Chapter 23

Amanda’s extended tour went on, whilst around it there were multiple arrests as many of the Ezronites found they were not as well hidden as they thought. Even if the AIs did not know the locations, many of the people of the planet, who had been downtrodden by them, did. Also noticeable was a distinct drift away from the Temple as mandatory attendance was ended. That there were decent Ezronite Priests and followers was a given, however the taint from the top had brought the entire religion low. In the long term many Temples had had to be sold to cover the costs of the compensation to those who had suffered its abuse. All this naturally went on in the background to the tour as the Imperial Troubleshooters cleared house with the aid of the planetary Ground Force contingent as well as that of the Home Fleet flotilla.

Amanda herself re-consecrated the colours of their Regiment as well as taking the oath of office of the new Governor, a woman who had no religious affiliation at all, hence was acceptable to the vast majority of the planet. In all this Amanda steadfastly refused to engage with the remaining Ezronite Temple, despite the Imperial Troubleshooters and AIs giving a clean bill of health to what was left.

Beldon, as well as the ex-Governor and several Bureaucrats along with the Ground Force commander and senior Guardians were all being transported back to Vreekoos for trial. Hence at last the visit came to an end as we’d spent over a binary cycle on Parros, rather than five days.

Elsewhere in the Empire, several senior figures in various organisations with ‘grandiose’ ideas on how they were determined to gain power at the expense of the Empire were now considering the results of what happened if you crossed the Imperial Royal family and the Imperial constitution. Whilst several carried on regardless, feeling that there was no way they’d make the same mistakes as the Ezronite Temple, others took the hint and reined in their activities, simply becoming a power within the Empire whilst fully supporting it.

In all this, ImpSec noted the actions of those they were aware of, and when they did step out of line, dealt with them in the ImpSec style of making it appear to the general public that nothing had happened.

The one spectacular event that happened on the planet was when Amanda and the rest of us prepared to depart. A massive crowd turned up to bid her farewell in a spontaneous demonstration of their love for their Princess. Newsie speculation, backed up by AI analysis, put the figures attending at over a million surrounding the spaceport, all it seemed waving banners of support along with a pseudopaper flower. Although unable to greet them, Amanda did wave as she was walking to the shuttle to take her up to the Gloriana. This produced massive cheers as the crowd also burst into a spirited rendition of the Imperial Anthem, rarely sang spontaneously at all by any Imperial subject. It was a perfect moment and it showed on Amanda’s face as tears of happiness streamed down it as she sang along with the crowd. There was a final wave before she entered the shuttle and almost collapsed into a seat as Trusha and I moved to support her.

“You pushed yourself too hard,” Trusha chided her, concern written all over her face.

“It needed doing. But I’m so tired and stressed,” Amanda sighed.

“I’m not surprised,” I nodded. “That planet was a total mess and needed someone to help pick them up.”

“So much hurt was done. And all because some people desired power over others and sought to exploit them in that cause.”

“I know. It didn’t help that those who should have stopped it and reported on it were complicit in Beldon’s plot,” I nodded.

“There are times I hate my role; being ever cheerful amongst those the Empire failed to protect,” she said miserably as tears fell.

“You put things right on Parros,” I comforted her.

“Yes, but how many other worlds are out there with some faction abusing the populace because they can prevent the Empire from knowing?”

“I doubt it’s many and Parros was spotted by the Close Protection squads of Ground Force and flagged as a potential trouble spot.”

“Yes, I guess so,” she sighed.

“Now you need to rest up, two more visits before we can go home.”

“Yes, you’re right and at least we get to share a bed tonight,” she commented with a wan smile.

“Yes, I missed you,” I replied and kissed her.

“I missed you too,” she murmured as we cuddled before she slipped off to sleep in my arms.

With Trusha’s help I gently laid Amanda down onto the couch as Haelee brought a blanket.

“Never realised just how stressful her job can be,” Haelee commented as we moved away to the other side of the main cabin.

“She doesn’t often complain, but it’s hard for her to maintain the standards she sets herself every single day,” I replied.

“Yes, I’ve spoken to Truvia and she’s had a word with Her Serenissima. You’ll be getting a break when you return,” Trusha added.

“Good, though no doubt some newsie will accuse her of slacking off,” I muttered.

