A PERFECT WORLD

By JULES

Author Notes: This story idea wrote itself in my head within a few minutes, but unfortunately my fingers

have yet to keep up at getting it out on the screen. I hope you enjoy…………

"Captain, Sir, Admiral Noyce is trying to communicate with us," Lieutenant Tim O'Neill stated.

"Put it on the front screen, Mr O'Neill, please," Bridger requested.

Tim nodded his head and pressed several buttons on his specially designed work station.

Present on board the Bridge of the SeaQuest were Commander Ford, Lieutenant O'Neill, Miguel Ortiz and Lucas Wolenczak.

"Good Morning, Nathan," came the cheerful greeting from one of the Navy's highest members of staff. To Nathan Bridger though, who had worked with him for the best of thirty years, the greeting was a little too happy.

"That doesn't sound at all like you, Bill. Now what is on your mind?" Bridger asked suspiciously.

"Come on now, Nathan, don't get all defensive on me," Noyce retorted. But then his body language turned more serious. He had a message to give and a mission to send the SeaQuest on.

"Nathan, how much do you know about the Andromeda Community?" the question came from the Admiral.

Bridger thought about the question for a few seconds before answering, and looked about the rest of the crew to see if the name meant anything to them.

Jonathan Ford was the first to speak, "Isn't that the highly classified research facility that was set up some years ago. Able to sustain itself without the need of outside assistance?"

Noyce knew he should have known better with Commander Ford, but was impressed by the man's extensive knowledge nonetheless.

"Your right Commander, on all accounts, the community is highly classified, and it was set up like you said, as a community able to cope under extraordinary circumstances."

"Extraordinary circumstances?" came the question from Miguel. He had not heard of the project or the community that was being discussed. Looking at Tim and Lucas, it appeared that Bridger and Ford were the only ones present who had some knowledge of the place.

"Admiral Noyce means it was set up to be able to provide a living sustainable place in the event of war, or natural disaster. The community was a one of a kind, a test to see if such a place could really exist. It does just that, but they never built more than one. Andromeda proved to be costly and since then other strategies have been put in place, like the U.E.O. and SeaQuest should there be a natural disaster or the break out of military unrest," Ford explained further.

"I don't know why I am even giving you this message, Nathan, seems Jonathan here knows almost more than my staff here at the base."

Ford was pleased of the Admiral's praise, but kept his emotions in check, and remaining a professional whilst on the Bridge and in front of other crew members.

"Has something happened at Andromeda?" Nathan asked Bill.

"We don't know. The community is under the control of its own people, separate from those governing other towns and cities. That is how it was designed. To be self sustaining. Up until now we rarely even have communications with them at all," Noyce relayed.

"Until now?" Bridger said, trying to guess at the reason for Bill's call.

"Well we still can't be sure of that either, Nathan. I have a distress message that was picked up from a small one maned sub very close to the Andromeda community. Please listen and I will play it back for you."

The crew on the Bridge listened as a crackly message began to play over the audio system:

"Anybody……… please respond……(crackly interference) I need to get a message…………. Danger……..Andromeda……………."

The transmission ended. The most that could be heard was a few distorted words and the unmistakable name of Andromedia.

"That's all of it? Bridger asked.

"That is it, Nathan. It was received in the early hours of this morning, and my people have listened to the transmission a dozen times, but that is all they can hear. The community is a long way out as you know, and we think the distance has a large part to play in the problem deciphering it."

"Let me guess, you want SeaQuest to figure out who sent the message?" Bridger surmised.

"Yes, Nathan, but also to find out if any part of that message is true. I mean they have their own power station there, and they mine their own minerals, grow their own food. They depend on no-one and don't report to anybody if there was problems occurring."

"Sir, do you think the person giving the message was from Andromeda?" Ford asked.

"We don't know, Jonathan, but it is possible. Of course you know the rules of the community, but at the moment, we don't know who sent the message. We tried to find the person and the one man sub, but there was nothing on sonar or radar that showed any sort of powered vessel in that area."

