Severed Ties:
The next day, John and Maureen went to the Lamotia village with Jarrock and Lana. In his entire life, John had never felt so helpless; as he watched his new friends endure the hardship of dishonor. As he watched the people around him, he sensed everything from great sadness, to barely veiled animosity. Seeing Jarrock, stripped of his office and escorted out of the chambers was more than Robinson would have been able to handle, without the steadying presence of his wife.
With Teral's help, as Jarrock and his wife were no longer permitted in the council hall, John and Maureen petitioned the council for guardianship of Brina and T'lan. Never, in the history of the clan, had there ever been an objection to a petition that was sanctified by the dishonored parents, until now.
The new Prime Guardian, M'lar, was many years older than Jarrock, and had served on the council longer than his predecessor had been alive. He listened to the words of Tevan, a newly elected member of the council. Tevan was only a few years older than John, but the Professor was sure that his objection had nothing to do with his words, and everything to do with forwarding his own agenda.
"M'lar. I implore you. Jarrock wishes to hand his children to outworlders, a move that will dilute our very culture. I say to all of you, they are unsuited to stand as guardians. It was Professor Robinson's daughter that lured T'lan into dishonor to begin…"
Tevan did not have a chance to finish as John stood in anger.
"How dare you make such an accusation against my daughter, sir! Might I remind you that the actions taken by Penny and T'lan saved the lives of everyone in this valley!"
"Enough!" interjected M'lar. "We will have order! Tevan, you will refrain from mentioning anything concerning the act of dishonor. It has no relevance in these proceedings."
"Forgive me, M'lar," said Tevan.
"Professor Robinson, since you are unfamiliar with our customs, the council chooses to overlook your outburst," said M'lar. "Consider this your one and only warning."
"My apologies, M'lar," said John. As he returned to his seat, Teral stood.
"Teral, come forward and speak," said M'lar.
"Thank you, M'lar. My fellows, the issue before us is a simple one. Do we, or do we not, honor the traditions handed down by our ancestors? Tevan speaks of preserving our culture, yet he proposes that we ignore a tradition that we have honored for almost two thousand cycles. As is our custom, Jarrock and Lana have made their wishes known, and by tradition, the only objection the council can entertain is if the guardians selected are either ill or infirm. Unless, of course, it is our intention to abandon our traditions, and if that is the case, Jarrock and Lana need not be dishonored."
Teral's words brought a silence over the hall. After a moment, M'lar stood.
"It would seem that the respect for tradition can get in the way of more than just the greater good," said M'lar. "Teral speaks well, if we cannot consider one exception to our customs, we should not consider any. I call the council to a vote."
Six, of the council of ten, stood in support of the petition, John and Maureen had submitted. Four, including Tevan, remained seated.
"The vote is cast, the petition is granted," said M'lar. As the rest of the council sat down, M'lar remained standing.
"John and Maureen Robinson, step forward, please."
John took his wife's hand and, together, they approached the council table.
"As the Prime Guardian of the Lamotia Clan, I hereby bestow the guardianship of T'lan and Brina upon you both. Do you both pledge to nurture and protect them until they reach the age of enlightenment?"
John and Maureen answered in unison, "We do."
"Then it is done."
M'lar sat down and stamped the parchment. He handed it to the Professor and his wife. They took the document and met Teral outside the council hall.
"Teral," began John. "If you and Selana ever decide to travel to Earth, let me know. I happen to know a few New York law firms that would hire you in an instant. That was a very impressive argument."
"It was my hope that my words would have accomplished much more. But the truth is where it needs to be. It sits on the hearts of all who attended today," said Teral.
As they walked toward the chariot, Maureen noticed that it was not only Jarrock and Lana that were being shunned.
"John, I don't think we are welcome here, anymore."
"I know, darling. I see it too."
When they reached the chariot, the Robinsons turned to take their leave of Teral.
"Take care, Teral," said John. "Words are not enough to express my gratitude."
"You and Selana are always welcome," said Maureen. "Don't forget, Don and Judy, are getting married in a few more days. I know we were going to have the ceremony here, but under the circumstances I think it would be best if we held it at the ship."
"As much as I dislike what I see happening, I find myself in agreement, Mrs. Robinson. But have no fear, Selana and I will be there."
The three of them joined hands for a moment before Teral turned to go.
The chariot had been loaded with the few things that Jarrock and his wife planed on taking with them, as well as the items belonging to Brina and T'lan. Jarrock and Lana had ridden on ahead and would meet them back at camp. John intended to give them a set of laser pistols as well as some other provisions for the long journey.
John helped his wife up, and then climbed in behind her. He started the vehicle and they lumbered off towards their camp.
...
Back at the Jupiter 2, Don was able to stand without getting dizzy, so Doctor Smith, reluctantly, allowed him to continue with his damage assessment of the upper deck, providing he remained seated and allowed others to do the running around. He was in the middle of running another diagnostic when Judy sat down in the co-pilot's chair. She had the journal that was written by her future self.
"Are you ready to do some exploring?" he asked.
Judy didn't answer right away. Instead she looked out the main viewport and Don knew that something was on her mind.
"Judy? What's wrong?"
She turned back to him and smiled wanly, "I've been thinking, Don. I don't know if it is such a good idea to read this," she said.
"Why, Judy? Don't you want to know why we went back to Earth?"
"Yes, I do," she said. "But...is it…I mean..."
She shook her head and paused for a moment to collect her thoughts.
"Don, would you rather go to a movie that you had already seen, or one that you hadn't seen, and you were really excited about?"
"The one I hadn't seen," said Don.
