Disclaimer: Still don't own Lost in Space. Still not making money off of this fic. Review if you like, review if you don't like, don't review if you don't want to.
Chapter One
John Robinson stood at the Navigation Station of the most advanced cockpit ever conceived. The large room could easily accommodate the fourteen human and two robotic occupants of the ship.
The whole outer wall was dominated by massive six-inch thick transparent material. The current view showed the launch pads for the two other Jupiters and beyond that the control tower housing half of Alpha Control. Before these massive windows lay the flight control consoles. The three consoles were designed as a double redundancy. Anywhere from one to three people could man the consoles to control the Jupiter's flight. A large table-like console sat in the center of the room. This housed the interface for the Navigational Computer, as well as a holographic array. More computer consoles lined the back wall, each indicating the status and control for all of the ship's functions.
Around the Nav station, John was joined by five individuals, two more men and three women.
The holo-emitter displayed a binary star system with seven planets orbiting in wide oblong ellipses.
John, a tall dark haired bearded man, continued the final briefing.
"After eighteen year of FTL travel, the computer will wake us all from cryo-stasis. Then Major West will land the Jupiter on the fourth planet of the system, where we and the other two crews will begin our work."
John pressed a button, and the holo-image zoomed into the fourth planet, a relatively small planet dominated by rocky continents and a few small oceans.
"Robert and I," John indicated the skinnier of the two men near him, "will start a scientific survey of the planet. Hopefully, we can confirm the probe's readings of a viable biosphere."
John next turned to the woman standing on the opposite side of the station. "Maureen will aid the Jupiter One crew with the Botanical systems, as well as taking command of the construction mission."
Maureen did not seem to react but John noticed her bristling. They still had a lot to work out between them.
"Brianna," John turned to the petite blonde woman next to Robert Lefler, "and Dr. Smith will set up the Medical Facilities aided by several personnel from Jupiter Three."
Finally, John turned to the couple on his right side; a bull of a man with dark hair with a scruffy beard, and a tall and youthful brunette.
"Werner and Gerhild will use our pair of B9 Robots to aid in the construction of the Colony. Hopefully, within a year of arriving on planet, we will be joined by additional colony ships from Alpha Control."
John looked over each crew member. "Any questions?"
Brianna Lefler spoke up. "Are we sure the ship will make it?"
This was a common question from Brianna. She always seems to be doubting the mission's viability.
Maureen answered, "Don't worry, Briannna. All systems have checked out. The computer is capable of flying the Jupiter anywhere. The Power Core has a half-life of twelve thousand years, and the ship's mechanic will be checking all systems once a month."
Brianna retorted, "The ship's mechanic is a sixteen year old."
Everyone sighed. This was an old argument. They all knew that Penny had spent the better part of three years learning the ins and outs of every system on the Jupiter. And if she ever met a problem she could not solve, she could easily un-freeze any of them or activate one of the Robots.
"Don't worry, Brianna," her husband Robert said, "we have contingencies and redundancies for everything."
"But-"
"No buts." Robert hugged Brianna. "We just need to get in the tubes and wake up ready for work in twenty years."
"Speaking of which," Werner said, "we are two years from launch. Let's get everyone ready for stasis.
Everyone separated. John watched Werner and Gerhild leave out of the right side entrance. Maureen rushed out the other entrance. Robert and Brianna followed her at a more leisurely pace. Then, Robert jumped forward.
"Oh, Maureen, I have some things for you."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In one of the three Cryo-chambers, Judy Robinson stood watching Major Don West working on one of the tubes. The name plate identified it as hers. This chamber would house her family, all five member. A sixth tube stood ready for the pilot, Major West. The three Leflers and Dr. Smith would use a second cryo-chamber. The Kaisers and Katia and Rupert in the third.
"Hey," Don called, holding out his hand to her, "can you hand me a spanner?"
Judy complied, handing him the tool.
"Will this thing be ready for me?"
"Of course," West smiled to her, "I just need to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow and clear the matrix cache."
Judy chuckled.
"That doesn't even make sense, Don."
"It doesn't have to." He joined her in laughter. "Honestly, there's nothing wrong with the bloody thing. I just wanted to spend time with you before we enter stasis."
"Really, Major. Don't you have other things to worry about? Pre-flight sequence or something?"
"Are you kidding? This ship is a giant computer with engines. Alpha Control deals with the pre-flight stuff. I just make sure the ship is on course then I land her on Trigellus Four. Easy peezy japaneezy."
"You really think so?"
"Yeah, I've got the cake-walk part of this mission."
"Even on Trigellus?"
