It was shortly after noon, the sun was warm, the sky was cloudless and there was a complete lack of wind. The whole scene was like something out of a fairy tale. Thanks to the absence of clouds, the sun's rays had no problem reaching the ground and embracing everything in their path. From the crowns of strange trees of different color combinations to the smallest blades of grass. From birds with curved beaks and long feathers to spiny mouse lizards hiding from the warm rays in the small bushes growing all around. The rays fell on the local fauna, and flora, and even on small dug-out holes, indicating that some plants had recently grown there but had been dug up. They fell on the still-glowing embers in the campfire and on trampled tracks all around it. They also landed on two large objects which, not only in size but also in color, simply did not fit in with the local scenery, and of which there would soon be nothing left but a trace in the ground. Just a passing memory, soon to be washed away by the rain and quickly forgotten by this planet.
"The main systems are within the norm, the secondary systems have only a small deviation. Don, what about fuel?" John asked, watching the screen in front of him. The pilot's chair allowed him to transfer all the information to his console, but he preferred to be able to focus only on a few things. Plus, it was better to have other heads to check. Four eyes see more than one, he thought.
"Pressure and temperature are fine, the fuel pipes aren't leaking, and I don't smell fire whiskey," Don, sitting behind him, replied, taking a few more breaths through his nose. "No, no whiskey."
"Fire whiskey?" Maureen asked from her copilot's position, glancing with amusement at the mechanic sitting to her left. Don grinned at her and pointed a finger at his nose.
"The adulterant in the fuel sometimes reminds me of whiskey I used to smug... I mean, resell in Rio de Janeiro," he replied evasively. "It was a new edition that tasted sweet and smelled like a burning campfire. It was in great demand, but the idiots soon stopped making it because it made some people sick."
"I'm not surprised," Maureen, who hated the smell and taste of whiskey, muttered. "Running diagnostics on the support systems," she announced, running a check on her dashboard. There was a brief hiss, several lights flashed, and lights all over the ship turned off and on.
"I see a little surge in the lighting subsystem here, but otherwise good? Can you confirm Maureen?" John looked at his wife.
"Cabin pressure is good, we don't seem to have any holes in the hull, at least for now. The temperature is a comfortable twenty-two degrees and yes, I can see the lighting system is a little weird, but that shouldn't bother us. What about communications, John?"
"Hmm," John grumbled, running a brief diagnostic over the comm system again. "The system is running at one hundred percent, but until we have someone to contact, I won't tell you if it's working."
Maureen laughed. "Well, it's a good thing we're not alone on this planet," she uttered, pressing a button beside her. "This is Jupiter thirteen, Argelo can you hear me?"
There was a brief silence. Maureen frowned, and her husband gave her a surprised look. "Could there be a bug after all?"
"I repeat, this is Jupiter Thirteen. Argelo this is Maureen, do you read us?"
Nothing happened for another five seconds, but then some weird buzzing noise echoed in Jupiter's cabin.
"...ear you... someth... rong... ," Argelo answered her jerkily. But then the interference stopped and he laughed. "Sorry Maureen, yes I can hear you."
John and Don laughed at the stupid joke and Maureen skipped it with a simple "Men."
"Roger, thanks, we're ready to go," she said, leaving the comm channel open.
"Understood, I'll be right behind you as planned," Argelo replied to her.
"Great Argelo, we're starting our final check and that's the crew check," John replied and turned his head back. The door to the HUB, like all the other doors on the ship, was closed so he had to use the internal radio to communicate with the people in the HUB.
*********
"Dear passengers, this is the captain speaking. Please confirm that you are all properly buckled up and ready to leave our destination," came a voice from the internal communicator. Will, Robot, Penny, and Judy were already seated strapped into their chairs around the HUB table, and were just checking the straps of their seat belts again. Will was the only one wearing a spacesuit because although he had a spare one on the ship, it didn't fit any of the others, making safety all the more important for everyone present.
"This is Will, the suit is fine, and the harness as well!"
"This is Judy, I am buckled up as well!"
