Chapter Four: Day by Day

These days, Kate walked around the Alexander compound dragging her feet. She always had heavy eyelids, but couldn't seem to get to sleep. Whenever someone asked how she was or commented on her tired face, she would simply say, “I’m just not used to Earth gravity yet.”

Just over a week had passed since Kate got back from the moon. It was normal for it to take some time to get used to the extra pressure. But something was still off.

She was carrying even more than the weight of Earth’s gravity.

She carried the burden of knowing how bad things really were, and the pressure of trying to find a way out. She decided to go to the training room where she could fight her invisible enemies. And, at least, pretend to win.

Every day she headed there to work out and release her frustrations. The last time she had been in that room before she left for the moon, she fought her brother, James. So, the first time she returned to it, the sweat and tears flowed equally.

But every time since was easier, and she started to turn it back into a room she could look forward to visiting. It was again becoming the one place she could find refuge.

The room was a perfect square with smooth, wooden floors made of bamboo that crept up the bottom half of the walls, and the staffs of her ancestors lined the top half. A river of natural elements flowed across the floor: river rocks, walnut, cherry, silver, and copper.

She used to enjoy going to the library, but lately it only reminded her of the Nekuia. Her mother was weakening, her father was consumed by his work, and the man she thought she loved she couldn’t be with.

The training room was a place untouched by the outside, a place where she could fight hard and conquer her surroundings.

When she got there, Eric dutifully took his place outside the doors. He watched over her while she fought the invisible enemy inside.

Kate rolled and tumbled on the floor, swinging her staff around for piercing blows at the practice dummies. She stabbed at their torsos and heads. She sliced at their shoulders, and hammered them at the knees. Then she started flashing, blinding and sending out bursts of lights like a strobe.

Every staff had a special property. Each member of the Alexander clan could earn a staff covered in the same skin that covered the box. The staff became an extension of the person that held it.

James could store energy and send shockwaves outward like ripples. William could store static electricity and send it out in bursts like controlled lightning.

Kate could light up a room with one thought. Each cell on her membrane was photoelectric. She could send out one bright flash of light in any direction or small, quick bursts. She could blind her opponent, disorientate them, or distract them long enough to strike a piercing blow.

Suddenly, the doors opened.

Her father entered with his staff in his hand. He slowly approached her, and without saying a word he stabbed at her torso. He wasn’t close enough, but a small bolt of electricity arced out from the end of the staff and struck Kate in the stomach. She jumped back from the shock, but quickly regained her composure and attacked.

The battle between father and daughter was on.

Chapter Three: The Way Forward

Sun took her seat as the council chair and opened the meeting.

“William would you like to go first?” she asked timidly.

“Yes,” he said, leaning forward in his seat. “There is too much to convey during this meeting, but I will tell you that the Odyssey has essentially gone missing.” The council members nodded. “We have reason to believe she has been attacked.”

Maria, Fernando, and Lucas suddenly looked concerned, but Sun and Kate remained stoic.

“I’m still looking into the latest findings, but in the meantime I’m taking the first steps to prepare the military.”

“Prepare the military for what?” Maria questioned.

“If the Odyssey has been attacked, we could be in danger by the same forces that ambushed her. We should be prepared.”

“I don’t understand,” Lucas added.

“I’m increasing the number of recruits we accept into the training program, intensifying our daily drills, and inventorying our troops and supplies. That is the best way to proceed while we continue our search for answers.”

“I still don’t understand,” Lucas repeated.

“He’s preparing for war,” Maria said.

“And how do you hope to pay for this war?” Fernando asked.

“The prudent thing to do is prepare for the worst and hope for best,” Kate suddenly interjected. “You can play your political games when we find out more.”

“It’s not just politics, Kate,” Fernando said. “Ceres left this place in worse shape than we previously thought. She was hording billions from the family, and it’s still all caught up in legal channels. This war may not be as easy to finance as you think.”

“You told me we would be fine,” Sun said.

“We were, but I didn’t know there would be additional needs so soon.”

“There are not,” William added. “All the changes I am making now are already supported. We are not gearing up for war. Not yet.”

“Very well,” Fernando replied.

“You may need to prepare for it sooner than you think, William,” Maria told him.

“Why is that?”

“I have word that the Machinists have resurfaced,” she said.

“What?” Io called out from the other side of the room. She was not there, but her best friend was.

Sitting in Io’s chair was Hermes. She built him from scratch herself.

Hermes was an android, a metallic figure with two arms, two legs, and a torso. The head was oval-shaped with a smaller oval within, just where a face should be.

Smooth, chrome metal covered the entire surface expect the smaller oval, which was a matte white. His presence was intriguing and mysterious. He was not meant to look human, but familiar.

Almost a decade ago, Io’s parents were kidnapped and killed by the Machinists. After that she turned to technology for comfort. It was a distraction, and she thought she wouldn’t have to get emotionally attached. She could get through the day without having to build a relationship with someone she could lose.

