Chapter 2
"Lunch is ready!" Maureen Robinson called.
She placed a platter of sandwiches onto their outdoor dining table. A breathtaking view greeted her. Snowcapped mountains almost purple in appearance sat in the far distance. The surrounding countryside was covered with towering, skinny trees, somewhat equivalent to the evergreen of Earth. They'd landed several miles away from the glowing light phenomena and had spent their first few days learning about the planet.
In contrast to other planets they'd visited, Alpha Centauri was teaming with plant and animal life. Even the colors of this new world seemed more vibrant and exotic than any that they'd seen back home. Four legged creatures with bright orange and brown stripes, resembling deer, inhabited the meadows. The discovery of a partially eaten carcass revealed there were predators as well, though they had yet to encounter them. Birds of varied colors and shapes filled the air. Several bushes sported what resembled nuts or berries so they'd selected samples to test in their lab.
The sun was not as intense as Earth's. The Robinsons were comfortable in their long sleeved fatigues and favored wearing their jackets after the sun went down. It was taking them some time to get used to the longer day and night periods to adjust their circadian rhythms.
Establishing the safety of their camp had been their immediate priority. Setting up the force field generator, assembling the Chariot and planting the hydroponic garden took precedence next. Once these tasks were accomplished, they planned to explore the adjacent area, investigating the 'glowing rock' phenomena as well as locating a source of drinkable water.
"Any luck?" Maureen asked as the children slid into their seats.
"I'm almost there," Will claimed.
He'd convinced his father that having the Robot operational was a high priority so he'd been hard at work all morning. Wiping some grease from his hands onto his pants, he grabbed two sandwiches off the platter.
"Will!" Penny objected.
Maureen intervened. "That's alright. I have more. I forget you two are growing so quickly." Turning to Penny she asked, "How are the soil tests coming along?"
Judy and Don joined them as Penny replied, "They're looking pretty promising. Maybe we can do some trial planting in the ground soon?"
"Sounds good to me, Penny," Professor Robinson took a seat and glanced about. "Now….someone is missing."
As if on cue, Dr. Smith stormed out of the Jupiter 2. "Madam, I distinctly recall asking to be notified when we were eating lunch. I'm simply famished."
"I'll bet you are," Don responded. "If you've lined up those supplies to be transferred to the Chariot, we can all pitch in and get the rest of the job done after lunch."
"That. Oh…"
Don shook his head in disgust.
"Dad, we've pretty much established our camp and investigated the immediate surroundings. Can't we explore a little further?" Will asked.
John laughed, knowing what his son was angling at. "Tomorrow, Will."
Maureen nervously replied, "John, do you think that's wise?"
"We've already discussed this. We need to know what we're dealing with. If it's an alien community, they might know which animals are hostile, sources of food, or favorable methods to grow crops."
"I'm coming too," Maureen insisted.
"Darling, I don't want you to be in the thick of things, should there be trouble."
"We'll all go," Maureen stated with finality.
"Speaking of exploring, I was thinking of taking the pod out for a spin later," Don said.
"Good idea. But stay away from that area. If it's inhabited, I don't want to spook them," John advised.
"Sure."
"Can I go with you Don?" Will asked.
"I had someone else in mind." Don glanced over to Judy who blushed with understanding.
"I'd love to."
"John?" Maureen turned towards her husband. Her oldest daughter Judy was an adult yet she still felt protective of her first born.
Professor Robinson replied. "Don't stay out too late."
XXXXXX
"Oh – look over there! Don, can we land?"
Don peered out the viewport of the Space Pod. They'd flown north, closer to the mountains. There was a clearing filled with brightly colored violet and silver flowers.
"Sure. Let's check it out."
Within minutes they'd landed near the field.
Perched in the open doorway of the Pod, Don commented, "I don't think I've ever seen something like this before."
The blossoms resembled lilies from Earth, yet they were double the size, almost as large as a man's forearm. The lines of silver tracing the purple flowers almost seemed to shimmer when the sunlight hit them. A fragrant odor filled the air.
Don moved forward to kneel and pick a flower but Judy placed a cautionary hand on his shoulder.
"Don't. Let's not spoil it. Let's sit down nearby and enjoy it."
"Sounds good to me."
They found an adjacent grassy area, where they spread a blanket and stretched out upon it. In a daring mood, Judy nestled her head against Don's chest, enjoying the warmth emanating from his chest and the reassuring thud of his heartbeat.
Other than the chirping of birds, it was strangely quiet. Peaceful. This was it. Their new world. This is what they'd been waiting for so many years. What they'd put their lives on hold for. It almost didn't seem as if it were really happening.
