This is so The Emperor's invasion isn't hidden among the Rhimodians.To give them a fighting chance.To provide Bahran with a fighting chance to not be wiped out.
She glanced at Veta and the others.
They were upset.Crying.
Veta was determined.
Bianca and Freya were crying, and Eleanor was clinging to her.She patted her sister's arm because they were getting close to the escape pods.There was safety out there.The Rhimodians would keep them safe.
She knew they would.
They won't go back on their promise.
“Where do we go?”Bianca asked as they reached the escape pod dock.“Back to the Empire?”
“We can’t,” Veta said, glancing back.“Not enough fuel.We’ll have to land here and call for help.”
The panic in all of their voices grated on Caoimhe, and she knew she had to let her own fear out, but in the way, they expected to hear it.
“I cannot believe it,” Caoimhe whispered.“I just cannot.They wanted peace.Why would they do this?”She could have been talking about the Rhimodians, but she knew, in her heart, she meant her father and his people.
The ship lurched again.
That was no explosion.It was a laser blast.
The thing she expected and hoped would happen did.The Terran Empire started firing on their own ship.
“Believe it, Your Highness,” Veta said.“Even your father knew it would go this way.”
“He must be wrong,” Caoimhe said.They really needed to get away from here.
"Your father is never wrong," Freya said."He always seems to know what is happening, better than any of us or anyone else."
She wanted to say that it was because he was constantly manipulating the outcome to go his way, but she stopped herself.
Veta yelled out, trying to get them moving again.“Your ship is dying.We have minutes.”
She shook her head.“They wouldn’t do this,” Caoimhe said.“We were going to work together to save our system.”Another alarm went off as part of the ship rocked from yet another blast.
The alarm sounded distinctly like the alarms she heard in her nightmares when she dreamt about her mother dying and froze.
Her mind knew where she was, but her body just locked up.
Inside she was screaming.
Crying.
Shouting.
Watching her mother die again.And she was suddenly a child, unable to save the most important woman in her life from the death that came from the explosion.
But her body wouldn't move.
It was terrifying.All of it terrified her, and she trembled.She could feel the shaking, but she was powerless to make it stop.It rumbled through her like an earthquake, attempting to shake apart her soul.
From far away, she could hear Veta.Feel her grabbing her shoulders.“Princess.”
Veta got closer.
