Essence
by Joan Powers
A/N: What happened to the Robinsons after they took off from the junk planet at the end of the series? What was their final fate? A while back (well, more like a few years ago) I issued this fan fiction writing challenge to the Yahoo - LIS fan fiction group. This story was partly inspired by the LIS episode, "The Promised Planet". Thanks to Nancy and Tracy for their suggestions.
Disclaimer – I like to be scientifically accurate but this is Lost in Space so I'll be taking liberties.
Rating: PG-13/K+
Genre: Sci-fi/Adventure
Timeline: Post series end.
Summary: The Robinsons are thrilled to finally arrive at Alpha Centauri. But they are surprised to discover that they are not alone. Are the aliens as friendly as they seem or will trusting them be a deadly mistake?
Chapter 1
Major Don West popped the cork from a wine bottle and poured some wine for Judy. While a crystal glass would've been preferred, her blue plastic cup served just as well. Once half filled, she brought her cup closer to her nose to sniff the aroma.
"Mmmm…this smells heavenly."
"Who'd have thought the Junkman had this?" Don laughed.
Judy reminded him. "He did have that turkey."
Rolling his eyes, he replied, "How could we forget that." After filling a cup for himself then resting the bottle on the rim of the astrogator, he more solemnly pronounced, "We need a toast."
Both paused. Occasions like these were rare indeed. After three weeks in space, Don and Judy had been given a few precious hours on the upper deck of the Jupiter 2, provided no emergencies arose. Such privacy was to be cherished. And wine? Regardless of the vintage or quality, such a luxury only added to the splendor of the occasion.
"To us," Judy beamed. Her blue eyes sparkled as she tapped her cup against his. "May we reach Alpha Centauri - soon."
Don's expression became somber. She'd forgotten that he always blamed himself when it came to their failure to reach Alpha Centauri, considering it almost a personal failing.
Discussion of their marriage had dwindled over their years in space. Not that either of them had lost interest; both wanted to wait until they'd arrived at their intended destination. With their goal nowhere in sight, it had become a moot point. Sometimes she feared their wedding would never take place.
"C'mon, it's your turn," she urged, keeping her tone light, wanting him not to dwell on the negative.
"To the most beautiful woman in the universe."
Their eyes met. Putting aside their cups on the ledge of the astrogator, he leaned forward to kiss her. Without an audience or fear of interruption, they became bolder, deepening the kiss, pulling each other closer.
The glorious moment was short lived.
"Really Major. Is this the way to behave in public?" The elevator arrived, bearing Dr. Smith.
Barely reigning in his temper, Don barked, "This was supposed to be private."
Dr. Smith stepped out of the elevator. "I'll only be a moment. I forgot my journal and can't remember where I placed it." He began scanning the deck.
Muttering under his breath, Don stormed away from Judy.
"Must you be such a philistine?"
"This is an emergency?" Don complained.
Judy sighed. "Let's help him so he'll leave faster."
Dr. Smith was shocked. "Judy! I expected this from a common military thug, but you? I am wounded my dear, deeply wounded."
"Save it for someone who cares." Don snatched the battered book from the console and flung it towards Dr. Smith who ducked in response. The journal skidded across the floor.
"Temper, temper, dear Major," he chided.
Don strode over to pluck the offending volume from the floor. Placing it in Dr. Smith's hands, he grasped the man's elbow to firmly propel him towards the elevator.
"I'll not stand for being man-handled like this! I won't!" Dr. Smith protested.
Don opened the gate for the elevator then shoved the older man forward.
"You're a cretin. A barbarous cretin. Judy, I don't know what you see in this man." Dr. Smith's voice faded as the elevator descended to the lower deck. "Truly I don't."
Judy looked longingly toward their plastic cups still perched on the rim of the astrogator but Don had already moved over to the viewport. The mood had been destroyed but she wasn't willing to completely give up. Joining him by the console, they quietly stared at the stars.
"He'll never change."
"You're right." Judy agreed, not wanting to waste any more energy on Dr. Smith that evening. They still had time alone on the upper deck. Maybe it wasn't a total loss?
Gauging Don's mood, she realized she was being foolishly optimistic.
"Why does that man have to mess up everything? We could've been to Alpha Centauri by now."
Judy sighed, recognizing this familiar tirade.
"Why can't we lock him up in his room for a few days? Teach him a lesson."
Because it would never work, Judy thought yet wisely kept to herself. She sank into one of the command chairs, admitting defeat.
Don pounded the back of the other chair with his fist, venting his frustration.
"Look at how much he's messed up for us…"
Judy didn't want to be reminded yet she nodded at the right places during Don's rant while focusing on the stars before her. While she fully understood his frustration, dwelling on it didn't help.
