Chapter 1

July 24, 1999

Don didn't have much of a celebration today. I take that back. He celebrated fine… Emergency take-off on a disintegrating planet. Flying through the chunks and debris as it was breaking up. Crawling under the console to reconnect some sparking wires. He had a blast! He even has a battle scar from it. It was wonderful. It was the first time I really saw him back to his old self since the quake.


Four days in space, and the Jupiter, though battered, was holding up. They still had no shields, however, which left them defenseless against any predators. Entering atmosphere would also be a problem, since they wouldn't have the shields to buffer the friction as they landed, not to mention that a landing strut was missing.

They had done what they could inside the ship, but all other work would have to take place outside the ship in EVA, which led to the latest argument between the commander and the pilot. Don insisted that he would be able to work with just the tether and no magnetic gravity boots. John insisted that he wasn't willing to take the risk of sending Don out there at all, and that he would do the work himself. Don's rebuttal was that John had no experience in the needed repairs. He added that not only was he a better mechanic than John, he also had a lot more experience with EVA.

John had no answer to that argument. He thought that could possibly go out together, but worried that if something happened to both of them, no one left inside would have the ability to pilot the ship. And so, they were at an impasse. The one thing they did agree on was that flying lessons were imperative for the rest of the crew.

The group lessons on the basics had been completed. Will, of course, was a natural and anxious for a real life lesson, rather than the simulations they had been running. Penny and Maureen were "textbook" flyers. They learned the basics quickly and had no difficulty as long as nothing unexpected happened. They wouldn't panic, but they were too conservative in their approach. Dr. Smith was a mess. He was inconsistent in whatever he did, sometimes he flew well, and at other times he froze and had no idea what to do. Judy was a puzzle. She had quickly learned the basic flying skills taught in the group lessons. Don thought that she had the improvisational skills to do well in the simulations, and he could see her instincts kicking in, but then she would either doubt herself or panic. Actually he wasn't sure what happened to her, but she would lose total control of the vehicle. And so ended another private lesson.

He pushed away from the console in frustration. "Alright, Judy, that's it. We're just getting on each other's nerves."

Her cheeks reddened in anger. "You don't have to be so impatient with me, you know."

Glaring at her he replied, "You're just so frustrating! You know what to do. What the hell is stopping you from doing it?"

She met his glare head on and retorted, "Don't get mad at me! I'm doing my best."

"No you're not. You're…" He threw his hands up in defeat. "Oh, forget it."

"Okay, I will!" She did an abrupt about face and ran to her room.

John and Dr. Smith had been observing the entire encounter and Don looked at them quizzically.

"What did I do?"

John incredulously answered, "You don't know?"

"So I lost my temper, but she's really not trying at all. I can't figure out what's wrong with her!"

"May I add my analysis, Major?" inquired Dr. Smith.

"No one's ever been able to stop you before, Zach, so be my guest."

"The tension between the two of you has been building intensely since we left. I have a theory that it is A) unresolved sexual tension and/or B) fear of what can happen if she learns to fly well. Which is it, Major?"

"What can happen if she learns to fly? I don't see a problem there."

John interjected, "She did mention to Maureen that she didn't want you out in EVA checking the hull."

"So maybe she's afraid that if she gets good at flying, you'll let me go out there?"

"Sounds like a good guess."

"Would you?"

"No."

"John, you know I'm going to have to go out there sooner or later."

"I'd rather deal with later."

"You are one stubborn man."

"What do they say? It takes one…"

"…To know one… alright, alright I give up."

"You should go apologize to Judy."

Don nodded and wheeled himself into the elevator.

"Major," Dr. Smith called, "You never addressed Hypothesis A."

"And I'm not going to." He grinned and dropped out of sight.

Don wheeled up to Judy and Penny's bedroom door and knocked several times, but was greeted with silence.

"Come on, Judy, open up. We need to talk."

"Go away."

"No."

"Then you can just stay out there."

He banged on the door in frustration. "Damn it! I'm trying to apologize."

"That's not what it sounds like to me."

"Well if you open the door, maybe I can do a better job of it."

Silence.

"Look, Judy, I'm sorry I got mad at you. Now will you let me in? Please?"

He heard some movement, and then she was at the door. Her eyes were red from crying and she wouldn't give him eye contact. She stepped aside and he backed into the narrow space between the two beds. He patted one of the beds, inviting her to sit near by.

"Let me try again." He put a hand on her cheek and she finally looked in his eyes. "I really am sorry that I lost my temper. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'll try to be more patient next time."

She took his hand from her cheek and held it. "I'm not sure I want there to be a next time."

"Don't tell me that. You've got good flying instincts. All you need to do is get over whatever it is that's stopping you from using them. What do you think it is?"

"Nothing is stopping me. I'm just not as good as you think I am."

He grasped her fingers with the hand she was holding and squeezed. "Uh-uh. I know flying skills when I see them. You have them. You know Dr. Smith had two theories. One is that you're afraid to get good at flying, because then your father will finally let me go outside to check things out. Could that be it?"

"That's part of it. I always worry when you go EVA. Now I'll be twice as scared."

"You know, I'd probably have an easier time of it out there than I do in here, but your father still won't let me go. Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

"I don't know. I just… I guess I'm just a little bit stir crazy."

"But it's only been four days."

"I know, but I miss…"

Their conversation was interrupted by the blare of the Jupiter's warning system. Don immediately returned to the flight deck with Judy behind him, and they found John frantically pressing buttons.

"What happened?" Don asked.

"There's been an outer hull breach."

"Where?"

"One of the storage compartments."

"Can we seal it off?"

"I tried, but its not engaging."

"I'll go down and seal it off manually."

"No, you stay here, I'll do it. There's also a ship on the radar. Keep an eye on it. It probably won't be within range for a few hours yet, but I haven't gauged its speed. See what you can make of it."

Don nodded and then turned to where Judy was standing, but she was gone.