"This is Penny, something's biting me on the butt, and it's definitely not the safety harness!"
Laughter came from the communicator. "That's only three passengers, what about the rest?" came the voice of the captain. The siblings all looked to the window in the corridor where a metal head was looking back at them. Starpelt waved at them, the lights in her eyes twinkling with amusement.
"I still can't believe that this is the last time we'll see her today," Judy said to her brother. Will looked at Judy and thought for a moment. Although he and Robot had looked everywhere for Starpelt yesterday, she was nowhere to be found. After an hour, however, Starpelt herself appeared in Jupiter and tried again to explain to everyone why she had made that decision. Although they thought it was stupid and rash at first, they eventually admitted that if they were in her shoes, they would probably have done the same thing. John added that they should see this opportunity in as positive a light as possible, which everyone eventually agreed on. The Robinsons had the opportunity to meet an amazing creature and once again be reassured that not everything is as it first appears, because whether you are a human being, a metal robot, or a half-alive mecha-dragon, you can still have an incredibly big heart, a great sense of humor and most importantly the will to protect those you care about. Starpelt got the chance to see the faces of those she loved again and to rekindle her faith and sense that she belonged somewhere.
"Every story has an end," Will replied, his eyes still fixed on the dragoness outside the window, "but the memories will always remain with us."
Judy nodded her head and looked at Penny. Her sister was smiling, oddly enough. Judy frowned, wanting to know why the sudden smile and acceptance of this sad ending, but she was interrupted by her father.
"Hello hello? The captain here, what about our metal passengers? Starpelt? Robot?"
"Starpelt ready..." spoke Robot, returning Starpelt's wave, then checking his safety belt. He still had a feeling that in the event of an accident, his weight wouldn't be supported by those tiny belts anyway, and he would become a dangerous flying object. However, Will had asked him to try to think positively, so Robot kept his negative thoughts to himself and just added: "Ready... Let's rock..."
Everyone around, including the head behind the glass, burst out laughing and the voices on the communicator did the same.
"That's good to hear. On behalf of all our crew, I would like to thank you for choosing Robinson and Co. and I hope you enjoy your trip. Next destination - Alpha Centauri."
With those words, the communicator switched off, leaving everyone present in anticipation.
"Well, good luck to all of us," Judy uttered, looking around at everyone with a smile. Both siblings returned her smile and both metallic passengers gave her a thumbs up. Or at least Robot did, Starpelt's raised claw looked like another one-finger gesture, causing another fit of laughter.
*********
"Do you hear that? They're laughing," Maureen said in a happy tone.
"That's good. A positive attitude is just what we need right now," John uttered, glad that the laughter they heard despite the closed door belonged to everyone. Even Penny's. Whatever had happened last night, Penny was in a better mood today. They all were. Even though two of their friends would be leaving them soon, this was D-Day, the day they would leave this damn planet. Although, he figured, all in all, when we removed the Creators from the equation, this was a nice vacation destination. Even with the increased gravity.
"John?" He realized that this was the second time Maureen had addressed him.
"Ah, sorry, I was just thinking. Okay, I'm ready. And you?"
"I am ready," Maureen replied with a nod.
"Done?"
"We're good to go, Captain, shields are up, photon torpedoes are charged, and warp drive is running at 100%," Don said like a character from his favorite TV show. John chuckled and finally did what he had wanted to do for a long time.
"Starting main engines."
The ship shuddered, and the hum coming from the stern, along with the vibrations, carried through the hull.
"So far so good, John," Don uttered, his tone serious this time.
"Roger, starting secondary engines," John announced, adding power to the maneuvering and takeoff thrusters. The ship immediately lifted off the ground and began a slow ascent.
"Altitude twenty, twenty-five, thirty. Altitude fifty meters. All clear," Maureen reported.
"Except for the metric system," Don complained, "The fuel system's still okay too."
"All right, I think it's TTGTOTDP."
"What...?" Don didn't understand. John just laughed.
