Litmus Test:
"After the Jupiter 2 left Earth, and was presumed lost, two more flights were scheduled. The Jupiter 3 was launched six months later on 11-April-1999 but the flight was aborted when the ship developed a problem with the freezing tubes."
John sat at the table with the rest of the family and listened, as Lt. Colonel Tyler filled them in on the history of the Jupiter Project. At the end of the table, Doctor Smith was noticeably quiet, and John wasn't sure if it was because of the presence of Jarrock and his family, or their new arrival.
"Sabotage," said the Professor.
Tyler nodded, "That is what we suspected."
"Were there any survivors?" asked Don.
"Alpha Control was able to revive the crew, via telemetry stream, but with the radio delay it was a close call," said Tyler. "Had they passed beyond the orbit of Neptune, the crew would have been lost. General Bowers decided to pull the plug on the colonization aspect of the program until a successful manned flight had been completed."
"I can understand why, even though I don't agree with the decision," said John. "So Alpha Centauri was never colonized?"
Colonel Tyler looked down as he answered, "It was colonized, but not by humans. The Jupiter 4 flight was the first of the series designed for extended FTL travel. The entire journey, round trip, could be made in three months. The first super luminal flight was launched on 7-September-2000."
"So the flight hasn't returned to Earth yet," stated Judy.
"No Dr. West…I'm sorry, Miss Robinson, by your reckoning, it hasn't. Jupiter 4 was manned by a military crew, all USSC astronauts. When the ship approached Alpha Prime, it encountered other space vessels also heading for the planet. The crew followed them in, landing a short distance away from the main body. They didn't have time to get unstrapped from their couches before they were attacked. Two of the crew were killed, one seriously injured. If it hadn't been for General Bryce…"
"Wait a second," interjected Don. "General Bryce? Are you talking about Thomas Bryce?"
"One in the same, Col…Major West. Bryce received his first star when he returned from the Jupiter 4 mission two years later. The ship had been declared lost and the Jupiter Program was subsequently canceled. Even though the ship did finally return to Earth, discovering that Alpha Prime was hostile became the final nail in the coffin."
"Colonel Tyler, we were going to head out to the Jupiter 6 today to bury the crew," said John, with a twinge of color in his voice. "I was also going to salvage whatever we could from the wreck, unless you intend on trying to get her space worthy again?"
"I'd be surprised if you could salvage anything, but I'd be glad to go out there with you."
"I was going to ask you to join us. I'd like to hear how my daughter and future son-in-law ended up on that ship."
Robinson stood from the table, "Let's get moving, I want to be back before dark."
...
Before boarding the chariot, Don pulled Doctor Smith aside.
"You were pretty quiet at breakfast this morning."
"I had nothing of any significance to add to the conversation," said Smith, somewhat subdued.
"Do you remember this guy, Smith?" he asked, confidentially. "He wasn't in the first batch of pilots that I trained with."
"Vaguely, Major West, but as I recall he wasn't a pilot back then. He was in the cybernetics division."
"Cybernetics, was he under your command?"
"No, at least, not directly," said Smith. "My involvement with the cybernetics division was in a superficial capacity, in short, they needed help, and I was available."
"I don't trust him, Doctor Smith."
"Nor should you," Smith added. "As much as you and I have disagreed over the years, you would never have abandoned your post like this man seems to have done."
"He said the Robot went berserk and started smashing the instruments…"
"Tyler could have easily disabled the Robot with his laser and regained control of the ship."
"You've got a point," said West.
Doctor Smith watched him climb into the chariot. As the vehicle drove away, Smith considered a piece of his past that he thought he had escaped from. As much as he wanted to, Zachary Smith found himself unable to tell his friends that they were in grave danger at the hands of this Aeolis Umbra agent. I only hope Major West can read between the lines.
...
Professor Robinson found himself struggling to maintain his composure, as he recited the passage for the funeral ceremony. It was only the presence of his daughter and future son-in-law that allowed him to complete the reading without breaking into tears.
"…and so we commit these bodies to the earth, and we wait on the promise of the resurrection, and the gift of everlasting life. Amen."
Judy had buried her face into Don's shoulder, and John knew that the only thing that was holding him together was the need to stay strong for her. I wish Maureen was here, he thought.
As he struggled to maintain his composure, he felt a hand on his shoulder and a steadying presence entered his thoughts. You are a resilient man, John Robinson, you and your family will survive this trial. Jarrock had touched his mind and set him at peace with himself.
Thank you, Jarrock. I'm truly honored to call you a friend.
When John opened his eyes, Don was walking into the ship and Judy stepped up beside him.
"Where is Don going," he asked.
"He thought you might need to spend a few minutes with your daughter."
Judy reached for him and he took her in his embrace, remembering the first time that he had held her as a child. To him, it seemed like only yesterday.
"No matter how old you are or how many children you have, you'll always be my little girl," he said.
...
On the flight deck of the Jupiter 6, Don began making a list of the components which he planned on salvaging this trip. His mind wandered to the story Lt. Colonel Tyler had given them on the way.
Tyler had told them that, in 2002, a crew replacement and replenishment mission had been or will be sent to Lightstation F-12. Upon returning to Earth, Colonel Fogey, who was really only the maintenance man, informed Alpha Control, that the members of the Jupiter 2 expedition were alive and well.