"Planet side, I'll be working security for the exploration missions." Don's voice took on a sarcastic tone. "Keeping everyone safe from the deadly aliens."
"Sounds like a tough job." Judy said, getting closer to Don.
He stepped out from behind the cyro-tube. "I'm a tough guy."
"And what will you be doing planet-side?"
"Oh, not much," Judy said, sounding unhappily, "I just be sitting here on the Jupiter all alone."
"We can't have that." They were only inches apart now. "We'll have to find something to occupy you, won't we?"
Suddenly, the door opened behind them. Judy and Don jumped apart as Maureen and Robert entered the chamber.
"You're right, we should check that. I don't know if we have enough-" Maureen stopped when she saw Judy and Don, who were both turning a deep red.
"Did we interrupt something?" Robert asked.
"No!" Judy said. "Don was just checking my tube."
"Really?" Maureen's face showed just what she thought of Don's examination.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Will Robinson, ten years old, child genius. At this moment, his world is focused wholly on the equipment on the table in front of him. He soldered the resistor to the circuit board. If he hurried, he could still test the regulator before going in to the tube.
He barely noticed the opening of the door behind him or the person coming up behind him.
"What are you doing in here?" It was Katia Zakharin, the EC orphan who had joined Alpha Control as a volunteer colonial.
Will turned to her, "I noticed that the botanical system is wasting a half of a percent of the water going through it. I am building a new flow regulator to counter the waste issue. I'm working on the timing circuits right now."
Katia smiled at him. He always impressed people with his intelligence and skill.
"You know, Will, that the launch is less than two hours from now. We have to get ready."
Will turned back to the small circuit. "I'll be done soon, I'm almost fin- WHOA!"
The small circuit board that he had been working on started blowing sparks and smoke coiled to the ceiling.
"Oh, man."
Katia chucked, "Maybe you can try again later."
Will realized that she was right. He did not have time before launch to try again. Maybe he could leave the design for Penny and she could try. Or he could get her to wake him up at some point to try this again.
"I can't wait to tell your parents about this."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Penny loved the sight before her. Conner Lefler stood before his mirror. The eighteen year old shared his dad's light brown hair and his mother's green eyes. He fussed over the cryo-suit, a silvery shiny suit that he obviously hated.
She wished that they could be alone now, but he only had a short time before entering stasis.
Penny also wished that they had met away from this mission. But she knew deep down that they never would have met without the Jupiter Mission. Penny grew up in the center of the North American continent in the Turner Institute where she was educated. Then she came to New Columbia, the site of Alpha Control, the new agency overseeing the Mission. Alpha Control was birthed in the aftermath of World War Four, which lasted from 2197 to 2214. The war had started over the stupidest reason; a border dispute between the Eastern Coalition and the independent Republic of Kyrgyzstan which was subsequently invaded by the EC. The Global Alliance came in to defend their sovereignty. Eighteen years of war broke out. In 2214, the Alliance military stormed the capital of the EC. In the aftermath, Penny's mother gathered some of the greatest minds and it was agreed that colonizing a new world could bring a new unity for the world. Thus, Alpha Control started the Jupiter Mission.
The Mission brought Conner from the west coast of North America and put him into Penny's life. They may not have had a lot of freedom or privacy, but they had grown closer as the years passed. They both dreaded the launch date, and here it was.
She had thought it was bad enough that she would go through the next two years of her subjective time without anyone. She would spend one week a month for the next eighteen years performing checks on the Jupiter. She would be alone for the time.
"You know, you really should head back to your quarters so you can get ready." Conner said.
"It doesn't really matter," Penny responded, "I'm not going into stasis.
She told Conner the false story about the fever that Smith gave her mother. After all, she was still trying to come to terms with what the Doctor had told her. She wanted comfort from Conner, but she really did not know how to tell him what was going on.
"Yet more time away from you."
"C'mon, Pen, don't say that." He said sitting down next to her.
She put her head on his shoulder and he pulled her into a hug.
"You know that I would love to stay up with you. But I can't."
"You're just glad that you don't have to deal with Smith for a week."
Penny groaned. "Of all of the people to spend a week alone with, it has to be-"
Conner caught her in a kiss.
It was at the very moment as her brain melted that the door opened.
"STOP THAT!" came the gruff German voice of Werner Kaiser.
'Crap,' Penny thought as the bull of a man grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
John entered the Robinson's cryo-chamber. He could see Judy and Maureen preparing for the cryo-stasis. Don West was standing nearby. He looked like the kid caught with their hand in the candy jar. As he stepped in, Robert Lefler stepped out.
