CHAPTER 2

Captain's Log: Stardate 3632.1

Lieutenant Sulu reporting:

Shortly after we concluded our scheduled rendezvous with the Tholian merchant ship, Penurious, ship's scanners picked up a small, interplanetary-type vessel. The craft was identified as the Jupiter 2, a long-lost, sleeper ship launched from Earth in the late twentieth century. Captain Kirk, First Officer Spock, Doctor McCoy and Lieutenant Commander Scott are now aboard the vessel in an attempt to revive the crew.

Having received orders from the captain, with the Jupiter in tow, we are now engaged in pursuit of the Penurious. Captain Kirk suspects the Tholian rum has been tampered with. Beats me what's going on.

********

Sulu switched off the Captain's Log and stretched back into the command chair. Gosh, I didn't realize how many neat buttons were on this chair, he thought as he caressed both its arms. As he did, he accidentally fingered a small toggle hidden beneath the right arm. Yeoman Rand's voice whispered into Sulu's ear from somewhere inside the captain's headrest: "Why Captain, buzzing so early? You frisky devil. Let's make it your place this time."

Sulu was mentally welding the idea of extortion with a brief visit to the captain's quarters when the Tholian ship appeared on the screen. Everyone on the bridge was staring at him, awaiting his orders as he abandoned his reverie and realized once again that he had the conn. The young helmsman cleared his throat. His face was Horta mess red.

"Uhura, I think you better get the captain."

Uhura opened a channel to the captain's communicator. "Enterprise to Captain Kirk. . . ." No response. Uhura's voice became louder, more urgent. "Enterprise to Captain Kirk, come in please. Acknowledge. . . ." She pulled the receiver from her ear and turned to Sulu in frustration. "I don't understand it. The channel is open. I'm getting a signal from the captain's communicator; he's just not answering.

The speck of light on the center of the screen grew to look more and more like a Tholian ship. "Well it looks like we're on our own." Sulu's smile could have frozen mugato milk. He cracked his knuckles with one quick snap of intertwined fingers.

"Warp 4, Mr. Chekov."

Captain Kirk stood with his hands held high, as did everyone else in the confrontation team. The communicator at his side beeped stubbornly.

"You realize if I don't answer that there'll be a whole security team beaming down here to find out what's happened to us."

The dark-haired man with the laser rifle stood firm. "John, I told you they weren't from Earth. This one's not even speaking English. I say we blast em and get it over with."

"Hold it, Don," replied the tall man stepping gingerly from one of the glass tubes. He rubbed the back of his neck, still groggy from his over-long nap.

"They were doing something to Smith when I woke up." Don gestured toward McCoy with the barrel of his rifle.

Bones was kneeling over the waking body of Doctor Smith. "This man fainted. I'm a doctor. I was just giving him a shot of Masiform-D."

The tall man swaggered as he stepped from the chamber. His head hadn't quite cleared. He groped his way to his wife's tube. The children were already waking around him.

"Maureen, are you all right?"

Professor Robinson helped his wife out of the tube with a tenderness Kirk could not help notice.

"Yes, I'm all right John. Are we at Alpha Centauri?"

"I don't know." Professor Robinson took her arm and led her to the children's chambers. As he did, a line of sight opened between his wife and Spock. She stared at him until her neck craned, then looked worriedly back at her husband.

"I want you to take the children and go over to the weapons cabinet," said Professor Robinson.

"But John, who are these men?"

"That's what I'm about to find out. Now do as I say. Judy, Will, Penny . . . go with your mother."

The young boy stepped out of his tube, rubbing his eyes. He looked up at Spock. "Wow, look at those ears."

"That's not polite, Will," said his mother. "Now come along." She pushed him passed the men of the Enterprise with a nervous, though polite smile toward Mr. Spock.

"But I want to stay here with dad," the boy protested.

"You go with your mother, son," said Professor Robinson compassionately.

"But Dad--"

"Will."

"Yes, sir."

Maureen Robinson corralled her three children and guided them to safety. The two girls, one of them a black-haired adolescent carrying Spock's simian creature, blushed as they passed the men of the Enterprise. The older of the two, a tall and slender blonde, gazed at Captain Kirk. Jim's eyes followed her out. He had almost forgotten that there was someone pointing a laser at him. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Robinson made sure his family was safely out of the room before he began. "My name is John Robinson," he said. "This is the Earth ship the Jupiter 2. Who are you and what do you want?"

The captain stepped forward. "I am James T. Kirk, captain of the Earth ship Enterprise. We--"

"Earth. Did someone say Earth?" The old man lying before McCoy sprang to life.

"Yes, we are also from Earth," continued Kirk. "And it's a good thing we came along when we did. Another month or so and you would have been lost for good. This ship is heading out of the galaxy."

