Chapter Twenty-Nine: Any Ally Will Do

After weeks of solitude, Io was glad to be out of the Asteroid Belt. She wanted to contact Kate and let her know what she found. As soon as the captain gave the go-ahead, she was on the communicator in her quarters.

It didn’t take long to see Kate’s face on the screen.

“It’s good to see you, cousin,” she said.

“You, too. I take it you received my message.”

“I did.” There was a slight pause. Neither one wanted to mention the footage about Io’s parents. She still had not watched it and, truthfully, hadn’t thought much of it until now.

Kate decided to focus on the other part of her message, the one about the Nekuia.

“So, was the message from the Nekuia real?”

“It was,” Io told her. “I was able to trace it’s origin from their direction, but from where exactly I’m not sure. I can also confirm it was headed for Earth.”

“Can you tell where?”

“No. I’m not even certain if I’ll be able to. Right now, all I have are general trajectories. I might be able to learn more when we reach Jupiter Station. The equipment there is more advanced than what’s available on the ship.”

“When do you arrive?”

“In just a couple of weeks.”

“Well, let me know if you find anything else out.”

“Will do.” Io hesitated. She wanted to ask about them, but still wasn’t certain she wanted the answer. Then, finally she took a deep breath and said it. “So are you working with them?”

Kate would almost rather talk about Io’s parents than the Machinists. “Tentatively,” she admitted.

“Why?”

This was something Kate was having trouble understanding herself. Part of her wanted to destroy the Machinists immediately; and, part of her wanted to work with them. She was still fighting that battle inside. As a person, she wanted revenge for Io and herself. As a member of the Alexander family, she had to consider what would be best for everyone else. She had to keep all options open.

“They could be a resource in a war against the Nekuia,” she said.

Io understood. Somewhere deep inside she knew what position Kate was in. The Alexanders were still trying to understand the enemy, still mapping out the battlefield. It would be foolish to waste a potential ally at this point, any ally, even a hated one. The family had to consider long term survival, not just Io.

That’s when she remembered the other part of Kate’s message, the video of her parents.

“I’ve got to get going,” she suddenly told Kate.

“Why? What for?” she asked.

“Please, Kate. I’ll contact you again soon.”

Then it hit her. Kate realized what Io was going to do. “As soon as you can,” she said. “I’ll be here waiting.”

“Thanks.”

Io turned off the communicator and accessed the video footage Kate sent her. It was supposed to show what happened to Io’s parents after the Machinists kidnapped them. It was supposed to show her how they died.

Her hand started to shake as she reached out to the button and hit play.