Chapter 3
Once Captain Lockley entered his Ready Room, he didn't waste any time. He sat at his desk, "Computer, play the file Lockley Alpha 1."
What he saw over the next hour and twenty minutes made his blood run ice cold. Massive ships, ten times the size of a Borg cube, swarmed across the screen, leaving nothing but a barren, uninhabitable waste land in their wake. Even the mighty Borg could not stand up to them. Lockley stared in horror and awe as Cube after Cube; Nexus after Nexus, and World after World fell to the relentless onslaught like so much wheat before the scythe. Although the Borg did manage to destroy a few of the massive Dreadnaughts, it had the same effect as knocking the top off of an ant hill and stepping on a few ants.
The Dreadnaughts would warp into a system and open fire on everything in sight instantly. The firepower just one of these behemoths commanded was almost inconceivable. Then add the fact that there were thousands of them, if not tens of thousands? It was truly unfathomable. The devastation went on and on. Captain Lockley watched the assault sweeping through the Delta Quadrant, then into the Gamma, the Beta, and finally ending with the Alpha Quadrant.
The file went on to show Klingon warships doing what they do best. They were mounting and all out frontal assault in true Klingon fashion, right down the enemies throats, all weapons blazing. While the Romulan and Federation engineers mined entire star systems with the mines developed to combat the Dominion at the Bajoran worm hole. The results of their combined labor were truly spectacular. The huge Dreadnaughts dropped out of warp to be slammed by exploding anti-matter mines. The scientists thought this tactic was working very well. But it only slowed down the Horde temporarily and delayed the inevitable. The invaders studied the largest losses they had ever sustained and changed their tactics to counter their most deadly challenge yet. Smaller, faster ships began appearing outside the targeted star system and sweeping the outer edges with concentrated fire before the larger Dreadnaughts came in and did what it was they did best. Destroy everything...
The playback ends with Federation and Klingon engineers loading data into the computer storage banks in Cargo bay 1. Captain Lockley sat stunned for several minutes wishing now that this was all a dream, at least the attacks and the race that carried them out anyway. The computer beeped and began playing the message his counterpart had recorded for him earlier in sick bay. ⌠I see you have finished watching the file. Now you know what you might have to face in the future. We hope they can't duplicate our dimension shifting but you never know. The Borg couldn't even slow them down. They had the power to stop the Horde dead in their tracks and end it all before it started. They just didn't have the creativity or imagination to use it.
I suppose it's a good thing the Borg didn't win though. Could you imagine the Borg assimilating that kind of power? But the Borg saw their fatal flaw after it was too late. They actually dispatched a ship to the Alpha Quadrant to ask for our help in defeating the menace. Hard to believe isn't it? But it was too little too late. The Borg had lost the majority of their fleet and had no hope of regaining their former power before they were eliminated entirely. If they had contacted us at the first sighting of these ships instead of trying to assimilate them, together we might have stood a chance of stopping them"
"Now we come to you. You have a chance that not one soul in our dimension had. You have the time to build a fleet of advanced ships utilizing complete sensor readings of the Hordes weaponry. You see we've never been able to get any readings because no ship, not even the very adaptable Borg, ever survived even one hit. No ship that is except the Prometheus".
"We wouldn't have survived either had we not been hit the instant we shifted dimensions. The main punch of the beam never reached us but all the radiation did. That's what killed my entire crew within hours and me within a few days. The only reason I survived longer than my crew has to do with an away mission to an advanced alien planet many years ago. It's too long a story to go into and kind of an embarrassment as well. Let's just say it involved a beautiful woman and leave it at that"
"Now, on to what you'll need to do so we won't have died in vain.
First of all you need to crew the ship and learn how to run it. And since you are the Captain, you need to know every job on the ship as good as or better than the person doing that job. There are thousands of programs in the holodeck to teach you and your crew the basics and then some.
Second; you need to start scouting the surrounding sectors and beyond to find the necessary resources to build your advanced fleet. There are two Venture class scout shuttles in the shuttle bay to help speed up that process. Third; and this goes hand in hand with number two, find a suitable planet to make your homeworld. The original plan was to base off of Earth but from what I've learned from my scans these last few days, I'm changing that directive.
