Summary for Book One: The Twins

Perhaps you are new to The Librarians, and the thought of reading Book One just to begin Book Two is daunting. Or, you simply want a recap of the events from the first book. Well, here’s the story behind Book One: The Twins.

It begins with a battle between brother and sister. Kate and James Alexander duel to decide who will represent the family at a welcoming ceremony on Jupiter Station, which orbits the Jovian satellite Europa.

The ceremony marks the arrival of the multi-generational spaceship, the Odyssey. A ship that has been traveling the galaxy for over 150 years in search of what is thought to be the closet humanoid neighbors to Earth.

The duel is not sanctioned by the family’s rulers, a council made up of seven members. And although Kate wins the battle, it is up to them to decide whether or not she will be allowed to go on the journey.

Kate’s mother, Sun Alexander, is the council chair and matriarch of the family. Her father, William, is the Commander of the military. Sun’s sister, Ceres, is the Administrator; and, her cousin, Maria, is the Ambassador. The other members include Lucas the Historian, Io the Engineer, and Yori the Curator of the Library and Keeper of the Box.

This box is at the heart of the family’s authority on Earth. It holds a universe of information; however, the family cannot access that information. They can only open it. And, no one but a member of the Alexander bloodline can open the box.

Kate has always wanted to be the Curator, but she is in line to be the council chair. Her life is strict and planned, so she was desperate to leave the family behind and start her own adventure on Jupiter Station.

The council was reluctant, but decided to let her go. She left for the moon colonies to acclimate to low-gravity before leaving for Europa.

Shortly after she left, Yori was assassinated in an explosion outside the library. The tragedy shook the family, but nothing was more shattering than the eventual revelation of the culprits. James and Ceres had been working together for years.

When Kate was named the next council chair as a child, James was furious. He felt the position should be his, and Ceres took advantage of his jealousy. She worked on him his entire life, feeding the anger. Eventually, the two formulated a plan to take over the family.

Behind the curtain, though, Ceres always planned to rule as the council chair and blame everything on James. But before she could complete her plans, James had a change of heart. He revealed the plot and his own part in it to the entire council, including his parents.

Ceres and James were both sentenced to death for their treason. But the day before their sentences were to be carried out, William helped his son escape. He believed there was something worth saving and gave him a shot at redemption.

James escaped the Alexander compound, and hid on a shuttle bound for the Moon colonies. The same colonies Kate staged her own escape on.

But her escape was not to save a life. It was to take one. She planned on heading back to Earth, and avenging Yori’s death by killing her brother.

Kate was trying to slip onto a shuttle bound for Earth, just as James was walking off of it. And the two battled. Kate defeated her brother, again. But as she held the blade to his throat, she failed to strike the final blow. She chose to let him live.

He escaped wounded and bloody to a nearby shuttle, and headed for an unknown destination in the solar system.

William contacted his daughter and asked her to return to Earth to help the family heal and rebuild. She took over as the Curator of the Library; and, Maria’s son, Fernando, became the new Administrator.

But no matter how ruthless Ceres had been, or how misguided James had been, a greater danger was lying in wait.

During Kate’s time on the moon colonies, she was investigating logs from the Odyssey. The ship had been sending reports back to Earth each year. But, it had been several years since word had been sent. The Alexanders were one of the few people on Earth privy to the information, and began an inquiry into the possible fate of the ship and its crew.

Kate discovered anomalies and soon realized that the ship had been transmitting the same logs for years. Reports sent over the past several decades were identical to ones sent a hundred years earlier. At the same time, William discovered Yori’s journal after his passing. It revealed even more clues about the Odyssey and its fate.

Now, no one else in the solar system knows what only a few members of the Alexander family do. That a storm is brewing on the far side of the galaxy. And they must find a way to rebuild trust, while preparing for the war ahead. This is where Book Two begins.