"You do realise, Bill, that there is over 100 miles between us now and Andromeda. It will take a day or two to get there in the first place," Bridger pointed out to his long-time friend.

"I know you can handle the job, Nathan," Noyce said before quickly terminating the transmission.

"God Damn, that man," Bridger said out loud in frustration, before looking around and realising that the rest of the crew were viewing him with raised eyebrows and surprised looks.

"Commander, you better get the senior staff organized for a meeting. Lucas you go find Doctor Westphalen and tell her that she is needed for this meeting."

"Tim, see if you can listen to that message from Noyce again a couple of times yourself and see if you can come up with any extra information, please."

"Aye, Sir," O'Neill responded.

"Mr Ortiz, could you go and find Lieutenant Kreig, we are going to need a running list of supplies we have at present from him and possibly his help later on," Bridger commented, thinking out loud.

An hour later, the assembled crew members were idling chatting around a table, waiting for the Captain to arrive. Ford had briefly had some quiet talks with him, knowing that the two of them would have to pile their resources and knowledge together and share what they collectively knew about Andromeda with the people gathered at the table.

Bridger stood up at the table, "I know you are all wondering while you are here. This might sound like another false alarm, or a rescue mission that we have been on in the past. But there are few things you should all be aware of before we even get close to the settlement of Andromeda. Commander Ford will tell you what we know…………" he added, sitting down and allowing the dark-skinned man to address the crew.

Using a monitor in the room, Ford brought up a planned diagram of the community of Andromeda. There were a few startled gasps at the size of the community and how much area it covered.

"As you can see, it is not just your average little town in the backwoods somewhere. Andromeda has all of the aspects of a major city. It has its own mining operations as Admiral Noyce said earlier, it grows its own food and processes that food for only the people living there."

"They have their own research labs there, and their own churches, schools, shopping centres, everything that you would normally associate with a city of that size."

"But……….." Lucas interrupted, already guessing that there was something not right about the place, or this meeting would not be taking place.

"Do they have night clubs there, because I could really use a couple of days relaxation," Kreig interjected, extracting a half concealed giggle from Ortiz.

"Kreig, this is no joking matter," Ford said firmly. "Andromeda is not some place where you can just wander anywhere you choose. They have a very strict entry policy, where you have to be invited. Even if you are allowed access to the city itself, they can monitor where you are at all times."

"Well, that doesn't sound like much of a fun place," Ben joked. Lucas smiled along with his friend this time.

"There are no police in the community as such, and no prisons. Mainly because they have no criminal activity. At the head of the community is a group of individuals that are respected by everyone else, and they believe with the enforced strict tracking that they do of all residents, they believe that no crime will be committed and if it was, they would be able to deal with it."

"Boy, sounds like they are living in a fantasy world, more like it," Lucas said, with a little sarcasm in his voice.

"No Lucas, they believe they just have a perfect world," Bridger commented.

"Then they better check again, because last time I looked, there wasn't any such place," Lucas scoffed. He was a little annoyed that people claimed to be civilised, but would then believe in such nonsense. He had seen plenty of the world, even in his short 17 years, and he could pick out quite a few problems with the world in general, and quite a lot if he really put his mind to it.

"Calm down, we are going there to try and find someone who might have sent a distress message. That's it, not to judge what they believe or think is right. The Andromeda community is not well known, but from all reports is a very clean, well organized, maintained and friendly society. Where people are encouraged to work for the good of the community and raise their families in safety."

"All sounds like a pipe-dream to me," Lucas remarked in a negative tone of voice. It might all sound like peaches and cream, but reality surely had to set some time. Without any further comment, he left the meeting room, feeling like he was contributing very little to the conversation at hand.

Bridger and the others were a little surprised at such a reaction from the normally shy teenager. But he could sort out what was bothering Lucas a little later on, right now they had to plot a course for Andromeda and figure out a plan of action when they got there.

