Chapter 5

The following day I re-joined Amanda in her Royal duties. In this Kiria came along but attempted to stay in the background, though was mentioned by the newsies as a friend of Amanda’s. I also spotted Trusha talking to the other two members of her team before we took our positions for a children’s parade. The youngsters were going to show off their skills with musical instruments and dance.

“Problems?” I asked Trusha once she’d finished and her team melted away into the background.

“Verbal threats being made in the Raffagee zone about disrupting Amanda’s visit. Sakla and Liono intend to deal with it tonight,” she replied after a slight pause, which told me she wasn’t revealing everything.

“Permanently?”

“Not in that sense,” she replied with a slight smile. “More like putting the fear of the gods into them by way of a warning.”

“Will it work? Only their fight or flight responses are not the same as humanities.”

“We’ll have to see, but probably. We have studied their psychology after all.”

“AIs tell you about their cult of Yron?”

“Yes, also Tillan and I discussed it last night after Amanda retired to bed.”

“Looked into it myself, though the AIs and the Raffagee I managed to ask knew very little, other than a ‘berserker’ mode.”

“Yes, though I believe we can manage. Just carry on doing what you’re doing and leave the security stuff to us.”

“I will, just was curious.”

“I know, but duty calls,” she indicated a signalling organiser as I then moved to join Amanda and Kiria on the podium.

The parade was an absolute blast as my dad occasionally says about stuff he really enjoys. The kids were obviously loving doing their stuff and the crowds were thrilled by their timing and athleticism, not to mention their musical skills. Amanda had a huge, genuine smile on her face when, afterwards, we all went down to mingle with the kids in an impromptu walkabout; with the local security ensuring she didn’t get mobbed. I even managed a sketch of her with the local academy kids which she presented to their head tutor, getting gasps and heartfelt thanks when she did.

“Is she always like this?” Kiria asked as I continued sketching.

“Yes, though you know her almost as well as I do, sis,” I chuckled.

“Never seen her in official mode ... well, not like this. I was there at Tafta when she arrived to sign treaties.”

“At Tafta she was a proxy for Aunt Manny; this is different. Here she’s just being Princess Amanda, visiting an Imperial world,” I explained.

“Does look like she’s ever more firmly winning them over to the Empire,” Kiria nodded.

“Majority of them were loyal anyway. They appreciate what the Empire gives them in the way of jobs, stability and security.”

“Yes, though it’s the disloyal ones we’ll be looking at tomorrow; even if Amanda won’t be joining us for another day afterwards.”

“Bring your armour,” I chuckled.

“I will. Hope I won’t need it, though.”

“I suspect you might. If Sakla and Liono will be making the unhappy Raffagee males even more unhappy, and hopefully terrified, tonight.”

“Good, though Tillan’s mostly looking for the source of the fake medical seal supplier.”

“And my job is to get a feel for the undercurrents in their society and see if the Empire needs to apply pressure or assistance to undermine their troublemakers,” I nodded.

“I’ll make sure no one bothers you whilst you do it.”

“Well, the good news is that there are a few humans doing business there, so we won’t be totally obvious,” I chuckled as sis has always had my back until Aunt Janilla, before she returned to Marblos, taught me to handle myself. My Aunt had then begun her family and was groomed to become the next head of the Green Clan, who made up a quarter of the Kilios Corporation.

There were several other visits to places of interest, including a shuttle flight to view the highest mountains in the Empire, which were also a target for the various climbing clubs scattered throughout them. Vreekoos did not have any, as, despite being the ‘capital’. Its interests were kind of insular with regards to nature and doing things outdoors. Lassos, where the Imperial Palace was located, had several high mountains, though as far as I was aware, no one had ever climbed them. The main continent of Vreekoos was mostly covered in housing or assembly plants and had hills as well as several large parks and lakes but little else to encourage any interest in the great outdoors.

