by Wayne Eggleston

 Part One

            Looking out the open airlock hatch, John Robinson couldn't help but smile at the landscape before him. The immediate area around the Jupiter 2's landing site was dry and lifeless, but not too far in the distance the barren plains rose into green rolling hills that gradually piled up at the foot of a huge mountain range. As he looked, John watched a flock of birds dart up from a dark green clump of trees. Although the birds were far off, he guessed they were the same long beaked, red and orange-feathered birds they had identified on their last visit to this planet.

            The sun had risen not too long ago, arcing up over the crests of the mountain range and spilling hazy shafts of golden-white light across the forested hills and into the desert plains where the Jupiter 2 sat. He had been outside then, watching the sunrise with Maureen, feeling that sense of relief he always felt whenever the family set down after a space voyage, no matter how short the trip. It felt good to have solid ground beneath his feet and to breathe fresh air. Even the simple act of watching a sunrise was a joy after being in space for some time.

            Space travel had proven so dangerous for them, John often deeply regretted volunteering the family for this mission. Still, no one had ever complained, although he realized they had every right to. The family needed a real home. Someplace they could call their own. Someplace permanent.

            In many ways, John had come to consider this planet his home, although he would never admit it. Their official destination was still a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri and someday they would get there. John knew that beyond all doubt. Still, as he basked in the morning warmth of this not-so-alien sun, he secretly wished they could just stay on this lovely world and make it their own.

            John stepped through the airlock and walked down the ramp, headed for the outside breakfast table. There, Penny and Will were engaged in a heated discussion. The sun’s barely risen and they’re already at it, John thought, grinning.

            "Like I just said, Penny," Will exclaimed. “It couldn't possibly have been a river out in space! The water would all freeze!"

            Penny tilted her head away from Will, rolling her eyes. “Then maybe it was a river of ice," she mused. "Maybe the aliens that created it wanted to go ice-skating!"

            Exasperated, Will slapped his forehead with his palm. “Ice-skating? That's just crazy," he said. “It's probably a natural phenomenon anyway. I don't think any alien race created this thing, whatever it is."

            “You don't know that," Penny shot back. “They might have created it for a paddle-wheel boat race!"

            Will turned to his father, pleading for help. “Dad," he said. “Would you please explain to her that what she saw wasn't a river. It just couldn't be!"

            John realized Penny was irritating Will by pretending to be silly. As he poured himself a cup of coffee, a half smile crossed his face at the sight of how frustrated Will was becoming. Struggling to keep a straight face, he decided to put an end to this “discussion" before things got out of hand. “Now son," he said. “Remember, we all talked about this last night. The truth is that nobody is really sure just what your sister saw out there. It could have been anything. The robot didn’t collect any data on it, so we really have no idea what it was. Could it really be a river? Well, we've encountered more than our share of strange things out in space; things that we wouldn't have dreamed existed. But nevertheless, there they were. So as scientists, we're obligated to keep an open mind until we have more facts to work with. Don't you agree?"

            Will calmed down a bit and said, “Yes sir."

            John continued. “Both of you know that your mother and I are going away this morning to check the weather stations we left here last month. While we're gone, I'll be counting on the two of you to help keep things calm around here. Will, I was thinking this might be a good chance for you to work on repairing the robot‘s site-to-site maser unit. You know how it‘s been shorting out lately."

            “Yes sir!” Will exclaimed. He’d been looking forward to taking a crack at the robot’s maser circuitry since it began malfunctioning a couple weeks earlier. “I’m sure I’ll be able to get it operational again!”

            “I’m sure you will, son,” John said, grinning with pride as he tousled the boy’s hair.

            Penny smiled and looked at her father. “If you really want things to be calm around here, you'd better have a talk with Dr. Smith," she said. “I saw him a little while ago and he wasn't very happy."

            John took a drink from his coffee cup and laughed. “When isn't Dr. Smith unhappy about something?"

            As if summoned, Smith suddenly appeared in the airlock hatchway. “Ah! There you are Professor Robinson!" he called. “I must speak to you at once!" He marched down the ramp and stomped over to the breakfast table, coming to a halt directly in front of John. Smith cocked his head and stood, hands on his hips, glaring at him.

            “Yes, Doctor, what is it now?" John asked, still amused.