There were so many stars. It had seemed so easy to recognize the systems and rattle off their names while training on Earth. Out in space, it was a different story. The tapestry they wove amazed her. Some were weak spots of light while other blazed with ferocity. The designs they formed fascinated her. Even as a child, she'd enjoyed star gazing – staring at the heavens above, looking for patterns.
"I'll bet he'd even mess that up…"
A cluster of stars caught her eyes. It almost formed a rainbow.
"If I could just…"
Don was getting carried away. This foolishness had to stop. She reached over to grasp his hand and then reminded him. "You wouldn't hurt him. You couldn't. You're not that kind of man and you know it."
Trying to distract him, she pointed towards the constellation she'd just noticed.
Don's eyes' grew wider. "Do you know what that is?"
Judy was embarrassed to admit that she didn't. But he wasn't waiting for an answer.
"It's in the Caprica galaxy. Close to Alpha Centauri." He grinned widely.
Perhaps they'd be sharing that wine after all.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Maureen handed Dr. Smith a plate which held a large slice of chocolate cake.
"Couldn't it be a tad more generous?" he asked.
"Dr. Smith," she scolded. "Then there wouldn't be enough for everyone else."
The family was gathered about the galley table on the lower deck of the Jupiter 2. The mood was festive. Cake and cups filled with punch sat before them. Penny had even placed a paper party hat on the Robot's bubble.
"I can't believe it's really happening," Will said with a mouth half-filled with cake, chocolate frosting smearing the corners his mouth.
"Me neither," Penny agreed.
"It's like a dream come true," Judy added.
"How long, Dad?" Will asked.
"If our calculations are correct, we should be at Alpha Centauri within twenty-four hours," Professor Robinson explained.
"Will other people from Earth be there?" Penny asked.
John Robinson's demeanor became more solemn. "I hope so. But Penny, the fact that Alpha Control has faced such disasters – the sabotage of the Jupiter 1 and then our unfortunate circumstances..." He glanced not so subtly at Dr. Smith. "Those might have dissuaded Alpha Control from putting any more resources into the space colonization program."
Don argued, "C'mon John. Given those issues, it might take longer for others to join us. But they'll find a way, given their determination and belief in this project. We know those people. They wouldn't give up so easily. I am inclined to believe we'll be the first settlers, despite our delay."
"We'll finally get to open the colony supplies – the prefab housing units, the farming equipment." Maureen said with excitement. The colonization briefings they'd attended at Alpha Control seemed as if they'd happened in another life time.
"Long range scans have shown us that the fourth planet orbiting Alpha Centuari is an M class planet with a mass similar to Earth's. Since the distance of its orbital from the sun is also somewhat similar to our system and its rotational cycle provides a slighter longer day, I'm optimistic that we'll find favorable conditions for establishing our colony.
"First we'll orbit the planet for surveying so we can get a feel for conditions such as the atmospheric composition, water sources, and biomes. We'd like to settle in a region optimum for growing our crops," John Robinson explained.
"I certainly hope it's better than the wretched planets we've been on over the past three years," Dr. Smith complained.
"I am certain it will be an improvement," the Robot answered. "Radio telemetry data suggests there is a temperate region about the equator that could support a wide range of plant and animal life."
"Maybe we'll be by an ocean!" Penny said. "We could go swimming!"
"Or mountains for hiking," Will added, getting more excited.
"Remember children, it is an alien world," Maureen pointed out, wanting the kids not to be disappointed. Then, always the eternal optimist, she found herself caught up in their enthusiasm despite her concerns. "It may have features we've never even imagined. Won't that be exciting?"
Suddenly an odd sensation of dizziness overcame everyone. Will and Penny gripped the edges of the table while Don and John Robinson merely swallowed hard. Judy leaned against Don. The interval lasted for less than a minute.
"What was that?" Judy asked, still clutching Don's shoulder. "I feel dizzy."
"Just a little space turbulence, I'll bet," Don teased her. They were all too well acquainted with that.
"It felt different than usual," Maureen said, rubbing her temples.
"All this talk about settling down on solid ground has already affected our tolerance for daily space travel," John joked.
"Oh no! The Robot!" Will rushed over to it. His claws were fully extended and his center unit was slumped over. "He shouldn't have shut down because of turbulence." He bent to examine the unit.
"That's odd." Don agreed. "Maybe he's still recovering from the Junkman's meddling."
"See what you can do, Will. We'll need his input once we start collecting survey data," John Robinson said.
XXXXXXXX
"What is all the fuss about? What's so important that you had to wake us all up in the middle of the night?" Dr. Smith stepped out of the elevator onto the main deck, clad in a long stripped nightshirt, wearing a cap made from similar fabric.
Will, Penny and Judy straggled over, also wearing their robes and pajamas, rubbing the sleep from their eyes.
"John, what it is?" Maureen's red hair was down and covering her blue robe.
"Don and I saw something."