“They do that now,” Haelee shrugged. “To them it’s all about sales and promotion of their group.”

“True, not like we can do anything about it either, it’s just the way they slant the facts.”

“Yep, they dare not post lies, but they can imply in certain ways.”

“True. They tried it with Plenna, though we kind of shot ourselves in the foot a little with that,” I chuckled.

“All part of the Princesses wanting some privacy to enjoy real life,” Haelee giggled.

“And they do appreciate getting out and about on Vreekoos. It also enables them to see real lives, not just the official views.”

“I think that’s why Amantil appreciates your mum, dad and Hiqua, as they do bring their perspective into private discussions,” Haelee nodded.

“Yes, though Aunt Manny doesn’t always follow their advice,” I shrugged.

“I should think not. She has to consider the Empire as a whole, though at least she asks.”

“That’s true.”

Several hundred rotations later, Trusha woke Amanda as it was dinner time. Amanda herself seemed a bit less stressed, though did complain about us letting her sleep for so long.

“Have we heard anything new about the planets of Lexgis and Semalita?” she asked.

“There has been nothing at all. They appear to be standard loyal planets of the Empire,” Verlig replied.

“Well, we’ll still have a nose about though,” I chuckled.

“Wish I could,” Amanda sighed.

“We’ll try to find you and Trusha a breathing space to join me in the lower levels,” I offered.

“That would be nice. I hope you can,” Amanda replied with a smile while Trusha looked interested.

“I’ll see what I can swing,” Verlig added. “I’ll be liaising with the Governor of Lexgis later.”

We all enjoyed the dinner that the crew had prepared for us. They had been advised that Amanda did not have an enquiring palate, so the food was pretty standard if wonderfully prepared. The meal was also one of her personal favourites and was served along with a creamy dessert as well, leaving her looking very satisfied at the end of the meal as Torric gave her a medical check over.

“I’ve added a few stress relievers that will cut in later to assist your sleep and help you relax,” he informed her. “Your stress levels are still rather high though within tolerance levels and I’ll be working to lower them during the rest of the journey.”

“Thank you, Torric,” she replied with a smile.

“I suggest you just take the opportunity to relax whilst on the Gloriana and enjoy life away from ‘Duty’.”

“I will, thank you.”

“I’ll be monitoring you and reporting back to Her Serenissima, so be good,” he chuckled.

“Yes. I suspect Mum got a little worried too.”

“She doesn’t want you to burn out.”

“Yes, until Parros I wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but now I have something to base it on.”

“Hopefully there won’t be too many Parros situations,” he nodded. “But I doubt there will be none whatsoever.”

“Yes, I have a feeling you’re right.”

Amanda spent the next several hundred rotations enjoying the amenities on the Gloriana, including the sauna and spa as well as a full body massage from Liono that left her looking gloriously relaxed once it was over. We then both went to her room to share some intimacy before the meds Torric had given her kicked in and she lapsed into a very deep sleep as I cuddled her in.

When the Gloriana moved towards the orbital station Lexgis turned out en-masse to see Amanda. The planet itself was a central distribution hub for several trade groups both within and without the Empire, hence had one of the largest orbital stations within the Empire to cope with the traffic and goods.

This meant the escorting vessels were in huge numbers, including several liners, some of which had delayed their departure to enable their passengers to view the approach of the Gloriana.

The observation decks of the station were also crowded, though not to the extent of Trevaglion as the new safety protocols were in effect. Still, it was obvious that the crowds were bigger due to the size of the station and many were holding banners of welcome in a riot of colour and movement.

As ever, Amanda graciously thanked Captain Ferg and his crew before, with me at her side, we stepped into the boarding tube and made our way to the entry onto the station, flanked by Trusha and Liono and followed by the rest of our group.

There was a massive roar of delight as we exited the tube and we both waved and smiled at the sheer delight of the people who had turned out to greet us.

“Welcome, your Royal Highness,” the station Commander greeted us as an honour guard gave a booming salute.

“Thank you, Commander Hinis. It’s an absolute delight to be here,” Amanda replied after saluting the guard.

“Lexgis has been abuzz with excitement since the announcement of your visit and it grew ever more despite the delay in your journey here.”