A/N: Background information and photos for both shows are posted on my LJ. PM me and I'd be happy to send links. If you're reading, I'd love to hear from you.
The Robinsons reach a decision about joining Eden Advance. But have Dr. Smith's selfish actions ruined this opportunity?
Chapter 9
Tuesday August 16th
"They'd never suggest that," John Robinson claimed. "They're reasonable people." He took another sip of his morning coffee. The family was seated about their outdoor dining table eating breakfast.
"They most certainly did. You weren't there, John. It was clearly implied," Maureen retorted. "I've already made it perfectly clear that we would never consider leaving Doctor Smith behind."
"Thank you my dear madam. You're a voice of sanity in the din of chaos," Dr. Smith replied, with relief. He returned to attacking his greens with renewed gusto.
"Why are we even discussing this? We might be able to repair the astrogator. I'm trying something new today," Don pointed out.
"And where would we go once the ship was repaired?" John asked.
"Do you believe what they said about Alpha Centauri?"
"I have no reason not to. With all the troubles they've had on this planet, it certainly would've been easier to pick a different one to colonize. Yet they didn't. They've dealt with multiple obstacles even before leaving their stations. They certainly believe there are no other habitable planets. Why travel twenty two light years away from home if you don't have to? Don, I believe them," John Robinson answered.
Don countered, "Even if this is a different universe, even with their more advanced technology, they don't know everything about it. If the ship was ready to fly, we could explore. Maybe find this universe's equivalent of Alpha Centauri."
"How do you know this isn't it?" John asked, with a slight grin.
"I don't," Don admitted. "But we don't have to decide anything now."
"Eden Advance will be leaving once they scout out a route for their vehicles. If we want to become a part of their group, time is a factor," Maureen reminded them.
"C'mon, we don't need them. We have all that we need right here. We've done this before, dozens of times," Don insisted.
"The Major is right," Dr. Smith said. "Who wants to leave the comforts of the space ship to walk across this dismal planet with veritable strangers? Not I."
"I didn't say it would be easy. But what about the children?" Maureen emphasized. "This would give them a chance at a future with others their age. There are two hundred fifty families on the colony ship. That's a real chance at re-starting civilization. Even in our original plan, we'd hoped to meet up with other colonists by now."
"I don't care about being with other people. I'm happy with the family," Penny stated.
"Me too," said Will. "Though, it would be fun getting to know Uly better."
"Baah. Some of those Eden Advance people weren't very pleasant at all," Dr. Smith complained, miffed by their treatment of him. "That Baines fellow was down right rude."
"Maybe you feel that way now, Penny. But it will be different when you're older," Judy advised her sister. "Don't you want to go to dances and meet boys?"
"Wouldn't you love to play baseball with other children?" his mom asked Will.
Her husband chided his wife, "Darling, that's not realistic. There'd be a lot of hard work involved. It would be a while before we developed the finer aspects of civilization like dances and organized sports."
"Whatever option we choose will involve hard work," Maureen answered. "What do you think, Judy?"
"I want to do it. It's exciting meeting new people and I'd love to become part of a bigger group again."
"Society is over-rated. John, even though those people are our race, there have been big changes over those years. Danziger told me they don't marry forever. They have contracts and term limits," Don scoffed.
"Oh," Maureen frowned. "Well, I suppose whatever culture we try to integrate with, there will be issues."
"Of all the planets we've been on life seems most different here. Sure it resembles Earth the most in physical appearance. It's a beautiful place, I won't argue about that.
"Over the last three years we've faced all sorts of monsters, been threatened by aliens, yet life here seems far more sinister. Look at what we've already gone through with Judy. And those Terrians? I don't know what to make of them," Don reminded them.
Trying to curry favor, Smith added, with enthusiasm, "I completely agree, dear Major."
Don frowned and deliberately moved his chair further away from the man.
"Couldn't we stay at the space ship and maybe the families could find us later once they're established at New Pacifica?" Penny asked.
"That's a lot of 'if's' Penny. Building a colony will take all their efforts. Contacting and transporting one family wouldn't be their top priority," John answered.
"John, if we joined Eden Advance, you'd also be relinquishing your authority. You lead our group. You make the decisions. Do you think that Adair woman is going to have the same priorities?" Don protested.
