Chapter Twenty-Two: Between the Lines

She smacked the staff against the practice dummy; then swung it around again for another blow. Back and forth she hurled it until the sweat began dripping from her brow. She ended her session with a stab to the torso area.

Kate set time aside every cycle, or one day on the moon, to work out in the base training room. She released frustrations and stayed in shape, which was not easy in low gravity.

These days it had another advantage. She could clear her mind and plan her escape from Omari.

The first step in that getaway was complete. Since Omari gave the base librarian security clearance to spend time with her, he and Kate were able to spend hours alone. The purpose was to review the logs from the Odyssey. The ship had been gone almost 150 years, so they needed to spend a lot of time reviewing every word. It also gave her an opportunity to ask him for a favor.

The librarian was older than Kate’s father, so Omari brushed away any idea of an affair. The two were left to work without disruption. That’s when Kate asked the librarian for something he could tell no one about. She was an Alexander. Of course, the answer was yes.

Kate asked him to supply her with blueprints for Shackleton Base and Station Beta. The station was close enough to Shackleton to get there quickly, but far enough away that it would take time for Omari to even suspect it. The librarian gave her the shuttle schedules, staff schedules, anything and everything that would help her find a way out.

Beta was designed for deep core drilling and long term gravity experiments. Only a few scientists spent a great deal of time there, so Kate would be out of place. She would have to move through quickly, maybe as a garbage or storage worker.

And, of course, she would have to be disguised. Being an Alexander gave her the ability to get the plans in the first place, but without the right disguise they would be worthless.

Kate let her thoughts drift, wondering what she could pretend to be and what would it feel like to be someone else. Someone that no one knew, someone that no one cared to know. That’s when Omari entered the training room and ripped her from those dreams.

“Miss Alexander,” he called out from the doorway.

“Yes,” she answered.

“You requested I inform you when Io’s shuttle departed Earth,” he said.

“Yes?”

“It has just left, m’am.”

Kate quickly turned toward the door and exited the training room. Never looking directly at Omari, not once.

“Thank you,” she said as she passed by.

Kate headed to her quarters to dress for the occasion. Io would dock at Shackleton Base in a couple of hours.

•••

“Hello, mother,” James said, still standing in front of the site where Yori was killed.

“Hello, James,” she responded. What she really wanted to do was scream. She even dreamt, just for a moment, of dropping to her knees and weeping at what her family had become.

“What are the two of you doing here?” James asked.

“Looking for you,” William said, knowing it was a lie. He and Sun were headed to the vault. “Yes, I wanted to let you know that I’ve sent Io’s bodyguard with her to Shackleton Base.”

“What?” James asked.

“I understand you were concerned because some of the incriminating messages surrounding Yori’s death were sent from his station.”

“Yes.”

“But, I can vouch for his whereabouts at the time of those transmissions,” Williams told him. “I have evidence that will exonerate him.”

James paused. “It is for me to clear him, father,” he said. “That is my duty as the Commander.”

“Yes, son, I understand. But since I was in charge of the original investigation I am privy to facts you may not be.”

“What facts?”

“The transmissions originated from somewhere else,” William said. “I can show you where they came from. Would you like to see the evidence?”

“Yes,” James said. “But not now. Perhaps tomorrow would be better.”

“Very well.”

William and Sun knew that James was responsible, but to confront him, to accuse an Alexander. This was a road no one before them had traveled. The two had just started to talk about it. They had just realized what their own son had been plotting against them. It was not the time for a confrontation.

So, William continued to play the game. He looked down at the hole in the ground, “we haven’t spent time here since Yori was assassinated,” he told James. “Perhaps this is the right moment to begin healing that wound.”

James felt his heart soften. He was reluctant to even speak. Then he looked back at the hole in the ground, and responded with an honesty he had long forgotten.

“The hole is deep,” he said.

“It is,” William responded. “But, perhaps it can be mended.”

James looked over at his mother. “Do you think it can be mended, mother?”

“I don’t know,” she told him.

Chapter Twenty-One: Change of Hearts

Kate went to visit Omari in his new command center on the far side of the base. She knocked politely, entered when asked, and stood at attention in front of his desk.

"Does this mean we're speaking to each other?" he asked, still looking down at the glass panel in his hands.

"Enough, Omari."

"What's the problem this time?"

