It's time for a change of pace.

The Librarians has been organized into books with a new chapter published each Sunday. But for the next few weeks, readers will instead get a series of short stories. Each one will reveal something about the Alexander family by focusing on one character or one relationship. These stand-alone moments will be followed by Book Three, likely starting in September. 

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.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Arrival Day

The Brig was a rather large room with three walls covered with monitoring stations, communicators and lined with workers. One wall was covered with screens so large it looked more like a window. In the center of the room was a large glowing table surrounded by the commander and her officers, all of whom were engrossed in whatever was on it.

They did not even notice the Io and Omari enter.

“Where are we on the countdown?” Io asked as she approached the table.

“Two minutes and twenty-eight seconds,” the commander answered. “But as we discussed she could arrive even weeks after that.”

“Understood.”

For Io, the next couple minutes felt like years. Even though she had decided some time ago that the Odyssey was lost, she still wanted it to return. Somewhere inside she dreamed of the happy ending. Where the ship returned unharmed, there was no threat of war and she could be with Omari. She stood by the glowing table simply watching each second pass by, and dreaming with each one.

And when the clock hit zero she could hardly believe her eyes.

A small dot appeared on the monitor. A rhythmic beep rang out across the room with each second, tracking the vessel as it inched closer to home. Io wanted to celebrate the moment but found herself trapped instead, still waiting. So was everyone else in the room. They were waiting for a message to come over the communicator.  The Brig was silent for a long time, but no message came.

The moment of return was already marred by the silence. If everything was right, the crew of the Odyssey should have contacted Jupiter Station right away. This meant that everything wasn’t right. Something was wrong.

As the beeping continued to echo across the room, everyone prayed that it was just a broken communicator. Even though they knew it probably wasn’t.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Wait and See

“Any word from Io?” Sun asked.

“They haven’t found anything, yet. She and Omari are going to stay on board at least until the Odyssey reenters the system. If she finds anything in the meantime, she’ll contact me immediately,” Kate said. “Have you given any thought to James?”

“I have,” Sun answered.

“Should I return with him?”

“I’ll let you know once the fate of the Odyssey has returned,” Sun told her. “We cannot play our hand until all the cards have been dealt.”

“Very well.”

“Keep your eyes open until then.”

“Eric and Lucas are with the leader of the Machinists now,” Kate said. “And, Io plans to contact you first once she knows if the Odyssey has entered our system.”

“Good.”

“Until then, mother.”

Kate ended the transmission, but did not get up from her station for some time. It wasn’t the unknown fate of the Odyssey, the threat from the Nekuia, the strange behavior of the residents on Jupiter Station, the change in Lucas, or even a possible alliance with the Machinists that bothered her.

It was James.

No matter what he might be doing to help, the fact remained that he had betrayed the family. He had planned to destroy all of them, and he was still marked for execution. For the first time since her father helped James escape, Kate understood why. She was now thinking of helping him escape a second time.

*          *          *

For the past week, Io had helped the residents of Jupiter Station solve some basic issues with the tram’s operating system, and completed repairs on one of the Europan ice drills. What she did not accomplish was discovering what the station commander was hiding. Because of her schedule repairing things, she did not have a chance to explore the station’s layout. That task was left to Omari.

Several times he was able to sneak off and examine sections of the station, but he had barely scratched the surface of the massive outpost surrounding the moon like a ring. And, their time was up.

Io again dressed in her formal attire and headed off to the Brig. That was the nickname for the main operations room for the station. It’s high security and long shifts left workers feeling like they were prisoners. So everyone called it the Brig, even the commander.

Omari was waiting in the hall, and escorted Io. The two said nothing along the way, knowing they could easily be watched in the corridors.

Besides, they already had a plan. No matter what happened. 

Chapter Thirty-One: Jupiter Station

Io dressed in her formal attire, and did everything she could to look her best. As the docking bay doors opened to Jupiter Station, she straightened her shoulders and prepared for the crowd of station residents. But, only a handful of people stood inside the arrival bay waiting to greet them.

A short, thin woman in a dark blue uniform stepped forward and introduced herself as the Station Commander. She had long, dark hair braided down her back. In a way, she reminded Io of Kate.

“It’s an honor to have The Engineer on Jupiter Station,” she said, almost bowing before Io.

Without any fanfare the commander escorted the new arrivals away from the ship. They took a short trip on a tram-like car to a small briefing room, where they were given assigned rooms and details on the station’s current layout.

Most of it was complete with living quarters, science and research areas, training rooms and even entertainment venues. One-quarter of the station was still under construction, which was slow these days. Although much of the station’s supplies were brought in from transports, some of the key minerals and elements needed were mined from the moon. These operations were located inside and outside the ring.

It really was a grand station with seemingly endless places to go. Io had only seen a couple of silver walls and doors in her short trip to the briefing room, so she was already anticipating being able to look around. But, she couldn’t help but wonder about the lack of fanfare. She never enjoyed being under the Alexander spotlight, but she was told to prepare for it when she arrived.