"Time to get the hell off this damn planet," he replied to the mechanic as he pushed the lever. Within a second, the engine's power increased tenfold and Jupiter shot into the air. Everything was shaking more than it should, but no warning lights were reporting a malfunction yet, and John just hoped it would stay that way. "Maureen?!"
"Altitude at twelve thousand meters and increasing. Speed is optimal, but the angle is too high, reduce it by three degrees."
"Roger, I'm changing the escape vector," John responded and immediately moved the control lever downward a little. Just to be safe, he increased the speed by ten percent and immediately asked Don for confirmation.
"Fuel at forty percent, no problems so far. Looks li—."
He didn't finish the words as a warning beeping sound echoed through the cabin and several of the lights at Don's console turned red.
"Don, something's wrong!" John yelled, immediately feeling the engines suddenly lacking thrust.
"I know damn it! The fuel supply has stopped!" Don announced and cursed again. He began to check the system and within seconds found the problem. "Damn, how could we have missed this! The new piping is holding, but the system is not rated for that flow rate, and is considered faulty. The supply line has shut off. Within a minute, the fuel in the chamber will be consumed and the engines will shut down!"
"Shit! I'll try to work around it!" Maureen yelled, her heart racing. She glanced at the speedometer and cursed again.
"Who the hell invented that stupid safety mechanism!" John cursed, slamming the console angrily. "Maureen, Do I have to remind you that if we lose the engines..."
"I bloody know, John! Hold on!" She yelled angrily, trying to quickly order the system to override the security measures.
John could see the system showing him the expected change in the ship's direction after the engines burned what little fuel was still in the combustion chamber and knew that within a minute she would no longer be flying upwards but downwards.
"Ah, why can't there be at least one day with-"
"John, shut down engines on my command!" Argelo said over the radio. Maureen gave John an uncomprehending look for a second but then continued to focus on her problem.
"What?! If I shut down the engines completely we are going to lo-"
"That was order John, so follow it!" Argelo yelled at him from the radio in a tone that immediately awakened John's military discipline. He trusted Argelo, even if he didn't know what he was up to.
"Ok, I am ready!"
"Three... two... one... now!" Argelo yelled, and at the same moment, John shut down the main engines completely. The ship's systems immediately detected a possible threat and a woman's voice echoed through the cabin.
...Increase speed, risk of stall, Increase speed, risk of stall...
"Now she notices something is not right?!" Don yelled.
But before the woman's voice, which had a typically British accent, could repeat it a third time, there was a muffled crash and Jupiter shook.
"I got you, just keep engines running and hang on!" announced Argelo again, and in the next second everyone on the ship felt the ship's speed picking up again.
"That bastard is pushing us!" Don couldn't believe his eyes.
"That bastard is saving us!" John corrected him, watching the altimeter spin like crazy. "Thirty thousand, forty thousand, fifty thousand meters. Damn, that's strong!" He uttered through gritted teeth, feeling the centrifugal force push him back into his chair.
"Twenty more seconds!" Maureen uttered, and it was obvious from her voice that even she was having trouble breathing at that speed, let alone moving her arms to finish bridging the system.
"Ten seconds!" John shouted, seeing the blue sky in front of him gradually fade more and more before finally disappearing completely. It was replaced by a deep black color with millions of bright dots, and at the same moment they heard the screech of metal, followed by absolute silence.
"I think you can handle it from here," Argelo announced, his tone calm again.
"Yes, I think so," John responded, looking at Maureen. She took several deep breaths and when she finally caught her breath, she started the program with a few commands. The lights at Don's console immediately changed colors to yellow and then green. John didn't wait for Don's confirmation and reactivated the main engines.
"Holy molly that was close," Don sighed in relief and looked at Maureen. "That colored ball wasn't going to let go of us huh?"
Maureen laughed at this stupid joke too after the sudden shot of adrenaline. "Yeah, the planet seems to have taken a liking to us," she replied, watching through the window as an Artesian fighter jet flew by in front of them.
"That was close, thank you Argelo."
"No problem, is everything alright now?"