John went over to his own tube. He opened a panel on the side to check its status.
Then, Werner walked into the room. He dragged Penny into the room, and she was protesting loudly. Conner followed them.
"John, Maureen," Werner stopped in front of them, but he did not release Penny.
Maureen sighed, "What did she do now?"
"I caught her with Conner in his room."
"We weren't doing anything." Penny said, wrenching her arm from Werner's vice grip.
"We were just talking when he came in." Conner said.
"They were eating each other's tonsils."
"PENNY!" Maureen grabbed Penny's other arm. "How many times do I have to tell you-"
"Mom, please," Penny tried to escape her mother's grip, "nothing happened."
"Not according to Werner." Maureen retorted.
John intervened, "Maureen, settle down."
Maureen stewed for a moment. Then she released Penny and folded her arms over her chest. "So, what do you suggest, John."
"Conner," the teen looked like a deer in headlights, "what happened?"
"We were talking," he said, "I sat down next to her, and I kissed her."
Maureen huffed. John did not know why, but she had always stood against her daughter dating the Lefler's son. Personally, he thought they were cute together, but he did not get a say in the situation. He had been out of their lives for many years.
"This never would have happened if they had been raised in the Eastern Coalition." Werner said this under his breath, but they all heard it.
"Yeah, right!" Penny burst out before anyone could stop her. "In the EC, I would have to worry about the Secret Police and their rape gangs."
'Wonderful,' John thought. The last thing they needed was a political argument.
"THAT IS NOT TRUE!" Werner retorted, "Our society never condoned-"
"Stop it!" John jumped between them before the argument could escalate into a fight.
They stopped, but he could see that neither wanted to back down.
Don stepped over to Werner. "Werner, how about we get you ready for launch."
Werner glowered, but he allowed the Major to lead him out of the room. Conner followed discretely.
"I cannot believe you did that, Penny." Judy said from in front of her own tube.
Penny grinned, like she had won a victory.
Maureen smacked her over the back of the head, the grin disappeared as Penny flinched.
"Penelope Angela Robinson!" she said, "you should know better than to bring up bad history like that."
"History?" Penny exclaimed, "The Secret Police were only disbanded two years ago!"
John found himself intervening for the second time in as many minutes.
"The point is that the Secret Police were disbanded. Whatever is happening in the Eastern Coalition now, the Secret Police are no longer a part of it."
Penny and Maureen both looked ready to speak up, but John held a finger to his mouth.
Silenced, Penny turned and huffed out of the room. Maureen started to follow, but John stopped her.
"Let me go, John."
"No. What's the point of stopping her from fighting with Werner if you are just going to take up where he stopped?"
"She needed to be reprimanded."
"She was." He let go of Maureen. "Punishing her further would have been pointless."
"How would you know, John? You haven't been here."
There it was; the old reprimand. Maureen had always complained that he was never there for his family.
"And you've never taken an interest in Penny."
Anger burst in John Robinson at this. An old flaming anger that had simmered for sixteen years. He wanted to lash out at Maureen for that; she knew better than to bring that up.
John took a few deep breaths to calm down, it barely worked.
"I don't think now is the time to discuss this, Maureen."
Maureen turned red when she realized what she had said in front of her oldest child. The Robinsons may have fought, but they always strived not to involve their children.
"You're right." She locked him with a steely gaze. "But we will discuss this later."
They both turned back to their launch preparations.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Penny sat in one of the pilot's chairs on the control deck. She had run here after the argument with her parents. She could not take it. First, Kaiser had his rose-tinted view of his homeland. Then, Mom and her idealist ways berating her for simply stating a truth they refused to deal with. And then there was Dad, who simply dismissed everything. Would it kill him to take her side once in a while? But NO! He never helped her.
She did not know how long she had been sitting here, but they had to be close to launch time.
"Ah, Penelope," came a crisp voice that she knew and loathed, "here you are."
She turned the chair around and saw Doctor Smith standing a few feet away.
"How many times do I have to tell you that my name is Penny?"
Smith chuckled. "Are you ready for launch?"
"How long do we have?"
He looked to a watch on his left wrist, "About three minutes. Major West should be here soon."
"So, everyone is already in stasis."
"Safely tucked and ready to go. I just made the final checks for Alpha Control. Major West was glad to have the help."
"Don't suppose two hours was enough time for you." She really hoped that she could just avoid the coming days with an answer and a hop in the stasis tube.
"Afraid not." Smith said. "I have already eliminated several possibilities, but the field is not narrowing."
Penny slumped.
At that moment, Major West came striding into the control room. Seeing Penny, he waved to her.
