Chapter 4: Time
History books would later recount many stories of the boy and his robot in coming years. Stories of their friendship had spread like wildfire even before the whole of Alpha Centauri witnessed them brokering peace between armies. Will's personal logs were used to maintain accuracy, but the legend grew with every retelling. Everyone's imagination was sparked by the imagery of a young boy throwing himself between Robot, armed and violent, and anything that might harm him. Will's compassion, Robot's empathy, their bond, became touchstones for the new generations growing up in a universe so much bigger than their parents could have ever dreamed.
Robots became commonplace, friendships grew, but that first meeting, between a scared child and a hurt soldier, could never be matched. Will's immediate kindness had birthed a connection so great that no one, linguist or roboticist, dreamer or politician, could ever hope to duplicate. Some few learned the alien language of lights and music–only Will Robinson dreamed in that language. Many befriended robots–only Will Robinson was never without his trusted shadow. Those who were privileged enough to see the mythic pair never forgot it, and never let anyone else either.
As for the duo, they were swept up as emissaries for the two races. Will translated and relayed messages for both sides. Robot showed his people what he had learned living among the humans. A permanent peace treaty was enacted. Many of the robots chose to go their own way. Though some told Will their plans, they weren't all quite ready to trust humanity itself.
The Madam Chancellor tried to convince Will to take an official position of leadership on Alpha Centauri. Will discussed the option with Robot, but they both felt their place would be among the stars as soon as peace was cemented. In truth, Will wasn't sure why they offered. He was just a kid helping out and keeping peace for those he loved. But after he turned it down, they created an Ambassador position to make the work he did with the robots official. Will accepted so long as they named Robot one as well.
For the Robinsons part, the family dynamic had changed dramatically. John and Maureen tried their hardest to adjust to their children growing up. Though they were still young, their year on their own had matured all three of them–well, the whole trip had done that. John was a natural leader and friend to the people. He enjoyed peace and seemed content. Maureen threw herself into replacing the Resolute. It kept her busy enough to distract from the fact that her children weren't really there. Judy devoted the majority of her time to her career as a doctor in the new world, and getting to know Grant Kelly. Penny stayed home to write their story, but spent less and less time there as she and Vijay grew closer. They had a beautiful wedding on the cliffside just a couple years after finally arriving at their new home. Don was finally given citizenship on Alpha Centauri in appreciation for his heroism during the war. He and Debbie still ended up spending most of their time in space though, helping to build a new ship to continue the colonization from Earth.
As for Will and Robot, their place was in the stars. They were both so full of wonder at the beauties found throughout the universe. They loved to learn of new worlds, new species, rocks, anything they could see. Will did initially ask his parents for permission and was pleasantly surprised when they agreed. But after their first mission they never stopped. In their role as Ambassadors, they were sometimes appointed to specific assignments, they were often used as translators, especially in important meetings, and the robots would occasionally ask them to a planet for their advice on new experiences. But in general, they were able to travel to the unknown as they formed the First Human-Robot Exploratory Group. They had no destination in sight; they went wherever they could find. The exploration was amazing, but the true key to their happiness was the fact that they were together.