There was space laid before the view without any planets but sparkled by stars, comets, asteroids, and space junk that decorated certain small sections of space. A flying space fighter cockpit that was completely open without a pilot came flying by marked in long scars and laser burns decorating its hull. The cockpit window was shattered into a million pieces. The view turned in the direction that the cockpit had came flying out of to display hundreds of circular spaceships taking turns combating against starships of different length and width. Explosions struck the hulls making the lights go out on a deck leaving not a sound behind. The battle was silent and visibly destructive from around the dragonship.

The view swept around the dragonship passing by the drill going on to a exposed deck then traveled through the hall until it came to a complete stop. Two figures were running down the halls but came to a stop and shared a glance with each other. Prentiss grabbed a long cable out of the exposed panel then wrapped it around his waist and handed the other side to Smith. They turned on their life support badges then shared a nod and began their sprint toward the exposed section. Prentiss grabbed a pole that was about to pass them. A large explosion went off behind them. The men jumped at once over the intimidating loud explosion gaining on them.

Smith closed his eyes reaching his hands out for the cable.

Prentiss had the long pole held out with a battle cry.

The vacuum of space yanked them aside out of the explosion's path.

Prentiss dug the pipe into a small crack within the hull over Smith's terrified scream. Smith had his eyes closed with his forehead pressed against the cable, trembling, praying for the good lord to save him. He had been in many dangerous situations before but never quite like this in his military career. Nothing like any alien incidents that he had in the past year.

"I got it, Colonel!" Prentiss shouted.

"Good work, Lieutenant!" Smith replied, holding on to the rope for dear life with big eyes looking around space. "Now bring us in before someone shoots us apart!"

"You are not going to fly away around me," Prentiss said. "On the count of three, reach out and grab anything you can once I swing you toward the deck."

Smith nodded.

"Then what?" Smith asked.

"Help me in," Prentiss said.

Smith tugged himself up clinging on to the cable with a racing heart.

"Swing me, Lieutenant!" Smith called.

Prentiss grabbed on to the cable the swayed it from side to side gaining a momentum against the tug coming out of space. You can do this, Matt! Prentiss reminded himself. With a scream, Prentiss flung the colonel toward the lower rim of the deck. Smith grabbed on to two handle formations standing out from the floor paneling. Smith was kicking his legs from side. He yanked himself forward using the side of the corridor to bring himself up against Prentiss's weight. The colonel panted against the sheer strength of the vacuum of space trying to tug the other weight back inside. Smith grabbed on to a long pole, panting, then walked on bringing the cadet back in to the ship with him.

"Ah!" Prentiss shouted.

Smith came to a stop then turned in the direction of the cadet caught by the edge of the corridor. Smith wrapped the dangling long cable from the wall along his wrist then made his way toward Prentiss's hands. Prentiss was barely holding on to the wall. There was a tug from the wall while Smith grasped forward for the cadet's hand. He yanked once then twice that allowed him to grab hold onto the cadet's hand and brought him completely aboard the deck. Smith helped the man up to his feet moving him away from the open section of the starship. Smith was quick to unwrap the cable from around his wrist then took off his comfortable, warm jacket kneeling down to Prentiss's level. He peered in to see a part of scrapmetal had become embedded into the waist. He looked to find a warm blade on the ground.

"How is it, Doc?" Prentiss asked.

"You need to take off the jacket," Smith said.

"Can't take it off," Prentiss said.

"How so?" Smith asked.

"It's a onesie," Prentiss said.

It occurred to Smith that he completely forgotten about it. The commander outfit was the one that had a jacket not the cadets variation.

"But can you wrap it around your hips?" Smith asked.

"The upper half, yes," Prentiss said.

"Good," Smith said. "Let's do that."

"Ah," Prentiss whined, his eyes wincing as he peeled off his sleeves.

"How is the pain?" Smith asked, wrapping the white sleeves around the man's hips.

"Feels like I have been stabbed somewhere very important," Prentiss said.

Smith's eyes darted from side to side observing where the scrap metal had become embedded in.

"The left kidney," Smith muttered to himself. "You're going to get that wound fixed right after you return to the academy."

Smith grabbed the warm blade and a tube that had liquid pouring out. Smith carefully took out the object then applied the warm blade against the injury so that it began to seal up. The liquid was applied over the wound so that it cooled down. Smith tore off his long sleeve then wrapped it around the man's waist. He ripped off another then tore the long fabric enough that the sleeve became a small rounded ball then tucked it in. He tied the sleeve and squeezed it to make sure that the wrapping was tight.

"I feel ready to make another run for it, do you?" Prentiss asked.

"Only if you are physically ready for it," Smith said. "I only recommend running when you are on bed rest and being wheeled out of here."

"Can't have what want," Prentiss said, with a smile.

"This is very risky," Smith noted.

"Compared to this," Prentiss said. "I have been in a more riskier situation."

Smith looked at the cadet.

"What was that?" Smith asked.

"Trying to contain a leaking reactor," Prentiss said, then held his hand up. "I will say it for you," Prentiss lowered his hand. "That was very risky."

"Indeed," Smith said. Smith looked out the window to see the space disaster from afar. "Space battle," Smith shook his head. "Space battle. . ."

"What's going on out there, Colonel?" Prentiss asked.

Smith's eyes looked toward Priplanus that seemed to be relatively untouched by war except for the visible signs of dark gray clouds rising in the atmosphere.

"Are we winning?" Prentiss asked. "I didn't see the academy."

Several of them that belonged to different fallen space crafts.

"I am not sure," Smith said. "Both armies are suffering damage."

"Any of them running away?" Prentiss asked.