Ford continued what he and Bridger had discussed earlier, "For now, the Captain and I think it best to err on the side of caution and not cause any unnecessary strain with the people at Andromeda. We are not going to mention about receiving the distress message, but ask if a hand picked team would be allowed to visit the community. Once inside the city, then we can begin looking for the person who used the one-man sub and why."

"Is there anything specific that you want me or my team to do, Commander?" Westphalen enquiried.

"Not at this time doctor, but please take stock of what medical supplies you have and be on stand by. Although we don't know where this message came from, we may need to be prepared to move one or more than one person from there if the risk assessment determines that there is cause to."

Kristen nodded her head at the request and would have everything checked and organised should the need arise.

"Kreig, I need you to do the same with the supplies for the galley and in general. Make sure there is extra clothing in case we need it. There is quite a distance to Andromeda and there are not any convenience stores along the way if we get scarce on some items. We may be able to resupply at the community, but until we know the situation there, I don't want to have to rely on that scenario."

"Mr Ortiz, you will have the most important job over the next couple of days," Bridger instructed. "I need you to work closely with Commander Ford and monitor any traffic near us or as we get closer to the community itself. If that one-man sub it out there, we may be able to communicate with it beforehand and get first hand information."

"That is basically all we can tell you for now," Ford concluded. "Just maintain your posts, but be ready in case we need to make a rescue of any kind."

At the end of the meeting, the other crew members had left the room, leaving Bridger and Kristen to talk to each other.

"What do you think about this whole thing, Nathan?" Kristen asked, seeing that the thoughts were already swirling around in his brain since getting the transmission from Noyce.

"I don't know to tell you the truth. The message doesn't bother me, but I am beginning to get a feeling in the pit of my stomach that something doesn't sit right."

"Lucas's reaction was certainly strange before," Kristen commented.

"Yes, I don't know what ticked him off. I am going to talk to him now. I will see you a little later."

Walking along the corridor, Bridger could hear the music before he got anywhere near the door. Though he was used to the noise on a regular basis, today he sensed something bothering the teenager. He didn't have an answer why. Lucas was too young to have heard much about the Andromeda project and there was no reason why their going on a rescue mission would affect him.

Bridger knocked on the closed door a couple of times, but then asked himself why bother when it was evidently clear that Lucas would not have heard it anyway. That became even more apparent when Bridger opened the door slightly and spied the teenager lying on his bed, a set of earphones on his head and fully immersed in the song that was playing.

To an untrained eye it might seem just like another typical teenager listening to loud music, but from someone who knew Lucas better than most, Bridger knew it was a sign that the boy was trying to avoid something, or someone.

Lucas wasn't totally surprised when he saw the Captain standing in his room, sitting up and turning the music down to a more bearable level.

"I guess you are looking for an explanation."

"Well, yes I suppose that it why I came, but only if you want to tell me. I am not going to force you. It seemed odd that you just left the room like that, is all."

Lucas sighed and took the earphone off, leaving them on a nearby table. "I don't really have a good one anyway. Its not like I believe in religion or anything or think people should believe a certain thing or belong to a certain group. It just annoys me when people choose to follow someone else's beliefs and theories because they were told to."

"Have you ever been in a situation like that," Bridger asked cautiously, suspecting that Lucas's troubled childhood played a part.

"Most of my life, before I came to SeaQuest," Lucas answered glumly. "There were always rules for this and rules for that. Don't do this, do that or you can't do that. And the only explanation that I ever got when I did dare question it, was because I said so."

"I am sorry you had to live through that," Bridger commented, not wanting to drag up old memories for Lucas, but seeing that a raw nerve had already been touched today. The Captain already knew who Lucas was talking about as well, when it came to who enforced these rules upon him, but there was no need to mention that man's name either.

"What happens now with Andromeda?" Lucas asked, wanting to change the topic of conversation entirely.