"This personal attachment you seem to have," she said. At this he stopped reading and looked up at her.

"I think it's impeding your ability to perform your duties," she continued. "And it needs to end right here, right now."

"My personal attachment? What are you talking about?" he demanded, standing up to face her.

"Lately, you have been too involved with my private life, and I believe you’ve forgotten to behave like a professional. You need to either ignore any feelings you may have for me or remove yourself from this position."

"I don't have any feelings for you," he asserted.
"Call it whatever you want, but things have become too personal and I think it's affecting your job."
"The only thing affecting my job is your irresponsible behavior."
"My behavior should be irrelevant."
"You've been behaving like a child, and forcing me to act like your babysitter."

"That’s exactly the type of talk I’m referring to."
"What talk?" he screamed. "Your cooperation is essential to your security."

"Not if you're good at your job," she said sternly. "Omari, you haven’t been behaving like a member of my security team."

"And how have I been behaving?"

"Like a jealous boyfriend."
Omari stood still and silent. A part of him agreed with her. He had been speaking to her on a personal level.

When he watched over Sun, he hardly ever spoke to her. Once in a while, he would brief her on security procedures for certain events. But that was it.

His relationship with Kate had taken a different turn. He had even shared with her his memory of their first encounter. Perhaps it had gone too far.
"Our bodyguards are not supposed to be seen or heard,” she told him. “Focus on your job or I'll demand someone else do it."

After several minutes of silence, Kate spoke up again.

"I’m headed to the library to do some research," she told him. "I will need to spend time with the base librarian. Please, complete your procedures for clearing him so that we can work together."

"Yes, m’am." Omari stepped outside and called over one of the base officers. He told him to escort Kate to the library and watch over her until he arrived.

Kate and the officer walked off. She did not speak to Omari again, or even turn back to look at him. Her plan was underway, so she kept her gaze on the path ahead. No matter how difficult it was.

•••

James followed his parents from the council chamber. He had gone there to speak with his mother about Ceres. The plan was to plant seeds of doubt and paranoia, about anyone but him really. But, as he approached the balcony, he heard his father’s voice.
He couldn’t make out exactly what they said, but somehow he knew they were speaking about him. He couldn’t shake his concerns that they had figured him out. He believed his father had, and what he caught was his father sharing that information with his mother.

He stood behind the curtains near the balcony, trying desperately to hear their words. He could only make out a few, but his mind filled in the rest. And, the paranoia grew like a wildfire.

When the two left the balcony, he stood behind the curtain as motionless as his shaking hands would allow. They passed through the council chamber and into the main alcove. He slowly opened the doors to the chamber and peeked out just in time to witness the couple step inside the library’s vestibule.
James continued to follow them through the library. They walked past the map rooms, and toward the Alexander wing, exactly where he anticipated they were going.

But they did not stop.
They moved past the entrance to the wing and continued to walk, down into the depths of the library toward his father's office. James watched the pair enter the hallway that ended with the door to the Curator's office. What was his father doing? No one was allowed in there except the Curator.

He stood by the entrance to the hallway for some time wondering what was happening inside. Did Yori have evidence against him? What was so important that his father could not take the evidence to his mother; he had to take Sun to the evidence? He needed to speak with his aunt.
James decided to leave the library. He walked out through the lower exit near the vault, the spot where Yori had died. He had not been there in person since Yori's death. 
Standing in the atrium, the damage from the explosion was still visible. Columns were missing. Piles of stone were waiting to be removed. He eyed the cracks across the stone floor as they crept up the walls and into the ceiling like bony fingers.
This is what he had done.

He was the one responsible for this destruction. He placed his hand on his chest, trying to grip the heaviness within, and started to cringe when the door to library opened.

William and Sun stopped. They looked at their son staring at the hole in the ground. James looked at his parents, and noticed his mother glance over at the doors to the vault.

Chapter Twenty: Enemy Number One

Escape was the only answer.

Omari would be humiliated if he lost Kate. He would have to send for Eric. No one would believe could do a better job after that.

Kate wasn’t even sure if she wanted Eric back. But she was positive that she wanted revenge. Omari was the enemy.

She sat in her quarters, considering the best way to take her enemy out. If she wanted to put Omari in his place, she would have to leave the base. Simply hiding out for an hour or two wouldn’t do it. He could cover it up, or simply lie about losing sight of her.