"None so far," Smith relaxed then knelt down where he helped the man up to his feet. "It seems we have little choice on staying in this present."

Prentiss briefly closed his eyes.

"Ah," Prentiss said, painfully, turning his attention toward the man. "You are not staying in my present."

"I am adaptable," Smith said, growing a reassuring smile. "Lieutenant."

Prentiss had a laugh.

"Earth isn't the same that you left three hundred years ago," Prentiss said. "Ah!"

"Hang on there," Smith said, then came to a stop between two corridors. "It seems the way I took in is gone."

"Take the other one," Prentiss said. "That's the additional exit."

Smith and Prentiss walked on.

"Let's pray we don't get blown out of space again," Smith said. "You are in no position to fight against space unlike me."

Prentiss had a good laugh as they went down the second hallway that became full of darkness that was replaced by a red steady hue.

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

The men made their way down the corridor. They were forced to come to a stop a spinning large spaceship came tearing through their way. Smith was the first to be sucked toward the hole trying to reach his hands out to objects that were in the way. Prentiss stabbed the pipe into a hole in the neighboring wall. Smith clung on to the cable dangling in the hole while loudly swearing. The starship suddenly turned upside down taking the two men with it sending Smith to crash land on Prentiss then they were sent falling down the cieling loudly screaming holding on to each other.

The ship rolled over and over and over sending the two flying falling down different corridors with the space drill running behind them poking holes. Debris was falling down the halls as were several of Dragos's goons that inhabited the starship. Pens, chairs, tables, and small technology was flying in the air. Some of the tools hit the falling goons. A pen crashed into the eye of a goon making them scream. Smith was hit on the side by the side of a panel that stopped him from screaming but it was Prentiss who didn't stop screaming. The falling came to a stop by a corridor that split into two that left them dangling like precious packaging. Prentiss panted. The long cable around the cadet's waist below his stomach was keeping him still.

"Colonel?" Prentiss called. "Are you alright?"

There was no reply.

"Colonel!" Prentiss shouted.

There was still no reply.

"Colonel!" Prentiss shouted. "I don't know how the academy can stand two look alikes in the same place!"

There was yet again no reply from Smith.

"Colonel!" Prentiss hollered.

There was nothing.

Please don't be dead, please don't be dead, please don't be dead, Prentiss prayed.

Prentiss lifted himself up using the long cable until came over to the edge. The rolling had stopped for the starship for the time being. He climbed on to the edge that acted as a floor beneath his boots. He picked up the man and swept a arm around his shoulder then made the walk on. He found one of Dragos's goons impaled on a long pipe straight in through the chest. Some of their unique blue blood was dripping down the pole. Prentiss shuffled past the corpse praying to the space gods that he was going the right way. He had to come to a stop just to rest himself leaning against the wall. In the red hue, the tucked in and rolled up sleeve had been bled through. He slipped his finger in then slipped it back out to determine if it had stopped. It was still bleeding.

Prentiss tore off the right sleeve to his cadet uniform then rolled it up into a ball and replaced the stained fabric. He tightened the wide fabric against his waist against his red shirt. He dropped the old, stained fabric to the floor then helped the fallen man up to his feet placing a hand over his shoulder once more to head for the hangar bay. Wherever it was for that matter. Prentiss couldn't be sure anymore since they had fallen so fast and so quickly even gone in so many different passageways. It would have been impressive if they had fallen into the engineering deck by sheer accident. They couldn't have fallen that far away from the passageway leading to the hangar bay.

"Who could be manning that Space Drill," Prentiss said. "Couldn't have been part of the army. . ." he looked both ways before taking a random turn. "I got it!" He snapped his fingers. "Chris and Laura asked for the army to get some back up. That's why they left!" there was a long pause. "Just for one lousy Space Drill? Can't be unless it's very difficult to destroy. . ."

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

Don applied the fire extinguisher to the consoles.

"No wonder it was abandoned," Don remarked. "The drill overheats."

Don opened a panel that dropped a repair kit on to his feet with a thud.

"I will need that to bring this ship down to Priplanus," Don said, then looked around. "Wait. . . if this still has enough fuel for a flight to Alpha Centauri. . ." Don counted how much space could be filled by the Robinson. "This is not enough space." He came over to the still operating fuel gauge. "Not enough fuel to make a flight to Alpha Centauri." he smacked his hand on the counter. "Damn!"

The Space Drill was in a stable orbit of Priplanus.

A reassuring piece of fact that was also not reassuring.

Don looked over toward the window twisting two fingers in the hopes that he didn't get fired on by the army by accident. The chance was always on the table for the major. Chance of death was accepted when given the news of the next assignment being the Jupiter 2. The Jupiter 1 had failed with a explosion in mid-flight. One that hadn't been expected and the findings hadn't came back yet before his departure on what exactly caused it. If they did know, they were very careful in not alarming the major or the Robinsons.

"That must have done a number on the emperor's moral," Don said.

Lights had flickered off on the lower section of the starship.

"It did a number on mine for sure," Don said, cheerfully with his hands on his hips.

Don eyed at the back section that was full of pipes, boxes, small doors, light fixtures and guages decorating the wall. They had already lost one member to the party. The Robinsons could not afford to lose another member that was vital to their survival. They hadn't yet trained the children to fly the Jupiter 2. It hadn't been thought of that they would lose a member for good. Everyone had naturally assumed they would all leave the planet being piloted to Alpha Centauri thanks to Don despite Smith's frequent trouble making. Don was one of those people.

"Now, which one is the air conditioner and which one is the heater?" Don asked, picking up the box.

From outside the Space Drill, a silent battle in space was raging on.