Summary for Book Two: The Odyssey

At first, the Alexander family was focused on healing their wounds.

Kate took over the job as Librarian and Keeper of the Box. William returned to the post of Commander, and his wife, Sun Alexander, the Council Chair and matriarch of the family, was just looking for a path forward.

At first, Sun struggled for confidence. It became clear that her stoic personality was partly to blame for her son’s betrayal. But with the help of her husband and daughter, along with the reality that something more dangerous was on the horizon, she found a way to lead the family toward a path of survival.

Shortly after everyone started to move on and prepare for war with a dangerous enemy on the far side of the galaxy, the Nekuia, one of their members was kidnapped.

The Machinists, a radical group with a history of hurting the Alexanders, took Lucas, The Historian. The young and most naïve member of the council found himself on another planet. The group, headquartered on Mars, attempted to convince Lucas that they meant no harm and actually wanted to join with the Alexanders in the fight against the Nekuia, that far-off enemy they considered a much greater threat.

Sun sent Kate and her bodyguard, Eric, to Mars in search of the Machinists and Lucas. She wanted answers, but she also wanted something else. It was rumored that James, her deceptive son, had settled in the same neighborhood, called Prosperity Ghetto. It is home to those who don’t wish to be found.

Part of the problem is that Kate began to build relationships. It turned out the Machinists had been covertly watching the skyways ever since their previous encounter with the Alexanders forced them into hiding. And they had heard a lot.

Then there was James, who had been hiding out in the same Martian neighborhood as the Machinists since his exile, watching them while they watched everyone else.

Ultimately, Kate began to trust her greatest enemies: The Machinists and her brother. She was left dealing with the slippery slope of discovering how much she could trust people that were untrustworthy.

Meanwhile her mother, Sun, was looking at the long term and, Io, the Engineer, who was caught up in the present moment. She and her bodyguard, Omari, were sent to Jupiter Station on the Jovian moon, Europa, to greet the arrival of the Odyssey.

During the months-long journey, they began a romantic relationship that could be stronger than anyone is willing to admit. They also discovered issues with the Odyssey, its communications with Earth, and even Jupiter Station. They arrived at the station to find a world that was cut off from Earth and, oddly, many of the social norms attributed to human society.

It’s unclear what type of society Jupiter Station had created far away from Earth.

One of the biggest mysteries of Book Two is what the arrival of the Odyssey means. The ship was detected entering the solar system, but so far no communication has been made. Everyone knows the ship has arrived. What they don’t know is what is on that ship.