The Kavalarian ship floated through space searching for the ship that had been fabled to hail from Earth. It was remarkable to hear that a small collection of people were responsible for the fate of the Bxellis. Their vessel was a small ship in all respects compared to the Jupiter 2 in size and length. The Kavalarian ship was full of fifty-five people inside consisting of the most elite trained hunting retrieval specialists. People who were only sent out for the most challenging missions. This was one of them.

If a small family could be responsible for the loss of a thousand lives then what else could they be capable of? A question that persisted through the ship. A question that bothered many of the company headed for the Robinsons and Tauron Headquarters. A question that select few could answer in detail. The queen sent little to aid in the capture of the family instead of a entire army that could be laid to waste.

"Is it true about the creature producing all those eggs?" Mozor asked, peering out the port hole, quite worried.

"For the last time," Bazoon spoke up with a roll of their eyes. "Mozor, it is."

"Why did they send us if its a biohazard?" Mozor asked. "They should have sent the Galactic Centers for Disease Control."

"This creature is armored," Bazoon said. "It has been said to be difficult to be taken down."

"Yes, but why isn't there a elite medical staff with weapons to help take down this creature?" Mozor asked.

"Doctors are supposed to heal and care for their patients," Bazoon said. "Only do harm when the patient has given their consent to it."

"Right," Mozor said. "It all doesn't matter when this is a wanted serial murder and terrorist."

"Doesn't count as a patient because this is a monster," Bazoon said. "Laying all those eggs and allowing them to hatch. . ."

"Now you just hold a minute," Mozor said. "He doesn't know how to operate the console of the ship."

"What are you suggesting?" Bazoon said.

"That he is perfectly sane and manipulated the sole survivor to tow the ship into the sun," Mozor said.

"You have lost your neutron stars," Bazoon said.

"No, have I not," Mozor said.

"If he were sane then this would make this mission the even more terrifying!"

A member of the retrieval team came between the two abruptly putting both hands on the side of their shoulders and smiled, "Missions are supposed to be that way, soldiers."

"C-c-c-c-c-Commander Nahaghty!" The two Kavalarian's stood up.

"I didn't-" Mozor said.

"What brings you here?" Bazoon asked.

"I do this every mission, as if it could be my last, because it just could very well be," Nahaghty said. "And I like to tell you two that none of us may make it out. If you have any affairs to have put in order, I like you to go to the recording studio and get them settled. You are the last people I have to tell this. We are a few minutes away from the mission being executed." he looked toward the officers. "Do you?"

"No sir," Mozor and Bazoon replied.

"These are Earthlings," Bazoon said. "Can't be remotely dangerous."

"With a extremely dangerous creature aboard their ship that is loyal to them,"

"The survivors say that he appeared after the abduction of several members and stowed aboard," Nahaghty said. "The service needs you to be prepared."

"We will," Bazoon assured.

"Good," Nahaghty said. "This starship that we are to invade will be wider than any other ship you have been in so you will have a lot of room to secure and remain in while the front line handles the rest." He looked from member to member. "The front line will hold the bridge. You and your troop remain back in the ship as back up while the crew neutralizes and captures Doctor Smith. Just in case we lose members to this mission."

"Is that it?" Bazoon asked.

"Yes," Nahaghty said.

"Anything else, Commander?" Bazoon asked.

"Make sure the other members of the family do not go for the bridge, in the event of this contingency having to be done, that is all you need to do from then. You may rough house with them, hurt them, but you must not absolutely cause any severe harm to them. They have no part in the actions facilitated by the ailing creature, understand?"

"Si," The officers replied.

"Wait in the back and follow the rest of your colleagues to the lower decks," Nahaghty said as the ship smoothly jolted back. Nahaghty's pink coated antennas turned - as did he- toward the direction of the front half of the ship. "Time to make some doughnuts."

The commander slipped through the crowd heading toward the front half of the ship. From outside of the ship was silence that carried over the conjoined spacecrafts. The Robinsons were awakened by the sound of Robot's alarming announcement. The second half of the crew bolted through the corridor to the lower deck. In a matter of seconds, the Robinsons were forced to remain on the residential deck when the second half of the crew formed a wall barring them from entering the hallway. Don and John's laser pistols were shot out of their hands then confiscated.

Don was forced to crash down to the ground landing to his side. The space corps pilot wiped off the blood from the corner of his mouth as he was surrounded by Judy and Penny helping him up moving him away from the officers closer to the ladders. John and Maureen were set side by side, worried, but quite tense. Maureen's eyes shifted toward the ceiling then toward John quite terrified. John squeezed her hands in reassurance and comfort. A part of was thinking how to turn the situation into their favor.

Only a matter of seconds could undo what had began to happen only a minute ago. The confusion and worry in the room was enough to make the entire crew feel as though they were in the middle of a war zone instead of in their home. The young boy from the bridge was holding on to his shoulder leaning against the chair being man handled by two of the officers. Robot's defense pack was discarded on the floor, lying in wait to be put back on once more. The commander looked from officer to officer of the squad then stepped forward toward Smith's freezing tube.

"No!" Will shouted. Will bolted toward the stasis tube then wedged himself between the closed tube and the commander. "Don't!"

The commander turned in the direction of the child.

"I have orders from the queen to awaken him and taken him into custody," Nahaghty said. "It's a must do."

"This isn't what you want," Will protested.

"Oh, why not?" Nahaghty asked.

"He will eat you," Will said with a heaviness and bluntness that initially threw the commander off.

Nahaghty laughed, loudly, rich with amusement.

"He is not a cannibal," Nahaghty said. "Our records indicate such lengths are incredibly rare for Earthlings and only done out of a act of survival."

