Fractured- a lost in space adventure
A space station provides a friendly haven for the travel wary Robinsons. They are unaware that beneath the smiles of their new hosts lies a darker agenda, one that can prove deadly.
Chapter 1- Haven
"Log day 600 since departure from Earth", John Robinson's stomach growled audibly as he settled down in his cabin to record his latest report. "We have been travelling through an area of space that was devoid of any useful planets. Out of desparation Don landed the Jupiter on a large asteriod. We attempted to find some food, water and fuel sources from this barren landscape. It did not end well".
The landscape had been rugged, with jagged rocks rocks of varying heights dominating the surface. Using the chariot or the robot to retrieve anything had been out of the question. So they had to attempt it themselves. John would not let Maureen, the girls or Will try and help them because of the risk to their safety. That left him, Don and Dr Smith. The Doctor moaned all the time about how dangerous it was and how he was going to injure himself. He had been so busy focused on this littany of misery that he was not watching where he put his feet. The next minute the ground under his feet simply subsided and Smith found himself teetering on the edge of a massive hole.
Don ,who was right behind Smith had grabbed him, trying to pull him backward, away from the edge. John held his breath as they both swayed . Below them yawned a bottomless cavern. They would not survive the fall. Smith was a heavy man and he had not been sure Don could hold on. But he was too far away to offer help. All he could do was watch and hope both of them were not lost. Finally Don won the battle and Smith was back upon more solid ground.
It was obvious they would not continue that way. So they turned around, ready to retrace their steps. Smith followed behind, his face pale and damp with sweat, he was visibly shaking. He just looked at Major West, the man who he spouted poison about on a daily basis, that man had just saved his life. He seemed amazed that Don had taken the risk, had not let him fall. John was not, Don may not like Smith, but he would not just leave him to die.
Despite the harsh conditions John found a smile forming. It was in tough times like there that they truly became a team, putting aside personal feelings and working together. He waited on a relatively flat piece of rock for Don and Smith to join him.
Don, looked tired as he came toward him. He did not smile. It seemed a permanent thing these days and John was sure Judy was the cause of his demeanour . The two of them, once firmly together, hand in hand, seemed to barely speak these days. He vowed to have a word in private with Don to find out exactly what was going on.
No sooner had he thought this than he saw Don stumble, as the ground beneath his feet crumbled and his foot sunk into a hole. Then he was falling, straight onto the jagged rocks that littered the ground beneath his feet. Smith simply could not react fast enough to prevent that fall.
There was a horrid sound of impact, flesh meeting the hard enduring surface. Don actually screamed loudly for about one minute then he went quiet and still. John saw the pale grey surface of the rock beneath their pilot begin to be stained by blood.
Smith just stood there in shock for about 1 minute. Then he finally crouched down beside their fallen colleague and pressed his fingers to his neck. "He's still alive", he said .
John finally made it back to Don's side . Their pilot was moving now, though he was groaning loudly. His torso was covered in blood and when John lifted his shirt he could see a jagged cut made from the rock biting into Don's skin. Carrying him back to the Jupiter 2 was going to be a long arduous journey. "I can walk back", Don muttered out from his tightly clenched teeth.
He almost passed out when he and Smith raised him upward. They ended up part dragging, part carrying him back to his cabin. Don was not conscious when they finally deposited him on his bed.
John set about stripping off his clothing and quickly found that the jagged cut was not the only injury. Dons lower torso was a mass of bruised , tortured flesh. The damage continued down to around his knees and included the sensitive flesh of his groin area."Ouch', said Smith was he looked at the bruising. 'He's going to need that wound cleaned and sutured, as well as ice to the bruises it's going to be a rather painful recovery", he declared.
John swallowed, having Don out of action made their chances of survival even lower. He knew that they were now down to their food reserves. If they did not find another planet soon all of them could starve. Luckily the medical supplies would be adequate enough to treat Don though he would do a lot better in a well equipped medical clinic. Fat chance of finding one of those, John thought.
He left Don resting and let the robot lift the Jupiter off from the asteroids surface. The only chance they had was to continue searching.
John paused his diary, that had been 2 days ago and things were still grim. This region of space was like a desert, devoid of life, a quiet killer. All of them conserved their energy any way they could, restricting movement. They hoped each day for a sign this emptiness would end. So far though that hope had been in vain. He could no longer think about tomorrow or the day after. They had to survive day by day. He lay back upon his bed staring at the ceiling as if trying to find something hopeful amongst its dull surface
"Dad", Will's voice had an animated quality he had not heard for weeks, it made him sit upright and his heart beat sped up. There was excitement in his son's voice. "What is it", John asked hopefully as he opened his door. "There is a space station just coming into range. We should be there within a few hours", Will was smiling.