"Good heavens. What's so important that it couldn't wait until morning? I'm really not myself without my eight hours of sleep," Dr. Smith prattled.
The others ignored him, focusing on John.
Don rose from the command chair, eying a monitor. "Almost there."
"Will, is the Robot working?" John asked.
"Not yet."
"That's unfortunate. We could've used his input. Everyone come over and watch."
The family crowded by the viewport.
"I don't see what you're concerned about. I see nothing unusual." Dr. Smith complained then yawned. "I need my beauty rest. I'm going back to bed." He moved towards the elevator.
"Good riddance," Don cried.
"Are we at the same location?" John asked.
"Just about…Now!" Don answered.
The Jupiter 2 had been orbiting Alpha Centauri for almost a day using their instruments to collect data. At that distance, they'd been able to make out land forms during the day. Darker ridges indicated mountains. Wispy white clouds stretched below them. They were encouraged that the water masses appeared blue, similar in color to the oceans of Earth. Currently it was nighttime on this part of the planet so there wasn't much to see.
"Is that…are those lights?" Maureen asked. A small glowing cluster appeared on the planet.
"So it seems." John replied.
"There are people on Alpha Centauri?" Will exclaimed, with wonder.
"Maybe," his father replied.
"It doesn't seem like many lights. Couldn't this phenomena result from some sort of photobacteria or natural phosphoresce? They absorb light energy during the day and emit it at night," Will suggested.
"Possibly," John said. "It makes me uneasy. There was no mention of any phenomena like this in the original telemetry data."
"The probing wasn't extensive. And it is an alien world," Maureen reminded. "We've seen stranger things during our travels."
John grinned at his wife. "Isn't that the truth?"
"What do you want to do?" Don asked.
"Couldn't it be other colonists from Earth?" Penny insisted, growing excited.
"Oh joy, oh bless, oh rapture!" Smith intoned, his face radiant.
"It could. But look at the size of the area that the lights covered. If Alpha Control sent another mission, it could've conceivably arrived by now. But I don't think they'd have the resources for all that. A settlement of ten or twenty people wouldn't send out that much light."
"Maybe they sent a larger ship or perhaps we've been lost in space longer than we suspected and there's been time for multiple missions to arrive," Maureen pointed out. "Why don't you try to make contact with them once we're in range again?"
"We already have. They're not answering our hails."
"John, that doesn't necessarily mean anything. You know how quickly technology changes." Maureen argued. "A group from Alpha Control might be maintaining radio silence while they observe us and determine our intentions."
"I still don't like." Don shook his head. "It doesn't feel right."
"They could be settlers from Earth," Dr. Smith insisted.
"And they might not be," Don answered. "Why take that chance? This is a large planet. Plenty of room for both of us. Why not give them some space and tackle our problems one at time? Learn about the planet and determine the best place to set up our colony. Then once we're established, make contact with this group. Take care of our needs first."
John disagreed. "I don't know about that, Don. If we're going to be neighbors, why not start things out on the right foot? These beings could be powerful allies. Having already established a colony they could provide us with useful information that might be important for our survival. And if they're our own people, we'd certainly want to join up with them."
More caustically, the Major replied, "Or they could be a hostile race that resents our presence and causes trouble for us."
"Don!" Judy sighed impatiently. "Why must you always assume the worst? We'll never know until we check things out."
"I agree." John Robinson decided. "When morning comes, we'll land near this group of settlers. If it is a group of sentient beings, we'll learn more about them."
XXXXXXX
This is John Robinson of the Earth ship Jupiter 2. Do you read me? We are friendly. We mean you no harm. Do you copy?
A stocky humanoid creature was dozing, seated at a desk with his large feet stretched out upon it. Other than his heavy brow ridge which was crested with thick, dark eyebrows, a slightly hunched back, and the vibrant dark lavender hue of his skin, he appeared human. Long unkempt dark locks rested on his shoulder. Hearing the transmission, he became alert. When he reached for the receiver, another creature appeared and swatted his hand.
"What are you doing? This is what we've been waiting for," he insisted.
The other alien, most likely a female due to a few more curves, corrected him. Both wore dull green utilitarian jump suits. "Don't be impatient. Don't respond. It will get them more curious. Our scans have indicated these Earthlings are an inquisitive race. They'll come."
A dark purple tentacle resembling a jump rope issued from her torso, lightly caressing the shoulder of the sentry. "Besides, it'll buy us the time we need to complete our preparations for their arrival."
With a hint of desperation, he asked, "What if they don't come? What if we've gone to all this trouble for nothing – like the Andorians?"
The female frowned and sternly stated, "We've learned from that experience. That won't happen again."
"The translator chips are working well," the male replied, trying to curry favor.
"All part of the plan."
This is John Robinson of the Earth ship Jupiter 2. Do you read me? We are friendly. We mean you no harm. Do you copy?