Maureen did a brief analysis of the navigation and propulsion system. No issues. Of course, now that they're out of harm's way, everything's fine, typical.
"Everything's fine. We've reached a stable orbit and I don't think we're in any danger," she replied, preferring to tap the instrument panel a few times.
"How about you? Everything okay?" John asked Argelo.
"I am ok, but I have to check the ship again when we land, just to be sure. It is not built for hauling space junk."
"Penny," both parents explained Argelo's joke.
"I see, does that mean we're still following our plan?" John asked after a moment.
"Yes," Argelo replied briefly.
The plan that they had devised and that they had all agreed on had only been devised in the morning. It was clear that once the Robinsons got back to Alpha Centauri, they were going to be in trouble. Not only had they disobeyed orders, stolen an experimental ship and endangered several personnel in their race with the Chariots, but they had destroyed this experimental ship equipped with a single working interstellar drive. When they land, they're going to be in trouble, and big trouble. Argelo however, came up with a solution, suggesting he could help them land undetected.
According to him, the cloaking field could also be extended around Jupiter, thus avoiding any tracking devices that the human colony has. This would give them time to rest and prepare at least a little for the inevitable punishment, and in turn give Argelo time to do the necessary tests before engaging and using the fighter's interstellar drive. As he said, he wants to start to look for his brothers as soon as possible and he doesn't have both time and interest to get acquainted or explain to the other human beings who he is and what he is doing here.
"Great, we're moving on to step two then, I'll let you know as soon as we're ready."
"Roger that. I am waiting."
Once Maureen was satisfied that the artificial gravity was working as it should, she and Don rechecked the entire ship and performed stress tests while John made sure that the rest of the ship's crew was unharmed and uninjured. Surprisingly, except from some deep scratches on the corridor walls that Starpelt created when she was tenaciously tried to hold using her claws to keep from flying around, all was well. Though Penny kept going on and on about how the straps were holding her tighter than she would have liked without her suit, but as John knew, as long as Penny kept complaining, everything was fine.
"We're ready John," Maureen's voice came over the internal radio.
John glanced towards the largest Robinson. "It's up to you big guy, this is your ship."
Robot made a weird salute and made his way to his engine, which was lying in the engine room of the ship. He paused for a moment in the corridor, Starpelt standing before him, a movement in her eyes that he didn't recognize.
"What are you thinking about?" He asked her through the bond. She took a moment, probably thinking about the answer, but finally answered anyway.
"I'm going to miss you. Again."
"You can still change your mind."
"You know why I can't. I have t-"
"I know," Robot interrupted her thoughts. He walked over to her and touched her cheek. To the robots, this gesture was meaningless and illogical, but Robot knew how much the organics valued physical touch. He knew how much Will sometimes craved it, and he had to admit that even he understood the significance of such a gesture. "I am not happy, but I understand."
Starpelt reduced the glow in her pupils to mimic the closing of her eyelids and put her head against his metal palm. When she finally let it go, Robot was still standing, staring at her. It was obvious he was nervous.
"What?" She asked him silently.
"Robot? Is there a problem?" Maureen's voice came again from the ship.
"No problem... hold on Maureen Robinson..."
"Um, okay, we're waiting."
Starpelt nodded towards Engineering and escorted him inside.
"So, what's going on?"
Robot knelt down to his engine and with a quick command ordered a readiness test. The engine flashed a few times for a second and then announced the end of the test with a quiet buzz. A successful test. Then, when he commanded the engine to create a link to the ship and small tendrils began to slither out of the engine, he glanced at Starpelt.
"In your world..."
"Yes?
Robot hesitated for a moment. The engine connected with the first systems and began synchronization. "They are dead in your world," he announced, gesturing with his hand to where the Robinsons were waiting for the engine to be fully ready. Starpelt nodded but remained silent, knowing that wasn't the whole question.
"They are dead, but where am I? I know you do not want to tell us more about this, but I need to know this. Did I leave you, did I do something wrong?"