"Well, kid, you really know how to shake things up. Werner was ballistic for a good hour and a half. Almost crammed him into his tube just to shut him up."
"Sorry, Don."
"Don't be." He said as he took a seat at the central helm console. "I'm no fan of the EC either. Werner needs to wake up."
Penny smiled, at least Don West had her back.
Don pressed a button on the console. "Alpha Control, this is Jupiter Two. We are buttoned up and ready for launch."
"Roger, Major West. Jupiter Mission is a go. Prepare for launch in T-Minus sixty seconds."
"Acknowledged."
Penny wished that she could be at home watching the launch on television; or even in Alpha Control watching from a mile away. This was going to be an impressive sight.
Dr. Smith took a seat in the third pilot's chair. All three fastened their safety harnesses at the same time. This brought a smile to Penny's face.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In the mission control center of Alpha Control, fifty men and women sat at computer stations checking and re-checking the status of three ships ready to blast into the great unknown.
One voice rose above the rest of the clatter, amplified by the speaker system broadcasting around the world.
"Launch in T-Minus 10 seconds…"
Everyone scrambled to make sure that their systems were ready.
"…9…"
Several of the people pressed keys at their stations signaling three engines a mile away to start the intermix of fuel.
"…8…"
Other people around the room signal the launch pads to start a slow raise from the ground. They will reach ten feet in the next seven and a half seconds.
"…7…"
At this point, computer monitors show that the three vessels are ready, green lights glow on the boards.
"…6…5…4…"
All chatter ends, no one has anything more to say. News announcers are silent. The only voice is the one saying,
"…3…2…1…"
The launch pads reach their full height. The three Jupiters now tower over the sands, reflecting the sun's rays. Every eye in the world is tuned to this moment. No one dares to blink.
"…LAUNCH!"
Simultaneously, in the engines of three ships, several thousand gallons of fuel are aerosolized and ejected of the bottom of the ships.
A spark is triggered in each ship.
The fuel is sprayed directly into the triggered spark.
The fuel explodes into massive fireballs.
The fireballs are channeled down with a force strong enough not only to lift the ships off of the launch pads, but also force the launch pad to sink the ten feet back to ground level.
The trio of ships rises into the sky trailing fire and smoke below them.
Within seconds, more fuel is ejected out of the engines and the ships quickly reach speeds that most people can only dream of going.
As the world watches, something unexpected occurs.
All three of the ships are identical. They are each expelling the same volume of fuel for the launch. Their speed should be synchronized.
But one ship rises faster than the others.
No one knows why. In the coming years, many of Alpha Control's top scientists and researchers will posit theories for the occurrence. None of these theories will ever gain the weight of proof.
It is simply seen and wondered at.
The Jupiter Two is beating the others to space.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After several minutes of being rocked around and pasted to their chairs, the view outside the windows changed from light blue to dark blue and finally to black with the light pinpoints of the stars.
Don leaned forward and pressed a set of controls. "We're still in one piece. And the gravity field is working. We should be able to walk without any difficulty."
Penny undid her harness and jumped out of the chair. She leaned over the console in order to get a better view of the outside.
Never before had she seen a clearer view of the stars. They looked almost unreal from here. She could see the Milky Way, a sight that she had never really been able to make out even on the clearest of nights.
She barely registered Don checking in with Alpha Control or Smith standing up from his own chair. She took in the sight of stars that she had only ever seen in photographs.
A tap on her shoulder pulled her from her reverie. She turned and saw that Don was trying to get her attention.
"Penny, I need you to not lean on the console. They ship might think you're trying to input flight data."
"Oh, right." Penny stepped back from the console. But her attention was still trained on the view beyond the window.
Don chuckled as he turned back to the radio to Alpha Control. "Control, this is Jupiter Two. I have set up on our course for Trigellus Four."
"Roger, Major, we confirm your readings. You are set for Trigellus."
"Thank you, Control. I am setting up the FTL."
Don double-checked the navigational interface. The blue icon of the Jupiter Two sat squarely on the line leading from Sol to Trigellus. Turning slightly, he opened a panel marked FTL. He pulled a key out of the recess. He inserted the key into a slot in front of him and turned it.
A screen lit up on the console. A progress meter started counting up from zero percent up to one hundred.
Don took the few seconds to look back at Penny Robinson. The kid was entranced. He did not blame her. He had pictures of his first time in space. They made him look like a slack-jawed idiot. Not a difficult task, he admitted; and the pictures were always good for a laugh.
Smith, on the other hand, paced around the control room with a bored expression. Don did not like the doctor. He rubbed him the wrong way.
