"Well, I would hope so. I mean, that's what all the stories said. Not reptilian or worms or something."
Caoimhe smacked Eleanor's arm. "She means they weren't any different than any other humanoids. They were beings who had thoughts and feelings."
"Yes," Bianca said. "There was one who was my assistant all day. He gave me a tour of the complex, and answered questions about their society, and told me a great deal about who they were."
"And that was?" Eleanor asked.
"They were a people who deserved a chance to live, just like any other species of humanoid out there." She patted her dress again, and Eleanor wondered what she had in her pocket that was so important to her. Perhaps a trinket from the trip to Sol?
"We must get the peace treaty worked out," Caoimhe said. "There are too many deaths on both sides. The dying has to stop, so both of us can rebuild ourselves."
Eleanor agreed. "And maybe, in the process of, we can reorganize some of the sticky spots in our own government." She had to be so careful what was said. There was always someone listening. It didn't matter what they did. Freya had tried multiple times to put some kind of scanner in the room so they could block the recordings, but it didn't matter. She would create one, and it would be overpowered in a day or two, and they would be back where they started.
It was almost a game, trying to maintain some form of privacy and secrets in the palace.
They had tried talking away from the palace, in the open air, where no one was around, but not even that worked.
So codes were invented.
A language that only the two sisters understood.
Freya and Caoimhe had their own coded language as well, something they would add to about any message that would not be noticed. Bianca said she'd figured out a good portion of it, but Eleanor still didn't have it right. It never made sense to her what she'd try to decode.
Regardless, it was only because their father would not give them any bit of privacy.
"The sticky spots are tough to get out. Figuring out how to smooth over the smaller systems and maintain everyone with equal voice--" Bianca started.
"Will be a challenge, but I am sure after we negotiate the peace treaty with the Rhimodians, then it will surely be simple to work out those problems," Caoimhe said. "The time I've spent with the Senate has taught me plenty of techniques for these things."
Eleanor nodded. "That is good," she said. "It'll make the job easier when the time comes."
"Absolutely."
Even in their coded language, it made Eleanor uneasy talking about this. It was not an uncommon idea to overthrow the Emperor. It has happened more than once in Terran history. Power had a tendency to corrupt.
And for those who were never really that good to start? Well, power tended to turn them into the monster that everyone feared.
The kind of monster that tried to re-flower his daughter.
She still, to this day, had not tried to forgive him for that. Ironically, he'd tried to apologize. Which only made it worse because the apology was so fake. It made her skin crawl at the time. She'd even told him to leave her, that she didn't want or need his apology.
She'd expected him to kill her right there, but he didn't.
Which was probably worse--leaving her looking over her shoulder for years.
3
"Kian and Wrathin will download the data when they get here," Harbin grumbled.
Jedriek nodded. "Let us get it finished. I am ready for this mission."
"I am ready to get it over with," Bahran said.
Jedriek agreed. Another trip to Disguised Serenity was in his future. He felt his Craving starting to fire up. Either he needed to do some fighting, or he needed to bed a female and soon. Hopefully not at the same time.
Well, maybe not. He'd never tried fighting and bedding. Is that part of the mating ritual of some humanoid females? Possibly.
Besides, a new shipment of blue grass was ready to sell and an extra case might fall off his cart again.