"Doctor Smith was a Earth man of many things but . . . The creature who went inside may not be the same person anymore!" Will shook his head. "You don't want to be eaten alive? Now do you?" the commander frowned upon the child. "I saw him eating a live rat before we had to put him in the-"

"Whole?"

"Three bites!"

"You mean four, right?"

"No, THREE!" Will held up three of his fingers. "And he can do the same to you if he sees you here instead of my folks," his hand blocked the view of the button. "Listen to me." Will plead, relentlessly. "Please!" He looked into the visor of the Kavalarian. "Doctor Smith is in a very delicate position right now."

Nahaghty looked up toward the resting Earth man in stasis then down toward the child.

"As is your family," Nahagthy said.

"I am not moving!"

"If you care about yourself then you will do what is necessary,"

"If you care about your life and your mission," Will began. "then you will get a freezing booth and get him into there immediately after stepping foot."

"We are not allowed to do that," Nahaghty said, irritable.

"Then I am not moving." Will said.

A loud high pitch shrieking echoed from below the decks that sounded eerily of a creature not accustomed to being in a tin can. The door to the other half was opened then the metal space bats flew on out stirring chaos. Will ducked his head as members of the crew began to fire at the creatures. John and Don came up the ladders, with their figures lowered, firing on the members of the Kavalarians.

The men were crouched down once out of the hole leading down to the lower deck. In a minute the bats had fled and thirteen of the members were down. As situation was in the Robinsons's quest for Alpha Centauri, seconds were a prized commodity not only minutes, hours, days, weeks, and years. A far precious matter that meant everything to them.

The commander, in the firefight between the bats, grabbed a fistful of Will's shirt digging into his skin that hurt the child in ways that couldn't be measured but ways that could draw blood. In the next second, Nahaghty smacked Will to the ground rather hard enough to knock him out sending him to the floor with a thud. John's heart leaped into his throat as he instinctively leaped toward the commander only seeing blood in his eyes, shouting, "Will!"

Mozor was the one who fired the warning shots that knocked the Professor down and the other members of the reinforcements fired upon West in a short exchange of fire. The professor landed to his side unconscious. Don was partially covered by the astronavigator with the laser pistol still in his hand. The unconscious men had little care to the events around them. The commander turned away from the carnage then pressed on the side of the freezing tube.

The freezing tube glowed golden from the inside then gold smoke fell out of the tube unexpectedly in a matter of five seconds. Smith got a lay of the situation observing the fallen men and the child on the floor. Anger replaced his confusion and concern as a single desire burned through him. He observed the minds of the remaining Robinsons and the unrelated crew setting them apart from the others. The officers were coughing from the bridge of the ship.

When the smoke cleared, a hooded tall figure stepped off the platform to the freezing tube. The total darkness contrasting against the brightness of the bridge consisting of gray colors, yellow, and brown. The figure's general color scheme and soreness could easily be compared to being Death incarnate themselves. Silence hung in the air. He withdrew the hood then his head to reveal the quite alien face that caused the officers to step back. A heaviness that wasn't there before hung in the air. It was Nahaghty who fired the first phaser blast that was joined by the other members of the crew. One by one they dropped like flies with a simple long stare and thuds one by one except for Mozor and Bazoon. The silence returned.

"You have a escape pod, yes?"

Smith extended his head toward them.

"Yes,"

"Tell your queen that she will not find me with the Robinsons after today," he held his index finger and thumb together, his eyebrow ridges hunched together, staring upon them unphased by their terrified demeanor. "Compish?"

"Yes, sir."

His head retreated to being shielded by the long hood.

"Go to the escape pod before I eat you, too,"

"You wouldn't eat them!"

Smith grabbed the fallen commander by the fist raising himself up then stared down upon them.

"How about you watch, gentlemen!" He grew a wide sinister smile in response to their candidacy. "I insist" He clawed off the man's articles of clothing as the officers whimpered clinging on to each other. "And I eat my morning meal."

Smith rightened his jaw then lowered it down deeply revealing the fangs lining his mouth including down his throat. The officers screamed as Smith bit off the commander's hand then swallowed it whole. Smith took another bite up to the man's elbow, chewed, swallowed then took a chunk out of the man's shoulder.

The officers's fled as Smith began to down the second arm one bite at a time leaving him behind to finish his meal. Smith burped and a piece of a jawbone landed to the floor. He picked up the piece then began to file through his teeth cleaning out the flesh stuck between then ate the bone.

////////////////////////////////

The silence from the bridge became unsettling for Maureen. Judy and Penny held their laser pistols in the direction of the fallen officers, either knocked out or dead, congregated in the center of the bridge. A part of Maureen was tempted to go up the ship through the passage way but a part cautioned her on carrying out the temptation. The door to the hallway opened with Smith under his illusion with John's arm on his shoulder then slid him into her arms.

"How are they?" Maureen asked.

"Not good but alive, Madame," Smith shook his head.

"Judy, Penny, help your father into his cabin," Maureen said.

"Yes, mother," The younger women guided John away.

"Would you like them to see all the corpses up there?"

"No," Maureen said. "Bring them down the same way you did for John. We have seen enough corpses today."

Smith scanned the floor.

"And the others?" Smith asked.

"Any help will do," Maureen said. "Leave the alive ones to us."

"As you like." Smith walked away.

"Doctor Smith . . ." Maureen started.

"Yes, Doctor Robinson?"

"Are you hurt?" Maureen stepped forward toward him reaching a hand out for his elbow.

"Phaser burns is all. No gun shots, fortunately," Smith waved his hand reassuringly then smiled back and gently put his hand on to her hand. "I really welcome your concern."

Then he walked into the hallway and the door closed behind him.