It was a stupid behaviour he picked up from people, but suddenly he felt a twinge of guilt inside his core. Would the other Robot really do that? Was he like me? What would drive me to do this? These and similar thoughts had been running through his mind for the past few days, and he just couldn't let Starpelt go without knowing the answer.
The engine hooked up to other hardware and Robot knew those were navigation systems. The engine was currently detecting their position in space and calibrating its internal guidance.
"Is that what's bothering you?" Starpelt spoke aloud, looking up at his bowed head. Robot nodded. "Oh, Robot. You're the same here as you were there. In fact... you still are there."
"Still...?" He uttered aloud as well.
"Yes, you still are. I... I don't want to talk about what happened, let's just say I'm afraid of bringing one of the possible futures. You don't need to know exactly what happened, but what you should know is that you have never left me, you've always been by my side, and I know you will be again, even if our paths parted there for a while."
Robot grumbled in an approving but not entirely satisfied tone.
"Please don't think about it anymore, okay? Just trust me."
She put her paw on his shoulder and rested her head against his.
"Time to get them home," she uttered and he nodded again. Jupiter began to hum and the lights on the ship flickered. A sign that the engine was connected properly. But after a few blinks, the lights went out completely and he wondered. Could there be a problem?
"Relax Robot, I turned off the lights. It was annoying," John announced over the intercom. Robot was relieved.
"Typical John," Starpelt quipped and walked Robot to the cockpit where the family was already waiting.
**********
"A whole family looking out the window of the Jupiter, waiting for a rift in space, um, that reminds me of something," Penny said with fake fear. They all looked at her.
"Hey, stop with those silly jokes, I think this chapter was scary enough," Judy responded, smiling at the metal dragoness. Starpelt returned her smile with a flick of lights in her eyelids, but otherwise remained seated by Will, who was standing in the back. The cockpit of the ship wasn't small, but with so many people, Robot and the massive dragoness, it was still rather cramped in here.
"Okay ladies and gentlemen, it is time to end our vacation," John announced with his head turned to the rest of the family. He then looked ahead and moved the control stick slightly to the side. The ship turned and a blue-green planet appeared before them.
"The planet doesn't look so dangerous from this height," Don admitted. Maureen joined in.
"No it doesn't, but I'll be glad if we never come back here again."
Everyone responded to that sentence with unanimous agreement.
"So, what now? Shouldn't Robot be at the engine and use it to open the rift?" Judy asked, running her gaze over the others. Although Will and Robot had been going on expeditions for some time, no one had ever flown with them, so they all assumed that, just as in the past, Robot had to be at the engine to select their destination.
"Well," Will began, an amused smile appearing on his face, "You know, Robot and I wanted to spice things up a bit, so we tweaked the process a while back."
"Spice things up? Tweaked?" John didn't understand.
"Improved process... no need for presence... engine linked..." announced Robot, glancing at Will, who just motioned with his hand for him to continue.
Robot felt a wave of joy and amusement spread through his bond with Will and Starpelt that began to affect himself.
"What are you laughing at, buddy?" Don asked with a grin, noticing like the others the joyful twinkle of lights in Robot's face. Robot, however, did not answer him. He was preparing himself for what Will used to call an epic moment. He stood in the middle of the room and looked at Will again. Will nodded at him again.
"Argelo I don't know what's going to happen here, but be ready, I have a feeling we'll be on our way soon."
"Understood," Argelo replied to John. But the latter was no longer paying attention to the answer as he watched Robot with amusement.
"Captain... what destination...?"
"Set a course for Alpha Centauri, Navigation Officer," Will replied, his face grave and his hands clasped behind his back.
"Aye Captain... setting course..." Robot spoke, spreading his arms. Suddenly, a small ball of light appeared in the room, and within a second, it had enlarged enough for everyone to see that it was a holographic representation of the Milky Way.
"But... how?" Don didn't understand, his eyes searching Maureen's for an answer. Fortunately, she was more observant than he was, looking for where the light beams creating the projection were coming from. She soon noticed that in several dozen places small wires were silently crawling up the cockpit wall, sending light into the center of the room. Don followed her gaze and it dawned on him immediately. The wires from the alien engine.