John Robinson smiled as if he had just caught a naughty child with his hand in the cookie jar. "And since when is Alpha Centauri near the edge of the galaxy?"

"Professor Robinson," Spock interrupted. "I assure you, the captain is telling you the truth. Although your destination was indeed Alpha Centauri, the facts cannot be denied. This vessel is approximately 250.765 light years off course. You may not be aware of it, but you, your family and Major West have been in cryogenic sleep for approximately 250 years."

Both men were still laughing when Maureen came back to the bridge. She was carrying two laser pistols. One she handed to her husband, the other she held close to her breast. Robinson gave her a reassuring nod and brushed passed Kirk on his way to the center console. Don waved his rifle, suggesting with a nod that the men clear a path.

"I set the coordinates myself," Robinson said. "This guidance system was in perfect . . . wait a minute . . . these aren't the coordinates that I set. Don, come over here."

Mrs. Robinson mustered a firmer grip on her pistol as Major West regretfully lowered his weapon and walked over to John. He looked first at the guidance system, then flipped through a book of star charts hanging nearby. He placed the charts on the dome and traced intricate lines. "I don't believe it."

"What is it, Don?" asked the Professor.

"According to this we're exactly 250.8 light years off course. We've been asleep for 250 years."

Kirk whispered to the Vulcan first officer. "250.8? You're slipping, Mr. Spock."

"250.765," replied Spock, adamantly. "Obviously, their crude navigational device did not compensate for the ion storm that intercepted the Jupiter 2's preprogrammed flight path approximately 75.432 light years ago." Jim Kirk looked confused.

"As you are well aware, Captain, when I make my calculations, I use all the data at my disposal. While making routine scans of this vessel, I noticed a large area of scorching and pitting on it's starboard side. Ion scorching." He punctuated the statement with a brief, familiar lift of his eyebrow. "From there it was a simple matter of measuring the force needed to scratch the hull, interpolate the speed at which the craft was traveling at the exact point of impact with the storm, and the direction and force of the storm itself. The result: a loss of .35 light years by the time the automatic guidance system could maneuver the ship back on course."

Kirk looked thoroughly annoyed. "And I suppose, Mr. Spock, you're going to tell me that you're an expert on the paths, strengths and velocities of ion storms in this sector of space."

"Not ion storms in general, Captain, but this particular storm, yes."

"Go on, Mr. Spock."

"On Vulcan, the storm is called Pari Fum or Kite Cloud. As a child on Vulcan, I would anticipate the arrival of Pari Fum every ninth season when I would fly a sophisticated radio controlled kite--"

"Flying kites, Mr. Spock?" Jim looked amused.

"It was not a toy, Captain. I was merely an inquisitive child recording the direction, physical and chemical reactions and properties of a natural, possibly destructive, force nearing my home planet."

Jim nodded. "I see. And you're absolutely sure that this ship encountered that very same storm?"

"Captain, every child on Vulcan knows the elliptical pattern of Pari Fum's orbit of the galaxy." What Spock didn't mention was the fact that a little red kite, all broken and burnt, could be seen lodged in the port exhaust of the Jupiter 2. Spock remembered tying the tiny pink bows on the tail himself. He thought it strange, the sensation he experienced, to see his old friend in its present condition.

John Robinson rubbed the back of his neck as he leaned over the navigation console. "I don't understand it. Even if the guidance system malfunctioned, the robot was programmed to wake me at the exact time it should have taken to reach Alpha Centauri."

Don West lowered his rifle. "I understand it perfectly." He turned, facing Maureen and the men of the Enterprise.

"Smith." He yelled louder. "Smith."

A head, presumably attached to the two hands on each of Mrs. Robinson's shoulders, popped out from behind her.

"Yoo hoo."

"Smith, did you touch this console before we took off?"

"Major West, if you are insinuating that I am in anyway responsible for this ship's present predicament, you are very much mistaken."

John Robinson stepped from the console. "If I remember correctly, Smith, when we finally figured out where we were and plotted a course back to Alpha Centauri, you were whining all the way into your sleep tube that we should have set course for Earth. Isn't that right, Smith?"

Doctor Smith was indignant. "Sir, and how do you suppose I would have gotten the coordinates to get us back to Earth?"

"Well obviously you didn't," answered West, "but this has all the ear marks of another Smith screw-up."

"Major. I will not stand here and take this sort of abuse." He snaked his neck around to face Mrs. Robinson. "My dear, sweet lady, tell your husband that I wouldn't jeopardize your family like this."

Maureen pulled the limp wrists off her shoulders and moved away. "John, maybe he's telling the truth. How could he possibly figure out the coordinates for Earth?"