"Wish we had more of that wine," Judy said.
"There's another bottle. But I thought we'd save it for a special occasion."
Her heart beat faster. "What would that be?"
"You know…" He leaned forward to kiss her. She eagerly met his lips with her own.
Moments later, she pulled back, slightly flustered. She wanted to make sure she was understanding him correctly.
"You mean our wedding?" She'd been almost afraid to say it aloud, for fear of jinxing it.
"Of course."
They kissed again.
Judy's mind went into overdrive wondering when their wedding would take place and how they would put it all together. She'd been planning her dream wedding since she was five years old. Back then she'd envisioned a large affair with lots of family and friends. Tables loaded with food and drink and lots of dancing. She foolishly realized that she had no idea if Don liked to dance.
They didn't exactly have all the fixings of home. And what would she wear? The dress she wore in the Miss Galaxy pageant? Or would it be too much to try to synthesize something new? Maybe they could match the color of those lovely violet flowers for Penny's dress.
Undoubtedly it would be a small and simple ceremony.
Then again, what was she thinking? There was no reason for disappointment. They were finally getting married! A simple "I do" officiated by her father on the deck of the Jupiter 2 would be more than sufficient.
"What do you think? Should we build our vacation cabin up here?" Don joked.
While she would've preferred to discuss more immediate plans, the fact that he was talking about their future together buoyed her spirits.
"It's a great view."
At this elevation, they could see for miles about them: tree covered hills, distant mountain peaks, a large clear blue lake and several streams, along with numerous rock formations. It was a gorgeous planet.
"We'll do it the old fashioned way, build it out of wood."
She laughed, envisioning Don with an axe slung over his shoulder.
"With three rooms and a fireplace. Though, I would insist upon an updated bathroom and kitchen," Judy insisted, with mock seriousness.
"Your wish is my command. You can grow all sorts of flowers too."
Judy wrapped his arms around his chest.
"It sounds wonderful."
XXXXX
Will trudged ahead on the rocky trail, with a fishing pole slung against his shoulder. Penny was close behind. Much further back, Smith yelled, "I simply must rest."
Impatiently, Will called over his shoulder, "We ought to be there soon. You can rest at the lake."
This excursion had already taken much longer than he'd anticipated. He'd hoped they'd be spending more time fishing than hiking. Ignoring Dr. Smith's protests, Will picked up the pace. He was almost certain the stream they were following would lead them to a lake. He rounded some large boulders at full speed only to discover the same meandering stream. Disappointed, he stopped.
"We've gotta find it soon," Penny said.
"Maybe we are on a wild goose chase," Will sighed. More to himself, he added, "I don't understand. We ought to be close."
"We won't give up yet," Penny said.
Huffing and puffing, Dr. Smith arrived, sinking onto a nearby rock.
"This is inhuman I tell you! I must catch my breath. William, what is the meaning of this full speed ahead military march?" Gazing at the sun, he added, "We're been out here for hours. It's getting late. We'd better turn back soon. Remember what your father said about not being familiar with the wild life on this planet. We wouldn't want to be out after dark."
"We've got until at least eight o'clock. The sun doesn't even start to set until then."
"Oh the joys and raptures of this brave new world," Dr. Smith sarcastically mumbled. "I don't care about the whims of this peculiar planet. My stomach is telling me that it's getting close to dinner time."
Penny and Will exchanged amused glances. Only two hours had elapsed since they'd eaten lunch.
"We won't go much farther," Will promised. "Besides, if we catch some fish we can fry them for dinner."
"After we test them," Penny insisted.
Will shrugged. "I guess." He'd never been much on formalities. He picked up his gear.
"I protest! I just sat down!"
"Suit yourself." The older Will grew, the less tolerant he was becoming of Dr. Smith's feeble excuses.
Feeling sorry for the older man who was clearly winded, Penny said, "Go ahead, Will. We'll be along in a few minutes."
The boy disappeared behind an outcropping of rocks.
"Such a lovely young lady looking after her elders-"
"Penny! Dr. Smith!" Will called.
The two rushed past the rocks to find him. There was the lake. But that wasn't what Will was shouting about. Two humanoid creatures stood several feet away from him.
They appeared nearly human with the usual anatomical features. No extra arms or legs. They were clad in bright green pants and long sleeved yellow tunics, with piping in contrasting colors, similar to those that the Robinsons wore. Both appeared to be teen-aged males. Their shoulder length hair was dark and shaggy. Both had slim builds and slightly lavender tinged skin. They seemed stunned, frozen in place as they stared at Will.
