"I just want to read in private," she said.
Bianca blinked."I see."Her gaze ran over Caoimhe, Eleanor, and Freya."I will let you girls go over your messages, then.I am sure I have something I need to address."
They all three waited until she left, neither Caoimhe nor Freya moving.
As soon as the door closed behind her, Eleanor's expression shifted."You got another message!"
Caoimhe nodded.
The three of them gathered around a table and circled around the device, ready to see the message.
And now, Caoimhe's hand trembled as she reached out to release the message.
This one was not just text.
It was text and an audio file.
Imperial Princess,
I do not believe you received accurate information.My evidence contradicts the Terran Empire's official statement.
I have added to this message the data that I have that confirms my data.I wish you to inspect this data for yourself.
Bahran
Caoimhe reached to open the attached files.
"Stop right there," Freya said."Don't you dare open that file until I check it out."
"Well, then you do what you do," Caoimhe said.She pushed the tablet over to Freya.
Freya immediately started going through the message and checking over all the background information.
"What do you think has been sent?"Eleanor asked.
"I don't know," Caoimhe."I keep thinking about this, and anymore, I would not be shocked to learn that there were prisoners somewhere.But to what end, I do not know."
Eleanor nodded."I wouldn't put it past the Emperor either," she said with a bit more bitterness in her voice than probably necessary.Eleanor's frustration with the Emperor is understood, of course.As an Emperor, Bron was a powerful and intimidating force to control the Terran Empire's vastness.However, those habits did not make him a great father.He pushed them both to be perfect daughters.
Caoimhe to be the perfect Empress to replace him when he died, and Eleanor to be the ideal pawn.
Perfect.
And nothing less was acceptable.
"Well," Freya said as she laid the tablet back down, "this is safe to view."
"Let's see it," Eleanor said, reaching for the tablet.
"Wait," Caoimhe said."What did you figure out?Where is the origin point?"
"The Sol system.From their main world--Sol-3, to be exact.The sender used a bit of protective coding to prevent knowing exactly who he was.Some of the identifying code in there must be from their systems--though nothing that I couldn't figure out if we needed me to figure it out."She glanced back and forth between Eleanor and Caoimhe."Do we need me to figure it out?"
Caoimhe shook her head."I need to know what he wants at this point.Then to determine legitimacy."She tapped the tablet, releasing the extra data.
She'd expected an audio file.
It wasn't.
