.

Covering his microphone, the stagehand whispered, "I'll leave you here now. Good luck." He quickly and quietly melted into the flow of the backstage traffic before he could even hear the Admiral's "Thank you." Carefully he knocked on the door and listened to a sharp "Enter!". As the door swung open, a familiar figure sat behind a makeup table in the corner of the room. Her face immediately lit up as the man appeared in the doorway.

"Daddy!" She enthusiastically squealed as she got up to greet the man and leaped into his arms, trying not to crush the roses or get stage makeup on him but failed badly. "I didn't expect to see you for two weeks! So what are you doing here?" She took the roses from him and placed them in a spare vase.

"It's good to see you too, Pumpkin." He beamed; "It's been way too long. Between you performing all over, your sister up to her neck in classes, and Jack's long tour, getting everyone in one place is a bit tricky. As to what am I doing here? I had a brief layover. I could catch the performance, and I thought we could catch up for a bit? Maybe go get some Italian food on the station promenade?" He asked hopefully.

Katie blushed and rolled her eyes, "I hoped you liked the show."

"I loved it." He kissed her cheek. "Though it makes me wonder how I can keep my little 'Wendy' from growing up too fast."

"Dinner and time with you will be wonderful. I've been missing everybody." She smiled at her father's guib, "The matinee went well, but warm-ups for the next show will start soon. The show ends at 21:00, so how does 22:00 sound?"

"It sounds perfect." He replied unabashedly, smiling.

There was a knock on the door frame, "Notes are in 5 on the main stage." A stagehand commented from the door.

"Thank you, 5 minutes," the actress acknowledged as he hurried off to the next person. Then, she turned her attention back to her father, "Well then, I don't want to be rude," She gestured to where the stagehand had been, "But I'll see you at Luigi's on the Cafe level at 22:00 then."

"I'll be there waiting." He kissed her cheek, "Break a leg. "

The girl blushed and waved him out, "I'll see you then. I love you, daddy."

"I love you too, pumpkin." He blew her a kiss as he headed back out into the organized chaos.

"What are the specials tonight?" a slightly sweaty but happy Katelynn Skyler took a seat across from her father. "I'm famished."

"Nice to meet you famished," Richard smirked and handed his daughter a menu.

"I thought you outgrew Dad jokes when Chrissy went to medical school."

"Outgrow Dad jokes, Never!" he laughed and shook his fist. Katelyn chuckled and took a sip from her wine glass. "So, how are things?"

Katelynn wiped her mouth, "They are good. We are playing mostly to sold-out audiences, casts spirits are still high, but we are all tired and want to go home."

"Sounds like the troops I have been with. But, as much as they enjoy their work, there is something about a hot shower and your bed." He reviewed the menu as he spoke to his daughter.

"I get teased a bit as I'm 'still living at home, but with as much as I am on the road, having a flat all to myself doesn't make sense – Oooo, the vegan lasagna sounds good."

"I still don't understand why you prefer that vegan stuff. So I'm going for the pasta Bournonaise." He put his menu down and looked at his daughter.

"What?" Katelynn began to get nervous. "Do I still have makeup on my face? Please tell me I don't have wig hair."

"No pumpkin, you are fine." He reassured her. "You look beautiful as always."

"If you say so. If it weren't for the stage makeup, 'Wendy' would have big dark circles under her eyes." Katelynn tipped her wine glass at her father.

"Sorry, I was musing. I am just amazed at how much you, your sister, and Jack have grown up."

"To paraphrase peter. 'We have been caught and turned into men and women.'" Katelynn smiled.

"It just feels like yesterday that Jack was wandering into stellar cartography, and now in a couple of weeks, he is shipping out as a lead researcher and pilot for Science Station 742. It's a great opportunity for him." Richard signaled to their waiter and continued his musing. "One day, you are singing along to your mom's Broadway recordings, the next, you are performing a prime role with a touring theatrical company."

"And Crissy having her tea parties and stuffed animal sickbay," Katelynn laughed. "Now she is in Star Fleet's medical program."

"Don't remind me how much my baby has grown up." Richard groaned. "Why couldn't all of you stay little?"

"Dad, all children grow up, but only Peter never grows up." Katelynn teased.

"And you all grew upon us."

"Hopefully, none of us grew up too fast, for life is an awfully big adventure." Katelynn flourished.

"You need a break. You are turning into Wendy."

Katelynn laughed, "You are not far off given how much study I have done for this role."

Richard was about to quip back but was interrupted by their waiter coming to take their order. Once they had gone, Richard asked Katelynn. "So, tell me about this study you had to do."