"Perhaps the robot can tell us something. Maureen, bring the children back here." Professor Robinson turned to Kirk on his way to the robot. "It seems I owe you an apology, Captain. So tell me, have we really been sleeping for 250 years?"

Kirk smiled. "No apology necessary. I would have done the same to protect my ship." He offered his hand. "Welcome to the 23rd century."

Robinson shook Kirk's hand then slumped over the leaning torso of the robot. "Two and a half centuries!" He was shaking his head, trying to take it all in when he noticed Spock, perhaps for the first time. He tried not to stare. Jim noticed the reaction.

"This is my first officer, Mr. Spock from the planet Vulcan."

"I am pleased to meet you Professor Robinson," said Spock, "I believe we will have much to talk about."

"You said a mouthful," interrupted Major West.

Mrs. Robinson re-entered the bridge, her three children trailing closely. Captain Kirk had just finished introductions. He turned to welcome the new arrivals.

"I'd like you to meet my wife, Maureen. My son, Will. Daughters, Penny and Judy," said Professor Robinson as he proudly introduced each family member.

Jim's eyes smiled at Judy. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

Will looked at Kirk, at his sister, then back at Kirk in boyhood disgust. Professor Robinson went back to examining the robot.

"No wonder why the robot didn't wake us up; his power pack is missing."

Jim turned to his engineer. "Scotty."

Scott pulled the cartridge from inside his belt. "But, Captain, do ya think it wise

ta have that mechanical beastie up an around? It might try ta barbecue us again."

Jim stood silently, one hand on his hip, the other palm out. Scotty let out a great sigh as he handed him the power pack.

"Ach, I dunnoh, Captain."

Kirk turned to Professor Robinson. "My engineer is afraid that your robot will be as inhospitable as it was when we first arrived." He handed the cartridge to Robinson. John's eyes narrowed as he accepted the pack. He waited for an explanation.

"Your robot attacked us earlier. We were forced to

. . . incapacitate it," Jim said with a diplomatic smile.

Professor Robinson began to think he had apologized to the strangers a little too soon. "The robot doesn't attack unless we, he or this ship is in danger." He raised an eye to each one of the men as he spoke, then looked down to insert the power pack. "Well, we'll find out what's going on soon enough."

He inserted the cartridge. The robot reeled up straight and coiled in its arms, lights twinkled on its front panel, the bubble head snapped to attention. Robinson barely got the first syllable of his first question out of his mouth when the robot berserked. Its snake-like arms flailed. The entire thing rolled about the bridge, flinging its body madly.

"Danger. Danger. Will Robinson, where are you? Warning. Alien intruder. WWWwwwweeeee!" At that, the robot spun around at the mid section, letting its arms fly with the centrifugal force. "Oooh, pretty, pretty Doctor Smith. Kill . . . Crush . . . Destroy. Danger.

Danger . . .."

"Spock. Scotty." Jim pointed out directions. They complied by forming a circle around the crazed robot. Jim pulled out his phaser.

"No . . . don't kill him." Will tried to run to the robot's side. His father held him back. "He didn't do anything."

Jim turned to the boy, keeping one eye on the robot. "Don't worry, son, we won't hurt him." Addressing his men, "set phasers on stun."

McCoy stood outside the circle. He pulled out a hypodermic from his medical kit and measured the proper dosage. Scotty, with legs spread apart, two hands bracing his phaser rifle, flashed his head toward McCoy, to the robot, to McCoy.

"Doctor, have ya lost all control of ya senses. That tin terror's not gonnah set still while ya stick him wit that."

"It's not for him . . . it's for me," replied Bones and he jabbed himself in the upper arm.

Before they could disable it, the Robot stopped on its own accord. It bent forward at the waist, lights out, arms dangling once again. Kirk moved in for a closer look, catching, as he did, the familiar odor of an electrical fire. It was too late to warn anyone. Great billows of black smoke had already begun churning from the shorted circuits of the defunct Robot, filling the ship with toxic fumes.

With one hand over his mouth, the other feeling the way before him, Jim kirk searched blindly for an exit. He stumbled over a body doubled-over and choking and landed face first through a doorway and onto an arced hall floor. Crawling back into the poisonous haze, he dragged the person

to safety.

With the huddled mass now under his arm, Kirk made his way down the corridor then pushed his companion into the small ante room he had discovered off the outer wall. He closed the sliding panel door to the smoke beyond and turned around.

The blonde girl was still choking. Jim picked her up and placed her carefully on the neatly made bed in the corner of the room. With one hand he pulled out his communicator and had the remaining occupants of the Jupiter beamed aboard the Enterprise. With the other, he unbuttoned Judy's blouse, so she could breath better, of course.