He shook his head. "The run seemed to work it out."
"Did it?" Harbin asked, staring straight ahead, not looking at him.
He kept looking at the robots loading supplies onto their ship. He was not one of those. They were nothing but programs. He was a humanoid. Not just a metal box of protocols. "It did. And not like that."
"Are we talking about it?"
"No."
"Download to Master System when we return."
"Affirmative." Yes, Master System would be interested to hear about his experiences.
2
"Iam not ready for this." Eleanor kept organizing and re-organizing her things for the Peace Negotiations with the Rhimodian Cyborgs.
"Of course you are," Bianca said. "You're going to be wonderful. You will be there to support Caoimhe. That is what sisters do. To show that we do not hold them responsible for what happened to the Empress. Specifically, that you girls do not hold them personably responsible."
Eleanor glanced around her room. This was what she was used to. She was not a diplomat. Not even close to what a diplomat would be.
"But what if they were? You know the stories. I've heard every theory out there. The ones that say it was the Emperor. The ones that say it was the Rhimodians. The ones that say both sides worked together to destroy the negotiations. There are so many. No one truly knows what happened."
Unfortunately, Eleanor could not remember any of it, even though she was there.
"Maybe you will remember something."
Eleanor shook her head. "I doubt it." She'd never fully recovered from what happened when her mother died. Not all the way.
Some wounds were visible, like her left hand. She kept the crumpled fist hidden as much as possible because she couldn't fully use it, tucked into a pocket or the folds of her dress.
Yet another flaw.
"You have to have faith."
"I don't want to remember seeing my mother die, thanks," Eleanor said.
"I am sorry. I did not mean that. I thought maybe something might come to you, a detail you might have forgotten before anything happened."
"I can't remember it. I should be able to. No doctor has been able to find a reason why I cannot remember. The memories are there. But they're hidden. At least, that's what all the doctors say."
"Sometimes, the heart holds memories from us to keep us protected."
Eleanor ran her hand over the last few things she'd put together for the peace talks. Bianca had returned from heading over to the Rhimodian system. She'd gone to ensure their residences were up to standard and properly equipped with whatever it was the Emperor demanded they have.
"You never did say how your trip to Sol went," Eleanor said.
"Fine," Bianca replied.
"What was fine?" Caoimhe asked as she came into Eleanor's room. The girls had two suites with Bianca's residence in between, and all three were connected by a large common area. When they were little, it was the girls' playroom where all their toys were. Now it was a lounge where they had their most personal visitors. Caoimhe had been using the room while she spoke to a few members of security about the trip. More data. Like learning what the latest numbers were for the battles, in case she needed that information.
She went straight for the far wall where the replicator was. "Asport Tea Spot."
Eleanor raised her eyebrow. "Tea spot? At midday?"
A cup appeared with the warm drink in it, and even across the room, Eleanor could smell the alcohol in the glass. Not exactly a midday cocktail.
"If you had to hear those casualty lists every day for a month, you would be drinking Tea Spot every day with your midday meal as well."