"Me too," she agreed. "This book is our life together, all our hopes, all our dreams, and all of those special moments. There is a lot inside here. To be honest with you, I didn't know I could be such a prolific writer. What I'm trying to say, is, the moments are most special because they are transitory. We don't have any preconceived notion or ideas about how our lives will unfold. Our life together is supposed to be two souls on a journey into the unknown. If we read the journal, our lives might end up like watching a movie we have already seen. Some aspects of life are best lived in the moment."
"I think I see your point. So we don't read it."
"It might not be that easy," said Judy. "As it is, we already know too much about our future. What happens if one of us gets sick or injured? I can see us now, running to the journal to see how it works out. The temptation is simply too great."
Don looked down at the console, unsure of what they should do. He really wanted to know why they left for Earth, but Judy had raised some valid points. He wanted their marriage to be exciting, and spontaneous, something that would be impossible if they had a play by play description of the action.
"What do you want to do, Judy?"
"I think we should burn it and burry the ashes with our future selves."
"Are you sure," he asked.
"Yes, I am, and I'd like to do it before our wedding day, if you are feeling up to it."
"All right, as long as it's okay with my doctor. Somehow, I don't think he is going to be too keen on me bouncing around in the chariot for another couple of days."
...
Jarrock and Lana had planed to begin their journey the next morning, but John and Maureen insisted that they stay for the wedding. It really did not take much prodding to convince them.
Later that evening, John and Maureen were sitting at the table admiring the stars. Don and Judy had taken a midnight stroll and everyone else was asleep, or so they thought.
"Mom, Dad? Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"
They turned to the ship and saw Penny coming down the ramp.
"Of course, Penny, please, sit down," said Maureen.
"T'lan told me what happened in the village today," said Penny. "I don't understand. Why can't they make an exception to the rule, just this once? Wasn't saving everyone's lives more important than keeping to a tradition?"
John pondered how to answer his daughter's question. How can I explain it to her, when I don't understand it myself? This was a hard lesson which John and Maureen were still coming to grips with.
"Penny," began John. "If I were to tell you that I completely understood the decision of the council, I'd be lying to you. I don't understand it either. What I can tell you is that you and T'lan were forced to make a very difficult decision, a decision that a young teenage couple should never have had to make. For what it is worth, I agree with you, saving everyone's lives was more important than abiding by tradition. Your mother and I are very proud of you, and T'lan."
"It's just not fair, T'lan's parents did nothing wrong and they are being punished for something that T'lan and I did," said Penny. She was on the verge of tears.
Maureen stood and rounded the table to sit next to her daughter. She took Penny in her arms.
"What isn't fair," said Maureen, "is you feeling guilty for doing the right thing. Sometimes, life puts choices in our path that are going to cause pain regardless of what decision we make. This was one of those choices, and both of you are going to have to make your peace with it."
"I know," said Penny. She was still tearing, but had managed to keep herself from breaking down. "Dad, would it be all right with you if I talk with Mom for a few minutes?"
"Of course, sweetheart," said her father. "I'll be in our cabin, Maureen."
John kissed his wife and his daughter goodnight and strolled up the ramp into the ship.
"All right, dear, what is on your mind?" asked Maureen, once they were alone.
"Last week, you asked me how I felt about the Lamotia custom of being married at sixteen."
"I remember that you said that you weren't ready. Have you changed your mind?"
"Mom, you and Dad experienced the joining for yourselves, so I don't have to explain what it is like. All of the confusion I had last week, disappeared when T'lan and I met in our minds. I now know that I love him."
Maureen knew that this was going to be the other consequence of the joining. In her heart, she knew that there was no force in the universe that could come between two people who had given themselves in this fashion, but her motherly instincts were still getting in the way of reason.
"I'm going to be honest with you, Penny. I still believe that sixteen is far too young for you to be married, even knowing that you do love each other."
Maureen paused to collect her thoughts, "Marriage is a very serious commitment, dear, and it isn't something you should jump into without giving yourselves time to grow as a couple. Look at Don and Judy…"
"If I was Judy, I would have married Don before we left Earth," interjected Penny. "Why did you and Dad give Don such a hard time?"
Maureen was taken back slightly, not expecting her daughter to be so forthright. But she knew that Penny was not questioning her judgment, but looking for understanding and she held her temper.
"It's a fair question," said Maureen, allowing herself to calm down. "Your father and I didn't care for Don, at first. He was much older than Judy and he had a reputation as a…well…let's just say that everyone thought he moved to quickly."
"It's less than five years, Mom. And you didn't really believe all that stuff about him, did you?"
"At the time, your father and I weren't sure. It took us a while to warm up to him, and to the idea of Judy dating a man so much older. Five years at their age was quite significant. But we didn't realize how committed they were to each other. I'm thankful that Don and Judy waited to get married. I think they will have a stronger marriage because of it."
"Are you worried that T'lan is not committed to me?" asked Penny.
"No, dear, I do believe that you are committed to each other, and in case you haven't noticed, I like him, very much."
"Yes, I have noticed, and I appreciate it. It means a lot to me."
"Penny, you have ten months before you turn sixteen. By T'lan's customs, you can't be married at least until then. That gives us all some time to see where things go. Besides, your father is still trying to come to grips with losing Judy. Right now would not be a good time to discuss this with him."
"Mom, Judy is almost twenty three…"
"It doesn't matter how old she is," interjected Maureen. "Your father has always been her provider, and protector. And now he has to hand that role off to another man. It's a hard pill to swallow, Penny. When you and T'lan have children of your own, you'll understand."
Penny saw Don and Judy retuning from their walk, "I'd better get to bed, thanks for talking with me, Mom."
"Good night, dear. We can finish discussing this later."
...
As she walked into the ship, Penny considered what her mother had shared with her. While she had hoped to get a more definitive answer, at least the door was still open for discussion.