Jab, as it turns out, wasn't in the office waiting for them but was as Tiffy affectionately defined it: 'Working with the boys'. Cat went to the nearby site alone because Bentley, still sulking, hadn't come out of the gear room. As she walked there, she observed with distaste the planet that people called the cradle of humanity. It was barren and hostile to life. She knew that Martians had had a hand in it. Mumbai had spread radioactive dust halfway across the planet. The blight had killed most of the vegetation. The plague had... almost killed humanity.

She walked briskly. The heat was stifling in her protective suit. Her breather didn't make things easier. She had the insane urge to rip off every piece of protective garment. It quickly passed as she thought of the consequences of such an act. Cancer. Lungs filled with radioactive particles.

Game over.

She approached Jab's work site. She found it more by ear than sight. A lifter was hoisting a statue and lowering it with infinite care unto the cargo hold of a huge freighter. That lifter was an old turbofan model and it was LOUD. The cable lost its tightness as the statue reached its destination and the craft raised up, moving away from the freight with its cable dangling down. The cable was wound up back inside the lifter before it descended slowly to the ground. It landed two hundred feet from Cat in a huge cloud of dust. Looking as light as a feather, it settled its weight on its sturdy landing gear and the turbofan engines wound down as did their screaming. Cat's ears were ringing. A crew of workers came to greet the lifter.

A small humanoid form came her way. With the sand being blown by both the relentless winds and the lifter, Cat couldn't see who it was; but as it got closer, she could see that it was a robot by the absence of protective garments. No breather and lighter on the protective radiation layers.

"You must be Catherine Fairfax, we've been expecting you. I'm Ronald. Please follow me. The boss will be with you shortly."

They walked to an open tent and inside they found a sleeping form.

"Excuse me ma'am. You told me to warn you if anything happened." The robot said softly.

"Hmf... what?" The figure stirred and slowly got up. "Ronald, why did you wake me up? She back?" It asked still numb with sleep.

"Miss Fairfax just arrived ma'am."

"And...? You useless toaster! You wake me up just for that? You're supposed to warn me when the grand bitch comes around, not homicidal maniacs. From now on, I want you to refer to her by her proper name. Tyran." She resumed her sleeping posture and added. "And keep that... thing away from me." And by 'thing', she meant Catherine.

"Yes ma'am." The robot said impassively. "This way please Miss Tyran."

Cat followed the robot, fuming inwardly. She knew the old lady was right and justified to be angry at her but the way it had been delivered had gotten under her skin.

"Charming." She said.

"Miss Summer? She's one of the nice ones. She's always sour when she wakes up." The robot said.

"You woke her on purpose! You sly thing, you knew that she didn't care about visitors. She just wanted you to warn her if Jab came over and caught her napping on the job."

"That would imply anger and a desire for revenge on my part Miss Tyran. Something I am incapable of feeling I assure you."

"Bullshit. I wanted to kick that chair from under her the minute I met her and you've been working with her for...?"

"Twelve years ma'am."

"Mars, I can't even imagine that."

"I can."

"I bet you can my friend."

"Bentley is a great help with the little frictions between humans and robots."

"You don't go to Jab?"

"You're joking right? The boss is not very well equipped for subtlety."

"Then, the years haven't changed her at all."

"I'm afraid not ma'am." Ronald said, almost chuckling.

"So, where's Jab?"

The robot pointed to the lifter that had just landed in the field nearby.

"She flies it herself?" Cat exclaimed. "She's in her seventies, is it even safe?"

"Yes, and please don't say that in front of the boss. She's..."

"A sourpuss?"

"I would have said a bit moody."

The lifter's back loading ramp opened and two people briskly walked out and made their way towards them. One was of small stature and the other was rather tall. The tallest had a smooth but powerful walk not unlike a tiger. The smaller one came over and hugged a surprised Catherine off the ground.

"Jab?"

"Cat! So glad to see you. Sorry about all that traveling. I hope some of it was interesting."

"It was, and I can guess why you've summoned me here. Are you okay? You seem unnaturally happy to see me. "

"Come on, I missed you. It's been eight years and I was sure we lost you." Jab said. She pointed to her tall companion and said. "This is Araken, he's the Reyjak Queen's son and heir and will be their king sooner than later. You see, the Reyjak queen is sick and she sent him to me to learn about us."

The Reyjak turned his attention to Cat and gave a slight bow.

Cat bowed back, she observed the alien with curiosity. She'd never seen a Reyjak up close before. Even with the protective garment, his shape, the way he moved was totally different from humans.

"I'm sorry to hear that about your mother. I wish her a quick recovery and health."