John blew a breath out of his teeth. It was like finding an Oasis. But what if it was just a mirage, a useless piece of space junk. He hurried out to look upon this miracle.
Maureen, Penny, Judy, Will and Doctor Smith were all there staring. "Are those ships", Will asked pointed to the barely discernible shapes that seemed to be attached to the station. "Yes", John confirmed, looking at the ships console. "We are saved", Smith announced. "Maybe, John stated, "they could be hostile".
They all swallowed hard at that thought. Yet no one suggested turning back, they had no other choice. Time slowly ticked away and the station became clearer. It was massive, bigger than about 20 of Earths largest passenger planes.
The ships docked at the station were all of an unfamiliar type, each one was about 5 times larger than the Jupiter. It made them feel insignificant ,and afraid. Especially since all of those ships had visible weapons and they were pointing in their direction. There was no warning of imminent weapons fire though. So far the Space Station's defence systems were inactive.
"Greetings vessel, please identify yourself", a female voice drifted through their communications console. It was not a threatening tone, sounding like a chirpy bird that has just woken on a sunny day. John rushed over. "Hello, I am Professor John Robinson, aboard the Jupiter 2. Myself and my crew urgently need supplies, any help you could give us would be greatly appreciated", he held his breath and looked at his family who were all doing the same. The next minute could save or doom all of them.
"Of course Professor Robinson, we would gladly come to your aid. Can you tell us your breathing requirements so we can direct you to the appropriate docking station", came the next request. John's smile returned, so far the occupants of the station were welcoming.
"We breathe oxygen", John replied. The question made him think that perhaps their were others on board the station that breathed a different type of air. They would know soon enough. He turned to the others. "This sounds promising but I am inclined to be cautious. I am not going to mention Don or his injuries until we find out more about these people." He was conscious of the fact that if there were hostiles aboard that station he would be dealing with them on his own. Smith was next to useless in those situations and Will was too young. He was sure Maureen, Judy and Penny would be willing to pick up a weapon and help out, but he was not inclined to let them.
"Dad, Don does need medical attention we cannot provide", Judy told him. It was the first time she had seemed concerned about Don since he had been injured. He looked over at her. She was pale and thin, a ghostly version of her normal self. "I am aware of that Judy. Yet we cannot afford to place him in more danger. We need to know if we can trust these people with his and our welfare", John told her. Judy flushed and then nodded. Her eyes were down on the floor. What was going on with her these days. John looked at his wife who shrugged. So whatever it was ,Judy had not confided in her mother, now that made him worry. He looked at Penny who was giving her sister a strange look. Maybe she knew the truth. It seemed that the look was telling her sister to tell all. Judy though remained silent. So many problems, yet he had to put them aside for the moment and concentrate upon landing at the Station.
"Dock at platform 2, it is the farthest most station", that same female told him. "If you do not mind, we have a few forms we would like you to complete. We do like to know about the types of people who enter our station". So they were being cautious as well. It made sense, though the Jupiter did not look intimidating compared to those other vessels. "Of course", John agreed.
Minutes later a burst of data was sent to their computers. John found it contained questionnaires and he printed one out all of them except Don.
Name: John Robinson
Gender: Male
Age: 43 years : Planet of Origin : Earth . Destination: Alpha centauri: Purpose of visit: to replenish supplies
Number of crew: He hesitated a moment, lying was not a good way to start a relationship. But then again they had already had many encounters that had gone wrong. He put 6 in that column.
After finishing his own form he checked the others, just to make sure nobody had mentioned Don. Nobody had, though Judy's tear stained face made it obvious she had warred with her feelings. How could she just care one moment and then ignore Don the next. His daughters mind seemed a mystery to him .He knew his own were clear, they would help their pilot ."We will see if they have medical supplies", he told the others. "Yes but what payment can we supply", Maureen asked worriedly. That of course was part of the risk, being at debt to an alien culture. They could use Don's injuries against them." It is the same with all supplies", Judy said. We have nothing but our hands."
"So we shall all work and then maybe we can earn some more supplies", Maureen remarked. Her eyes turned to Smith for a moment and she stared him down until he lowered his gaze. She expected him to do his part.
Right now Doctor Zachary Smith would do anything for a decent meal, anything. "I will do anything", he affirmed.
John sent the forms through .
xxxxxx
"We have a ship approaching, it will be docking within 2 hours", Lyric informed her colleague. "Here are the details of the crew". Conley looked them over, "not a lot of scope for trade there, he said sadly. "Still we must take what we can get", Lyric told him. "Indeed". "Let us greet our new arrivals". Conley looked over at Lyric, "they will be constantly monitored from the minute they dock".