Io spent almost a decade perfecting him. His circuitry was unmatched; his programming thought to be impossible. Everything learned from the box was a part of Hermes: skin technology, neural circuitry, holographic communications, and advanced nano programming.

But somewhere along the way she did get attached. Today, he was her best friend, her confidant, and at the council proceedings he was her representative.

Hermes had the ability to project her holographic image during the meeting. He would hold out his silvery, thin hand and an image of Io sitting at her desk on Shackleton Base appeared.

The image projected was shocked and silent.

Finally, Kate spoke up. “What specifically have you heard, Maria?”

“Members of the Northern Alliance told me the group has been revived,” Maria said.

“I want to come back,” Io suddenly demanded.

“I can’t confirm this information,” Maria added.

“It doesn’t matter,” Io told her.

“I understand you want to come back,” Kate said. “I truly understand. But, I still believe it’s best if you continue to Jupiter Station.”

“Why?”

“I’d prefer to discuss this in private.”

“No, say it now,” Io pleaded.

“I think she’s concerned you could be a target,” Maria told her.

“Why would I be a target?”

“Because your parents were,” Maria said.

“Everyone with the Alexander name is a potential target,” William interjected. “And, that is a fact we live with everyday. We are all trained in combat for a reason.”

Lucas slowly raised his hand. “I would like to add something,” he told the other members.

It was unusual for Lucas to add anything to the meetings. He was the Historian, and often kept quiet during council conversations.

“Go ahead,” Sun told him. “Tell us what you are thinking.”

“Some facts surrounding the death of Io’s parents do not add up,” he said. “There is more to this story.”

Chapter Two: The Understudy

Sun stood on the balcony outside the council chamber, looking out at the Alexander compound. It was her place to think, to get away from the drama of family life and the politics of the box.

But, this time it was different. She looked over the edge of the balcony and wondered what would happen if she fell. If she simply slipped and tumbled over the edge, so many worries would no longer be hers.

Sun had always been strong. Even before she was born. Decades ago the Alexander family was attacked, and only five members of the family survived. One of those five was not a member of the Alexander bloodline, but she was carrying one.

It was Sun’s grandmother.

Because her bravery and courage during the attack kept her and her unborn child alive, she was asked to be the council chair. She ruled the family from that day until she passed the duty to her daughter, Sun’s mother.

It was in her blood. Sun should have let the tragedy strengthen her like the old oak left standing after the storm.

Instead, she stood on that balcony feeling like a coward, staring at the railing and looking over the edge.

That’s when Kate stepped outside.

“Mother,” she called out. Sun turned to her. “I need to speak with you.”

Sun still said nothing. She just stared blankly at her daughter.

“I need answers from you,” Kate demanded.

Finally, Sun spoke up. “Answers you shall have.”

“Did you help James escape?”

Sun hesitated. “Not directly.”

“You knew that father was helping him escape.”

“I did,” Sun admitted. “And, I did nothing to stop it.”

“Were you expecting me to kill him?”

“No,” she said, stepping forward and reaching out to her daughter. “Please, believe me. I did not think you would meet up with him. At least not for some time to come.”

Kate stared straight into her eyes, trying to determine if anything she said was the truth. “Not for some time?” she asked.

Sun glanced over at the edge of the balcony railing. “We are all looking for peace,” she said, looking back at Kate. “Did you find it when you faced him, or are you still looking?”

“I did not find it,” Kate admitted.

“Neither did I,” Sun said.

“What about the Nekuia?” Kate asked.

“They are coming.”

“Are you certain?”

“Your father and I asked the same question the two of you did,” she told her. “I’m as certain as you are.”

“Then what are your plans?”

The only thing Kate did not want to hear was that her mother did not know what to do. Sun Alexander was the strongest, most intelligent member of the family. But, as Kate looked at her, she could tell something had happened. This was not the same woman.

“Well, I have a plan mother.”

“You do?”

“We need information and an army.”

“Information?”

“We can’t tell the people about a danger we don’t understand ourselves. And, we can’t fight an enemy that way either.”

“I agree.”

“We need an army. If the Nekuian are as powerful as we think, we don’t have the capability of defending ourselves. They will annihilate us. We need build our forces, weapons, and strategy.”

“I agree.”

“Is that all you have to say? I agree?”

“What else should I say?”

“Tell me what you are going to do,” Kate demanded.

“Your father is taking stock of our assets. He will tell us where to begin.”

“It frightens me that you need someone else to tell you where to begin.”

Sun dropped her chin. “It frightens me, too.”

Kate said nothing. She simply walked away and left her mother staring at the balcony railing.

She headed back to the library, wondering how to prepare for the battle alone. Kate went to the Curator’s office deep within the library and opened her communicator. She requested Eric Riis.

He appeared surprised, but pleased to see her again. Even if it was not in person.

“It’s good to see you, Kate,” he said.

“You too, Eric,” she said reluctantly.

“I heard you had returned to Earth.”