I don't think the people of Earth are ready for this type of advanced technology just yet. You will have to bring them along slowly until YOU deem them worthy. Be very selective on who you bring to the ship and choose as crew. The E.M.H. should be very helpful in that area since he can use his medical scanners as lie detectors. Once you have all of those things accomplished there is one final thing you have to do. And it is the most important task of all. The survival of your entire dimension depends on it. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, that came from my dimension MUST BE SENT BACK!!! If you don't the results will be no less then the complete and utter destrustion of your entire universe.
You can use the Industrial replicator in Cargo Bay 2 to make another Industrial Grade replicator with materials from your dimension. After the replicator is complete you'll need to build another computer data storage facility on your homeworld and download all the data from the computer in Cargo Bay 1 into it. The data isn't physical matter so it won't hurt anything to keep it in your dimension and you'll need it to help you become what we couldn't. When you do send the ship back, set it up to remote shift, set the auto-destruct for something like .5 seconds and shift the ship with our bodies in it back where it came from. Since you can shift it remotely, no one will have to sacrifice their lives. Enough sacrifices have been made. Good luck and God speed."
Captain Lockley sat at his desk running everything he had just seen and heard through his mind over and over trying to absorb it all. "Damn!, but this is a lot to try to swallow all at once." He said to himself. He slowly got to his feet and looked around his Ready Room for the first time. There were models of ships dating all the back to the large sailing ships that sailed the seas of his world hundreds of years before. This was all his now and he was starting to realize the tremendous gift and responsibility he had been given. It also struck him that he hadn't eaten in many hours and he was starving! He walked over to the replicator and ordered a ham and cheese on wheat with lettuce and tomato. The replicator whirred and his sandwich appeared. He picked it up and took a big bite. "Not bad, not bad at all." The Captain decided. "I could really get used to living this way." Captain Lockley was trying to decide whether to order a glass of ice cold orange juice when the companel chimed. "Sick bay to Captain Lockley." Captain Lockley smiled, "Go ahead Doc."
"I would like you to come to Sick bay if you have a minute so I can give you a complete physical and check up to see what I might need to fix. The medical technology and practices I observed on your planet seemed positively barbaric." The E.M.H. snorted. "On my way," said Lockley before taking another bite of his sandwich. He chuckled to himself, finished his sandwich, and made his way to Sick bay.
Chapter 4
"Ah Captain, there you are, I just wanted to check your physical condition as standard procedure."
"Sure Doc, knock yourself out." Which thoroughly confused the E.M.H. "Why would I want to do physical harm to myself?" the Doc asked confusedly. "It's just a figure of speech Doc, it's not meant literally." The Captain chuckled. The E.M.H. still looking totally perplexed motioned for the Captain to lie down on the biobed. The Captain complied and the Doc began checking his readings. Forty-five minutes later after a fifteen minute exam and a thirty minute stress test, the E.M.H. addressed the Captain.
"Well Captain, you have certainly led a rough life thanks to the archaic medical technology your planet employs. But not to worry, it's nothing I can't easily fix." The Doc stated smugly. "First, I'll take care of the Hypertension and allergies." He said as he selected two hyposprays and pressed them one after the other to the Captains neck. "The eye sight will require a minor use of a cellular regenerator which will require twenty-four hours for the eyes to recover."
The Captains eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. "Doc, I'm going to bring my family up so you can give them a modern check-up and fix what's wrong with them. I want you to really check my daughter Angela and my wife Julie. Angie has to wear a hearing aid because the nerves between the inner ear and the brain never formed. My wife hurt her back when she slipped on some water on the floor." The Captain explained to the E.M.H. "You're the Captain". replied the E.M.H.
The Captain turned toward the screen that was still set up in Sick bay. "Computer, are the probes that were used to locate me still active?"