But, if he discovered she wasn’t even at Shackleton Base. That would be the kind of revenge she was looking for.

Now she needed to come up with a plan.

At first, she considered catching one of the shuttles back to Earth. But in order for that to work, she would have to hide on the shuttle until it headed out. Such a small space left too much opportunity for discovery and failure.

That’s when it hit her. She didn’t have to leave the moon at all. Almost thirty bases dotted the moonscape. All she had to do was get to another one.

The nearest base wasn’t necessarily the best choice. One further away, a small lab a few kilometers south, was not as heavily guarded. It was a science station, focusing primarily on long term experiments. It was never intended for tourists or secret testing.

That would be the one.

“Kate?”

She sat up quickly, waking from her daydream, and looked over at her communicator. She had been waiting for this call.

“Kate, are you there?”

“I’m here,” she said walking over to her desk, “go ahead.”

“It’s the same,” the base librarian told her, “identical transmissions over the next five years. What I’m wondering, though, is why no one picked it up before? Now that I’m looking, it seems so obvious.”

“But you’re looking,” Kate said. “We never had any reason to question the logs.”

“Someone must have seen it,” the librarian said.

“Like who?”

“What about Yori?” he asked. “He would have reviewed every log before it was added to the library.”

Kate realized he was right. Yori would have reviewed every log. He would have been the one to notice something was wrong. And he was the one who was murdered.

•••

Sun followed her husband into the depths of the library, neither one saying a word.

She did not want to be there. The Curator’s office was underneath the library, deep within the ground. It was the place where the keeper of the box could hide, a place where the secrets the box held would be safe from the outside.

No one was allowed to even enter the hallway, let alone the office. William knew this. He had always followed the rules. He had always been one to respect the traditions of the family.

But something changed. He did not explain to Sun why he was taking her there; why he was changing the rules without asking. But, Sun knew he must have a reason. So she followed.

At the end of a long hallway she had never stepped foot in was a large, oak door with the Alexander family tree carved in its center and no handle, only a small glass panel on one side.

William walked up to the door and placed his hand on the panel. The door opened to reveal a circular space. A wooden desk sat in the center and shelves lined the walls. Sun stepped inside and began walking slowly around the room, examining the multitude of artifacts and objects around her.

Then William spoke up, breaking her concentration.

“Sun?” he asked. “You need to look at something.”

She quickly walked over to his desk. William had placed everything on the desk exactly as it was when he first entered the room. Even Yori’s journal was open to its final page and an open pen rested between the pages.

“This is how I found the desk when I first entered,” he told Sun. “What strikes you first?”

“Why is the professor’s map here?” Sun asked.

“I had the same question and it led me to find this.” William picked up Yori’s journal and showed Sun an entry from the week before his death. As she read, she slowly sat down in the worn, leather desk chair. After flipping through a couple of pages, she looked up at William with shock and sadness in her eyes.

“Keep reading,” he said and placed his hand on her shoulder. Sun continued until she finally got to the last entry. When she finished, she placed the journal back on the desk and cupped her face in her hands.

“Why wouldn’t they have warned us?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Maybe they did,” William said. “That’s what the box is for, to help us survive.”

“Then why haven’t we discovered them before?”

“We haven’t asked the right question,” he answered.

Sun stood up abruptly and said, “then let’s ask the right question.”

The two left the office behind and headed to the vault where the box was kept. One could open the box; the other could ask the question.

Chapter Nineteen: Prelude to War

When Kate learned Omari had plans to send her personal bodyguard, Eric, back to Earth she was furious. But she realized, since he was her mother’s former bodyguard, he might respond better to a diplomatic approach. So, she gave herself a day to calm down, a day to let the water stop boiling.

He had set up the new command center for her protection detail in the very room she tried to escape through less than a week before, with Eric’s help, of course. He was constantly moving his base of operations. He said it kept him on his toes, and his enemies guessing.

Kate opened the door to this office focused on her goal, getting him to allow Eric to stay. As she stepped inside, he was just finishing a conversation on his communicator.

“I’ll get back to you shortly,” he said. “I have a visitor.”

Kate calmly waited for him to end the transmission and look up at her. “I’ve learned you’re sending Eric back to Earth,” she told him.

“I’ve already sent him back,” he responded.

“What?”

“He left yesterday.”