Chapter Thirty: The Road Ahead

Word travels fast in the vacuum of space. Kate called for a shuttle after her battle with James, but before she even set foot on Shackleton Base everyone knew what had happened.

Omari and Io were waiting for her in the arrival bay, and William was expecting her communication as soon as she arrived. Kate did not change out of the Lab Reclamations uniform she stole for her escape. Nor did she attempt to wipe the blood away. She quickly returned to quarters and contacted her father.

“You are being recalled to Earth,” he told her.

“Did you help him escape?” she asked.

“Yes.”

William waited for a response, but Kate did not say a word. Nor did she change her facial expression. She knew the answer and did not have to fight off surprise.

“We are sending Io and Omari as our representatives to Jupiter Station. We need you to come back and help.” William paused. “We need you to help rebuild here.”

“Very well,” she said, then immediately ended the communication and began packing. 

Kate moved quickly around the room. Still her face did not change. Somewhere inside the emotions were brewing, but they were weeks, perhaps even months away from surfacing.

She took the first shuttle back to Earth with a small security force. She no longer needed a large contingent. Her reputation around the system had already changed.

Kate was now the fighter. She could not kill her brother, which meant she had heart, but she defeated him. She found a way to escape her own forces and leave the leader of the Alexander military lying on the floor like a wounded animal. Weeks ago when she gave a touching eulogy for Yori, she was the darling of the system. Now the people saw her as something else. She was too bloody to be adorable.

Io was told to stay on the moon until she was acclimated enough for deep space travel. Then, she and Omari were going to Jupiter Station for the arrival of the Odyssey, if it was going to arrive at all.

As for James, the family decided not to pursue him for the time being. They chose to meet later and decide what to do about the “exile,” as they called him.

Some people throughout the system decided he had run away to the slums on Mars. Others thought he joined one of the political enemies of the Alexanders on Earth. There were even rumors he was working with members of the Machinists who went underground after Io’s parents were assassinated. He was said to be trying to return them to some kind of former glory.

Most people knew if someone wanted to hide out, Earth was not the place to do it.

Neither was the moon. It was home to the first extraterrestrial colony, but the plan was to construct it as a launching point for other bases across the system.

Mars followed soon after and became the most popular destination. After all, it was the first planet humans colonized. People waited for years for a trip to the Martian colonies.

Then came Jupiter Station.

Once humans made it past the asteroid belt, Mars lost its draw. Everyone interested in venturing beyond their home planet wanted to go as far as possible. Several of the remote Martian colonies deteriorated and fell into ruin. It became a place for those looking to hide, like James.

Kate did not think of James, or talk about the fight between them. When someone asked she would only say, “He got away.”

She thought when she arrived on Earth; James would be the first thing discussed. But, no one asked her about it. She was brought to the council chamber where new appointments were made to the council. A meeting was planned for the following day, and she was sent off to settle in and get something to eat. Walking down the hallway to her quarters, she started to feel a flicker of warmth in her stomach.

She was the new Curator of the Library, something she had wanted her whole life. Of course, this was not the way she wanted it, but a small piece of happiness started to grow inside anyway.

William returned to his former post as the Commander of the military, and Maria’s son Fernando became the new Administrator. Like his mother, Fernando was an attractive and social creature. He understood people, and was very clever.

After a good meal and long bath, Kate decided to head for the Curator’s office in the depths of the Library.

William was waiting for her in the vestibule. “I knew you would visit the office first,” he said.

“What do you want, father?”

“I know I have lost some of your trust because I helped James,” he told her. With that, she turned away and looked at the tree engraved on the wall. He asked her to go with him to the vault, while she pretended not to listen and scanned the room around her.

Unknowingly, her eyes glossed over the family tree and landed on Yori’s name. She had not been in that room since his death date was added. She looked back at her father.

“Why should I take you to the vault?” she demanded.

“You were the one who discovered the problem with the Odyssey’s logs. It signals a larger threat that can only be understood through the box.”

