Chapter 3

The Imperial Royal Yacht Gloriana was a recent addition to Home Fleet though unlikely to ever be involved in any conflict as it had been designed from the keel up to transport the Imperial family to any destination within the Imperium and beyond. That’s not to say it was defenceless, it had the latest version of the energy deflecting energy screen along with a powerful set of dispersion and hyperbeam cannons as well as a couple of concealed missile firing box launchers mounted above and below the hull line. Inside though, it looked nothing like a Fleet vessel and more like a luxury liner, with facilities including a sauna, spa, pool and fine dining, all handled by a minimal crew with AI assistance.

We were greeted personally by Captain Ferg who was clearly highly experienced along with his officers who gave Amanda a crisp salute before cordially greeting us all.

“A flotilla from Home Fleet will escort us to the delineation boundary with Stellar Area Five, where a flotilla from 8^th Fleet will take over to escort you to Coriola,” he explained.

“Thank you, Captain,” Amanda replied. “We shall remain in the Royal zone and not disturb your crew.”

“Thank you, Serenissimé,” he replied, using, for the Princess Royal, the diminutive of Amantil’s title.

We were then escorted to our cabins and shown where the lounge and other facilities were.

“Very efficient crew,” Trusha stated once we’d gathered in the lounge.

“Sakla and Liono gone on ahead?” I asked Trusha.

“Yes, checking out the areas you’ll be in. You won’t see them unless there’s a problem.”

“Kind of expected that,” I replied with a chuckle. “Senior crew all appear to be nearing retirement,” I commented, pulling out my sketch pad.

“Yes,” Amanda nodded with a smile. “It’s an honour post, in a sense.”

“Will they have that much to do?”

“Yes. I’ll be expected to visit a lot of worlds as part of my job,” she chuckled. “Hence Mum ordered it built.”

“Public face of the Empire,” I nodded, having completed an outline of my vision onto the page.

“Two please, one in holo, one natural for the collection,” Amanda requested.

“No problem, my love,” I nodded. “In or out, Trusha?”

“Out, please.”

“Might do some public sketches for the next expo, if that’s allowable?” I asked.

“Living areas only, Dayyev,” the AI replied.

“Of course.”

“We are underway. The trip will take three days,” the AI announced.

“Better get to work then,” Amanda nodded, calling down a tri-dee screen and updating her research on Coriola and the Raffagee, rather than have it neurally inserted.

I carried on with my sketching, producing two of anything with Amanda in it, basically Amanda blonde and Amanda natural.

“I often wondered?” Trusha began, startling me slightly as she has the ability to move silently and unnoticed.

“Yes, Trusha?” I asked, pausing.

“Do you prefer Amanda in holo or normal.”

“Normal, though the holo is easier to sketch as there’s nothing too special about it,” I replied after a moment to think.

“Easier?”

I turned a page and did a rapid sketch of the blonde Amanda in about a rotation, then did a similar one of the normal Amanda which took longer as the natural curves of her face were trickier to do to catch her ‘essence’ as I put it.

“Oh, I see,” Trusha nodded.

“Easier to show than explain,” I chuckled.

“Yes, hope you have plenty of supplies.”

“Storon, my supplier, got me a bulk order of everything needed to keep me happy and it was shipped up here,” I chuckled.

“Where on Vreekoos does he get them from?”

“Gershonian world of Danto. They are a back to nature type and live as primitives ... or what they think as primitive. They do supplement their income by providing ‘old world’ products to anyone who will buy them. Their trading port is quite modern.”

“So, they provide carbon sticks of varying thickness and densities ... and other colourations and pigments?”

“Yes, brushes and stuff for those who like to paint people,” I nodded.

“Why can’t the AIs do it?”

“Not set up to make them, way too outlandish,” I chuckled.

“We would also struggle to obtain the resources of wood and carbon,” the AI added.

“They did make me a sharpener and permit me a small knife to sharpen the flatter sticks I use,” I acknowledged.

“Only so long as you only use it for your tools,” the AI admonished.

“I find it fascinating, if something which I simply cannot do,” Trusha nodded. “I can draw, but it never looks as ... right as your drawings do.”

“I can’t explain it,” Dayyev shrugged. “My fingers simply follow my mind’s eye, whilst the carbon sticks just add to the detail.”

“Quite the gift,” she nodded, then returned to checking out the rooms.

Dinner at the start of the rest period was served classic style, though Trusha naturally stood back and observed the entire serving procedure whilst two of the crew presented the steak equivalents as well as the other accoutrements before she joined us after they left.