“How dare you make personnel changes without speaking to me first,” she snapped.

“I felt it was best.”

“You feel nothing.”

“Actually, that is the best approach for a bodyguard.”

“How can a guard protect someone he doesn’t care anything about?”

Omari said nothing. He was placid, missing the natural tension that defined him. Kate was also silent, refusing to give in to her desire to wail and rage against him.

“He’s been my personal bodyguard for years, and I trust him,” she said stoically.

Omari stood up from his desk to face her. “I saw you kissing in the training room,” he stated.

Kate was silent.

“I know about your affair, and it complicates and compromises your security,” he added.

“I am not having an affair with anyone,” she lied. She had thought Omari was ignorant to her relationship with Eric. She thought she had fooled everyone.

As her mind began to wonder how many others knew, or if Omari was the only one, he spoke up. “I haven’t told anyone,” he said.

“I don’t care what you tell anyone,” she said.

“You used your beauty and power to manipulate him,” he stated, pointing at her like a schoolchild. “You even used him to try to escape my security in this very room. And, I already have someone else in mind.”

“No one else will have my trust,” she said.

“I will be your bodyguard.”

“I certainly don’t trust you,” she responded out of vengeance.

“I am the most qualified,” he barked. He then realized his emotions were getting the best of him, and sat down slowly. “It will make Eric’s departure appear less suspicious. Besides Io arrives tomorrow with four additional guards.”

“Io arrives?”

“Of course.”

“Io is coming here?” she asked.

“She will be joining us for the Odyssey’s arrival,” he told her. “I thought you had been informed.”

“It seems I’ve been kept in the dark,” she said. “Just how you like it.”

Without waiting for a response, Kate stormed out of his office, heading back to her quarters. As she walked down the corridor, she whispered to herself. “This is war.”

•••

Sun stood on the balcony of the council chamber, looking out across the compound. Her hair was tied back, without a single strand out of place. Her posture was straight, her shoulders back and her hands rested on the railing. She looked like a soldier standing watch, not a family matriarch enjoying an evening breeze.

William walked up beside her, and placed his hand over hers.

“It’s a beautiful evening,” he said.

“Out here, yes, it is,” she responded.

“We must talk about it,” he told her.

“Very well,” she said, taking in a deep breath. “He is conspiring, isn’t he?”

“It’s true, he is,” William admitted.

“I thought he might be. Is it power he seeks?”

“Perhaps,” he answered. “But, it may be something more.”

“It’s about me.”

“And your decision to choose Kate.”

“He’s never accepted that.”

“I don’t believe so,” he said.

“And Ceres has taken advantage of his weakness.”

“It’s in her nature to take advantage.”

“How long ago did you see it?” Sun asked.

“I was only convinced recently,” he told her.

“I noticed the time they spent together could be a problem,” Sun admitted. “Perhaps I chose look away.”

“And there is evidence he was involved in Yori’s death,” William admitted.

“There was no sorrow in his face,” she said. “What would you suggest we do?”

“For now, we can only watch, wait and prepare,” he told her.

“Very well,” she said, dropping her chin and closing her eyes.

“Unfortunately, my son’s betrayal is not my greatest concern.”

“How could it not be?” Sun turned to face him.

William stood and stretched out his hand to her, “come with me.”

Sun placed her hand in his and followed him out of the council chamber. The two headed toward the library.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked as they crossed the vestibule.

“To my office,” he answered.

“It’s forbidden for anyone except the Curator of the Library to enter that room,” Sun reminded him. “There’s a reason for that rule, William.”

He stopped in the center of the vestibule to the library, taking both her hands and looking her in the eyes. “Things have changed,” he said.

Sun could tell by his tone and expression something was different. Something had shifted in their world.

For William, it was time for the Curator to step outside the solitude of the library and begin to gather his troops.

Chapter Eighteen: Personnel Matters

“What did you find?” Kate asked the librarian at Shackleton Base.

“Again, I found identical transmissions,” he answered.

“Word for word?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll contact my father and let him know,” she told him. “In the meantime, I want you to continue to check each year since the Odyssey’s arrival, and send me updates of the results as you go along.”

“Consider it done,” the librarian said.

“Just one more thing,” Kate said.

“Anything.”

“Not a word of this to anyone.”

“No problem.”

“And be careful,” she added.