Robot reached into the space in the middle of the holo-sphere with his right hand and spread his palm. The space where Robot reached got bigger and zoomed in. Robot reached in again with his hand and enlarged it again. He did this a few more times before a projection of familiar colorful ball appeared in front of everyone.
"Alpha Centauri," Penny uttered, but her father silenced her with his hand. He was obviously enjoying this scene. Robot tapped a finger on a spot just beside the planet and with a few motions he set a course in a language they didn't understand.
"Course set Captain..."
"Crew, this is the Captain speaking, prepare for hyper speed," Will spoke into the small computer on his forearm, ignoring the amused looks from everyone present, then looked at Robot. "Officer, take us to Alpha Centauri, enter hyperspace."
"Aye Captain... opening hyperspace window... three two one..." Robot uttered the learned phrase, pointing both hands in front of him. There was a flash in front of the ship and the motionless blackness of space immediately began to warp in on itself. A moment later, there was a quiet rumbling below them.
"Ships connected, cloaking active," Argelo's voice spoke. Robot waited for nothing and jerked its outstretched arms towards itself.
"Jump..."
Within another second, the rift flashed and there was no sign of the two ships.
*********
When the Jupiter returned to normal space, the planet they all knew was spinning in front of them. In front of them was home. Alpha Centauri.
John suddenly sat down in the pilot's seat again and, as unobtrusively as possible, checked something on the radar. After a moment, he sighed and looked at Robot with relief. They were lucky that even though Robot was playing Will's play perfectly, he still knew what he was doing. While the network of satellites orbiting the planet was officially considered a network of surveillance satellites, several insiders, including John and Maureen, knew of its secondary purpose. The hundreds of satellites in a pre-set grid around the planet were meant to serve as the planet's primary defense in the event of an attack, and if Robot didn't know the true purpose of these satellites and jumped right in between them, it could have been disastrous. John noticed his wife's bemused look and figured that she too had completely forgotten about this and was visibly relieved.
"We're home guys," Don said, smiling at everyone around him.
"Looks..." Starpelt uttered, pushing her way to the front among the others. "Looks just like... my home," she added in a sad tone.
"It could still be your home," a voice beside her spoke. Will stroked her head and smiled.
"And always will be," Maureen added, glancing at her husband, who confirmed her words without thinking.
"That's just in case you decide to change your mind sometime in the future."
"Thank you Maureen, thank you John. This really means a lot to me," the dragoness announced to them, rubbing her face into Will's hands again.
"But nothing changes, does it?" Judy asked even though she knew the answer. Starpelt looked at her briefly, then looked at the planet in front of her and replied softly, "No Judy, nothing changes."
There was a silence in which the slight hum of Jupiter suddenly seemed like the deafening whir of machinery.
"Everything fine Robinsons?" A voice in the cabin ended the silence. Penny smiled at hearing it.
"Oh I almost forget!" John realized and switched the screen to tracking and communication mode. He watched the readings for a few seconds, but finally sighed. "They can't see us. I mean, I don't think they can see us."
Maureen and Don both checked the readings from their stations as well, but only confirmed John's claim.
"Yes Argelo, everything is fine, I don't think they know about us," John replied to Argelo. An amused laugh came from the radio.
"Do not doubt it John. Nobody can see us now. Not even those weird space min-"
"Yeah yeah yeah, we know Argelo, thanks!" John interrupted promptly, trying to act like there was no reason for it. Luckily for them Argelo could read between the lines.
"As I was going to say, we should be fine. Though the same cannot be said for the rift you have created. Even blind person could see that one," Argelo uttered with humor. Everyone turned to Penny.
"When are you going to stop teaching him those lines?" Maureen quipped, laughing. "You're right Argelo, but there's nothing we can do about it."