Fogey had given them the last known course heading when the Jupiter 2 had left the Lightstation, and Alpha Control extrapolated their position assuming they had missed Alpha Centauri altogether. The Jupiter 4 had been re-commissioned and slightly less than a year later, the missing Jupiter 2 expedition and crew had been located. Or so we've been told, thought Don.
The time table given by Tyler meant he and Judy will travel back to Earth sometime in 2004, and that meant that their children would be born on this planet. And there was Judy's medical degree, she could possibly finish medical school in four years, but it would take her another four years to finish her internship and residency. She could have excelled in her studies, he thought. Her entire family has been blessed with stratospheric IQs and Judy may simply be a late bloomer.
As to why, he and his bride to be had returned to Earth, Tyler could offer little or no insight, another aspect that troubled West greatly. As his co-pilot, they would have trained together for many months prior to the launch, and Tyler was treating him almost like a total stranger. Even a last minute replacement would have come from a team that had gotten to know each other very well.
Don's thoughts were interrupted with the fall of footsteps behind him.
"How do you like the new readouts for the flight console?" asked Tyler, as he sat down in the co-pilots chair.
"They are more intuitive than the original displays and indicators," agreed West.
"The control modules are self contained, drop in, replacements for the original consoles, not that it's going to matter much."
"What do you mean by that, Colonel Tyler?"
"Soon after you and Miss Robinson wed, the Professor decides to suspend the repairs on the Jupiter 2. She never flies in space again."
"We'll see about that," said Don, somewhat perturbed.
Lt. Colonel Tyler stood as Judy walked into the ship, "Colonel Tyler, my father is looking for you."
"Of course, I promised him I would help off load this ship's chariot. If you will excuse me, Miss Robinson, Major."
Judy took the seat that Tyler had just vacated and she watched her fiancé, in silence, as his eyes followed Tyler walking by the viewport. Judy, all too well, recognized that particular expression on her future husband's face.
"What's bothering you, Don," she asked, seeing if he would open up to her.
"I don't even know where to begin," he said. He tossed the clipboard aside and rubbed his temples.
Judy could see that he was stressed. She stood from the chair and started massaging his shoulders.
"Oh, that feels so good. I could fall asleep right here."
"You don't trust him, do you," she asked, redirecting the conversation.
"Does it really show?"
"Yeah, it shows."
"Too much of his story just doesn't add up," said Don, as he took her hand and guided her into his lap. "I can accept us traveling back to Earth, you becoming a doctor, my promotion, but what could have made us risk space travel with such young children? Kathryn would have only been three, and Don Jr. would still be a toddler."
"We probably didn't use the freezing tubes when we left, Don. With the new drive system, the trip would have taken less than a year," she replied. "We may never know why we chose to return to Earth. If only the memory core was still intact."
"I haven't given up on that, yet. We still might be able to pull some information from it."
"I hope so, Don," she said leaning against him. "I hope so."
...
Back at the Jupiter 2, Doctor Smith was so engrossed in what he was doing that he didn't hear Maureen approach.
"Doctor Smi…"
"Oh! Good heavens, Mrs. Robinson. You startled me."
Maureen was holding a fresh pot of coffee, "I'm sorry, I thought you might like some more coffee."
"Bless you, dear lady. Please?"
She poured him a fresh cup and glanced at his notes.
"How are the tests coming along?"
Smith finished his last notes before he answered, "I only have one more test to run and it will require a twenty four hour incubation period."
"That sounds like the bacteria culture. Do you need help setting it up?" she asked.
"The sample has been prepared, dear lady. If you could put it in the test chamber and set the timer."
"Certainly," she said.
While Smith and Maureen reviewed his notes, Penny walked into the lab.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.
"Doctor Smith and I are just finishing up these tests, Penny. I take it all your chores are caught up."
"An hour ago," she said. "I wish I had asked T'lan to stay. Me and my bright ideas."
"Ah, Penny dear," Smith began. "As a student in the literary disciplines, I'm sure you are aware of the notion that parting is such sweet sorrow…"
"…that I shall say good night till it be morrow," Penny finished, her spirits raised by the exchange.
"Penny, I'm sure they will be back before supper. Why don't you see what Will and Brina are doing, maybe the three of you can get a game going," suggested Maureen.
"They are still working on the new star chart and I don't know enough about astronomy to be of any help."
"I'll tell you what," said Doctor Smith. "Your mother and I are almost finished here. Why don't you set up the chessboard and I'll join you in a few minutes."
"All right, Doctor Smith, thanks," she said, eagerly as she trotted to the elevator.
Maureen turned back to Smith with a grateful smile on her face.
"Thank you, Doctor Smith," she said.
"It is my pleasure, dear lady. I must say that her young gentleman friend has been a very positive force in her life, just as Will's young friend has had the same effect on him."
"It seems like you are warming up to our new neighbors, Doctor Smith. They are good people, you know."
"As I told Penny this morning, my initial assessment may have been somewhat harsh. Seeing your children interact with peers close to their own age is quite, heartwarming."
"You have changed," said Maureen. "You're not the same person that you were even a month ago."
"I assure you, dear madam. It is a daily battle with the lesser angels of my nature."
As Smith strode to the elevator, he reached a decision to confront Lt. Colonel Tyler later that evening. I'm going to find out what his intentions are, and if he intends to bring harm to my family, I will expose him.