“You know why the logs were tampered with?” she asked.

“I believe I do,” he said. “And I know why we were given the box all those years ago.”

“Why?”

“It’s best if you and I visit the vault together. You turn it on, and I’ll ask the question.”

Kate started to walk towards the library, “Then let’s go.”

“I must warn you,” he said. “The truth is not easy to live with.”

“Remember that when you look at Yori’s family.” She walked past him and into the library. 

The two headed downstairs, crossed the atrium where Yori was killed and entered the vault.

Once inside, Kate placed her hand on the table in the center of the room and the box rose up. She put her hand on the top, and the hieroglyphics began to glow. William put his hand inside and closed his eyes. It took only moments for the answer to his question to flow through Kate and into William.

She stepped back, almost falling back into one of the seats encircling the wall of the room, and looked up at her father.

“It can’t be,” she said.

“It is.” He walked over and took the seat beside her. He lightly placed his hand on her shoulder, fearing she would toss it away. But she did nothing.

“Why didn’t they just tell us about the Nekuia?”

“How would we have handled that news hundreds of years ago?” he said. “We might have killed ourselves with panic. Instead, we have been able to use the information in the box to slowly prepare for our defense. We just might have a chance.”

“Do you think the Odyssey has already been destroyed?”

“I do.”

“Then why send Io and Omari to greet her?”

“Nobody else knows, and it is best to keep it that way,” he said. “For the time being.”

“Who does know?”

“You, me and your mother. Io knows some of the story, but not everything.”

“Did James know?”

“He only knew there was a problem with the Odyssey, but he did not know about the Nekuia.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“Not yet.”

William and Kate left the vault with heavier hearts than they had entered it with. The Alexander family would have to try and heal from the events of the past few months, while preparing for the road ahead.

Something dark was stirring in the far reaches of the galaxy and it was headed their way.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Thicker Than Blood

Kate held out the short staff in one hand. She closed her eyes and it grew twice its original size. She opened her eyes, glared at James and the sharp knife shot out of one end like a bayonet.

James held out his staff, and it also grew. The moment the knife shot out, Kate attacked.

She ran at him, swinging furiously. All he could do was to defend. She swung at him over and over, and backed him into the corner. Then she dropped to the ground, kicked her leg and took out his feet.

James fell back against the corner. Kate stood up and stabbed at his face, but he moved his staff across it just in time to push away the fatal blow.

As the knife whipped past his eyes, James realized his sister was out for blood. He realized how deeply he had cut her with his betrayal. And he knew if he wanted to live he had to fight for his life.

He began to push back and move out of the corner. He never stabbed at her body; he only went for the shoulders, forcing her to defend and step back. When the two staffs came together and he looked her in the face, he spoke.

“Kate, please let me explain.”

She pushed him away, and stabbed at his stomach. James jumped back and swung his staff low, sweeping hers away.

Kate spun around with the momentum and hit him in the shoulder. He cringed, but quickly gathered his thoughts and held the staff at the other shoulder just as she swung back around.

She stabbed and swung, turning every defensive move he made into another attack. Finally he was able to gain the upper hand and put some space between them.

“Father helped me escape,” he cried out before she could attack again.

“You lie,” she screamed.

Suddenly a loud thunder came from outside one of the shuttle bay doors. Another shuttle was landing in the arrival area. The twins watched it dock. As the doors began to open, Kate looked back at James. It did not matter to her if someone arrived; she was already at the end of her journey. There was nothing to hide.

James used the distraction to pull out the medallion William had given him. Kate had seen it before. She knew it belonged to her father.

The bay doors opened and two workers from the colonies on Mars began to exit. They stopped short and stared at the two standing before them.

Kate was immediately recognized. After she gave Yori’s eulogy, everyone in the solar system knew her face.

The workers asked if she needed any assistance. She held her hand out to them.

“Leave us,” she demanded. They quickly walked past the two and into the lab without saying another word.