Don turned back to the console. The FTL was nearing one hundred percent.
"Whoa!" Don turned to Penny.
She simply pointed out the window. He followed her finger to see the Jupiter One. It was already prepared for FTL. That made sense, each ship was supposed to start a minute after the last.
The back quarter of the Jupiter One's silver hull had opened and three massive exhaust ports could be seen. Red, blue, and green lights also glowed as various pieces of equipment activated in the engine room. Don knew that the same thing was occurring in the back of their own ship at the same time.
Suddenly, the ports on the back of Jupiter One flashed a brilliant white and in a blink the ship stretched out to infinity and was gone. It had started its long voyage to Trigellus.
"That was cool." Penny said from behind him.
Don smiled as the Jupiter Two's FTL signaled ready. "You ain't seen nothing yet, kid."
A voice came over the radio, it was Don's old wingman, Jeb Walker, "Jupiter Two, we read FTL ready on your boards."
"Roger, Alpha Control, FTL is ready to go."
"Major West, you are clear for Faster-Than-Light Drive."
Don signaled their final message for a long time. "Alpha Control, this is Jupiter Two. We are engaging FTL. Signing off."
"God speed, old friend," came the final reply.
Don grabbed a lever on the console and slowly pushed it forward.
In the window, the stars slowly began to stretch from pinpricks to long colored lines stretching towards them. The whole of reality seemed to stretch with it. Then, like a rubber band, it all snapped back with a jerk and a
POW!
The view outside the window no longer showed the star-scape. Instead, there was a tunnel of light that they were traveling through. Every color imaginable could be seen in a mass of swirling shifting shapes around them. In front of them at an unimaginable distance it all come together in a vortex of colors.
Don turned to Penny, "Now, that is cool."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I guess now would be a bad time to mention that I am not a cold weather type of guy."
Don stood in his cryo-tube as Doctor Smith double-checked his connections. The check was not necessary, but Don had been paranoid and Smith obliged his request.
"I find it interesting, Major, that your sense of humor gets worse the closer you are to anxiety."
"I love you, too, Doc." Penny could see the sarcasm dripping from Don's mouth.
Don looked to her as Smith resolutely ignored him.
"Are you going to be okay?"
"It's a fever, Don, not the plague." She said with a grin.
"That's not what I'm worried about, kid. Your parents told me to make sure you behave."
Penny laughed, "Fat lot of good that does, how are you going to watch over me as a popsicle?"
Don cracked a smile, but his eyes did reflect the humor.
"I'll behave." She reassured him. "Besides, how much trouble can I get in on an empty ship."
"Well, you two have never really gotten along."
Penny glanced at Smith, who was closing the panel on the side of the tube. Don was right, the doctor creeped her out.
"Don't worry, Don. I'll probably be spending most of my time in the engine room making sure the ship doesn't fly apart."
As Smith stepped away from the tube, Don grabbed his arm. "You watch out for her, Smith."
"Major, we both know that Penelope is quite capable of taking care of herself. Otherwise, she would not have been approved as Ship's Mechanic."
Before Don could say anything, Smith took his hand off of his shoulder. "I assure you, Major, I shall see that Penelope comes to as little harm as I can."
This seemed to satisfy Don as he relaxed in the tube.
"See you in eighteen years." He said, pressing a button next to his shoulder.
The tube closed around him. Penny and Smith stepped back.
A white mist filled the cryo-tube, slightly obscuring Don for a few seconds. Then with a hiss, the mist disappeared and Don was frozen. He actually looked like a stiff wax replica.
"So, you're going to be watching me for the next couple of days."
"Don't be silly, my dear," Smith said, "I'm a doctor, not a babysitter."
Smith started to leave the room.
"When will this be over?" she asked.
Smith stopped and turned back to her.
"I will be running as many tests as I can as quickly as I can. Hopefully, I will have a diagnosis soon."
"So, what do I do in the meantime?"
"I don't know." Smith turned again, leaving, "Ogle Major West or your little boyfriend for all I care. If I need you for a test, I will call you."
And he was gone.
Alone in the room with her family popsicles, Penny simply said, "Damn it."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
That's Chapter One in the bag. Chapter Two should be up in a few days. Please if you have read this fic, I would love to know what you thought of it. Love it, like it, loathe it, or hate it, please tell me.
Also, I want to give a little shout-out to todshi, who wrote a wonderful story that my friend and I read this past weekend called "Penny Robinson's Bitter 16" on Deviantart. Check it out, it is really good stuff. At least I liked it, let me put it that way.
Until next time…