Not that the people didn’t go in for exercise, if they were so inclined. The national obsession was grav-ball, though people also raced and did other gymnastic events. Fitness on the upper and upper median levels was managed by gyms, most of which had a body shop attached and ‘tuned’ your body for you in a few rotations and cost you nothing but time, no hard work being required. The lower and lower median levels just had a gym or you worked out in the parklands. Both Kiria and I were unusual, mostly due to our father, in that we were at peak fitness, as were all the family, due to his introducing us to the Guardian gym my mother used as well as being trained, along with the Royal Family and other friends, by the Royal bodyguards, a task they took to with fiendish relish. Not only did they keep us fit, but also taught us various techniques to defend ourselves through the observation of any situation, to killing or crippling any attacker who threatened us. Not that we had to do so very often, though my hobby exposed me to far more risk than the others. With Amanda often enough tagging along with me, it meant we ended up in a few ... scuffles, though mostly they were settled by one or another of the Royal bodyguards, along with Amanda. When on my own I could usually deal with anyone who objected to my presence once I focussed away from my work. Though had never, as far as I was aware, killed anyone.

For all that it was an enjoyable day for all of us, it was exhausting to an extent and Amanda was getting a day off the following day to simply relax. There was, however, no rest for me as Kiria travelled with me in an air car to Raffagos and the Raffagee zone.

It was immediately obvious from the design of the buildings that this was not a human zone ... or at least not an Imperial human zone. The Raffagee ‘aesthetics’ were decidedly different, though some of it, I believe, came directly from the centuries they had spent in their huge fleet. Hence the buildings were all domes, often within domes as well as covered by what had to be the biggest weather shield I’d ever run across. There was an AI presence however, though I was informed that it was not present in certain areas at the request of varying Raffagee groupings.

“Won’t really matter to me,” Kiria chuckled. “My armour is an AI and so we won’t be without unless they drop planet-wide comms.”

“Got the new medical seal protocols built in?” I asked.

“Yes, I am a Healer,” she nodded.

“Let’s hope that skill set isn’t needed.” I replied as I began sketching my initial view around the air car landing area.

It was soon obvious there were very few humans around, though we were mostly ignored by the Raffagee who went about doing whatever it was they were doing. Still, once I’d got the preliminary images I wanted, we headed off to one of the lifts and to where we had been informed was the last place Renso had been spotted.

“Is it just me or is it creepy down here?” Kiria asked.

“Not just you, though Raffagee eyes see into the infra-red spectrum, so can cope with dimmer lighting,” I replied. “Get your armour to adjust if necessary.”

“Doing so now,” she informed me. “How are you managing?”

“Kind of expected it from my research, so I’m wearing adaptive contacts tied to a sensor in my coverall.”

“Smarty pants. Why didn’t you inform me?”

“Because, sis, I thought you’d have done your own research.”

“I did, it just never mentioned the lighting.”

“Odd, unless the AI presumed you’d be wearing armour,” I shrugged.

“Probably did, as I did pack it.”

“Keep an eye out, I’m beginning work.”

“On it, though there’s not that much going on.”

“Early days,” I chuckled beginning a sketch.

As we’d got there early by the local time, I prepared several sketches of the local décor and hallways as Kiria kept an eye out for any possible hostiles, though as yet, other than a few wanderers we’d seen no one. After a hundred rotations though, the place began to fill with what had to be various booths for a market and I began to sketch the people doing so, who, for all they had clearly noticed me, ignored me to get on with their work.

As ever, it was the kids who decided to see what we were up to and soon were trying to take a peek at the drawings.

“Want me to draw you?” I asked a young girl.

“Ooh, can you?” she gasped out as I began, taking care to catch her ‘essence’ as I saw it, a sort of personality that usually didn’t come across too well in a tri-dee image.

“There you go,” I chuckled, handing it over.

“Thank you,” she replied politely, then got a load of compliments from the other kids now crowding around.

“Anyone else?” I asked, and a sea of hands were raised.

As I started to sketch a young boy I began asking questions, keeping them general along the lines of their names, what their lives were like, what did their parents do, etc. All were in school, though all were being taught by an actual teacher, not an AI.

“Why is that?” I asked.

“Just is,” one of the boys shrugged.

“Just most human kids are taught by AI,” I smiled.

“The male elders tell us not to trust them,” a girl informed me.

“Up to you, I guess. Though if you want to go to the joint zone, you’ll have to get over that,” I chuckled.

“That’s what momma and poppa said,” she nodded.

“Guess you can’t tell the male elders that though,” I suggested with a smile.