But relationships in the Alexander family were never easy.
And to cross that line with her bodyguard made matters even more complicated. She
let herself believe in it while they were moving through the Asteroid Belt
where communications were difficult and limited.
Then she heard from Kate.
Everything she had allowed herself to forget came back in
one brief moment. It reminded her of all that was at stake. She felt like she
couldn’t fool herself anymore; she had to let go.
Io went to Omari’s quarters. She kissed him one last time,
and told him “I have to get to work.” He did not say a word in response. He
grabbed her, held her tight and, eventually, let her go. Io returned to her
quarters. She tried to work at first, but couldn’t focus. So she let herself
cry. For a long time, she curled up in her bed and wept.
Then she got to work.
Io and Omari were en route to Jupiter Station for the
arrival of the Odyssey, the multi-generational ship. It had been sent out long
ago in search of other life in the galaxy. The box revealed that other solar
systems nearby had intelligent life. So, the Odyssey was built, complete with
everything humans would need to survive there for generations.
A few times a year, the ship would send word of its progress.
It became almost boring after a century of hearing the same stories so many
people forgot about the ship, which worked in the Alexander’s favor. For the
past few years, the ship stopped sending messages altogether. And after careful
examination, they found out that for the past decade the ship’s transmissions
had actually been reruns from previous years. This meant the fate of the ship
was unknown. It could arrive with healthy, happy human passengers. It could not
arrive at all. Or, it could arrive with something else on board.
No one knew.
The one thing the Alexanders did know at this point was that
they had enemies in the galaxy. Enemies they had never known about. But the
beings that gave them the box knew. This was the truth about the box. It was
more than a gift; it was the key to survival.
Io spent much of her time working on the Nekuian message.
Her main focus was finding out where it came from and where it was going.
She also wanted to know exactly what was in it. It seemed to
be a simple, one-layered message but if it was really sent from outside the
system, a more complex technology could be at work. Those challenges would be
the next step.
The one thing she was avoiding was looking at the second
item attached to Kate’s transmission. It was video footage of her parent’s
capture and death.
The Machinists gave the footage to Kate to prove that they
never intended to harm anyone. Kate told Io that she could dismiss it and never
look at it. It was up to her.
Kate said she considered not even telling Io about it. But
after she watched it herself, she thought that her parents were courageous and
it might give Io closure. So, she sent it.
Io did not get rid of the footage; she hadn’t looked at it
either. Perhaps later, at this point she didn’t want to think about it. Not
yet, anyway.
Instead she chose to focus on the other item, the Nekuian
message.
Kate told her that it said something about the box and the
time table. She wasn’t sure whether or not to believe in it, but she wanted Io
to figure it out.
So far, Io was able to prove that the message definitely
came from outside the system. She could also prove that the message was headed
for Earth. She was working on calculating the trajectory of where it was headed;
trying to narrow down the location it could be received by. It was unlikely she
would be able to find out. Once the message came close enough to the planet, it
could be picked by most anyone looking for it. But she had to try.
For her, this one question kept coming back. It was the one
question that continued to bother her. The fact was that if the message was
headed for Earth, then someone had to be receiving it.
So, who were the Nekuia talking to?
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