            “I'm afraid I must protest in the loudest possible manner our return to this dreary, deserted planet! For the life of me, I simply cannot understand what we are doing here when with every moment that passes, we could be travelling millions of miles back toward Earth!" Smith said.

            John's amusement quickly faded. Not again, he thought. Doesn't Dr. Smith ever get tired of complaining about going back to Earth? He crossed his arms and stood watching Smith with a stern look on his face. “Dr. Smith,” he said. “You were present, were you not, when I explained to everyone that our best chance of finding our position is by using this planet as a fixed point of reference. By making short excursions into space and then returning here, we’re gaining a tremendous amount of information about this part of the galaxy. This way, we can slowly map out this section of space.”

            “Too slowly, if you ask me,” Smith snapped. “I say let’s abandon this map-making quest and head back for Earth!”

            John was starting to lose his patience. “We can’t go anywhere until we know where we are,” he said forcibly. “And as far as you’re concerned, we are headed for Alpha Centauri, not Earth!”

            “Alpha Centauri indeed!” Smith said. “Really Professor Robinson, I think we've all had quite enough of this sad journey through the cosmos. You may enjoy shooting through space, never knowing what dangers lay ahead, but it is the height of irresponsibility to subject your children to such an ordeal!"

            “Dr. Smith!" Will said. “You can't talk to him like that!"

            “I'm sorry William, but this has to be said," Smith answered. “Just look at them, Professor. So brave and so loyal they would never complain to you. Never let it show how much this ghastly experience has hurt them. I'm telling you they need to be around other youngsters their own age! They need to socialize with other human children! Mark my words, Robinson. If we don't soon re-enter human society, these precious children will grow into emotional cripples, scarred for life by your selfish obsession with finding Alpha Centauri!"

            John threw down his coffee cup and grabbed Smith by the collar. “That's enough out of you," he said. “Now you listen and listen good. How I choose to raise my children is none of your business. When we volunteered for this mission we all knew the danger associated with space travel. Things haven't been easy, but as far as I'm concerned, Penny and Will have adjusted just fine. I realize you didn't volunteer to come with us, and I’m truly sorry you’ve been caught up in all of this, but as long as I'm in command of the Jupiter, we'll go where I decide and do what I think is best for everyone." He let go of Smith and stood back, glaring at the doctor. “If that's not good enough for you, you're welcome to find your own way back to Earth. Do you understand me?"

            Smith gulped as beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. “Y-yes, I understand perfectly," he stammered. “But I was just thinking of the children. Just looking out for the welfare of everyone."

            “Can it Smith!" Don said, approaching from the spaceship. “You're just looking out for yourself, like always." He thrust a finger at Smith’s chest. “I’ve seen you pull some lousy stunts in your time, but playing on John’s concern for the kids to get yourself back to Earth is a new low.”

            “I was doing no such thing, Major,” Smith snapped. “Professor Robinson knows I hold his parenting skills in the highest regard. Why, I would never try to undermine his authority!”

            Despite his anger at Smith, John had to laugh. “No, Dr. Smith,” he said. “You would never do that!” He sat down at the far end of the table and tried to put Smith’s words out of his thoughts. He had been having such a pleasant morning; he wasn’t about to let anything ruin it. Especially not Dr. Smith. He looked at Smith, standing beside the table, wringing his hands and wearing a frightened, forlorn expression. Just like a scolded child, John thought. He knew he couldn’t leave with Smith in this condition.

            John dished himself some scrambled eggs and tried to speak calmly. “Dr. Smith,” he said. “After what we’ve just been through this morning, can you promise not to cause any trouble while Maureen and I are gone?”

            Smith‘s eyes popped open wide. He suddenly saw a chance of getting back into John‘s good graces. By placating Robinson, he thought he might just find his way out of the trouble he had fallen into. “Oh, without a doubt, Professor,“ he said. “You can take my word for it! While you and the dear lady are away, I shall make it my personal mission to see that everything around here remains ship-shape!” Closing his eyes, he fantasized himself sitting on some kind of throne, ordering everyone around. He saw Penny polishing the bubble on the astrogator while Will cleaned the main control panel. Judy ran back and forth, dusting the freezing tubes and the computer consoles and in the middle of it all, Major West was on his hands and knees, cleaning the floor with a scrub brush. “Ahh,” Smith said, smiling. “Splendid! Just splendid!”