“I will, Kate,” he said.

She ended the transmission, and then quickly requested a long range communication with Earth. She needed to speak with William.

“It’s wonderful to hear from you, daughter,” he said when he answered the call.

“I wish I could say I had good news,” she told him.

“What did you find?” he asked, as if he was expecting her response.

“All the communications received after the ship’s arrival are identical to the previous communications.”

“Word for word?”

“Yes,” she responded, just as the librarian had almost a week before.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“You’re not surprised?”

“Unfortunately,” he said, “no.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t answer that,” he said. Kate knew that her father would not lead her astray. Whatever he knew about the Odyssey, he would let her know in due time. “But know that your research has been extremely helpful and greatly appreciated.”

“I have the librarian searching the following years for identical patterns,” she told him. “He has been instructed to inform me of his progress and results.”

“Excellent.”

“Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No,” he said. “Just trust in Omari’s decision.”

“What decision?”

“With Eric, of course.”

“What about Eric?”

“His departure.”

“What departure?” she asked.

“Are you unaware that Eric has been ordered back to Earth?”

“Eric has been sent back?”

Kate was caught trying to elude her security a few days ago. After planning, plotting and acting, Omari stood waiting for her on the other side of the escape hatch. And Eric had known about the whole thing.

“I’m sorry to be the one to inform you,” William said. “Eric leaves tomorrow. Omari has requested several officers to replace him, and Eric is to receive additional training. He plans on increasing your security force.”

•••

“Several communications originated from his terminal and he has not offered a valid explanation for them,” James said.

“I don’t care what you found,” Io responded. “I trust him.”

“I’m not willing to trust your safety to your gut feelings,” he told Io. “I’m replacing him immediately.”

“My bodyguard has done nothing wrong. I’m sure of it.” She wasn’t about to let James take away one of her most trusted allies. Even though she was the Engineer, and her job was to keep watch over technological advances and artificial intelligence for the Alexander family, she still trusted some humans. And her personal bodyguard was one of the few.

“Then he will be exonerated and returned to duty,” James contended. “In the meantime, I will have one of my personal bodyguards watch over you.”

“So your sense of trust is supposed to be better than mine?” Io countered.

“No, my bodyguard has passed all the required interviews during the investigation and no suspicious activity was discovered,” he said.

“That doesn’t provide me with any comfort,” she told him. “I still trust my own bodyguard more than I will ever trust one of yours.”

“I don’t doubt that, Io. I still plan on dismissing him temporarily and assigning someone who has already been cleared.”

Io realized at that moment there was no changing the situation. As much as she wanted, even the council would side with James. He had just been appointed to Commander. And, technically, his argument had no flaws.

She stood up and walked out of his office without saying a word, then returned to her own. Her first move was to contact William.

“He wants to assign me one of his personal bodyguards,” she told him.

“It is his prerogative,” William said.

“It has nothing to do with my safety,” Io alleged. “Not keeping it anyway.”

“I understand your frustration, but it may work to our advantage in the end,” William admitted.

“What do mean by that?” she asked.

“I have two problems, Io,” William told her. “And I think you can help me with both.”

Chapter Seventeen: Dream a Little Dream

She spun hard and hit the practice dummy with all her force, absorbing the repercussions from the impact. Then she dropped to her knees and tumbled forward. She rolled out and stabbed the dummy in the far corner of the room.

The cameras were off. The sensors were black. No one was allowed to observe Kate’s routine. To give away taped footage of an Alexander practicing techniques was like handing a thief the blueprints to the bank.

She had the training room to herself.

Kate slipped around the back of the practice dummy and began removing the control hatch door. She crawled in, lit her small lamp and closed the door behind her.

The crawlspace was tight, but passable. She continued down about twenty feet to an intersection. She pictured the schematics in her head before turning to the left and quickly continuing to the end of the passageway. To her right was another small hatch door. She loosened it and slowly pushed it aside.

Omari stood before her. He made no quick moves. He made no statements.

He simply took the hatch door from her hands and placed it back inside the wall. Then he opened the door to the room and motioned for her to exit.

She headed back to the training room to retrieve her staff, but Eric was waiting in the hallway with the staff in his hands.

She didn’t know if he had turned on her or was only going along. He was supposed to be her lookout. He was supposed to help her escape, for just a bit.