“You might have difficulty blending in on the Raffagee zone,” Amanda commented to me.

“I don’t intend to. Bit pointless, generally there will only be Kiria and myself,” I replied.

“Yes, sore thumbs springs to mind if you try not to be noticed,” Trusha agreed.

“Which is why I’ll simply do it openly and encourage them to chat whilst I draw,” I explained.

“That might be dangerous. Raffagee males have a tendency to be more aggressive than human males,” Amanda warned. “At least, towards their equivalents to the lower levels.”

“That’s why I’ll have Kiria. She’s not easily intimidated or easy to attack.”

“Neither are you, Dayyev,” Amanda added with a fond smile.

“I tend to be focussed elsewhere, makes me vulnerable initially.”

“True,” Trusha added. “Can’t be helped though, not in this instance.”

“Yep, I just make it look easy, but at times it isn’t and I need to concentrate on what my hands are doing.”

“I take it you scanned the yeast tank and the processing nodule earlier?” Amanda asked Trusha with a sly smile.

“Yes, of course, Amanda,” Trusha replied, almost primly.

“AI let you in there?”

“Yes, though it won’t permit you or Dayyev access.”

“I think it might let me if I insisted,” Amanda giggled.

“Not unless you had a good reason,” the AI interjected. “Fleet vessels are not subject to Royal whims.”

“Ouch!” Amanda replied, openly laughing.

“So much for being Second-in-Command of the Empire,” I chuckled.

“That’ll eventually be Vicki, kicking and screaming if necessary. I’ll just be the public face of it, not generally involved in running it, though I’ll be consulted.”

“Pretty sure you could do it,” I observed.

“I could, but unlike Vicki it doesn’t come naturally to me. I don’t tend to think far enough ahead.”

“Which is why she’ll try to avoid it for as long as possible as she doesn’t like to be boxed in,” Trusha added.

“Yes,” Amanda nodded with a smile. “You know us both so well.”

“I should do, it’s part of my job.”

“Who’s looking after Vicki?” I asked.

“Grenla, she’s new and we gave her a challenge,” Trusha replied with a slight smile, which was her equivalent of an evil grin.

“If she can cope with Vicki, there’s nothing will faze her in looking after the Royals,” Amanda giggled.

“She can be a tad ... eccentric.”

“Downright contrary at times,” I muttered, having been involved in situations with Vicki at her worst.

“If she doesn’t want to do it and there’s no official reason...” Amanda laughed.

“Yes, though it’s her attempts to just leave without a bodyguard that concern Kilios,” Trusha sighed.

“Understandable, particularly when we are together and only one bodyguard has been assigned,” Amanda nodded.

“Yes, she insisted that the lift was ample security in taking her to wherever she decided she wanted to go,” Trusha muttered. “Even when the destination wasn’t secure.”

“She’s a bit better now,” Amanda chuckled. “Particularly after the episode where the AIs wouldn’t let her out till one of you arrived.”

“Oh yes, one look at her face after that one and I stayed well out of her way,” I laughed. “I did sketch it afterwards, though haven’t shown it to her.”

“Ooh, can I see it?” Amanda asked, with Trusha looking very interested too.

I got the AI to go through my archives until it reached the hidden storage area, then retrieve the visual only image that I wanted and got them to display it for the ladies. It showed an utterly livid looking Vicki giving a totally venomous stare at an approaching bodyguard, probably Regis, but possibly Larre.

“Oh, my gods!” Amanda burst out laughing. “You Kilios people are braver than I thought.”

“Vicki apologised later, but was ... out of sorts for the rest of that period until your Mother had a word with her,” Trusha replied.

“She does know how to throw a hissy fit quite well,” I nodded, blank-faced before breaking out into a laugh, along with Amanda.

“Yes, but that was a classic and if you value your life, you’d better not show anyone,” Amanda replied.

“Why do you think it’s a hidden file?”

“Heh, but as I said, she’s a bit better now and at least understands the need for a bodyguard, if not the patience to put up with petty rules.”

“Let us hope she never ever runs into a situation where a breach of one of those rules gets her hurt,” Trusha sighed.

“How will she be handled once she goes into Fleet basic?” I asked.

“Arm’s length during any time of Fleet service,” Trusha explained. “We are not permitted to serve there.”

“Hmm, yes, I can see my Mother’s reasoning there,” Amanda nodded.

“Kilios agrees as well. There are some Imperial secrets we should not be privy to. We hear and see enough of them as it is, even if, in honour, we do not report them back.”