            Don spoke up, interrupting his daydream. “Don’t worry John. I can personally guarantee that Dr. Smith won‘t be up to any monkey business while you‘re gone. He‘ll be too busy.”

            “Oh really? How’s that?” Smith asked, still imagining himself sitting back, keeping the rest of the family in line.

            “Remember that little irrigation project we started the last time we were here?”

            Smith’s eyes widened. “Remember? I daresay I shall never forget! All that demanding labour left me exhausted for days! I am afraid my back will never recover!”

            Don slapped a hand on Smith’s shoulder. “Well, that pipeline is still out there, just waiting for its old buddy Dr. Smith to pick up where he left off. Like, say, right after breakfast?”

            Dr. Smith sat down and looked gloomily off into the distance, as if seeing a miserable future spread out before him. “Right after breakfast, you say? Oh dear,” he mumbled. “Oh, the pain of it all! I knew there was a reason I didn’t like this wretched planet!”

            Penny and Will both jumped up from the table. “Well, I‘d better get started on the robot‘s maser unit,” Will said. “Have a great trip!” He ran off toward the other side of the Jupiter.

            “I’m finished too,” Penny called out as she followed Will. “I’ll be over setting up the garden if you need me.”

            "Make sure you both say goodbye to your mother,” John called after them. Will yelped something as he vanished behind the spaceship. Penny just looked back and quickly nodded her head. John sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “Well, I guess we’ll see them when we get back.”

            Don grinned at John and then turned and saw Judy and Maureen step through the hatchway. Judy’s arms were crossed and she motioned toward Don, saying something to her mother.

            How long is she going to keep this up, Don wondered? She’d barely said a word to him for days and with John and Maureen going off on a trip, things around the Jupiter 2 could get pretty tense. The most frustrating thing of all was that Don wasn’t even sure what Judy was so upset about. There just had to be some way to keep the situation from getting any worse.

            As Judy and Maureen approached the table, Don thought he’d try and be his old self. Maybe if he turned on the charm and coaxed a smile out of Judy, the coming days wouldn’t be so grim. “Morning, beautiful,” he called.

            Judy slowly took a seat across from Don and shot him an annoyed glance. “Good morning Major West,” she said in an icy voice. She turned toward Dr. Smith and smiled. “Good morning Dr. Smith,” she said. Her entire tone had changed. She sounded bright and cheerful. “Could you pass the orange juice please?”

            Dr. Smith, still frowning about his upcoming chores, looked at Judy and Don, trying to figure out what was happening. It seemed that the dear girl was upset with her beau. Immediately, Smith began to feel better. Nothing brightened his day more than seeing the Major taken down a notch or two. He grinned broadly. “Of course my dear,” he chirped, handing Judy a plastic pitcher. “It is a delightful day, isn’t it? I trust you slept well.”

            “Oh yes. Quite well,” Judy said. Still smiling, she looked toward Don and gave him a dismissive glance. “It’s been so peaceful lately, not having to listen to boring lectures about vectors and glide paths.”

            Don rolled his eyes. He knew she was talking about the training he was giving her to pilot the Jupiter 2. He didn’t think it was so boring, but he kept quiet.

            Maureen glanced from Judy to Don, realizing that the situation was getting tense. “Don,“ she said, trying to change the subject. “I’ve been meaning to compliment you on that smooth landing last night. We hardly felt a thing.”

            “Thanks,” Don answered. “But the stabilizer jets did most of the work.”

            “Well, thank heavens they were functioning!” Dr. Smith exclaimed. He reached for a biscuit. “I honestly don’t think any of us could have withstood another of your reckless, clumsy crash landings. It’s a wonder the Jupiter has managed to remain in one piece considering how often you’ve sent us careening into desolate rocky planets!” He spread a gob of jam on the biscuit and popped it into his mouth.

            “Dr. Smith, really!” Maureen cried. Smith, chewing the biscuit, gazed at her with wide, innocent eyes and said nothing.

            Don turned on Smith. “Look,” he snarled. “Just be glad we haven’t left you behind with the rest of the dead weight on one of those desolate planets you’re always complaining about.”