“Yes.”

“I know this is not how you wanted to get the job, but I was happy to hear you were appointed the new Curator of the Library.”

“Thank you.”

“I would like to see you,” he said.

“I understand, but that is not why I’m contacting you,” she told him. “I want you to be in charge of my personal security again.”

“Has it been approved by Omari?”

“My security no longer requires Omari’s approval. Only mine.”

“Very well. Of course, I will always watch over you.”

“I don’t need someone to watch over me,” Kate said. “I need someone I can trust.”

“You know you can trust me,” Eric told her.

“But, we can’t be together,” she said. Eric started to speak, but she cut him off. “I can’t be worried about your feelings right now. Or mine. I just need the person in charge of my personal security to be someone I can trust without question.”

“I understand.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, m’am.”

“Good. You start in the morning. We’ll go over plans, and I’ll let you know exactly what I expect of you.”

“Understood, m’am.”

Chapter One: Settling In

The walls of the Curator’s office were lined with shelves, packed full of objects. Some of them Kate recognized; some she did not.

She slowly walked around the room, stopping only once. Sitting in the back of the fourth shelf down was a small, wooden carving of a tree with one branch broken off. As she reached in and picked it up, Kate began to cry.

It wasn’t a very good tree, but it was something she had given Yori over a decade ago.

Every Alexander had to take a wood class, learning how to carve it, how to build with it, how to distinguish different types, and how to cultivate it. The first Alexander, Paul, was a tree farmer. Trees were a part of Alexander history, and Paul believed keeping his own family tree together was an important part of their future. So, he taught every one of his children and grandchildren the trade.

Kate took the tree back to her desk, and placed it front and center. A reminder of her relationship with Yori, and the unfinished business she had with her brother.

On one corner of the desk sat Yori’s journal and his notebooks. Her father suggested she start by reading those. But, Kate had other plans.

She opened the communicator. First, she contacted the librarian at Shackleton Base to request he collect some data. Then, she contacted Io.

“Greetings, cousin,” she said.

“Greetings. How is the family?” Io asked.

“Wounded, but strong,” Kate told her.

“And yourself?”

“The same.”

“Are we still bound for Jupiter Station?”

“Yes. But, I have another mission for you.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve spoken to the librarian on Shackleton Base,” Kate told her. “He’s gathering together all the data we have on the Odyssey. I want you to turn your Engineer’s eye to it.”

“What am I looking for?”

“Examine the ship’s transmissions for any irregularities. See if you can back track them; find out where they were sent from. I’m not sure they were sent from the ship. Also, check the coding, the wording, anything and everything.”

“You want me to do this on the journey to Jupiter Station?”

“You’ve got more than three months. It might even make the trip bearable.”

“This is true.” Io even cracked a smile at this, but noticed that Kate never did. “Do you know something you’re not telling me, Kate?”

“We have reason to believe the transmissions could be originating in the Nekuian system,” she said.

“But that’s practically on the other side of the galaxy.”

“I know,” Kate admitted. “But, when you’re looking, you should start with that system.”

“Tell me what’s going on,” Io demanded.

“I’m not certain myself. Besides, it would be best if you just examined the data objectively. Tell me what you find, if anything.”

“I will.”

“And, just one more thing,” Kate said. “It’s about the box.”

“Have you discovered something new?”

“No. But, if you think of any questions that might help you understand what’s going, or narrow your search, send word right away,” she said. “Father and I can ask for you.”

“But, the questioner is supposed to come from outside the family,” Io told her.

“Father is not part of the Alexander bloodline.”

“I realize that you and William can ask questions, but I’m wondering whether or not you should.”

“We have no choice,” Kate said.

“There is always a choice.”

“You don’t have to ask a single question.”

“If I didn’t know you, I’d think you were trying to avoid the people. And, that’s not like you, Kate.”

“The only thing I’m hoping to avoid is unnecessary panic.”

“Don’t you think our ancestors had the same concerns when they first got the box?”

“How do we know they always made their revelations public?”

“You’re right. We don’t.”

“Io, I believe that during your analysis you might find gaps that can only be filled by consulting the box. If you do, know that you contact me immediately,” Kate said. “You probably won’t understand what I’m saying until you find yourself asking the question.”

“Very well. I’ll trust you,” Io said. “For now.”

“I’d like updates as often as possible.”

“I understand.”

“I’m not trying to keep anything from the people, Io. I’m just trying to understand what to tell them,” Kate said. “You and I both know that misinformation can be even more deadly than no information at all.”

Io smiled, “you know, you’re already starting to sound like your mother.”

For the first time in days, Kate let a smile escape. “And, you sound like yours,” she told Io.

“I guess I do.”

“Take care and be safe, cousin.”

“I will. And Kate,” she said, “I’m glad you let him live.”

Kate quickly ended the communication.

She knew that Io was talking about her brother, James. But she did not let him live. The fact was that she was too much of a coward to kill him. At least, that’s what she believed.