“We’ll take the north and you take the south end,” Commander Eddie Johnson gestured toward the map that lay in front of him. “Any questions?”

Silence was the only reply. He couldn’t help but smile. This was good. His people knew their jobs.

“All right, then,” he said, giving his traditional thumbs-up. “Let’s move out.”

Eddie crouched into a squat position and moved with precision toward his goal. With each step he glanced around and brandished his phaser rifle. He was pretty sure they weren’t prepared to deal with any heavy resistance and hoped that they would make it to their target without being seen.

As they neared their goal, Eddie felt both excited and nervous. He could make out the imposing target. The large monolith hung over the entrance to the temple. It seemed to look down on Johnson’s team with a mixture of amusement and boredom. The team slowed their pace and waited as Eddie looked over their objective with a careful eye.

They say it’s an exact representation of their god, Eddie thought, giving the one-eyed statue a defiant glare. He’s about to meet his match in Commander Eddie Johnson of Starfleet Command.

Eddie gestured to the others to prepare to move out. With silent precision, Eddie and his team advanced on the temple, rotating the point as they moved forward. It didn’t take long before they reached the entrance. Eddie stepped up to the dull gray metallic door and examined the keypad on its left-hand side. It seemed a simple enough device—almost too simple—which was why Eddie was going to handle cracking its code rather than having his science officer attempt it. Commander Eddie Johnson was not about to risk any of his crew on such a dangerous task.

Eddie noted the ten-digit entry system and closed his eyes as he tried to figure out the exact sequence to open the door. His team waited in silence; an air of tenseness around them caused Eddie to break into a sweat. If he failed to open the door on the first try, heaven only knew what fate would befall them.

He reached out with a shaky finger and began to tap in the code. The keypad buttons lit a bright green with each successful entry. Eddie worked his way through the first three numbers of the code without any interruption. He stopped for a moment and exhaled nervously.

The final number.

It had long eluded a number of people who had made the attempt to break into the temple. There were tales of the consequences of failure, but Eddie refused to be swayed by such rhetoric.

He could make out the reflection of his crew behind him in the door. They had seen him through a number of tough situations and he in turn had not failed them yet. He hoped he wouldn’t now. Saying a silent prayer, Eddie ran his hand through his strawberry blond hair as he tapped the final number in the sequence.

The lights on the keypad blinked out.

A low whine filled the area.

“Get out!” Eddie barked to his crew as he started to back away from the door.

“Eddie!” an angry voice stopped him dead in his tracks. He turned around slowly to see his father standing in the doorway opposite him. With his hands folded across his chest, his father had a look in his eyes that Eddie was all too familiar with—exasperation.

“What do you think you’re doing?” His father said each word slowly and with great effort as if to keep from shouting.

Eddie looked futilely around the room, hoping that a member of his crew would appear to help bail him out. He wasn’t getting such aid now.

“Well, it’s like this, Dad. Starfleet contacted me and—”

“Stop right there, young man,” his father, Ray Johnson, cut him off in midfantasy. “I’ve told you to stay away from that room, haven’t I?”

“Yes, sir.” Eddie looked down at his feet. “It’s just that—”

“You’re bored. I know. But I don’t understand it, Eddie.” The senior Johnson gestured out a window at the tropical paradise before them. “This is one of the most popular planets in the entire galaxy. You have access to almost any area to enjoy yourself, within reason of course, yet you choose to waste your time playing Starfleet Command and trying to break into my study.”

The eleven-year-old felt the heat build up in his cheeks. He never considered his activities as “play.” He tried to gain control of his emotions as he saw his father’s demeanor change.

“Eddie.” Ray’s tone softened as he let out a sigh. “I know this hasn’t been easy for you.”

Here it came, the apologetic speech. Eddie heard it at least once a week. Ray Johnson ran a gentle hand through Eddie’s hair.

“I miss your mother too. But it’s just the two of us now and we have to rely on each other. We also have to respect each other’s needs. I know I haven’t been doing that lately, what with the extra work I’ve been putting into the modified warp coils for my presentation at the symposium, but this is important to me.” He paused before continuing. “And you’re important to me.” Ray looked up at the ceiling as though he were making some mental notes about something completely unrelated to the conversation. “Look, how about we do a little exploring of those caves by the lagoon that you were talking about?”

Eddie’s face lit up. “Really?”

“Sure. I’ll tell you what, I’ve got some work to finish up here. Why don’t you start down to the lagoon and do a reconnoiter of the area.”

“What?” Eddie’s face fell.

“Yeah.” His father placed his hands on Eddie’s shoulders and guided him toward the front door. “There are several caves there. Pick a system that interests you the most and we’ll explore it together. The symposium doesn’t start for another two days. We can spend some of the time together.”

“Some?” Eddie repeated softly.

“Well, I’ve also got to finish copying my notes and putting them in some coherent order for my presentation, don’t I?” They passed through their bungalow entrance and Ray gave Eddie a gentle push forward. “But I promise you we’ll spend time together. Now, why don’t you run along and I’ll catch up with you.” He backed up into the doorway. “Oh, be careful down there. Don’t go too far into the caves. With the odd power fluctuations that have been happening, you might not be able to contact me if you need me. Have a good time.”

He slammed the door shut as Eddie stood in the courtyard, stunned.

He just blew me off. He didn’t even finish his speech. Where was the part about how it’s been rough on him as I remind him so much of Mom? Where was the part about how proud she would be that I have remained so strong during such a difficult time? I feel cheated.

Eddie drew himself from his thoughts, determined not to let it get him down. He turned toward the lagoon and watched as his imaginary crew emerged from the shadows.

“Where were you guys when I needed you?” he asked aloud. He knew he wasn’t going to get any answers. He shrugged. “Right then, we have a new mission. We’re going to explore the caves in the lagoon. We’ve been getting some unusual reports from Starfleet Command. I’ll explain on the way there.”

Eddie trudged off toward the lagoon, developing his next adventure in his mind.