Chapter 7

It had been a busy day with Amanda doing her stuff all over the lower level of Raffagos, the capital city of the Raffagee zone. Despite the issues ImpSec had reported with some of the elder males and their ‘problems’ with Imperial rule, there had been no further incidents and the Raffagee had thronged to get a look at their Princess as she would end any ceremony or visit with a walkaround and simply chat to any who managed to get her attention. They asked all sorts of questions, sometimes quite personal ones as well, though Amanda took them in her stride and never got offended, often giving a reply that caused a lot of laughter without giving away any real details of her life.

Through all this I had my sketch pad out and was recording the highlights as best I could, whilst fending off comments from various VIPs who were observing me observing the crowds.

“That’s an incredible talent you have there, Dayyev,” Livallaree noted.

“Doesn’t seem that way to me,” I chuckled. “I enjoy it, but it always surprises me no one else can do it ... or rather I’ve yet to meet someone who does.”

“You know other ... artists?”

“Oh yes, but none seem to be able to catch what I see as the essence of a subject.”

“Yes, there’s just something about the people in your drawings that makes them ... alive in a sense.”

“Well, the AIs have tried to copy it, but it never seems to come out as good,” I shrugged.

“I suspect that makes you quite popular,” she chuckled.

“Well, my professional stuff sells really well. The stuff I do for the people is also popular, though I don’t sign it, so it tends not to get noticed.”

“Will you be doing an expo of your work here?”

“Yes, then on Vreekoos.”

“Would we be that interesting?”

“Yes, your society and people are unique in your own way and that interests people,” I nodded.

“Strange, we don’t even speak raffaga anymore, except for the hard-core elders. We all tend to speak Imperial basic and consider ourselves Imperials.”

“Well, to any who know you, you are. Just don’t throw any good out to fit in, it’s totally not necessary,” I replied thoughtfully.

“There was precious little good in being a civilian in the returnee fleet, I can assure you of that,” she chuckled. “Well, for women that is.”

“I suspect a good few males thought the same.”

“Yes, though they were definitely not in a majority. Though our defeat by the Empire and the settlement here, along with your charter of equality between the sexes opened a good few eyes as to how good such a society was.”

“And there lies the crux of one of your problems with those males who cannot accept that they are no better, or no worse than anyone else and judgement is made on their actions, not their gender.”

“Yes, though finally I believe their days are done.”

“Let us hope so,” I nodded.

“Oh gosh, my poor feet and calves are aching,” Amanda sighed as we finally made it back to the secure luxury quarters we were staying at.

“Pop them up on the stool and I’ll massage them,” I offered.

“Oh, would you, my love?” she asked in delight.

“Would be my pleasure,” I chuckled.

I was soon busy squeezing and rubbing her feet and calves as she sighed in pleasure.

“You should let me do it,” Trusha noted. “I do it properly.”

“I know, but this is delightful too. Especially as I’m limited as to what we can do together ... as yet,” Amanda replied, eyes closed but with a distinctly sappy smile on her lips.

“You can get ‘that’ sorted on Vreekoos, where I will ensure no one but the three of us knows.”

“Until you tell my mum,” Amanda giggled.

“Well ... she will no doubt ask,” Trusha replied with a slight smile.

“Not like you have to tell her,” I laughed.

“That’s not going to pass either. I’m not her only source.”

“True. Treacherous AIs,” Amanda snorted, clearly amused.

“They look after you very well. They just can’t disobey an Imperial request of that nature from your mother.”

“I know, I know.”

It was later, just before we sat down to dinner that I produced a small package and handed it over to Amanda with a “Happy Birthday” observation.

“Ooh, you didn’t forget,” she commented with a happy smile.

“Have I ever?” I chuckled.

“True, true,” she nodded. “Now, what do we have here?”

Amanda is one of those people who will take their time to unwrap something as opposed to the ‘rip-it-open’ manoeuvre that I tend to use. Still, she soon had the box revealed and open. Her eyes grew wide as she removed an Ordentian silk cover-lace that slid over her shoulders to give a contrasting upper mantle to her normal outfit, the neck clasp being a jewelled pin that set off the almost translucent designs woven into the material.

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” she breathed softly. “Wherever did you find something like this?”

“I was doing some sketching at the Starport and saw an Ordentian dignitary wearing one. I got to sketch her in her finery and asked where she got the cover-lace from,” I replied. “That’s how I learned its name and got the AIs to order me one made especially for you.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it in the Empire.”

“Neither had I. Apparently it’s only worn by Ordentian women of their hirach (elite) class to show they are of marriageable age ... though the term they use is ‘fertile’,” I coughed gently as both she and Trusha giggled.

“I think you might start a fashion trend,” Trusha observed.

“I think so too,” Amanda said softly, “As I’m definitely wearing it at the leave-taking ceremony tomorrow.”

Trusha helped her to take it off carefully, though Ordentian silk was extremely tough and durable and, once made, never creased or stained.