"Don!" Judy objected.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again. We don't know these people. They might have very different ideas than we do," Don insisted.
"I disagree. They've gone out of their way to help us. They're trying to forge a peaceful relationship with the native population. They love their children and make sacrifices for them, just as we do," John stated.
"It may not matter anyway. Smith keeping that rock for himself certainly didn't make a good impression. This discussion could be pointless," Don said.
XXXXXXXXX
"What do you think? Are you going to join us?" Walman and Judy were sitting on the ground on the outskirts of the Eden Advance camp in the shade provided by the TransRover, their largest vehicle.
"It's not my decision to make."
"What do you mean? How old are you Judy – twenty one?"
"Almost twenty –two," she corrected.
"Isn't that old enough to be making your own decisions? You're an adult. You don't have to do what your father wants."
She hadn't thought of it that way. "Well, your invitation isn't official anyway – is it?" she reminded him.
"Yeah, I know. It's not because of you or your family. Smith is the biggest drawback. People see him as a liability."
"We can't leave him behind. That would be cruel. He wouldn't survive," Judy protested.
"Maybe you can join us."
"What?" she gasped.
"Just you."
Was that something she was willing to consider? Days ago when they'd first encountered Eden Advance, she would've jumped at the opportunity. It wasn't that she didn't love her family but life had become so monotonous. She was hungry for new faces, new ideas, new anything, desperate to escape the sameness, the mind numbing boredom. She'd welcomed the change that new people brought, infusing her with strange ideas and ways of thinking.
"Why do you put up Smith's behavior? Look at all the trouble he's caused for your family. Why was he included in your party in the first place?"
She shrugged. "He was trapped on board at launch. He revived us about five hours after blast off so Don could steer us around an uncharted meteor storm. If he hadn't, we all would've been killed."
Walman nodded. "Isn't there more to this story?"
She'd been omitting details, dreading his reaction. She didn't want to jeopardize the chance to join their group. Yet it was going to come out eventually.
"A few hours after launching, for some reason, the Robot went berserk and started to destroy the ship. With the damaged equipment and being set off course, we were hopelessly lost in space."
Walman took a breath and patiently pointed out, "Judy, you do know that robots only do what they're programmed to do."
"It was an accident," she claimed.
"Really?" Walman was not convinced.
Even though she denied it, she knew he was right. She'd blotted it out and smoothed it over to make the memory more tolerable. Dr. Smith had deliberately and intentionally tried to kill them all by programming the Robot to sabotage the Jupiter 2. Was she being childish, ignoring such events? Acting as if they didn't matter? Was she being as naïve as Don had repeatedly accused?
Yet Dr. Smith was no longer the same man that had been trapped on board the Jupiter 2 at launch. He hadn't known them when he'd set out to destroy them. Presumably he'd been motivated by material gain. Maybe he'd been in a bad situation and felt as if he'd had no choice.
There was more to him. Over the years they'd learned that he could be kind and quite funny. He'd formed a special bond with her brother Will. He was just…weak.
"How can you forgive him?" Walman asked.
Something about those words sounded familiar.
He continued, "These aren't little mistakes. Even recently, he fooled around with your ship, causing you to crash on this planet where you might never be able to lift off again. Imagine if it had been a different planet. One uninhabited or nearly devoid of life. Then him keeping that sunstone could've caused trouble with the Terrians for both of our groups. It's not right."
"I know. But he's still a human being." She was becoming more insistent.
"One that doesn't seem to be trying to improve."
Offended, Judy responded, "You don't just dump people in the middle of the wilderness."
He considered her point. "That's true. But this isn't civilized society. It's about surviving. If he endangers our group, there won't be any one left to form society. Look, I'm not saying we should lock Smith up or do anything drastic, but the safety of the group has got to come first."
"How does your group deal with people who don't do what they want?"
Walman paused a moment. Then he explained, "Several months ago, we discovered that Julia was a spy."
"Julia?" She would never have suspected such a thing.
"She refused to reveal her contact information, though we were fairly sure she was working for the Council. She had already done some questionable things. Our safety was at risk. We left some supplies and a tent then left her behind."