Maybe it wasn’t his fault. Maybe he got caught, too. Kate couldn’t tell when she passed him. He was stoic. He was like Omari, like her mother.

“I know you don’t remember, but you and I fought in our youth,” Omari told her.

She turned back to him, “we’ve never sparred.”

“We have. At age seven, you stood before me with your first skin staff,” he said. “It lit up like the sun in your hands.”

“I don’t remember.”

“It took months for the echo of that flash to go away.”

“I remember the first time I held my staff,” she said. “I don’t remember sparring.”

“We didn’t really spar. Your light blinded me and it was over.”

“Why does this matter?” she demanded.

“Because I’ve known you a very long time,” Omari responded. “If you’d paid attention, you would have expected me to be waiting.”

Kate didn’t want to remember her past with Omari. She was angry. But as she walked down the hall, she desperately tried to remember their first meeting.

•••

Io was the fly, annoying but easy to smash. She was not physically impressive to James. She was not even smart enough to figure out he had ordered Yori’s murder. But, Io kept asking questions. She kept talking about the imperfections.

All the small mistakes that others made were slowly pulling back the curtain on James. He felt slightly vulnerable. No one could ever prove it, but even the shadow of a doubt was too much. Something had to be done.

“Tell me about the new guards,” Ceres wondered.

“They have agreed to give their lives to this family, to me.”

“That will be of use,” she said.

“Yes, it will,” James agreed. He thought of one officer in particular. One that promised he would give his life to see James in power. James never told him about his plans. James only told the officer one day he would give him the chance to prove his devotion. But that day was not today.

“What can I do?” Ceres asked as the two sat in her office.

“Talk to my mother,” James said. “Tell her I mean to impress her.”

“That you are desperate for her approval?”

“Yes.”

“Are you?” Ceres asked.

“Am I what?”

“Hoping to impress her?”

“It’s too late for that,” James stated.

“Never underestimate a mother’s desire to enter her child’s inner circle,” Ceres said. “It’s never too late.”

“Very well,” he said. “I will impress her.”

Ceres paused. Somewhere deep within him was the child that only wanted his mother’s approval. She knew James had a desire to please his mother. He wanted her to love him, to trust him. And everyone knew she did not.

This brought him closer to Ceres. It also invited distrust. But her pity outweighed everything else.

“We will have our day, nephew.”

“When? When will it happen?” he asked.

“Patience. All the pieces are starting to fall into place,” Ceres reminded him.

“You’re right,” James said. “It feels so close, like it’s just out of reach.”

“He who lies in wait for his enemy will be victorious.”

“Perhaps,” James said.

Chapter Sixteen: Shadows of a Doubt

Kate sat in a small room in the back corner of the library at Shackleton Base. It would fit at least four people, but Omari wouldn’t allow anyone near Kate. He stood outside the room, occasionally looking in through the glass window in the top of the door. 

The library at the base wasn’t even as large as one section of the Alexander library, and it held no paper books. All the words and stories in this library had been coded into the language of ones and zeros. Everything was digital. It made good use of the space, but it was cold and lifeless.

She was studying the final logs from the Odyssey. Kate wanted to please her father, as if helping him would help find Yori’s killer. She didn’t believe the assassination had anything to do with the Odyssey, but it made her feel she was doing something. Besides she would have been studying the ship’s logs anyway. The purpose of her trip was to be at Jupiter Station for its return, so it was necessary to know everything about the ship and its mission.

Finally, the base’s librarian showed up at the study room door with some information she requested. She stood up to greet him, but Omari refused to let him enter. Kate opened the door, “What’s going on here?”

“Kate, please step back inside the room,” Omari demanded.

“No, I’ve asked the librarian to assist me.”

“This individual has not been scanned,” Omari told her. “I cannot allow him this close.”

“I requested he come here,” she said. The librarian waited and watched the two debate his presence. Then he squeaked in, “I really just came to drop off some files.”

Omari snatched the small piece of glass from his hands, “I will examine this and give it to Miss Alexander when I’m finished.”

“Thank you, sir,” the librarian said. “May I contact Kate, or Miss Alexander, from my office with a summary of the findings?”

“You may,” Omari responded. Then the librarian quickly exited the scene.

“What’s wrong with you?” Kate asked.

“You don’t understand the dangers around you.”

“I understand the dangers, Omari, but you’re taking this too far.”