"Affirmative." The computer replied. Satisfaction surged through the Captain. "Good. Have them relocate the other seven DNA matches." The Captain watched anxiously as the probes reacquired their targets. As his fifteen year old daughter's image appeared on the viewscreen, Captain Lockley nodded. "Doc, I'm going to need that uniform now and a place to clean up." The E.M.H. fed the data from his medical tricorder into the main computer. "There you are Captain. Your measurements are in the main computer and can be accessed from any replicator on the ship."
"Now just go to the Captain's Quarters and you can replicate yourself a new uniform when you have finished cleaning up." Captain Lockley thanked the E.M.H. and left sick bay. He returned ten minutes later sharply clad in a fresh uniform with four shiny new captains pips on his collar. "Now you look like a proper Starfleet Captain." Quipped the E.M.H. The Captain scowled at the E.M.H. "Sarcasm from a computer?" The E.M.H. looked positively indignant as he said, "My programmer added several of his own personality algorithms to my program."
Lockley held up his hands in mock surrender. "Computer, beam probe fours target directly to sick bay." As Captain Lockleys teenage daughter appeared in front of him, he took a step toward her. "Angie," he called softly. Angela's eyes widen with shock and she squealed, "DADDY!" As she recognized her father. She leaped toward the Captain and threw her arms around his neck. "Hi sweetheart," choked Captain Lockley. "Let Daddy breath."
"Oops, sorry Daddy." Angie apologized. "It's just I thought I would never see you again after Matt and Bonnie put me in that home." The Captain looked away. "I know Angie, and I'm sorry. I should have NEVER signed those adoption papers." Lockley said. "I have the power to change all of that now. Computer, link into the database concerning adoption and parental custody rights for the state of Texas. Search for the ways a Father can regain parental custody after signing adoption papers." The Captain ordered. "Now, while the computer works on that, I want the Doc to check you out and see what he can do about fixing your ear." Angie's face lit up like an exploding nova. "You mean he can fix the nerves so I won't ever have to wear a hearing aid ever again?!?!" She asked excitedly. "I bet he can." Encouraged the Captain. "I have some work to do so have Doc call if you need me, ok?" As he turned to leave a sudden look of astonishment crossed his daughters face. "Daddy, where are we?" Lockley kissed his daughter on the forehead and said, "On my ship sweetie. We're on Daddy's ship." Then he turned and walked to the transporter room.
Captain Lockley entered the transporter room adjacent to sick bay. "Computer, can you tap into and connect with a local communications network on the planet below?" Queried the Captain. "Affirmative, audio or visual?" The computer asked. "Audio only for now. Once the connection is made, let's say to a mobile phone, can you trace that signal and pinpoint its location?"
"Affirmative." A smile spread across Captain KB Lockleys ruggedly handsome face. He gave the computer a number to connect to on the Tulsa Cingular network. There were several clicks and beeps then the phone rang. After the second ring he heard, "Hello?" Answered his lovely wife. "Hi Baby, it's me." Said Captain Lockley. "Are you alone?" His wife answered, "No Mema and Boo-Boo are here." The Captain took a deep breath and said to himself, "Well, here goes nothing. Computer, lock onto the coordinates of that phone signal." The computer whirred and replied, "Coordinates locked." With a firm voice the Captain ordered, "Energize." He disappeared in a sparkle of light.
The shaft of light appeared in the dining room of Gwen Thompson (Mema). Mrs. Lockley and Sandie (Boo-Boo) moved away from it and shielded their eyes. The light grew in intensity then faded completely away. Standing where the light had left him was the man Julie Lockley had married nearly two years before, Captain Kenneth Brian Lockley. "Hi guys." Brian said. "COOL," breathed Sandie, "How'd you do that?" Julie still hadn't said a single word. She just stood there with her mouth hanging open. Finally after Captain Lockley took her in his arms and kissed her she whispered, "I guess I can't make fun of your space shows anymore can I?" Her husband just looked into her eyes and smiled, "Baby, you can do ANYTHING you want to do because I have the firepower to back it up." He hugged her again.
