The crash couch retreated out of the console eight hours after the fact of departure. Smith slid out of the chair and sighed, folding his arms, breathing in the recycled air that was left behind as the ship closed off from the outside forces of the planet. He unfolded his arms and cradled his hands as he walked toward the corridor humming to himself then went into the upper decks. He came to a pause then went up front and slid the lower doors open beneath the console. He slid out the command chairs with ease carefully dragging them out of the cubbies.
He went to the astronavigator then corrected the course.
Then he went to the console and looked down spotting a pile of books had fallen out of the box.
"Oh my dear friend. . . So that is what you were doing in the last hour," Smith said. "Hiding all the books everywhere you could so I can spend the year with entertainment."
Smith slipped out his reading glasses then tucked them between the pages of the novel.
Smith shifted his attention onto the asteroid belt ahead of him and manipulated the console with stillness navigating through it with care as tension was flowing his veins and sweat poured down his skin. He made sure the Jupiter 2 exited the asteroid belt with ease then turned on the autopilot. Smith leaped up to his feet with a "Woohoo!" and proceeded to dance.
"I broke a time loop!"
Smith swayed from side to side.
"I broke a time loop!"
And proceeded to sing.
"I broke a time loop! I did it! I did it! I did it! Go Zachary! Go Zachary! You're a winner! Shake your booty!" he wiggled his butt in glee. "You've got swag! Shake it like you don't care!" he grinned widely from ear to ear. "Oh dear, Rose and Zachary Junior were right!" he proceeded to moon walk around the room. "This dance is wonderful!"
His hands rolled into fists as he clasped his hands together spinning his elbows in a back and forth motion in his personal deserved celebration.
"I did it! I did it! I did it!" He threw his aged hands into the air as he proceeded to twirl with a joyful laugh throwing his head back. "I saved my dear boy's family!"
Smith twirled and caught himself on his heel before he could fall regaining his balance.
"I did it!" Smith clapped his hands together, pressing them against his chest, tearfully then sighed in relief. "I did it."
Smith fell to his knees in front of the chair with a sigh and cried, tearfully, of a victory that hadn't been quite expected. It is a long and over due victory. Smith patted at his eyes with his purple handkerchief as he began to sniffle and sob. Smith got up to his feet with minimal difficulty then faced the view that he would have to face every day for the remainder of his life. Instead of anger, resentment, boredom, and misery; Smith felt it was the happiest period of his life as he grinned watching the gas planet Jupiter watching him pass.
Smith sat down into the pilot's chair then picked up a novel and went down to the lower decks for the rationed package that Robot had packed for him.
It was all going to be good.