Horrified, Judy gasped, "What? I don't understand. How could you? Julia's part of the group."
"Not at that point. The Council had already planted a bomb on our ship at launch and sabotaged the cargo release circuit, causing us to crash. We had no idea what Julia was capable of doing.
"Alonzo was feeling badly so he went back for her. And we would've left the two of them on their own if she hadn't helped us out with the Z.E.D. and proven that we could trust her.
"I haven't seen such a reformation with Smith. You haven't either."
He wasn't even giving the man a chance. She was astounded to realize that he sounded just like Don. Had she been attracted to essentially the same type of man? On the surface, both were in excellent physical shape, muscular with shortly cropped hair. Both men were adept with firearms and quick to draw a weapon. Both Don and Mark were gallant when treating her. Both were not as tolerate towards weakness and were highly suspicious of other races.
Maybe Walman wasn't her knight in shining armor – the answer to all of her prayers, the one to take her away from her dreary existence. As her mother had repeatedly mentioned, it was finally sinking in that life with Eden Advance might even prove to be rougher than that with her family at the spaceship.
Would she be trading one set of problems for another?
Or did the setting really make a difference?
Instead of expecting a man to rescue her, maybe she needed to face reality on her own terms. If life was boring and unfulfilling, what could she do to imbue it with more significance?
This morning after their rather heated breakfast discussion, Don had pulled her aside to ask her on a VR date, whatever that meant. The way he'd been behaving, she'd wanted nothing to do with him. She was sure that he'd try to convince her to stay with the Jupiter and the same humdrum life. Now she was thinking that maybe she should give him a chance.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Don slammed a wrench on the floor of the space ship. He was lying on his side on the ground beside the astrogator trying to retrofit a part that Danziger had supplied.
"Any luck?" Danziger asked.
"I thought I could get it to work," Don muttered, more to himself.
"It sounded like a good plan."
Don sat up and deliberately slammed another tool on the ground. When would this nightmare be over? He'd always been able to fix the ship. This had to work. The alternative was too painful to consider. He took a deep breath, so frustrated he was nearly shaking.
Danziger crouched down beside him. "You know, life's given me a lot of bad turns too. At least half of us in Eden Advance weren't supposed to land on this planet. Drop cargo and head back home. The pay was too good to resist. Not that I'm a greedy guy, but inherited debt laws can destroy your future. I'm still paying off my grandparents' passage to the Stations. I'll be damned if that happens to my kid."
It terrified Don to think of Earth in such foreign terms. The members of Eden Advance only confirmed that his home was gone - forever. There was no longer any glimmer of hope of finding their Earth or Alpha Centauri.
Realizing he was digressing, Danziger continued, "Anyway, being stranded on this planet certainly wasn't part of the plan. But…it might not be that bad after all. The Stations pigeon hole everyone. Once a drone, always a drone. No matter what I did or True would do, we'd both always be stuck in dead end jobs, scrambling just to get by. But here…it's different. A man is judged more by what he does as opposed to who he's related to. It seems like he's got a fighting chance. New Pacifica might have better opportunities for True and I."
Don merely grumbled, trying to contain his temper. He recognized a thinly disguised pep talk when he heard it. Not that he didn't appreciate the effort. He was having trouble gracefully accepting that he was losing his girl and the world as he once knew it.
"It's best not to dwell on bad luck. It tends to multiple. Do the best you can with what you have," Danziger advised.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Don and Judy walked side by side toward the pond. They were accompanied by the Robot and a mechanized Zero unit from the Eden Advance camp. Neither had been overly talkative, sensing there were many sensitive issues they'd need to broach.
The Robot attempted to engage Zero in conversation. "What type of a unit are you?"
"I am a Zero Unit programmed to help build New Pacifica," the unit replied in a bland even voice. In form, he resembled a human being yet his extremities appeared to be covered in white body armor. He moved stiffly.
"How do you like this planet?" the Robot asked.
Not getting a response, he asked, "What do you know about these Terrians?"
"I am not programmed for conversation," Zero blandly responded. "I am here to help build New Pacifica. I have many attachments. Unfortunately, most were stolen."
Don and Judy couldn't help but chuckle at the marked differences between the two units. So much for technological advances.