“Are there any ceremonies planned for our arrival?” she asked.

“There will be plenty of time for pageantry,” the commander answered, “once we’ve confirmed the Odyssey’s arrival.”

Io wasn’t certain what she meant. Why would the commander be awaiting confirmation? Was she aware that the Odyssey hadn’t been heard from?

“What do you mean by, ‘once you’ve confirmed her arrival’?”

“We can’t be certain she’ll return until she’s back in our space,” the commander answered.

“We do have the reports,” Io said hesitantly.

The commander paused and turned to look at Io. She examined her face before continuing. “We will have time to prepare for ceremony, but right now I must admit we need your help.”

“My help?”

“Yes. We’ve had problems lately with the operating systems on the station, some of which you developed,” she explained. “We could use your help repairing them.”

The commander continued to talk about all the problems the station was having with the operating systems, gravitational issues, and the mining equipment on Europa was malfunctioning. It seemed the station was in much worse shape than anyone back on Earth imagined.

After the commander finished, Io asked her if they had sent word back home about their troubles.

“We expected your arrival soon,” she said. “And, no one else is better equipped to offer assistance.”

Even if Io was the most qualified person, they should have sent word. Equipment could be needed or preparations could have been made. Something about the situation just wasn’t right.

Instead of continuing to ask questions, Io requested that she have an adjoining room with Omari.

The corners of the commander’s mouth lifted slightly. Io quickly tried to negate her assumptions by requesting that the rest of her security detail be located on the same corridor. She told the commander her team needed to be in direct contact with her at all times. It was typical protocol for the family. But, the commander didn’t look convinced.

She did care for Omari, but her request was made because there was something about the commander that she did not trust.
After her request was granted, officers were sent off to change the arrangements. The commander finished reviewing the details for their stay on the station, and eventually escorted Io and her companions to their quarters.

When they arrived, Omari followed her inside to check the room. She asked him to scan both of their quarters for cameras, listening devices, explosives, anything and everything. Then she stood patiently in the center of the room until he was finished with her quarters. Once that was deemed safe, she sat on the bed thinking about the commander.

Finally, Omari came back from his quarters. “Both rooms are clean,” he said. “I found a listening device in your quarters. And, a listening device and camera in mine, but all of them have been destroyed.”

“Thank you,” she told him.

Omari stepped inside her room, but still kept his distance. “Something isn’t right here,” he told her. “Perhaps we should depart immediately.”

“I have the same feeling,” she said. “But the ship will need at least a couple of days to refuel and restock for the journey home. Let’s see what we can found out in the meantime.”

Chapter Thirty: Home Sweet Home

The ship cleared Callisto, coming around its orbit to see Io. Just beyond that Europa came into view with Jupiter Station encircling the icy moon.

Io had been there before, but construction never really stopped on the space station. It had taken generations to build, and would likely take generations more to complete.

The station surrounded the entire moon like the rings around Saturn, forming a complete circle around Europa. Not all sections of the ring were finished, but the skeleton was complete. It was the first thing that was, and they had been filling it in ever since.

For the first time in weeks Io felt a pleasant, warm happiness inside. She wrote several papers about the station in her early schooling, and later helped design some of its structures and operating systems. She was eager to see her work in action. Then she remembered why she made the return trip. The mission was to either greet the Odyssey or calm the situation if it never showed up. And that moment was not long out.

Although the Odyssey would take almost a year to dock at the station, communication would be possible the moment it re-entered the solar system. Which means the station and the ship should be direct contact in less than a week. Even if it was incapable of communication for any reason, they would be able to detect its arrival in the system.

That would really be the moment of truth, when they would know if she was going to return.

“We’re beginning final approach.” Omari’s voice suddenly came over the communicator in Io’s quarters as she watched Jupiter Station grow larger on the monitor in front of her.

“Thank you, Omari,” she said. Io kept her finger on the communication button. She wanted to say more but couldn’t find the words, so she slowly lifted her finger and ended it.

Io had spoken only a few words to Omari since she watched the video of her parents. She was so comfortable in his presence, she was afraid that she would lose her grip if she spent too much time with him. Not once did he try to question it or intrude. It was like he knew just how fragile she was those first couple of weeks.

He even sent her the security plans for their arrival on Jupiter Station in messages she could view at her communicator. It gave her the time she needed to strengthen her resolve, or to build up the wall, before they landed.

Io felt herself welling up with emotion as the station grew larger and larger on the monitor. She was excited to see it again, but in some ways disappointed that the journey was over. She was nervous, anticipating what the fate of the Odyssey could be. But none of that mattered.

As the representative of the Alexander family, many people were anticipating her arrival. Io had to be an example of calm authority and completely in charge. There was no room for an emotional breakdown in this role.

She had to put her game face on for the people who called Jupiter Station home. 

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.