"All right kids, sit back in your seats. We're going in for a landing," John commanded, buckling his seatbelt. Argelo had warned them earlier that even with the cloaking field around them, they were only protected from electronic and visual surveillance. However, unlike the Artesian fighter, the noise and temperature of the Jupiter's engines could not be masked by the field, so it would be better to keep the engines off for as long as possible and simply let the planet's gravity pull the ship along for the first half of the way. An Argelo's fighter mounted on the underside of their hull will then serve as their temporary engine, guiding them on a predetermined route until they are sure the engines can be turned back on.
When John was satisfied that the family was in place and ready to land, he closed the entire ship again and checked all the systems again.
"Relax John, everything is working as it should. Fuel is fine, pressure is fine, everything is..."
"Fine?" John finished for Don, who just gave him a thumbs up.
"Don it's always fine until it stops being fine and then... ," John didn't miss the opportunity to relieve his inner realist.
"I agree, we better be sure," Maureen added to her husband, checking all the systems as well. "I confirm Don's words, we're ready."
"Argelo we are ready. You can guide us to the planet. Do you still have the coordinates?"
"Yes, John, I do."
"And keep us as far away from the mines as possible," Don muttered quietly to himself, but loud enough to be overheard.
John and Maureen turned in surprise at the mechanic sitting in the cockpit with them and ignored Argelo's confirmation on radio.
"Don?" Maureen didn't understand. Don turned to her with a smile on his face.
"Yes Maureen?"
Maureen got one of those rare puzzled and uncomprehending looks on her face. Penny liked to call it the I see a ghost face.
"How do you know about that?"
Don just laughed and turned back to his screen.
"I've been a smug... well, I mean dealer in rare goods long enough Maureen, trust me, something like the dozens of crates with a black and yellow emblem on the side stationed in secret compartments on Solidarity won't escape me. I helped build that ship remember?"
The Jupiter shuddered again as the Artesian's engines began to slowly move it towards the planet.
"Don this is top secret military information," John sneered, his face showing no hint of humor. Very few people really knew about this information and Don was definitely not one of them. If it was discovered that he knew about this, he could be in trouble.
"Relax John," the mechanic assured him with a look, "I'm not stupid. I only mentioned it now to tease you, I haven't told anyone and I won't tell anyone. And certainly not to those three in the back," he pointed his thumb at the closed cockpit door.
John looked at his wife and she just shrugged. What choice did they have but to trust that Don wouldn't do such a stupid thing.
"Entering atmosphere in few seconds John," Argelo spoke up and both ships turned to the angle of re-entry.
The first few minutes were a new but unpleasant experience for John. He had no trouble passing through the atmosphere or landing, but the problem was that most of the time he or someone else was piloting the ship. Here he had only to watch as their ship went down with the engines off. Of course, the ship wasn't falling, but it was being controlled by a fighter mounted on the bottom of their ship, but Jupiter didn't know that, so all the while the ship was sounding warning signals of an impending crash. It took a lot of work to instinctively not take the control stick in hand and turn on the main engines, but John knew Argelo was experienced enough to know what he was doing. Everyone on the ship trusted him.
A few seconds later, Jupiter finally broke through the clouds and they saw the familiar landmarks. Maureen couldn't stand it, unbuckled her seatbelt and walked over to her husband. Moments later they were joined by the others who knew the moment the vibrations ceased that the reentry had been successful.
"I can't believe we're home," Maureen uttered, grabbing her daughters around the shoulders.
"It seems like forever since I was last here," Will spoke up, glancing at Starpelt sitting next to him. She paid him no mind, watching the place she probably knew so well with wonder in her eyes. Robot could feel what was going through her mind and marveled at the pleasant feelings Starpelt was currently experiencing. The Jupiter descended a moment longer, but just above the ground Argelo leveled off and handed the controls to John.
"So this is Alpha Centauri?" Argelo spoke, satisfaction evident in his voice. John couldn't help smiling. The green forests where they used to go mushroom picking, the mountains he and his friends liked to climb, and the beautiful bodies of water he and Maureen swam in over the summer were all running away beneath them, and he knew everything would be all right now. Whatever had happened, whatever horrors they had experienced, it was gone.
"This is Alpha Centauri," he said, looking at his family, "this is our home."