They stopped in a clearing that was nicely shaded by several large trees. The rustle of water from the nearby stream could be heard. Wildflowers dotted the hillside.
"So what do we do on this VR date?" Judy asked.
Don handed her a gear set. He helped her put it on then placed a set on his own head. "Flip this piece in front of your eyes. Then extend it so it covers both of your eyes."
"It's hard to see. Is this safe? Couldn't we fall into the stream or be surprised by Terrians?"
"That's why I brought the Robot and their zero unit along to make sure we're not disturbed."
After relaying some instructions to the mechanized units, he pressed some buttons on their gear sets and the dark screen before their eyes transformed into a new dimension.
"Oh my," Judy gasped. They were in an elegantly decorated banquet hall. She looked down to see that she was wearing a full length burgundy silk gown with her hair fashionably swept up. Don was equally debanoir in a dark formal suit and black tie. The style of their clothing was reminiscent of the forties back on Earth. A band played jazz music of that era.
"This program was set up for Morgan and Bess' wedding reception. Apparently, he's a big jazz fan. They renewed their vows on this planet. Alonzo thought it would be easier to modify this program rather than come up with something completely new. I hope you like it."
"This is amazing." Judy was still staring at herself and her surroundings. "It feels so real."
The black and white tiled dance floor was filled with couples clad in similar formal wear. Waiters trotted about with trays of champagne filled glasses.
Don offered her his arm. "Would you like to dance first or have dinner?"
Judy giggled. "I'm starving."
"Me too." He escorted her to an alcove where they were seated at a table for two. A waiter handed them menus.
"Hmm…Are you sure this place is within our budget?" she joked.
"Order anything you want," Don answered, feeling lighter already.
"I'll have the salmon, please," she told the waiter.
"I'll have a steak – rare. Could you bring us one of your best wines too?"
The waiter complied.
After their glasses were filled with wine, Don and Judy clinked them together before sipping from them.
"This is fun!" Judy squealed.
"Isn't it amazing? I know it's not real but it feels so believable. Even the food. Your mind provides the sensations and flavors. It's incredible. Of course you're hungry later."
"I feel giddy, like I'm really drinking wine. The silk of this dress feels so soft against my skin. Even the air smells a bit smoky. It's so convincing."
They managed to stick to small talk and even some light flirting during their dinner, something they hadn't done in a very long time.
Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Judy asked, "Can we order dessert?"
"Of course." Don beckoned the waiter who produced a slice of triple decker chocolate layer cake for them to share.
"This may sound silly but I didn't realize how much I missed this," Judy said.
"This?" He gestured to their surroundings.
"Normal life. On Earth. Eating in a fancy restaurant. Eating in any restaurant, for that matter. Listening to live music. Dressing up in totally impractical clothes. Look at these shoes." She lifted a foot clad in a delicate sandal. "They wouldn't last a day on this planet."
"It is nice." He thought about reaching for her hand. It had been part of his original plan, but he decided not to push his luck.
He found himself agreeing with Judy. Not that he missed formal wear. His neck was already chaffing, unused to the tight collar.
After finishing dessert, the two returned to the main hall.
Judy pulled him out on the floor.
Don apologized, "Don't laugh too hard, Judy. I'm not much of a dancer. I hope you're not disappointed."
"I'm sure you'll be fine,' she smiled, continuing to tug his hand.
They began to glide about the room, following the lead of the others about them. Judy encouraged him, "See, you're doing a great job."
Later, during a slower number, he pulled her closer and she put her head against his chest. Moving rhythmically to the music, she cautiously broached reality.
"Why have you been so angry, Don?"
He'd been wondering about that himself. In fact, he'd spent some time thinking about it after he realized that the astrogator would never be repaired. He didn't particularly want to talk about it but he sensed his relationship with Judy was at a critical junction. Honesty was the best way to go.
"I've failed."
She looked up towards him. "What do you mean?"
"We never reached Alpha Centauri. We never will."
"It wasn't possible."
"It was my job. I was the experienced pilot. And every time we seem to get one small step closer to our goal, Smith messes it up."
Somehow, he wasn't feeling the rage as intensely. Danziger's words had impacted him. Sometimes you need to make the best of things. Otherwise his anger would eat him up. Realistically, what other choice did he have?