Will's hand rested near his laser pistol on the holster. When he realized the aliens carried no weapons and were just as startled as he was, he relaxed. Bravely stepping forward, he said, "Hello."
The taller boy with the broader chest and clearer complexion straightened and replied, "Hey-lo". It didn't sound quite right but it was definitely English.
"You know our language?"
The shorter alien with a wider nose and a small braid flanking his face replied, "You have speaking into the sky for a long time. We were cooking so we uncoded them."
Will squelched the urge to giggle. The aliens were doing the best that they could. Even though they appeared to be human, English was clearly not their native language.
"If you have the technology to intercept radio waves and speak our language, why haven't you been answering our hails?"
The two boys exchanged troubled glances. Then the smaller boy claimed, "Not my job."
The other alien explained, "We are, what you say...cautious.." The word sounded more like cowsious as he pronounced it. "Is better to access the face of an opponent."
"I suppose you're right." Stepping closer to the aliens, Will put out his hand. "I'm Will Robinson from the planet Earth. This is my sister, Penny and he's Dr. Smith. We…um…my family came to start a new life on this planet."
"We are the Dionaea from Nebulous."
Will's brow furrowed. "I'm not familiar with your people or your home. Though we could be calling your world by a different name. What brings you here?"
The taller boy continued to lead. He proudly stated, "We are travelers."
"We are too. Our mission was to find a new home. I hope that won't be a problem," Penny replied, with some excitement. "What are your names?"
"I am called Breedon." Gesturing to the shorter boy, he said, "This is Talo."
"Pleased to meet you," Penny replied, slightly flushed with color.
Her eyes remained fixed upon Talo though she couldn't fully understand why. With his lanky limbs and large feet, he was more gawky teenager than man. But there was something appealing about the set of his eyes. His firm jawline. Those piercing golden eyes. She wondered what his lavender tinged skin would feel like. And what was that enticing aroma? It reminded her of freshly baked cookies.
Her blush deepened as she realized that Talo had noticed her scrutiny.
Oblivious to Penny's discomfort, Will asked, "How long have you been on this planet?"
"Almost three years."
"Wow. You must know a lot about this place."
Embarrassed or not, Penny wasn't going to let an opportunity like this slip by. The prospect of spending time with an intriguing boy that appeared nearly human seemed even more thrilling than landing on Alpha Centuari. She said, "We'd love to hear about your experiences. Why don't you come to our ship for dinner?"
Talo opened his mouth to reply but before he could utter a word, Breedon interrupted. "That would great. But our people want see you. Come to our home."
"We'd love that." Penny beamed.
XXXXXX
"Mom! Dad!" Will raced towards his parents who were working on the force field generator outside of the Jupiter 2. Maureen was handing a solar wrench to John. "It's not glowing plants or rocks – it's people! Or I should say, aliens."
"Will, I specifically asked you to wait. What would you have done if they weren't friendly?" John Robinson sternly responded.
"Sorry, sir. We were looking for the lake, hoping to go fishing and just sort of ran into them. They're friendly. And they've invited us to dinner."
"Oh good, I don't have to cook," Maureen joked. "What were they like?"
Will shrugged. "They looked pretty human. They speak English but not very well. They didn't seem to know what fish were."
"They gave us directions to their community," Penny eagerly volunteered.
"I'll contact Don and Judy and then we can take the Chariot. Will, is the Robot ready?" John asked.
"I just have a few last adjustments. He should be fully charged now," Will replied.
"Good. I'd like him to come along."
XXX
As soon as the Robinsons were out of their sight, Breedon roughly shoved Talo, nearly knocking him over. "You idiot! You could've ruined everything! What were you doing?"
With a hint of desperation, the boy said, "I can't wait much longer. It's been too long. She's an ideal candidate. She was responding – you saw it! What would be the harm?"
Breedon cuffed him.
"Fool! We've got to do this right or it won't work. Like last time."
Talo's cheeks burned.
"Besides, you're not thinking. Sure, we have to wait but we're bringing them right to the Elders - tonight. Think how proud our parents will be. They'll brag for weeks."
Somewhat mollified, Talo responded, "But we're not ready! You saw the translators had problems. They were laughing at us!"
Breedon brushed his concerns aside. "That's for Diana to handle. That's her job."
"If we'd have gone to their ship, we could've learned about it."
Breedon straightened, understanding the implications. "We'll get another opportunity. Like you said, the girl was responding."
Both boys smiled.
