"Good afternoon. I'm Allison McDonald, and you're watching SolarNet News at Noon. For the first part of today's news broadcast, we're continuing the investigation into a series of transmissions that were sent between Providence Station and a fleet of Ceti warships that has entered the Proxima System. As those of you who watched yesterday's broadcast know, the first two pairs of messages laid a foundation for establishing between the station and the fleet. Today, we're talking with Ambassador Kraphryl from the Kentauran Embassy here on Earth. How are you today, Ambassador?"

K: I do as well as others here. We have kept busy with our work at the embassy these last weeks, and we have hoped to hear news from home. We still have much work to accomplish here, so we focus on that.
		SNN Interviews Earth's Kentauran Ambassador.

AM: It's very tough not hearing from one's loved ones. I imagine some of our men and women feel cut of from Earth in much the same way.

K: I imagine so. One of the tasks we have undertaken, with help from various Terran charities, is to ship care packages to the men and women in the Terran Defense Force who do not have families. I encourage your listeners to contribute if they can.

AM: Absolutely. Viewers, you can select any of the SolarNet sites below to make a contribution to this generous cause. Now, ambassador, we sent you a series of messages that had been sent between Providence Station and a fleet of Ceti warships in the Proxima system. Were you able to decipher any of them?

K: Yes, I translated the unencrypted messages you provided. The first two pairs of messages are in the common dialect. The messages after that are spoken in a tongue known as Kai'Faro, which was spoken primarily in the Chii'Mira province up to about 600 years ago. It's rare enough that even many Kentaurans do not understand it. Only a handful of our people still know the dialect.

AM: What did the latter sets of transmissions contain?

K: The first message in Kai'Faro is an introduction, a brief exchange of family history, and an exchange of vows. The Kentauran interpreter at Providence Station is, Nephryl, a relative of mine. The interpreter for the Ceti was Neprhal, our matriarch.

AM: By that, you mean the head of your government?

K: Yes, but more than that. She is also a spiritual leader for our people. This message, however, came as a shock to those of us in the embassy because many of us had feared her killed in the Ceti's attack on the Kentaurus System. The next set of messages is more interesting still, because it indicates that the Ceti have her aboard their vessel as their ambassador to Providence Station. They allowed her to speak on their behalf, and your station's commander extended the same authority to Nephryl.

AM: What was in the last set of unencrypted transmissions, Ambassador?

K: The last unencrypted messages describe the type of encryption algorithm they would use in the final two pair of messages. The algorithm is based on a particular Kentauran's molecular fingerprint -- similar to your DNA. We believe the footprint code used in the encrypted messages was ... "piggybacked" ... onto that last unencrypted transmission, though we cannot be sure.

AM: It's possible, Ambassador, but doubtful. Our communication equipment aboard the SNS Babylon would have detected any piggybacked signals.

K: Are you so sure? After all, your communication equipment here on Earth failed to detect the signal Providence Station piggybacked on your own special report. I fear other matters require my attention, Ms. McDonald, but I thank you for your time. Good day.

AM: ... Thank you, Ambassador. We're going to go to a quick commercial break. You're watching SolarNet News at Noon with Allison McDonald.