“Where are Kiria and Tillan this evening?” Trusha asked. “The AIs are being secretive.”

“Raid on the assembly works making the medical seal spoofers,” I replied as Kiria had informed me earlier.

“How come everyone except me has fun on this trip?”

“Well, we all know how you define fun,” Amanda chuckled. “But you have your day job to fulfil first and I’m not joining ImpSec on a raid tonight.”

“You’re no fun at times.”

“I only tend to distract and upset those in charge, you know that.”

“True, but that can be fun to watch as well,” Trusha replied with a sly smile.

“You have a sneaky, disruptive tendency about you, Trusha,” I laughed.

“It’s because I’m mostly tasked with preventing it,” she shrugged. “It’s nice to perform mayhem on others if I get the chance.”

“If you can get Sakla or Liono to cover for you, you can go,” Amanda finally conceded.

“Liono’s on her way,” Trusha replied with a slight smirk at having outmanoeuvred Amanda again.

“I don’t know why you don’t just ask,” I chuckled. “Truvia does with Amantil.”

“She does? She kept that quiet,” Trusha frowned.

“Herrick allows it on the high-profile cases where there’s a danger to his people. Truvia gets Hinia to swap with her.”

“I might have known. Those two are as thick as thieves at times.”

“Does mean that Bonsarr has to visit the palace with her husband, but she doesn’t mind as Haelee, her daughter, is a retainer there,” I elaborated.

At this point Liono entered the quarters and gave a respectful nod to Amanda after a quick scan, despite Trusha being there.

“OK. Off you go and have fun,” Amanda chuckled. “Tillan’s expecting you at grid 18b.”

“Thank you, Serenissimé,” Trusha replied formally then headed out without a sideways glance or other comment in her usual focussed style.

“Your plans, Serenissimé?” Liono asked.

“Boring night for you,” Amanda replied. “Dinner, a movie then bed.”

“Hope it’s a good one.”

“Me too,” Amanda giggled. “Apparently it’s a local classic.”

“We’ll see,” Liono nodded. “Depending on what time she gets back, I may be your guardian tomorrow morning during the transit to the Human Zone.”

“That’s OK,” Amanda nodded as the servants brought in our dinner.

The following morning we all assembled under a porch waiting for an aircar to arrive to transport us to the Human Zone of Coriola and its capital city of Memory, named to remind of the atrocity that the renegade bureaucrat Cillort had performed on the planet’s population.

“Have a good night?” I asked Trusha who looked tired.

“Yes, a long one though as the assembly works was well defended by fanatic Yronites,” she replied.

“Casualties?”

“Several amongst the Tukla as they led the infiltration and discovered the Yronites were using primitive explosive devices. ImpSec then went in with bomblets and cleared them out allowing me to have some fun hunting down the leadership,” she explained.

“Any surprises?”

“Only to them. They had no clue of how well their organisation had been penetrated recently.”

“I take it there were further clues as to how large this conspiracy may have spread?” I asked as we boarded a large flyer that had descended silently.

“You’ll have to ask Tillan about that,” she yawned. “Now let me have a nap, please.”

The flyer was large and comfortable and we spread out to relax and enjoy the trip with Amanda and I sitting and looking out of the massive viewport and Trusha snagging a rear recliner and closing her eyes immediately.

“Tillan OK?” I asked Kiria who had joined us.

“Yes, he’ll join us tomorrow once the various reports are sorted. Currently he’s asleep though.”

“Trusha said it was a success,” Amanda noted.

“They captured a few of the higher ups and shut down the assembly plant, but there’s evidence of a lot of shipments elsewhere,” Kiria replied.

“All pretty much useless with the new protocols,” I added.

“Until they find out how to get around them and start again,” Kiria warned. “That’s why we’re being so rigorous in this and trying to trace it back to the top.”

“Which will no doubt be on Vreekoos,” Amanda sighed.

“Tillan suspects the financiers will be, though they learned their lesson on manufacturing on Vreekoos.”

“Too many AIs?” I asked.

“Yes. It’s why they came to Coriola and the Raffagee Zone, despite the hostility of the elders.”

“No doubt money of some sort changed hands,” Amanda grimaced.

“And tech. That’s what this Renso guy was supposed to be doing on Vreekoos, acting as a go between, only he got bored and reverted to type.”

“So this organisation smuggled him off Coriola?”

“We believe so. They certainly had access to cargo vessels.”

“No doubt we’ll find out eventually,” Amanda nodded.

There was a massive crowd waiting to greet us at Memory as the Human Zone seemed determined to be just as enthusiastic as the Raffagee Zone. Amanda’s first duty though was a poignant one as the flyer landed and opened next to a monument to the fallen.

“Greetings, Serenissimé,” Governor Genill greeted her sombrely as Amanda descended the ramp, flanked by Liono and followed by Kiria and I.