"I also have Angie on my ship. The Doc is checking her out now. I want to take all of you up with me too and let Doc check you out, especially your back My Love. He's already fixed my blood pressure, allergies, and Angie's ear." That part really snagged his wife's attention. "She doesn't need a hearing aid anymore?" She asked. Captain Lockley cracked up laughing at that comment. "Those were almost Angie's exact words when I told her the Doc could fix her ear. You really should have been her mother. I'll bet the Doc can fix you back better than new and probably do something about your low blood sugar too." She stood for a few moments in her husbands arms before looking into his eyes. "Ok, but you're not taking me up in the way you got here." Captain Lockley sighed deeply. "Ok Baby. But you'll have to wait a few more days while I learn to fly the shuttles." Her eyes widened in surprise. "A few days for you to learn to fly a shuttle? What? Are you crazy? Why can't one of your crew fly it down?" She studied his face carefully. "You do have a crew don't you?"
The Captain sighed again. "No Baby, they were all killed bringing my ship here." The Captain explained softly. "Wait a minute!" Said Mrs. Lockley. It had just dawned on her that he had been saying MY SHIP. "Your ship? Why your ship? And how did it become your ship?" The Captain just sighed again. "Come up to the ship and I'll show you. I could just tell you the story, but it's best to see the evidence to back it up." This got Sandie all excited and jumping around. "Let's go! Let's Go! Let's go!" She was squealing. Julie watched her daughter with great amusement. "You're sure it's safe?" She asked her husband. "She really wants to see Angie." The Captain smiled. "Yes My Love, it's perfectly safe." The Captain assured. His wife still seemed unsure. "Well ok, but let's not make a habit of this." Lockley laughed and turned to Mema. "Come on Mema, I'm sure the Doc can help you some too." The Captain said. Mema smiled and said, "Well, ok." Captain Lockley showed them all where to stand and tapped his combadge. "Computer, four to beam up. Energize." As the beam took hold of them the Captain looked at his lovely wife, shook his head, and smiled. She was shaking as bad as she had been on their wedding day.
Mrs. Lockley still didn't know what to make of all of this. She opened her eyes and looked around the unfamiliar room. "Is this all real?" she asked nervously. "Yes Love, it's all very real. Right now we are on a very powerful starship, orbiting one hundred and fifty miles above the Earth's surface." The Captain smiled in amusement at the shocked look on all of their faces. "Come on, let's go check on Angie and get the Doc to take a look at you guys too." He said. They walked out of the transporter room and down the corridor to Sick Bay. Sandie could hardly contain herself as the doors to Sick Bay swished open. When she stepped in and saw Angie sitting on a bed, talking with someone she assumed was the Doc, she could contain herself no more. She hadn't seen her step sister in over a year now. "ANGIE!" She squealed as she ran across the room to her. Angie squealed just as loudly and bailed off of the bed to meet Sandie halfway between the bed and door. "I hope you were finished with her Doc and we didn't mess up a test or scan." Said Captain Lockley, as he approached the E.M.H.
"I brought you some more patients." The E.M.H. appeared only mildly annoyed. "Not at all Captain. We were finished and were discussing life aboard a starship. Your daughter is a remarkably intelligent young lady. I could use her in sick bay if you approve and she is so inclined." The Captain looked thoughtful at the prospect. "I'll discuss it with her later. Right now I"d like you to take a look at my wife's back injury. Then give Mema a check up as well." He turned to his wife and Mema. "Doc, this is my wife Julie and this is Mrs. Thompson, Mema to us. Julie, Mema, this is Doc. He is an E.M.H., an Emergency Medical Hologram. Also the girl over there jabbering ninety to nothing with Angie, is Sandie, my stepdaughter." Sandie didn't even notice she was being introduced. Captain Lockley just chuckled and turned back to the Doc. "While you start the scans I'm going to show the girls to Angie's new living quarters." He caught a flash of mild panic on his wife's beautiful face. He walked over to her and placed his arms around her trim waist. "I'll be right back sweetheart. Doc won't start any actual treatment until I get back. He'll just do some scans to tell what needs treated, ok?" Mrs. Lockley relaxed a little and agreed. They kissed tenderly and Captain Lockley walked up to the two jabbering teenage girls. "Ok girls; let's go find Angie's new home." Both girls let out a very high pitched squeal as they jumped up and down hugging each other. Everyone in sick bay couldn"t help but laugh as the two giddy teenagers followed a smiling Captain out of the door.