            “Dead weight indeed!” Smith cried. “Why, if it hadn’t been for my constant vigilance and foresight, all of you would have no doubt perished long ago at the hands of some alien menace! I don’t expect someone of your diminished mental facilities to understand this Major, but all of you owe me a huge debt of gratitude as well as your undying respect.”

            Don shook his head in disbelief. “Come off it, Smith. The only thing anybody owes you is a kick in the seat! You keep running your mouth like that and someday you’ll get what you really deserve. I just hope I’m around to see it.”

            “Don, stop it!” Judy cried. She looked at the family. “Are all of you just going to let him treat Dr. Smith like that?”

            “He’s got it coming, Judy,” Don said. “I don’t see why you’re always rushing to his defence.”

            “Is that so? Well I don’t see why you have to be so cruel all the time,” Judy said. “When I think of all the people I could have ended up being stuck with ....”

            John held up a hand, interrupting. “Now look, that’s enough out of everyone.”

            Don glared at Judy and threw down his napkin. “I’ll say it is! I‘m gonna break out the Chariot.” He rose to his feet and stomped off around the curving rim of the Jupiter.

            “Darling,” John said to Judy. “I think you owe Don an apology.”

            Judy’s face flooded with colour, showing her anger. “I don’t owe him anything,” she said. “Sometimes I think... oh, I just don’t know!” She got up from the table and ran off toward a nearby outcropping of rocks.

            The family, or what remained of it, sat still for a moment. “Well, so much for a quiet family breakfast,” John said. “I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come.”

            “I’ll go after her,” Maureen said as she got up. She padded across the hard, sandy ground to where Judy had gone. She found her daughter leaning against a tall rock, staring towards the mountains in the distance. “Darling,” Maureen said. “Are you all right?”

            “I don’t know,” Judy said lifelessly. “Mother, I think I’ve made a terrible mistake, letting myself get so close to Don.”

            Maureen leaned against the rock next to Judy and looked at her with concern. “What do you mean?”

            Judy sighed and shook her head. “It’s just that here we are, Don and I, thrown together like it’s meant to be. Who knows how long we’ll be lost out here? What am I going to do if it doesn’t work out for us?”

            “Is that what’s happened?” Maureen asked.

            Judy looked at her. “That’s what it feels like. We just can’t seem to get along anymore. We argue about every little thing. Sometimes I think he goes out of his way to irritate me. I realize he’s very smart, but I just can’t stand it when he acts like he knows it all. And I really hate the way he treats Dr. Smith.”

            “Well, dear, most of Dr. Smith’s troubles are brought on by himself,” Maureen said.

            Judy laughed. “Oh I know, but sometimes Don gets so angry with him, it’s frightening. When he’s like that, I don’t want to be anywhere near him.”

            “The Jupiter’s not that big of a ship,” Maureen said, smiling. “You might find it pretty hard to stay away from him for very long.”

            “That’s just it,” Judy said. “If we’re going to stay on the ship, I don’t want him hanging around me all the time. I’m going to tell him that it’s over. As a couple, we’re finished.”

            Maureen was shocked to hear this. “Dear, don’t you think that’s a bit extreme?” she asked. “I’ve seen the two of you together. I know how good you and Don can be to one another. Things might be rough now, but you have to understand that relationships aren’t always easy. Your father and I have certainly had some trying moments, but we’ve stuck it out because we know in the long run, it’s all worth it. I really believe our marriage is all that much stronger because of it. I would just hate to see everything that you and Don have made for each other get ruined by a hasty decision.”

            “This isn’t a hasty decision,” Judy said. “I’ve thought about this for a long time. Things aren’t getting any better. In fact, it feels like we’ve been growing more and more apart these last few weeks.”

            “Well, I just want you to consider all your options before you make a move you can’t take back,” Maureen said. She held Judy’s shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Now promise me you won’t make any decisions until your father and I get back from our trip.”

            Judy sighed and nodded her head. “All right, I promise. I’ll give it more time. I’m not sure it’ll do any good, but I’ll try.”

            Maureen smiled. “Thank you darling,” she said. She drew Judy closer and hugged her. “I’m sure everything will work out for the best.” As they embraced, Maureen’s expression, unseen by Judy, changed from a reassuring smile into a worried look of concern.

To be continued . . .