Space Family Robinson

Prologue

Luna - Earth's moon - was no longer a lifeless satellite. It had taken millions of money units - the currency used across the Terranean empire - and over a century, but, the government said, humanity had once again triumphed over nature. Now, Luna was a minature Earth, with cities, plants, animals, and suchlike.

The Robinson family was typical of a Lunar family. There was Jashaun Robinson, Aydele Robinson, his wife, Noya Horowitz, Aydele's widowed mother, and Nova Robinson, their daughter.

~~~~

Aydele was busily preparing supper when there was a loud knock at the door. She looked at the clock and frowned. It was too early for Jashaun to be home, and Nova never bothered knocking...

She opened the door to find a policeman. A policeman with her fourteen-year-old daughter in tow. She sighed.

"What has she done now, officer?"

"She was caught sneaking around Space Station 895, ma'am."

"I just wanted to see the spaceships, honest!" Nova said, looking like a four-year-old who had just been told Christmas was cancelled.

Here we go again, Aydele thought resignedly. Nova could not be kept away from spaceships. Never mind that her grandfather had died when one exploded during launch - and he hadn't even been on board. It had nearly cost Jashaun his job, until they were able to prove that they had no control over her.

In the Terranean empire, it was thought bad for a parent to have too much control over a child. The usual result was that parents stood back and let their child do whatever he or she wanted. This meant that children had absolutely no respect for anyone, including the police. So Aydele had very little hope that the lecture the policeman gave Nova, and the lectures she received from the others in the family, would have the slight effect.

~~~~

They did have an effect, but not the desired one. Nova now did her utmost to avoid detection, and was almost always successful.

"Where did we go wrong?" Aydele would wonder on the times she was caught.

"Some day..." Nova would whisper every time she was not as she ran her hand along the side of a rocket ready for launch, "Some day I'm going into space. Just wait and see."

She had no idea how right she was.