Chapter 5
"Computer," the Captain said as he entered the corridor. "Show us the way to the Ensigns quarters." The computer beeped in response and a row of panels lit up along the wall leading down the corridor. The girl's eyes sparkled and their faces lit with pure wonder as they looked at each other. The Captain led off down the corridor following their own little version of the yellow brick road.
They walked into the first set of quarters at the end of the lighted panels. The Captain walked to replicator and ordered, "Computer, access E.M.H. medical scan for Angela Lockley, authorization Lockley, Kenneth B., and replicate a combadge and uniform for Ensign Angela Lockley." As both items appeared Lockley picked them up and handed them to his daughter. "These are yours if you want them, there's nothing Mitch or Bonnie can do to you now." Tears filled his daughter's eyes and she hugged him fiercely. "Of course I'll stay Daddy. You've made possible what no one else ever could. I can hear like I've never heard before and without a hearing aid. I'm also safe from anything Mitch or Bonnie could do and I can see Sandie anytime I want. Captain Lockley smiled and thought a minute before saying, "Not quite anytime sweetheart, there will be times when we will be away from the planet building our fleet or on a mission. But I promise you can see her at least once a week maybe more while we put together a crew." Both girls were excited by that little promise. "Can I come here to the ship most of the time?" Sandie asked excitedly. The Captain smiled. "I would prefer it that way, but you have to keep it a total secret. You can't tell ANYONE about this just yet. I'm not ready for the world to know of our existence just yet. We need the ship fully crewed and our new home world running smoothly. He showed them both how to use the replicator and Amber how to use the shower so she could get cleaned up and put on her new uniform. He looked at his daughter with love and not a little pride. "Later, when Doc is finished with Julie and Mema, we'll have a short ceremony and I'll pin on your new rank, Ensign." Angie virtually glowed at that comment. Captain Lockley smiled and left the room.
He returned to sick bay where he was immediately met by his very anxious wife. "Where have you been? Doc says he can fix my back in a couple of minutes without surgery, but refused to start anything until you came back!" The Captain just looked at his wife with an amused expression on his face. "You could have called me." He said, making every effort not to laugh. "I tried! But my phone wouldn't work!" She cried. That was all it took. Captain Lockley could no longer contain himself. He broke down laughing but still managed to dance out of reach of the half hearted punch thrown by his wife. He pointed at the companel on the wall, tears rolling down his cheeks. His lovely wife blushed and ducked her head in embarrassment. "Can we just get on with the procedure Doc?"
The E.M.H., not phased at all by what had just occurred instructed her to lie on her stomach. Mrs. Lockley said she couldn't lie on her stomach, it hurt too much. "You will only have to endure it for a few seconds I assure you." The E.M.H. promised. "Well ok, if you say so." Julie said, still very reluctant. Captain Lockley helped his wife lie down on her stomach and stood next to the biobed holding her hand. He watched as tears coursed down her beautiful face as the intense pain surged through her. Then shed a few tears himself as a look of pure rapture replaced the grimace of pain when the E.M.H. touched a small instrument to her lower back and literally turned off every nerve from that point down.
"OH YES!!" Mrs. Lockley cried. "That's the first time I have been totally pain free since the accident! At least and still be completely awake that is." The E.M.H. continued to work. He used one instrument to realign her spine, putting everything back in its correct place. He then used a cellular regenerator to repair the damage to the muscle fiber, bone, and spinal tissue. Finally, he used the same instrument he used to severe the nerves (which is what he had done to stop the pain) to reconnect them. He then selected a hypospray and pressed it to Mrs. Lockley's neck. "There, all done." The E.M.H. stated proudly. "There will be minor stiffness and you'll be a little sore for a couple of days. I gave you a mild pain killer that should outlast the pain. Other than that, your spine is in better shape than it has ever been." The E.M.H. said smugly. Tears of joy ran down her face as she hugged her husband fiercely and whispered in his ear. "You come back down with me. I'll rent the cabin we had our honeymoon in and show you my gratitude the proper way." The only response the Captain could manage was, "You've got a deal My Love."