"Thank you." Was the Reyjak's curt answer.

Jab put her arm around Cat's shoulders and they headed back towards the pressurized buildings.

"So... where are you at with your endeavor to save Earth's past cultural artifacts?" Cat asked Jab, feeling a bit uncomfortable with Jab's newly acquired taste for human contact.

"It won't be finished in my lifetime. But I like to think that I've set things in motion and they should continue very well after I'm gone. I've set up a trust fund so they won't go out of funding."

"And Bentley should take care of everything else with the efficiency and competence he's displayed so far." Ronald added.

"If he still wants to do it." Jab looked at them and continued. "My son has been questioning the purpose of his existence lately. I guess it's my fault. I haven't paid enough attention to him lately."

"He's also concerned about your health." Cat interjected.

"Yes, my health. I've had a few setbacks on that front. He's worried about being left here alone, abandoned by his creator. He's searching for his place in this big universe. As we all are. And now, he'll have to search for it alone without answers from me. Not that he's listening to me, mind you. But sometimes, I think he listens but he doesn't want me to know." Jab laughed dryly before being caught in a fit of coughing. Ronald took her arm and told them to hurry.

"It's the atmosphere, the re-breathers, they can't filter all the harmful elements in the air. She's been here too long." Ronald said.

When they got to the buildings, Ronald stayed outside explaining that he was a worker drone and therefore wasn't properly protected from the elements and couldn't be completely decontaminated. He was condemned to stay outside. Inside, after being decontaminated, Araken went to warn Bentley about his mother's condition. Bentley came in the airlock with an oxygen tank and put the mask over jab's face. She seemed to calm down and her breathing slowed to a relaxed rhythm.

"She's been here for far too long. I keep telling her to leave but she's obsessed with this accursed planet." Bentley said hotly.

"I'll be fine you ninny." Jab said hoarsely.

"Breath in slowly, don't talk." Bentley chided her. "One of these days, you'll overdo it and..."

"I'm fine now..."

"Yes! Now! But you might not be next time mother! Don't you get it? You go and I lose my only relative in the world! You are the reason I exist!" The robot said passionately.

"Calm down, you're getting worked up over nothing. I will die eventually. I will go but my legacy will be all around you, you silly robot. You will go on for many years and you are part of the legacy I'm leaving behind." A tear ran down Jab's wrinkled cheek. "And I'm so proud of you Bentley. You must know that."

"Over nothing... what if you had known your God? And suddenly he decided to leave you with so many questions unanswered?"

"In a way, I think he did roughly 2338 years ago." Jab said laughing.

"To steal the words from my sister's mouth: You are crazy flesh and bones." Bentley laughed as he said it.

"Atari. (Bingo.) Now, if you all could leave me alone with Catherine. I need to have a word with her." Jab said drinking some water from a glass given to her by Araken. "You too little prince."

"Please don't call me that Shar-Tan." He said and followed the others out of the airlock.

"Help me? Take my arm dear and we'll go talk in my office. Don't worry, I'll make it. I rested enough. I'm not an invalid. I'm just old."

"And as stubborn as ever I see." Cat said as she helped Jab stand up. They walked the short distance to jab's office. Jab let herself drop in a big leather chair behind a big mahogany desk.

As Cat was closing the door, Tiffy came in. "It's the Imperial Household Agency again. They're still undecided about the Hōryū-ji. I mean, it's only the oldest wooden buildings existing in the world and one of the most celebrated temples in Japan. Who would want to save it? Right?" She finally looked up from the tablet she was holding and took in Jab's general appearance. "Did you overdo it again? Seriously?"

"Put it on my desk dear. I'll read it later. I need to speak with Catherine alone. Please?" Jab pleaded with the robot.

"As soon as you finish, you come and tell me. You got me Catherine Fairfax?" Tiffy told Cat in no unclear manner.

"Yes ma'am." Cat replied. The robot swiped its tablet towards Jab's desk, the form appeared there. Satisfied, the robot left them alone. "She scares me a little."

"And you should be. She's fierce that one." Jab leaned on the backrest of her comfortable chair and closed her eyes. "I want your help with something that's been a thorn in my side for the better part of a quarter century."

"Martian ships coming through your space bridges undetected."

"Exactly. They bring supplies and gear to those terrorist cells we have all over Aurora's and Trantor's systems. The gunship that attacked us twenty-eight years ago was probably from one of those ships. I need you to infiltrate one of those ships and find out how they do it."

"Infiltrate one of the Martian ships? Do you even know where they are? How..." Cat blurted out.

"Oh, I'll think of something." Jab said, grinning.

"Fuck, now I know I'm in shit." Cat said dejected.