Chapter 2
July 29, 1999
The flight lessons have not been going well. I can't keep my mind on them. I think about why Don's so intent on teaching us to fly and I freeze up. My emotions just grab me because I know that he's worried that he either won't be around to fly or won't be able to fly for some horrible reason. Then my mind really goes into overdrive thinking about us. I miss him so much. He still has this wall around himself. Sometimes I can break through it, but them he slams the wall in place again.
I miss his touch, his kisses, staring into his eyes. I just want to lie down beside him and feel his body against mine. I had this dream last night that we were making love. It felt so real. We were lying in this huge bed with soft satin sheets. There were candles and roses everywhere. He wasn't paralyzed. He stroked me and kissed me and fully made love to me. It all felt so real. Oh, I want that, I do. God forgive me, but I do. It was so beautiful. Then I woke up and it was all gone.
The alien ship was still at least two hours away. John had come back from sealing off the storage compartment and decided to call a family meeting. Everyone but Maureen and Judy were on the flight deck. Penny thought Judy was still in their room, so Don volunteered to get her. He found her door partially open, so he called her name and entered, but she wasn't there. He spied her open journal on the bed, and had no intention of reading it, but as he passed it, his eyes caught a few words: 'He wasn't paralyzed... fully made love to me... I want that. God forgive me...' The doubts that had been quiet whispers in his head were now screams of anguish. The wall was cemented in place.
The family meeting concerned their options if the alien spaceship approached them. The ship was ten times larger than the Jupiter. Without shields, they were sitting ducks for any aggressive act. They realized that there was little they could do other than broadcast their peaceful intentions first and hope that the other ship understood. Before the meeting was over, they started to receive a series of sounds, much like Morse code, but it was not in a recognizable alphabet. They decided to broadcast back in both Morse code and verbally, hoping that the aliens would understand one or the other.
Before long, the series of sounds that returned from the ship began to make sense, as it was now transmitting in the familiar Morse code. The message from the other ship was non-threatening. In fact it stated that they could see that the Jupiter was damaged and asked if any assistance was needed. John coded back that they needed significant repairs and asked what sort of assistance could be provided. The ship volunteered to bring the Jupiter onto their ship through the use of a tractor beam. They assured John that the ship would be repaired and then they could be on their way.
"Oh, my," Dr. Smith noted, "Maybe they are the inter-galactic equivalent of the Coast Guard. Perhaps they can point us in the right direction to return to Earth."
John gave him a long stare.
"Or Alpha Centauri," he corrected.
Don shook his head. "I don't like this, John. We'll be at their mercy if they tractor us in. What are they going to ask from us in return?"
"We don't have much choice, Don. We need a lot of repairs."
"You know we could do the repairs ourselves if you…"
"No! For the last time, I'm not sending you out there!" John responded in consternation. "They're offering help and I'm taking it. Now, everyone go strap yourselves in. Don, get in your pilot seat."
Don didn't think twice about his response. "You don't need a pilot for this." He turned and went below.