Twenty minutes later Mrs. Lockley was in tears again as her husband pinned a shiny new ensign pip onto her stepdaughters new uniform collar. All of them, the E.M.H. included, were standing in Holosuite 1 on the Holodeck. The Capt had decided to have the ceremony on the Holodeck to provide a semi-formal environment that the E.M.H. could attend. The Captain wanted the E.M.H. in attendance because the Doc held the rank of Commander, even though it was honorary. After the ceremony Captain Lockley sent the E.M.H. back to sickbay and escorted everyone else to the transporter room. The Captain kissed his wife tenderly. "Angie and I will beam down in an hour or so, you arrange the cabin and don't worry about money, it's covered." The Captain told his wife as he stepped down from the transporter pad. He gave the orders to transport. "I Love you." He said just before the transporter energized fully. "I Love you more." His wife replied as she faded from view. He turned to his daughter. "Go change and pack, I'll call you when I've finished with what I need to do." She looked him square in the eye and said. "Yes sir Captain," and was out the door in flash. Captain Lockley laughed, followed her into the corridor, and headed to the turbo lift.
Chapter 6
When the Captain entered his ready room he ordered, "Computer, display the results of the previously requested search on Texas custody law on my monitor." The Captain scanned through the results and broke into a huge, satisfied smile. "Computer, print these rulings out on plain hardcopy please." There was a click from the side of his desk as a small door popped open and several sheets of paper appeared. "Transmit copies to the Texas Child Protective Services and the Texas Court System along with an order assigning full custody of Angie to Julie and me." The Captain collected the papers then went to his quarters.
He started preparing for his second honeymoon when it suddenly hit him that he was supposed to be back at work Monday. He sat down on the edge of the bed and thought. "How do I get out of going back to work?" He asked himself. After a couple of minutes he had a major brainstorm of an idea. It not only got him out of work permanently, it gave him a chance to screen recruits for the mission plus a lucrative income to boot. He had other ideas to vastly increase that income but those would wait until at least after this weekend. "Computer, link into the Pentagon Main Frame and generate a set of special orders recalling me to active duty recruiting candidates for an elite covert commando unit and promoting me temporarily to O-6. Designate the unit as Counter Terrorism Unit Strike Force Omega, orders effective immediately." The computer replied, "Working."
Lockley ordered the computer to print the orders recalling him to active duty but not the reason why. The unit would serve his purposes long enough to crew his ship then Lockley could pull away and it would take on a life of its own combating terrorists around the globe. It would become a new, much improved Delta Force. He would fax the generic set of orders to work. They would simply say he was recalled to Active Duty effective immediately and he was to report to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. This plan would work in another way as well. Captain Lockley knew his wife would wonder how they would pay the bills without him working. They could discuss his plans for a massive corporation this weekend. He also knew she would want to stay on Earth and not on the ship with him. The plan solved all of his minor problems, at least for now. The Captain smiled contentedly and continued his preparations humming to himself. He replicated a couple of sets of clothes then called his daughter. "Captain Lockley to Ensign Lockley," He said. "Ensign Lockley here," Answered his daughter. "I've finished with what I had to do and am on my way to the transporter room." The Captain informed his daughter. She then asked, "The same one Mom and Sandie used?" When he answered yes, she replied, "OK Daddy, I'll meet you there." With that Captain Lockley informed the E.M.H. he would be out of pocket for the weekend but to call if there was an emergency. Then he made his way to the transporter room.
He arrived before Angie and was inside waiting when the doors snapped open and she struggled through the doors. Captain Lockley laughed to himself and shook his head in mild disbelief. His daughter was dragging two huge suitcases behind her. She looked at him and smiled proudly. "Sandie and I were playing with the replicator while Doc fixed Mom's back." She twisted her mouth into a frustrated frown. "It kind of takes the fun out of shopping though." Captain Lockley let out a bellowing laugh. "That's my girl. But I'd be willing to wager you'll have plenty of Worlds to shop on once we get the ship crewed and start exploring the galaxy." Angie's face positively glowed at the prospect. He helped his daughter drag the heavy bags onto the transporter pad. "Ready?" He asked when they were both positioned on the pad. "Yes sir," Answered his daughter. "Computer, same coordinates as the last beam out, energize." Lockley ordered. The Captain, his daughter, and their bags became a sparkling column of light.
