Smith kept himself busy. He tidied up camp. He tried his hand at making tools and weapons. He knew the laser pistol couldn't keep a charge forever, so he'd have to arm himself somehow. Deep in the back of his mind, though, was a sense of dread, that any minute he'd fall victim to the alien fruit and literally lose his lunch. As Artemis began to mew in earnest for food, he stood to attempt to find meat for his young companion, yet again. Before he could take a step, his sense of balance abandoned him and he went tumbling down. He landed with an undignified "oof", pebbles and the rock he'd been sitting on digging uncomfortably into his back.
Artemis came running over, sensing something was very wrong. She nudged the doctor with her nose. It took a moment for the planet to stop spinning and his mind to focus on where he was. He reached over to pet Artemis' head and reassure her he would be ok. He brought a palm to his forehead. It was a little warmer than usual, but not exactly feverish. The urge to retch asserted itself, but he fought it down. He lay there, uncomfortably, for about an hour. Artemis curled up in his lap, keeping careful watch over him.
Eventually, the feeling passed and Smith breathed easier, knowing he could stomach the fruit, despite the still uncomfortable side effects. Perhaps he could build up some sort of immunity to whatever toxins caused the illness. It seemed likely, since the symptoms were much less pronounced this time. Artemis sensed Smith was feeling better and nuzzled against his neck. He scratched behind her ears before getting unsteadily to his feet.
"Well, my dear, you must be hungry," he stated the obvious. Artemis voiced her agreement. "Let's see if we can do something about that, shall we?" He still felt a bit weak, but sense of duty to his young, furry charge, and his own hunger, urged him onward. He grabbed one of the packs and filled it with several handmade arrows, turning it into a makeshift quiver. Then, he picked up the bow he'd made from a tree branch and the dried, sinewy tentacles he'd saved from the silvery alien fish they had feasted on previously. He glanced down at Artemis who looked up at him expectantly. "I'm not an accomplished hunter, my dear. I can't guarantee you'll eat tonight," Smith said apologetically. The cub mewed in response and the doctor amused himself with the thought that the furry little alien cat could understand him somehow.
The two of them headed toward the grasslands where Smith had first encountered the large herbivores and pheasant-like creatures. It was a long trek, but creatures would most likely be abundant there. He had resisted going there before because he feared Artemis was too little to take along and would be vulnerable to predators if left alone back at camp. But, she had grown a bit and could keep up with him now. It was as good a time as any to see how they'd do on a hunt.
As they neared the prairie, Artemis stopped and sniffed the air, catching the scent of something. Smith followed her gaze and spotted some of the large elephantine creatures. "My dear", " he whispered, "I think that's a bit too ambitious for our first hunt, don't you think? Besides, I owe a debt to one of those creatures."
Artemis growled in annoyance, causing Smith to raise an eyebrow. He took a second look and saw the true object of her attention, several of the small, furry creatures he'd failed to catch a short while ago. He crouched low, holding his bow loaded with an arrow out in front of him. He crept slowly, making each step deliberate and quiet, hoping to approach closely without the creatures noticing. Artemis followed his lead, stalking her prey silently and patiently. Soon, temptation proved too much and the young cat bolted towards the creatures. Smith wanted to call out to her, but knew his sudden outburst might ruin any chance she still had of catching her quarry.
He watched helplessly, shaking his head, as she chased the creatures fruitlessly, changing her target frequently, and accomplishing nothing except tiring herself out. Finally, she plunged into tall grass, hot on the trail of one of the youngest of the creatures. Inadvertently, she flushed out a flock of the iridescent birds. Going purely on instinct, Smith lifted his bow and fired. Pure luck, combined with the sheer density of the cloud of fleeing birds, made his arrow connect with one unfortunate individual. Smith's eyebrows raised in surprise as he saw the bird drop. He rushed headlong into the grass to claim his kill, calling to Artemis as he went. He returned to the clearing minutes later, holding his prize. Artemis was nowhere to be seen.
"Artemis? Where are you, my dear?" Smith called. He heard a muffled growl and saw the cub trot out of the thick grass, proudly carrying a prize of her own. She dropped it at his feet and looked up at him. It reminded him of the many times on his great aunt's farm when his cat had brought him gifts of mice and voles she'd caught. Though disgusted by the gifts, he praised her hunting prowess. Now, when his survival was dependent on the ability to hunt, he dropped to his knees and praised Artemis profusely. He was both mystified and grateful that this creature could, at only a few weeks old, prove a proficient hunter. He scratched her behind both ears and she reveled in the attention. Smith stood up and pronounced, "Thanks to you, my dear… and a little luck on my part," he held up the bird, "we'll eat hearty tonight."
—
As Mrs. Robinson handed her eldest daughter a wet dish to dry and began working on cleaning another, Judy remarked, "I really miss our dishwasher." Mrs. Robinson laughed. "I miss the microwave." Penny, who had just come down the elevator with a basket of laundry chimed in, "I miss the washing machine."
With much of their technology having been left behind in anticipation of bringing both Kai and Smith, everyone had to pitch in just a little more to keep things going. They were fortunate, however, in that they had a source of power, secure shelter, a protective forcefield, and laser weapons with which to hunt and defend themselves. Their hardships would pale in comparison to Smith's, though no one held much hope that he was still alive. The consensus, though no one would give voice to it, was that Kai had killed Smith shortly after the last time they'd seen the doctor alive. Having fought the alien beast themselves, the Professor and Major West knew what he was capable of and they hoped the doctor hadn't suffered much.