“It can’t be taken far enough,” he said.

“This man is not going to hurt me,” Kate told him. “He was a friend of Yori’s.”

“So was the professor.”

With that, Kate pursed her lips and stepped back inside the study room. She slammed the door behind her, but knew part of what he said was true. Still, he couldn’t protect her from everything.

“What are you going to do? Take away the air I breathe?” she said to herself. “Someone might poison the station just to poison me.”

She slammed her fist down on the desk. This journey was supposed to be an escape from the compound, but all she found was another cage. Like a prisoner, she starting searching for a way out. Perhaps it contained some secret hatch or door she could slip out, escaping into the bowels of the base. Then she remembered the small door in the corner of the training room.
It was an access panel for the elements of the training room. Gravity could be altered; the practice dummies turned on and off, even water features could be added. It gave the room versatility and its residents plenty of exercise. It also would give her a way out.

“Miss Alexander, are you there?” the librarian asked from the communicator.

Kate let go of her daydreams and turned to the device. “Yes, thank you for contacting me. I’m sorry about my overzealous bodyguard.”

“It’s quite alright,” he said. “I certainly understand, especially after what happened on Earth.”

“What did you find?” Kate asked curtly.

“You were right,” he said. “I took the logs from the first year after the Odyssey left the planet and compared them to the ones from the trip out there. I found identical logs scattered throughout.”

“Completely identical?”

“Word for word.”

“Was there any information added?”

“No, it’s as if they were just copied and resent.”

“Do the same search with the logs from the following year and let me know what you find,” Kate said. She paused and added, “and just contact me through the communicator to let me know what you find.”

“Yes, Miss Alexander.”

“Don’t start that,” she said. “You’ve always called me Kate.”

“Ok, Kate. I’ll contact you soon.”

••• 

When James arrived at the entrance to the council chamber, Io and William were sitting on the bench in the alcove.

“I had the same suspicions,” she told William as James came within earshot.

Io noticed him, immediately stopped speaking and stood up.

“James,” Io said. She bowed politely before turning back to William. “I’ll speak with you after the meeting.”

“Excellent,” William responded. He looked over at James and motioned toward the chamber doors. “We should go in.”

James bowed to his father and entered, but he couldn’t stop wondering what the two had been discussing. He and Io had been working on the search for the Odyssey together. However, nothing about that investigation should be off limits. And he was the Commander. All military and security matters were his concern. His suspicion grew as he took his seat at Sun’s side.

“Several matters require our attention this morning,” Sun announced. “First, Lucas will be changing Yori’s inscription on the wall in the library’s vestibule tomorrow morning. We will all be in attendance.”

“Thank you,” Lucas said.

“Next, Maria has been speaking with several leaders around the world and informed me that the people are mourning our loss with us.”

Sun turned to Maria and nodded.

“Yes, they are more supportive than ever," Maria announced. "I have received condolences from every corner of the globe, as well as strong support for our investigation. Any news I receive has been sent directly to William.”

“Thank you, Maria.” Sun said.

“William, is there anything you need to request from us or reveal about your investigation?”

“No, thank you. Everyone has been helpful and open during my initial interviews and I will contact each of you individually when I need to more information.”

“James, I understand you have been working with the troops and increased security throughout the compound,” Sun said.

“Yes. Introductions are complete. I have begun selecting individuals for a special group of security members that will focus on the council members in addition to your personal bodyguards. I believe the additional level of security will be appropriate at this time.”

“Is there any news from your investigation into the whereabouts of the Odyssey?” Sun asked.

James turned to Io, waiting for her to jump up and respond.

“Our current schedule for scanning the skies is still underway, but I have nothing new to report,” she said.

“Nor do I,” James said.

“Thank you both.” Sun told them. “Ceres, would you like to add anything?”

“No, my sister.” Ceres said. “We have spent a great deal on the funeral and additional security costs, but as you know we are to absorb it without concern. I will send you estimates for the reconstruction efforts on the library as soon as I get security approval from James.”

Ceres and James looked at each other and nodded.

“Very well. If there are no other concerns we will reconvene after the ceremony tomorrow morning,” Sun said.

No one attempted to add any comments. Sun stood up and exited onto the balcony. Everyone else headed out of the council doors, except James who held back. He watched uneasily as Io and William exited the chamber together, deep in conversation.