"Well, we won't get there before tomorrow afternoon at the latest, even travelling at a good speed. In the mean time, some crew members have been asked to check their equipment and supplies in case we need them. Tomorrow morning I will make contact with the community before we arrive and apply to gain access to the community."

"I can't believe that there are such places that exist, where you need permission to go there," Lucas stated. "I am glad I won't be going there."

"Ready to go get something to eat," Bridger asked, trying to lighten the teenager's mood.

"Yeah, okay, lets go." Both of them leaving together.

By the next morning, Bridger had carefully planned with Ford and O'Neill to contact the community and apply for permission to enter. There should not be any need for a foreign language to be used, but it didn't hurt to be prepared.

Two hours, almost lunch time, the crew that had been on the Bridge yesterday were present again, with the addition of Doctor Kristen Westphalen. They were about to receive a transmission from the Andromeda community upon the response to their application.

On the screen, three people appeared, all men. The one in the middle was slightly taller than his two companions, and seemed to be the head of the group. He wore long maroon coloured robes and had greying hair and a beard.

"Greetings to you, Captain Bridger of the vessel, SeaQuest."

"Greeting to you as well," Nathan replied politely.

"My name is Xavier Cavanagh and I am the elected Chief Counsellor for the community of Andromeda. The two gentlemen you see standing beside me are Romanov Baartz and Keith Tammer. They are the elected representatives who overseer the laws of the community are upheld at all times."

"Greetings to you all," Bridger repeated, feeling a little unnerved though at the coldness in the man's tone of voice.

It lacked any emotion at all.

"Captain, as you are aware, there are strict entry requirements for this community. We have received your application to be granted permission to enter the community. At length we have discussed the reasons you provided and given the matter some consideration. However, at this time it has been decided that no member of the SeaQuest will be allowed access to Andromeda."

"Given it some thought! Bridger said, rueing the harshness of his words after they were spoken. "We only gave it to you a couple of hours ago, how much thought or discussion did you give it?"

"It is not our usual practice to give reasons why your application has been denied, Captain. But on this occasion I will make an exception and tell you why."

Bridger was not impressed by the man's almost stand over manner, and would not be scolded like some naughty child.

"The first person on your list is a Commander Ford," Cavanagh spoke. "But as you will note, he is a black-skinned man. The people of this community have not seen anybody other than their own kind before, and we feel it unnecessary to subject them to a person who would differ so much from themselves."

It was this statement alone that had the other crew members on the Bridger incensed that Commander Ford's race would be a reason for the crew's exclusion from the community. Racial discrimination had been stamped out a long time ago, but was still an unwanted mar on humanity.

"That's not right," Lucas shouted, standing up in Ford's defence. He didn't continue his barrage when the Commander waved him down with a hand gesture, but did not lose the scowl upon his face.

Commander Ford did not tolerate such discrimination either, but as a professional military soldier was not about to let his emotions interfere with any diplomatic negotiations. He was a little surprised, but grateful, when Bridger voiced the outrage felt by all.

"Mr Cavanagh, my crew and I don't appreciate your callous remarks about one of my crew. Commander Ford's skin colour should not be a consideration when you are determining our peaceful entry to your community," Bridger returned, his voice calm, but his body language stern and demanding.

"Regardless, Captain, the decision has been made and it is determined that you and your crew will remain on your vessel and will not be allowed into the community of Andromeda."

The transmission was ended abruptly and the screen went black.

"Well of all the…………….," Kristen began to say, her anger at the comments beginning to grow.

"What do we do now, Captain?" Ford asked, ignoring the personal comments made and asking the most obvious question.

"I don't know yet Commander, but despite what they said, I don't think it was you why we were turned away."

"Maybe they thought we were a threat, being a naval vessel and all," O'Neill suggested.

"One way or another, we are not about to be dictated to. Commander please keep our current course and speed towards the community of Andromeda," Bridger ordered, temporarily leaving the Bridge to give the matter some more deep thought.

To be continued………………………….