Kate looked back at James once they were gone. “You must have stolen it,” she said, tumbling forward and swinging low. She struck James at the knee. He cried out, but did not drop to the floor.

Then Kate stabbed at his torso, using the flat end of her staff. He pushed it away with his as she spun around and stabbed again with the knife. He turned his body away and the knife sliced into his shoulder. He cried out, dropped the staff, and fell to the ground. Kate began circling him, like a predator and its prey.

“He helped me because he knows that death is the easy way out,” he told her. “It will be harder to live with what I’ve done.”

“And maybe I can pay for what I’ve done,” he added. She stopped in her tracks and stared at him.

“Maybe I can find redemption.”

With that, she attacked again. He held up his staff with one hand to block her downswings, and then he kicked at her feet. She was knocked off balance for a moment, but didn’t fall.

“You will never find redemption,” she told him.

Kate came at him, attacking his injured shoulder and pushing him back. Then she swung the staff around, barely missing his nose with the flat end of the staff. When it came around the tip of the knife sliced across his eyebrow.

The blood began to seep out immediately. It flowed across his face and started pooling on the floor. Kate paused.

She waited for some kind of remorse or pity to sweep over her, but all she could think of was Yori and his children.

With James wounded and kneeling on the floor, she lifted the staff over her head and stabbed downward at him. He turned quickly and defended the attack. But he was still left lying on his back with one eye covered in blood.

Kate went in again, stabbing downward. He swiped the staff across his chest and pushed her away. She swung it around with one quick stroke, and had the knife at his throat before he could do anything. That’s where she stopped, with the knife at his throat.

James closed his eyes and let his staff fall from his fingers. Kate stood motionless, staring at his bloody and defeated body.

James waited for it, just as he did in his cell. But the kill stroke did not come.

Inside Kate struggled. All she wanted was to kill him. When she found out he was the traitor, she became so single-minded. Now she knew that condemning him was easy, executing him was not. After all, he was her brother. He was blood.

She started to wonder if he was right. Life would be harder than death. He couldn’t suffer if she killed him, and that might be the best revenge. So, she pulled the knife away from his throat and stepped back.

James stood up. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Kate turned her back on him and headed inside the lab, never looking back.

James walked up the ramp and into the shuttle that had just arrived from the Martian colonies. He went inside and closed the bay doors behind him.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Escape

James sat on the bench in his cell waiting for the guards to take him away. An execution sentence meant he was allowed to prepare a last will and testament, choose his final meal, meet with a spiritual advisor, and select his form of death. This always happened the day before the sentence was carried out. That day was today, so he knew they were coming for him.

When the guards arrived, James watched the wall clear and the doorway appear. He gripped the medallion tightly, stood up and headed out of the cell. Four guards escorted him through the corridors in standard formation.

As the group turned a corner, James jabbed his left elbow at the guard behind him. He swept his right leg back and toppled another. It only took seconds for him to render all four guards unconscious. He slowly stood up, looked around and listened. No sirens or footsteps filled the corridors.

James continued to the next doorway. He opened the medallion, took out the keycard, and swiped it in front of the small glass panel on the wall. The door opened, and he took one last glance before stepping inside.

At the same time, Kate was moving quickly and smoothly through the ventilation shafts on Shackleton Base. She spent so much time looking over the plans, she had the system memorized and never once pulled out the blueprints.

She got to the service area docking bay and stopped to look around. Workers, travelers, lifters, and crates moved in ordered chaos. She lay in front of the grate, watching and waiting for the right moment to slip in and join the dance.

She swiped her keycard in front of the docking bay vent. It opened and she softly slipped into the bay. The door closed behind her and she started to make her way around the perimeter of the room.

A portion of the bay in the far corner was sectioned off with a blue band, signifying refuse transport. Each crate in the area was marked with the same blue banding. The shuttles within it had blue identification markers at the wingtips. Lab Reclamations was the primary refuse company used on the moon, and all their docking bay sections were marked with the same blue insignias.

