The Virgin’s Cyborg by Candice Gilmer

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."

Bianca shook her head. "I do not know why you must do that. I know you want to have all the latest information, but really, you're going to make yourself sick. You've already lost twelve pounds in the last month. Diado may lose his mind if he has to alter any more of your clothing."

"Diado can go suck an egg," Eleanor said.

Bianca raised her eyebrow. "Who has been hanging around with Veta again?"

"Veta always has the best stories," Eleanor said. "Besides, I was alone all day yesterday. You were gone. Caoimhe was, well, wherever you were, doing official things for the treaty. Freya was with you, wasn't she?"

"She was."

"So I was bored."

"How was your trip to the Rhimodian worlds? Did they have whatever it was Father demanded to make us comfortable?" Caoimhe smiled. The Emperor had been making these massive lists of outrageous demands to send to the Rhimodians for the peace talks. Security measures. Residence requirements. All sorts of unusual things.

Eleanor was certain the demands were being used to manipulate the Rhimodians so the negotiations would fail. The tactic was a classic one. The Emperor had used the method many times when he wanted to encourage a negotiation without actually having to do it at the negotiation table. Yet another way of him trying to bend the rules his way.

"It was, well," Bianca looked down and patted her pocket, then back up as she sat down on one of the chairs. "It was surprising."

"Oh?" Caoimhe asked.

Eleanor stared at her governess. Was the woman blushing?

"Bianca?"

"Mom?" Caoimhe said at the same time.

This time, it was obvious Bianca blushed.

Both girls ran to Bianca and dropped on either side of her. Caoimhe almost spilled her tea.

"You have to tell us what happened," Eleanor said. "You're blushing. Who did you meet?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bianca said.

"Oh, stop it," Caoimhe said. "I knew you looked different. Who did you meet?"

"A new boy?" Eleanor asked.

Both she and Caoimhe knew Bianca had maintained a physical relationship with the Emperor over the years. They did not know how it started and what it was, for he never acknowledged her in any way. Once, he allegedly called her his mistress in a social gathering. But that was only a story, and no one could find proof of it.

So any time that Bianca seemed interested in any new male, they were the first to encourage her to get away from their father. Horrible to think that was what they wanted for their governess, but it was true. They wanted her as far away from him as possible.

"I went over there, and girls, everything smelled like sulfur and fire. And it was so hot, the air felt like you were breathing in the hottest, most humid day ever."

"Eww," Caoimhe said, putting her hands on her hair. "I will have to have these curls braided down tight, I think, under all my headdresses."

"Probably a good idea," Bianca said. "For they certainly have wind. At least on the main moon there."

"How are the facilities?"

"Plain. Clean. Very clean, in fact. And they have exactly everything we have asked for. Nothing more, though. The Rhimodians do not have bedrooms and beds like we do."

"What were they like? Truly?" Eleanor asked.

Bianca got a far-off look in her eyes.

"Bianca?" Caoimhe asked.

"They were humanoids."

"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.