On the drive to the cabin in Eureka Springs, Captain Lockley laid out his plans to his wife. At first she was worried they would get in trouble and go to jail. The more she thought about it though, the more she came to like the idea. By the time they reached the cabin she was positively ecstatic about the concept and had proven it very well much to her husbands delight. They signed the papers for the cabin and Lockley faxed copies of his orders to his supervisor and the corporate office in Tennessee. He also phoned his supervisor and promised him that someone would bring all of his equipment and uniforms to him on Monday. Thus began a truly unforgettable second honeymoon....
The weekend was over much too quickly for either Captain Lockley or his daughter. There wasn't a dry eye in the room as they said their good-byes. Lockley held his lovely wife close. "I love you Julie, more than I could ever show you." He said. "I'll still be around for quiet a while," He promised, "I'm not sure how long it will take to crew the ship and all of us learn to operate it. I have a few ideas for possible candidates, but we'll have to see how it goes. I'll replicate a combadge for Sandie and you using your DNA scans the Dr. has. That way you'll be able to contact me anytime you need." Captain Lockley promised. "It will make it easier for the girls to get in touch with each other." He said, nodding toward Angie and Sandie. "But Angie will have to be the one to make the call so you don't interrupt her school work or training." Lockley cautioned his step daughter. "You could always just join the crew, solving that little problem completely." He kidded her. Mema looked very alarmed at that statement. Lockley turned to her, "Mema," he soothed. "With the holodeck I have on the ship, there is no school or university on Earth that could match the education I could give her." Mema didn't look convinced in the least. "I'll have to think about it," Was her only response. The gleam in Angie and Sandie's eyes betrayed what they thought of the idea. Captain Lockley fought to keep a straight face as he said, "Well Angie, I suppose we should be going, we have an early morning tomorrow." Angie and her father hugged everyone one last time before separating themselves. Lockley tapped his combadge and said, "Computer, two to beam up, energize."
When they materialized on the transporter pad Captain Lockley smiled at his daughter. "Wake-up is at 0600. That gives you one hour to shower, get in uniform, eat, and meet me on the holodeck." His daughter grinned widely. "Aye, Aye sir, see you there at 0700." Replied his daughter. They walked out transporter room 3 and while Ensign Lockley went to the turbolift, Captain Lockley continued toward sickbay to check in with the Dr. "Computer, activate E.M.H." The Captain said as he strode through the sickbay doors. "Please state the nature of the medical emergency." The E.M.H. droned as he materialized. Lockley frowned at the repetitious greeting. "We'll have to do something about that greeting until you can train me a new Chief Medical Officer to take over sickbay full time." The E.M.H. blinked. "I'm really not designed for long term use." The E.M.H. stated flatly. "I know Doc." The Captain said, fighting for the second time in as many minutes to keep a straight face. "Any new developments while I've been gone?" The E.M.H. was totally oblivious to the inner struggle the Captain was waging. "Yes Captain, long range scans have located several likely prospects to investigate for use as the Homeworld." This perked Captain Lockley up a bit. "That's great Doc, thanks, anything else?" The E.M.H. shook his head. "No Captain that about does it." Lockley turned and started to the door. "There's just one more thing I before we turn you back off. I need the DNA scans for my wife and step-daughter for a combadge." The E.M.H. picked up a tricorder and pushed a few buttons. The tricorder beeped and the E.M.H. pulled a small chip from it. "Just plug this into any replicator and it will transfer its data then store it. Then you or you Chief of Security can replicate combadges." Lockley accepted the chip and thanked the E.M.H. "Ready?" Asked Captain Lockley. The E.M.H. sat down the tricorder and nodded. "Computer, deactivate E.M.H." The Captain said then headed for the bridge as the E.M.H. faded from view.