Chapter 4

Soft music welcomed them as the group entered the grand ballroom. Dr. Smith immediately approached the food table in delight, and Will followed him. John took his wife's arm protectively and stood by her side. Penny and Judy earned the intense stares of the many uniformed men who lined the room. Penny placed both hands on their escort's arm and felt like a specimen under a microscope. Judy was used to being watched by males in the past and was able to brush the looks aside.

"Mr. Appolus, can you introduce me to whoever is in charge of the medical facilities?"

"Of course, Miss Judy, but first you must do me the pleasure of a dance, then we must eat."

Whirling around the room, Judy found him to be a marvelous dancer. She had no difficulty following his steps, and found that she enjoyed it more than she expected. After the family was seated at a table, John was introduced to the head of the technical and repair department, while Judy was placed next to the commander of the medicine.

Judy was eager to start her conversation with the medical director, named Gannon, and found the translating device easy to use, especially since the conversation was short. She asked what kind of medical facilities were aboard the ship, and he explained that there were only basic supplies, since the injuries that personnel sustained while on board were minor and required nothing more than cleansing and bandaging. He stated that there were more sophisticated facilities on the planet, and, after biological comparisons could be made between the Robinsons and his own species, he would have a better idea of how her 'friend' could be helped.

John had many of his questions answered regarding his thirst for more technical knowledge. In fact, he had a great deal of difficulty getting away from his dinner companion and was irritated to find that his wife's attention was monopolized by many and various men throughout the night, as were the attentions of his daughters. He was finally able to snag Maureen for the final dance and some needed conversation.

Maureen announced, "Thank goodness you're here. I didn't think these men would ever leave me alone."

"I could see that. I suppose they are like sailors who have been out at sea for months on end. What's happening with Judy and Penny?"

"It seems that Appolus approaches Judy every other dance. Penny has been inundated with men. I don't know, John. I feel like our daughters are being courted. I'm worried about Penny's head being turned by all this attention."

"I noticed that Mr. Appolus seems to have been quite taken with Judy. I was surprised that Don encouraged her to come tonight."

"Maybe this is good for them. She'll be able to see that there are other men out there besides Don. Then, hopefully, she can come back to him and really feel that she has made the right choice."

"Do you think she'll come back to him?"

"They belong together, John. You can see it in all their interactions, good and bad."

As he glanced at his oldest daughter, he saw her final partner of the night, Appolus, place a lingering kiss on her cheek.

"I just hope you're right."


Sweat dripped from his face as he completed his final lift on the weight machine. He was drenched from the 5 miles he had finished biking 30 minutes earlier. His muscles tired and sore, he grabbed a towel and made his way back to the galley. He hadn't eaten dinner, and still wasn't hungry, but he at least needed water to replenish all he had lost. It was a hard workout, but he needed it to keep his mind off of what might be happening at the banquet. The problem was, it really didn't help. Visions of Judy in the arms of another man held his mind prisoner. He poured himself a glass of water and heard the clattering of the family returning to their celestial home.

Predictably, Dr. Smith waxed on about the delectable gourmet foods he had consumed that night, but then pulled an unusual fruit from his pocket and handed it to the pilot.

Don was determined to appear nonchalant. "Ah, Zach, you shouldn't have!"

"Well, Major, I was going to save it for myself as a midnight snack, but I can see that you have been hard at work at your exercises and deserve a reward. Eat well and be hearty. Now, I must retire, as my digestive processes have simply exhausted me. Good night all!"

Penny seemed to be the most entranced with the evening, as she gushed that she had never had so much attention from men before.

"Wasn't it wonderful, Judy? All those gorgeous men asking us to dance. I was nervous at first, but they were such great dancers! All I had to do was hold onto their arms, and they whisked me around like I was a doll. Appolus was the best dancer there, and I wanted to dance with him again, but every time I tried to find him, he was dancing with you."

Judy hoped Don had missed that last comment and quickly added, "They were wonderful dancers, but I felt like I was auditioning for something. It was like every man in the room was scrutinizing all three of us. At first it didn't bother me too much, but it got tiresome pretty quickly."

Don caught John's eye and repeated, "All three of you?"

Maureen interjected, "Oh, they probably didn't want me to feel left out. After all, most of John's time was spent talking with the head of the technical and repair department."

Will was munching on a sandwich and complained, "It was like they had never seen women before or something."

John explained, "Well, Will, they have been in space for quite a long time, and men get lonely when there are no women around. I'm sure they're all looking forward to landing back home tomorrow."

Don's jaw dropped. "Home? You mean as in 'their own' planet? What about fixing our ship and letting us go?"

"They don't have the parts to repair the Jupiter, so they'll have to have items specially made for her. I think we can upgrade many of the systems too. I'll go into more detail about it tomorrow. Right now I'd like to spend some time with my beautiful wife. I need to keep her interested in her old husband after dancing with all of those young men tonight."

"Oh, a man after my own heart."

They said their good nights and left to go to their quarters. Penny and Will soon followed.

After an awkward silence, both Judy and Don tried to speak at the same time.

"Did you…?" "What did you…?"

They both laughed nervously, then Judy spoke again. "What did you do tonight, besides exercise?"

"I exercised, and then exercised some more. That's about it." He paused a moment and then quietly added, "Did you have a good time?"

"It was okay."

"Just okay? Judy, you love to dance. You must have had a ball."

"I'll admit it was fun, but I missed you."

"It's okay. You don't have to say that. I just want you to be happy, and you look... radiant."

"It's just been so long since I've had a night like tonight." She knelt beside his chair and murmured, "I really wanted you there, Don."

He took her chin in his hand and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Thanks... Now, I really need a shower. See you in the morning."

"Good night." She looked longingly after him, knowing that something, probably Appolus, was bothering him, but was unsure of what to do about it.