Kate stayed low and quickly moved across to the shuttle. She bolted up the ramp and disappeared inside.

James was still sneaking around the bowls of the Alexander compound until he reached one of the maintenance portals. Control panels lined one wall, and access hatches the other.

He opened one of the hatches, crawled inside, and started shuffling through the tight space. He took several turns without hesitating until he came to the end of the passageway. He stopped before the doorway, pulled out his keycard and swiped it.

The hatch opened to reveal a small storage room. Crates of all different sizes were stacked in separate groups with colored bands encircling each. James looked around for ones surrounded by a red circle, which meant the equipment was headed for one of the labs on the moon. He examined the tags on the crates until he saw one that read, “Core replacement drill tips.” Then he slipped into the corner of the room, knelt down, and waited.

After a few minutes, the large doors to the storage area opened and James ducked behind some of the pipes. A lifter drove into the area, loaded up with crates, and carried them outside the doors. James moved along the edge of the room until he could peek out and see the shuttle outside.

He waited for the workers to exit and the lifters to move away. Then just as the shuttle bay doors began to sound, he slipped inside and knelt down between two groupings of crates.

Lucky for him, no one was traveling in the shuttle bay. The trip to the moon would take a few hours, and he would be able to rest. Kate’s trip to the Beta Lab was much shorter. She had to move fast.

Refuse collection was mostly automated, like many services at the moon bases, but Lab Reclamations still required one worker to travel in the cargo bay with the crates. The bay was small and had few hiding spots. Kate hoped she would be able to simply hide from the reclamations worker, but she was prepared if she got caught, which didn’t take long. Shortly after take off, the worker noticed her breathing and investigated.

Kate had already pulled out her sonic sleeper, just in case. It only took one short blast in his direction and he was out. Kate took out the holographic concealer and scanned his face. She slid his body behind the console in the back of the bay and took his position for the duration of the trip.

As the shuttle landed she put the cap on and activated the concealer. Like a veil, a thin holographic film fell over her face and gave her a completely different appearance. If anyone touched her, their hands would slip right through the image. But this device was perfect for fooling the people working at Station Beta. 

After landing, Kate performed her duties as an employee of Lab Reclamations. She supervised the lifters replacing the empty crates with full ones, and signed off on the transfer. Then she got back on the shuttle.

But just before the doors closed, she slipped outside and into the lab’s arrival area. She hid behind a stack of crates.

The arrival area had four large bay doors squaring off the room. Three were docking bays for shuttles, and the fourth was the outer bay leading to the lab.

Kate knew the three shuttles that would be arriving today. One would be dropping off supplies and heading out for the Mars colonies. Another was a transport for workers that regularly flew between the five main moon colonies and the lab. The third was the one she was waiting for. It would be picking up core samples and heading back to Earth. But it wouldn’t arrive for hours, so she removed the holographic concealer, pulled out some of her rations and slowly recharged.

Eventually the shuttle James traveled in landed, and he could already feel the effects of low gravity. He was tired, hungry and nauseated. He slowly slipped back into the far end of the shuttle bay. The doors opened, and he watched the lifters move in.

James kept still and quiet, waiting for his chance to move.

Kate was also waiting. She watched the shuttle land and the lifters move in. She stayed in the corner until the room was clear, and then made her move.

But halfway across the arrival area she stopped. Kate stood motionless as James walked out of the shuttle and stood opposite her. The two were silent.

Finally, the shock gave way to anger and Kate was able to accept that this was her opportunity at revenge. James thought perhaps this was the plan all along. His father had set him up.

It didn’t matter though. He wasn’t about the run away, and neither was Kate.

She looked James over and noticed he did not carry a weapon. So she pulled both her short staffs from the sheaths on her back, and tossed one over to him.

“Pick it up,” she demanded.