Lyric thanked him. She was looking forward to meeting the ships crew.
xxxxxx
John thought they all looked terrible, the clothes that once fitted well sagging in places, their faces pale and cold. He attempted a smile, but stopped when he realised it made his face look more like a grinning skeleton. "Let's go", he told them. He had already locked the door to Don's cabin firmly. The robot would be left outside to keep watch .Once he was sure all was well he would tell these people about their injured cremate.
Together they walked out of the door and looked across through a clear screen at a beautiful woman of around 25. Her hair was long and silver and her eyes dark to the point of being almost black. That contrasted with her skin which was a pale shade of green. She almost looked like a living tree. He just stared at this vision and hardly noticed the older man standing at the woman's side
"Welcome John Robinson", Conley greeted. He saw the mans eyes shift from Lyric to his own. The other older man was still staring at Lyric his eyes wide . "I am the station manager, Conley Broolon"."This is our administrator Lyric".
John nodded at the older man, the screen so far prevented direct contact. He looked like a different species to the woman, with grey hair and golden skin. His eyes, disturbingly were actually red. John estimated he was around 60 Earth years. "The space station is called refuge. It is the only habitable point in this vast empty vacuum of space", Lyric told him.
John could not help staring at her and noted Smith did the same. Maureen, Penny and Judy focused upon the older man. Will was busy looking around.
Since John seemed incapable of further speech Maureen, took the opportunity to inform the woman, "our supplies have been slowly dwindling . We would be willing to offer our services in exchange for any help you can give us'. Lyric looked at her briefly then away. Her focus had been upon John the entire time and Maureen found the gaze to be rather unsettling.
"We are happy to render aid. Before you can board, you must walk through our decontamination corridor, "a door opened. John looked at the others, then stepped toward that doorway. If there was a problem he would face it first. Beyond the doorway was a very white corridor and when he walked down it different coloured lights swirled across the surface. Those lights then swirled over him. They gave him a tickling sensation that made him almost start to laugh. Then it was over and he walked out the door at the other end.
"Welcome to safety," Lyric stated as she reached out to take his hand. Her fingers were not still, she was actually stroking him. He said nothing believing this must be their method of making strangers welcome. When Maureen emerged from the corridor next though he noted that she just got a nod. "We have prepared some guest accomodation for you all, 6 rooms in total, one for each of you", Conley remarked.
Maureen felt it necessary to inform this woman of another fact. She was not happy that she was still staring at John. "John and I are married ,so we will share the accommodation", she said firmly. "Married", Lyric rolled the words around, like it was unfamiliar. So perhaps it was a concept these people did not know about. She would make sure they did.
"It means we are a bonded pair", she told Lyric, "we take vows to love, honour and cherish each other for the rest of our lives".We have already been together for many years and Judy, Penny and Will are our offspring".
Lyric stared at her for a second before nodding, "I see", she said. She looked over at Smith, "you are not married", she asked. "Me, oh no', Smith stated firmly. "We will accomodate your wishes, Conley will show you to your rooms. You may stay on the station and rest and recover. We know that the barrenness of this area of space has had a toll", Lyric told them. "That is generous, and we will repay you", John told her. "
Oh yes, you will, thought Lyric. She just smiled though. "Our hospitality extends to meals for the day, eat your fill". Will was still looking around, so far this place was not very interesting. "Will we meet the other occupants", he asked. "Only those that like you, breath oxygen. The other creatures here have different living requirements. We can provide translation services if you wish to trade with them later on. For now just rest", she signalled to Conley.
He came over, bowed to Lyric, then led them away.
Lyric hurried to the stations central control room. "I want two citizens to look over this new ship and catalogue what is on board", she requested. She leaned back into a chair and activated the cameras hidden in each of their guests rooms. There was no embarrassment about listening or watching everything these new people did.
xxxxxxx
John and Maureen stared at the large room they had been given. In the centre was a bed at least 4 times larger than the one on the Jupiter. The room itself was as big as all of those on the ship. In the corner his eyes saw a bowl filled with fruit. A liquid that looked like water, awaited them in a jug. 'All the food and drink here is safe for your kind", Conley informed them. He bowed, "I will leave you alone now. Perhaps later you would like a tour of our facilities". "Yes, that would be lovely", Maureen told him.
Conley left and John breathed out a huge sigh. "Well so far they are very friendly", Maureen stated. "Yes, so we should get around to asking about medical supplies", John stated. "Yes, we shall, but first", Maureen nodded at the food, "I am starving".