"Don't be ridiculous. Doctor Smith was on board and threw off our navigational system. What could you do about that?"
"It doesn't matter. It was still my fault."
"Do you think Dad's a failure too?"
"Of course not," he rapidly responded.
"Why is it okay for him to make mistakes but not for you?"
He didn't know how to answer that.
"I know it's frustrating. But life goes on, regardless. Remember what Alonzo told us about himself that night at dinner? First and foremost, he saw himself as a pilot. It was killing him being on the ground. But he's managed to adapt."
Don nodded, remembering.
"Judy, we're not going to be able to fix the astrogator. We're going to have to make a choice."
Originally this was the point at which he was going to convince her that staying with him at the ship was the only option. He'd planned to lay on the compliments and sweep her off her feet. He'd wanted nothing to do with Eden Advance, especially Mark Walman. If he could get that man out of the picture, life might return to normal.
Yet that no longer seemed like the only option. He was enjoying their date immensely. In addition to being with Judy, it was wonderful to be in a different setting – to enjoy the finer accoutrements of civilized living. He didn't realize that he'd missed it too. Perhaps, with over two hundred fifty families, they could begin to rebuild these trimmings that had such impact on their lives.
He'd painstakingly rehearsed what he wanted to say. It was killing him not knowing where he stood with her. He wanted her to make a choice now to end his misery. But just now, he realized that wasn't necessarily the best option. The date had relaxed him and helped him put things into better perspective
"Judy, I know I want to be with you. I have no doubts about that. When I thought you'd died…it nearly killed me. But…I want… I need you to be sure. If you need to spend time with Walman…do what you have to do. I won't hold it against you. I don't want to be the default choice or the only choice. I want you to want to be with me as much as I want to be with you."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
John Robinson looked up from his papers. "How was your date?"
He hadn't played the role of overprotective father in a while. He'd grown to think of Don more as his colleague rather than Judy's suitor. The fact that his daughter had entered the space ship, escorted by the Robot almost an hour earlier had concerned him. Yet she'd been in good spirits. Although he'd never say it aloud, he was rooting for Major West. He hoped Judy's good sense would prevail. Don had proven himself over and over again, while they knew little about Walman.
John was encouraged that Don seemed calmer than he'd been in days.
"Good. John, that VR technology is incredible. I've never seen anything like it. You've got to try it out." He sat opposite him at the galley table. "Come to any decisions?"
It was hard for him to say, knowing Don's feelings. But it was for the best.
"I know you disagree, but Maureen and I would like to join Eden Advance. It's a chance to form a colony with other humans. Essentially it's as close as we can get to our original mission parameters.
"Don, I know you're not a member of our family but after three years together, I consider you to be one. We'd love for you to come with us, but we…I understand if you need to choose differently," John said, anticipating a backlash.
"Sure," Don replied, strangely lacking hostility. "But isn't there still an issue with Smith? Aren't you concerned that they'll want us to leave him behind?"
"That's right. Maureen would never stand for it."
"We need a bargaining chip."
John had been working through the details that evening, writing the facts out on paper. It seemed a circular argument. While the Robinsons could provide an additional vehicle, most likely the Chariot would be used to carry most of their supplies. Their most useful equipment such as the aquafier, the hydroponic garden, or force field generator tended to be large or associated implicitly with the space ship so they'd be unable to bring those along.
While John was aware that the Robot was an invaluable asset, due to his primitive nature, the Eden Advance members had trouble seeing past that. Perhaps he could argue that the Robot's input was key in cracking the Lunite code and solving the situation with the Dream Plane?
Then again, if Dr. Smith had returned all of the rocks when Will had, it might never have become an issue.
It wasn't looking promising. Given the condition of their navigational system, John supposed they'd be marooned on this planet for the rest of their lives. However he was an optimist at heart. Whatever happened, they'd make the best of it
Perhaps he could convince Eden Advance to contact them once they'd become established and had access to aircraft? That might offer a spark of hope for the children and their future.
"We don't have anything," John admitted.
Don thought a minute and then grinned, the first real smile John had seen since they'd crashed onto this planet.
"Yes we do."
John's eyebrows rose.
"The Space Pod."
TBC