"Careful, I might talk your ear off."

"I yearned once to hear your first word, and once you began talking, I could never get you to stop, so what else is new?"

Office of the Chief of Staff for Pediatrics -Starfleet Academy Medical, Earth—12105.24

"And you say you are absolutely sure?" Captain Lilly Lynn Skyler held her head as she reviewed the report before her.

"Absolutely, Captain." The medical officer replied confidently. "This could cause an issue regarding their eligibility for deployment. As well as several conflict-of-interest issues given their marital and familial connections."

"This isn't going to end well." Lynn sighed. "We will need to keep any of our interactions completely transparent. We cannot have so much as a whiff of impropriety. Have Commander Abby Cho assigned as their primary doctor, and set a meeting with them to need to handle the situation."

"You have an hour open at 2 PM. I could fit them in then."

"Try to get earlier if you can. As long as I don't step on some admiral's toes, I can reschedule my other meetings." The captain wiped her face, "Also, please send my daughter to my office."

"I'm sorry, Captain, but Cadet Skyler is in the microbial research clean room at the moment and cannot be disturbed." The officer cringed slightly, knowing it wouldn't go over well.

"As soon as Cadet Skyler is finished, I want her in my office immediately!"

Noting that it was an order and not a request, "Aye, Captain." The officer closed the connection with a shutter.

After a tense 30 minutes, there was the familiar chime at the captain's office door.

"Enter!"

As the doors split, a younger version of the captain gazed back at her. The cadet snapped to, "Cadet Skyler reporting as ordered, Captain." She smiled at her mother.

"At ease." Christine relaxed, but she had a feeling that this was not your typical 'your mom needs to see you' kind of meeting.

Lynn stood up from her desk and scrutinized her daughter, "Cadet Janice Christine Skyler, I want to know exactly why your thumbprint is on the authorization for officer GR635479's pre-assignment physical." Lynn tapped a datapad in her hand and gave it to Christine, her eyes boring into her.

Christine's eyes darted down to the datapad and returned to the painting behind her mother's desk. Her mother used her first name. Starting a meeting with that didn't bode well. "GR635479's health has never been a concern. Standard labs were performed, as procedure dictates. As a junior grade medical officer, I'm authorized to do pre-assignment physicals."

"As a junior grade medical officer, you do have that authorization; however, as you are also on the pediatric team as part of your training, your reports are default entered under that department as you work with military children. In other words, the children of military officers."

That is when the bottom fell out of Christine's stomach.

Her mother continued. "As GR635479 is the child of a military officer, and a high ranking one might I add, and they are under the age of 23, their file will be flagged should there be any discrepancies."

"Ensign Grace Kelly Scott is assigned to a level 2 hazardous duty assignment. Therefore, their file would need high-level officer review." Christine quoted from the policy.

"Which is why it landed on my desk." Lynn flopped down in her office chair. "Thankfully, I was able to put it on review hold for 24-hours."

"She is fine. Why won't you approve it?" Christine finally looked at her mother.

"Because I can't. I'm not authorized."

"Wait, what?!" Christine began scrolling through the report, "There is nothing in here that says you couldn't. The recommended precautions are valid, given their situation. There is no logistical reason why you couldn't. "

"Ah, but there is," Lynn turned her computer screen to face Christine. "Line 4 section C. What does it say their status is? "

Christine read the section and let out a curse.

"No kidding. Due to that change, it would be a conflict of interest to authorize anything. As Ensign Scott's former physician, I can be contacted, but otherwise, I can't touch her file."

"And that means me as well. I take it?" Christine sat the datapad down.

"Very much so. Now the question is how do we handle this professionally." Lynn sat up in her chair and began noting things in the file. "Her fitness file has been sent to Commander Cho for final approval. They will review your recommendations. They seem reasonable, but it will be up to Cho to decide. I have made sure any association we have had with the situation is completely transparent."

"Does that mean we are off the hook?" Christine asked hopefully.

"Somewhat, but there may be residual fall out later, but given the speed at which these things happened, it isn't a complete surprise that the overlap occurred, but the professional side of things is covered."

"And personal?" Christine asked hesitantly.

"Janice Christine Skyler, you have a lot of explaining to do, young lady." Lynn glared at her daughter.

Grace was her best friend, and she didn't want to hurt her or betray her trust, but Christine's mother had just saved her from a significant professional goof up that could have harmed not just Christine's career but also Grace's. "Mom, I feel it would be best that you get a cup of tea before I explain."

"That is what I thought…."