John looked at her. "This has all seemed a little too easy Maureen, how do we know that food is safe". He was inclined to still be cautious. "They could have already killed us, John, so why bother poisoning the food". She picked up a piece of fruit and just took a bite. "Tastes like a peach", she said. John decided to give up on caution as well. They had struggled to hard to live . After all Maureen was correct, surely these people would have not let them onto their station if they had hostile intent. "We will see to Don later", he told Maureen as he took a long bite of fruit.
Lyric was looking through the data on the crew, noting the names on the questionnaire, "Don", she repeated, "it is not the name of any of the others, so who is he talking about".
xxxxxxxx
On the Jupiter 2, Caci and Pali, wandered around, taking scans and recording everything. Caci left her companion and made her way to the living areas. She stopped when a strange machine stated, "halt, identify yourself".
Lyric looked over at the machine, it was not alive, thus the crew did not need to mention its existence. Obviously this machine was a guard of some type. She looked at the picture on the screen, 5 little cubicles, that tallied with the number of crew present. Most likely Don was the name given to the metal machine. Some people were like that ,giving non living things names in order to make them feel more alive. "Avoid the machine for now, finish up on the other level then bring me all the data", she instructed. Caci bowed ,then moved away.
Inside his cabin, Donald West was stirring. He opened his eyes and looked about him, so far everything looked the same. So why did he have a feeling something had changed. Carefully sliding off his bed, he opened his door. The robot stood outside. "Greetings Major West, I am to inform you that the Jupiter 2 has docked at a Space Station. Professor Robinson and the family went ahead to check the station and its occupants did not pose any type of risk to your wellbeing. They will return shortly with supplies . The Professor would like you to stay on the ship". The robot broke off, Don held his sutured stomach, aware of the throbbing that was beginning as the pain killers wore off. So they thought that he may be a liability. He felt very angry for about two minutes. The increase in pain made him stop, he was seriously injured, and actually would not be of any help if the ship encountered hostiles."Geez, I am so useless", he kicked at the floor. Disobeying the Professors instruction did not even cross his mind. He simply went back into his cabin and pulled the door shut again.
xxxxxx
Judy bounced up and down on the large bed. 'This place is amazing",Penny stated as she opened the door to the room and came to sit alongside her sister. "Yeah", Judy said softly ,her voice sounded distant. Penny squeezed her hand, "you are going to have to tell them some time Judy". Why not here and now. We are safe in this place".
Judy looked into her sisters eyes, 'we have thought that before Penny", she stated. "So far this journey has nearly killed us hundreds of times. It still could. I want to feel safe, but I can't", Judy told her sister. Penny hugged her tightly ,"you still need to tell them Judy'.
"They will feel ashamed of me Penny, I know thats how I feel about myself", Judy felt a hot tear roll down. Penny sighed as she held her sister. She had been the only one her sister had told about what had happened during their last planetary stop. Keeping that secret made her feel mature , older than her years. Still it felt like a burden she needed to share. It was not her place to tell her parents, that right belonged to her sister. "Hey you two ,are you just going to sit there, lets explore", Will bounded into the room his eyes alight with mischief .
xxxxxx
Doctor Zachary Smith felt stuffed, his stomach growled at him and heaved for a moment, it was not used to indulging like that. He had eaten everything in sight and now he wanted move. How possible was it to stay on this station. All he wanted was comfort, stuff Earth, stuff Alpha Centauri, just give me good food and no drama he said to himself. He remembered his promise to the Robinson's. There may be hard work ahead and with the Major out of action, John Robinson would turn to him. He poked himself, he was alive because of the Major and now it seemed the Major had taken his place in being the one who could get out of work.
"Drat ,why did you save me Major", Smith swore out loud to the air.
Xxxxx
Lyric frowned at the term, "Major", what does it mean. "It is a title that signifies military rank", Conley stated as he looked at the readout on the computer. "None of these people have admitted to having any experience in the military", Lyric remarked. "Perhaps they would not, if they thought that we were hostile", Conley debated. "Maybe, but 6 of them would have little chance against all of us, Conley. "No, I think these people are keeping something from us. Why would they leave that mechanical machine upon their ship. If it is a guard, then what is it guarding". "I shall order Cali to deactivate the machine and finish her search of the ship", Lyrics eyes had changed colour ,a red glow within them.
"Why would they lie, do they suspect the truth", Conley asked. "If they did my dear, they would not have landed", Lyric countered. "They are desperate, Lyric. We know that many will risk a lot for that reason", Conley reminded her. "Yes but I do not believe that they know. As I said 6 of them cannot overpower all of us. Perhaps they are just a cautious people. We will know the truth soon enough", she reminded him. "So will they", Conley stated. "Indeed, but by then it will be too late", Lyric promised.
