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.”
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