Chapter 4

Smith stood on the upper deck of the Jupiter 2 watching the others go about their daily tasks. He paid particular attention to Kai. When he was confident the coast was clear, he quietly went below and slipped unnoticed into the cabin Don had relinquished to Kai. He carefully inspected the alien's belongings, looking for something, but he wasn't quite sure what. He had no expectations that Kai would have anything particularly incriminating with him at the Jupiter 2, but he hoped he could find a clue to the whereabouts of the alien's ship. If he were to find anything that would expose Kai's true intentions, the answer would most likely be there.

Concealed in the top of the cramped closet was an electronic tablet of some sort. Smith examined it for a few minutes and through a little trial and error, figured out how to turn it on. His grin, born of his minor accomplishment, quickly faded as he realized any information on the tablet was in Kai's native language. Smith had picked up a few words here and there, but he'd never seen them written. Useless, he thought. Nevertheless, he scanned through the data for anything recognizable. The only information he found that made any sort of sense was a map with several points of interest marked. One was obviously the Jupiter 2. There were two to the south of the Jupiter 2. Since Smith had seen Kai approach from that direction, he assumed one of the two landmarks must be Kai's ship.

Smith heard the sound of footsteps approaching and he mentally scolded himself for letting his guard down. He stowed the tablet back where he found it and realizing he was trapped, thought quickly. He lay down in the bed and feigned sleep. His heart pounded wildly in his chest as he heard the door to the cabin slide open.

"Doctor Smith? What are you doing in here?" Kai asked, clearly annoyed.

Smith ignored the alien and when Kai once again questioned his presence, the doctor answered groggily, "What is it?", as he sat up and stifled a yawn.

"What are you doing in my bed?"

"What?" Smith looked around, pretending to be bewildered. "Oh my, I appear to have wandered into the wrong cabin. So sorry." He stood and meekly tried to make his way past Kai.

Kai stood in front of Smith, blocking his retreat. "You just happened to wander into the wrong cabin when you've been living here for so long."

"Embarrassing, I admit, but that's what happened. You see, I was so fatigued that I must have wandered into the wrong room without thinking and fell right asleep. I apologize for the intrusion." Smith tried to squeeze his way past the alien, but Kai stood firm.

The alien just stared, his gaze boring right through the doctor. Smith fidgeted with his hands and, after an uncomfortable silence, attempted to speak. Kai interrupted him, displeasure and a hint of threat evident in his voice.

"I value my privacy, Doctor Smith. I trust you won't make the same mistake again."

Smith shook his head vehemently. "Certainly not. This was just an unusual lapse on my part due to my extreme fatigue, I assure you. It won't happen again. Sorry to have disturbed you." The doctor looked expectantly at the alien, who after another good, long glare, stepped out of Smith's way.

Smith quickly made his way to his cabin, shut the door, and then dared to let out the breath he'd been holding. With a sigh of relief, he collapsed into his own bed. He probably hadn't fooled Kai, but at least the alien had let him go. Smith knew he wouldn't easily escape another such encounter. That made it all the more imperative that he find Kai's ship and bring back proof enough to convince the Robinsons of Kai's true nature.

Later that day, Kai informed the Professor of Smith's intrusion and they discussed the matter. The Professor came to the same conclusion that the alien had. Smith being in Kai's room wasn't an accident. While Smith's behavior didn't surprise him, it did irritate him.

"Would you like me to talk to him?" the Professor offered.

"That won't be necessary," Kai replied. He sighed heavily. "I have been thinking. It's clear Dr. Smith doesn't trust me. There must be some way I can gain his trust, show him I mean no harm. I do not enjoy seeing the discord I have caused in your group."

The Professor's face remained neutral. "It's not your fault, Kai. The source of the discord lies squarely with Smith. Gaining his trust will be no easy task. We've known him for years and I'm still not sure he completely trusts us. And we certainly don't completely trust him."

Intrigued, Kai asked "Why not?"

The Professor sighed, unwilling to air dirty human laundry in front of the alien. "Let's just say, he's been the source of a bit of trouble for us and leave it at that."

"Ah," Kai nodded. "Do you think he might change if you demonstrated some trust in him? Gave him something important to do?"

"How do you think he got us in trouble so many times in the first place?" the Professor answered.

"Oh." Kai thought a moment. "I just wish we could work together, instead of against each other."

The Professor thought a moment. Smith and Don had at one time been bitter enemies, but there were times when they had been forced to work together or were thrown into dire situations together. Out of that hardship they had gained a bit of mutual respect in the process. Perhaps something like that would work in this situation. It might be worth a shot. "Kai, how are the upgrades to the deutronium refiner coming?"

"Fine, but I don't see what this has to do with the problem at hand.

"Could you use some help?" the Professor asked.

A smile slowly spread across Kai's face as he figured out what the Professor was up to. "Yes, I could use some help, but how do you propose to get Dr. Smith to help me?"

"I'll let him know it would be in his best interest," the Professor answered. "There are ways the man can be persuaded and I've learned a great deal of them over the years."

"You think working on this project together will get Dr. Smith to like me?"

"Like you? I have no idea. But, I suspect he will come to respect you," the Professor replied. "The relationship between Dr. Smith and Don was once very similar and through mutual hardship and shared work, they have come to an understanding over the years. I have no reason to doubt it wouldn't work in this situation."

"Thank you for your help in this matter, John," Kai held his hand out, as he knew was custom for humans, and the Professor shook it.

"No problem," the Professor replied. "I hope you two can resolve this and put it behind you soon."

Kai smiled and nodded. Oh, he'd put this issue with Smith behind him soon, but not in the manner the Professor expected.