Will preoccupied himself by designing a new deutronium refiner with Major West and his father. They decided to assign Will the task of building the electronics and designing the circuit boards to control the machine, while the Professor and Major West would attempt to fabricate the metal parts needed. The Robot would lend a claw when welding and precision cutting was needed. But first, they'd need to find metal deposits to smelt for their purposes. There was very little they could spare on the Jupiter 2, so whatever they used would have to come from the planet itself. That meant their progress was slow.
They were fortunate in that the spot on which they had crashed was located near a good water source and had plenty of edible vegetation. The deutronium deposits they had discovered were not far from camp and the Robot had identified iron ore, copper, manganese, chromium, nickel, and other materials they could use to make steel, a little bit farther from the camp. The Robot reported, however, that he had encountered hostile alien wildlife during his trip and caution should be taken when attempting to retrieve the materials.
The Professor and Major decided to aim for the easiest tasks first, that being the deutronium deposits closest to camp. They gathered all they could extract and secured it back at camp. Once the deutronium deposits were tapped out, they planned a trip to gather the iron ore and other metals the Robot had discovered, so they could begin the difficult process of smelting the iron ore and producing the steel they would use to make the refiner. While the Professor consulted with the Robot to create a map to the deposits, the Major and Will studied books and the data in the ship's computer regarding steelmaking.
"I'm glad someone had the foresight to put this information on board," the Major remarked. "I never thought we'd have to use it."
"Me either," Will replied. "I always thought we'd get to Alpha Centauri first and by that time, there'd be people joining us soon that knew all about this kind of stuff."
The Professor climbed up the ladder from the deck below and joined them. "So, are you both experts on steelmaking yet?"
"Ready as we'll ever be," Will replied.
"Then, I think it's time we went and gathered the raw materials. The Robot's shown me precisely where everything is. Will, you'll be coming with Don and I. The Robot will stay here with Maureen and the girls, for protection."
Will smiled. The prospect of being included in an adventure boosted his spirits.
"In the meantime, you'd better get to bed. We'll be leaving bright and early tomorrow morning," the Professor said as he hitched a thumb over his shoulder towards Will's cabin.
Will's smile faded and he grudgingly obeyed his father's command. "Ok. G'night, Don."
"Night, Will," the Major answered.
—-
Smith spent most of the afternoon cleaning the bird and Artemis' kill. Artemis wanted nothing more than to dig right in and he was having a hard time keeping her from doing just that, so Smith sawed off a small chunk from the rabbit-like creature and tossed it to her. She caught it mid-air and appeared to swallow it whole. She mewed for more.
"Patience, my dear," he admonished.
Smith hung the meat in the crook of a branch on a nearby tree for the blood to drain. He cut off another hunk of meat and brought it to Artemis. She gently took it from Smith's hand and, this time, chewed it a bit before swallowing.
Dusk was nearing and Smith busied himself with gathering more firewood. He had more than enough to last the night already, but it had become a daily ritual that he continued, simply because it was a plentiful resource. Having so little of everything else, it somehow comforted him to be able to stockpile anything. He also brought back to camp large, green branches that he'd soaked in the river with which to build a roasting spit.
He whittled the ends of the supporting sticks into points and pounded them into the ground with a small rock. Once they were in the ground, he surrounded them with small rocks to hold them in place. Then, he placed the long, straight skewer stick in the crook of the two supporting sticks.
"Perfect!" he said, as he admired his handiwork. "All that's left is the meat!" he stated, salivating at the prospect of a sumptuous roast for dinner.
Smith gathered the meat from the tree and secured it to the skewer. Using the flint and knife that had been left to him, he started the fire, with a little difficulty and a lot of cursing, then placed several logs atop it.
He sat near the fire, turning the spit every few minutes to ensure the meat cooked evenly. He closed his eyes and inhaled the tantalizing smell of the roasting meat. Artemis, who had taken up residence in her favorite spot, Smith's lap, sniffed and mewed.
"I know, my dear. Smells delicious, doesn't it?"
Artemis purred and stretched, growing drowsy from the warm fire. She immediately perked up, though, when Smith drew his blade from its sheath and cautiously cut into the meat to check that the interior was well cooked. He then cut off a small hunk of the roasted bird and tasted it. Then a larger strip, which he devoured greedily.
Artemis sat up and mewed, as if to say, "Hey, don't hog it all!"
Smith cut off a generous chunk of the rabbit creature and she downed it as ravenously as he had the bird. Smith tried a chunk of the rabbit as well. It was a bit gamey, but palatable. He was sure he could concoct a marinade or discover some herbs or spices to improve the flavor. He went back to the bird, which was delicious without any doctoring of its flavor, and shared pieces of it with his cub. They both ate until they could hardly move, the carcasses of the roasted animals nearly stripped bare.
Drowsy from the large meal and the heat of the fire, Smith retired to his sleeping bag. Artemis crawled under the covers and curled up against him. He lay on his side, his head cradled in his right hand, his left hand lazily stroking Artemis, and gazed skyward. Millions of stars glittered in the black night sky. Somewhere among them was a home he was convinced he'd never see again. Perhaps the Robinsons were up there somewhere too, still alive, he hoped.
