The Princess & The Privateer

by Peter Rhodan

  “Sir!” He said taking in the serious demeanor of his superior.

  Gizel spotted Luco Stallon at the back of the ImpSec mob.

  “Luco. You stay here and help the Major.”

  “Yes, Your Highness,” he called back.

  “What is the status of your shuttles Major?” She asked as they moved into the corridor, the ImpSec people fading back against the walls to let them through.

  He mumbled to himself for a bit.

  “The second shuttle has just arrived in the bay with more personnel, Your Highness.”

  “Good. We’ll take it down to the Palace if that is all right?”

  “Certainly, Your Highness.”

  “Karvon. You’ll have to get one of your people to shuttle over and grab your armor. Do you need more clothes for a trip to the Palace?’

  The Major looked a little taken aback at this. Karvon smiled warily.

  “I think I should perhaps get over to the Kormorant and pick up some decent clothes before visiting the Palace.”

  Gizel glanced at him then nodded.

  “No problem. Grab your armor and we’ll detour to the Kormorant before heading down to the planet. That makes things easier.”

  Karvon nodded. “Works for me.”

  They nodded at Dedsun just before they reached their cabins.

  “Go grab your kit, Janus. You can leave the marine armor. Major, when you send the Marines back can you have them take my two Imperial bodyguards sets of armor and my own back to whatever ship they are going to please.”

  The Major took this in his stride and just nodded. Their cabins reached, she shook his hand and wished him good luck, and ducked inside to change into her dress uniform. Her original uniforms had not survived the combat and a complete new set had been fabbed up on the Duke of Hormforth and brought across to the pirate ship just after the cruise home had started.

  She had a quick shower and then slipped into her new clothes. She’d not worn the dress uniform at all until now, and she felt almost human again donning the brand new uniform. Following Karvon’s earlier comment she removed the Ensign’s tabs. Months of gritty recycled air and the lingering aromas of burnt-out circuits and destroyed equipment made for a not-fun trip. Right. She left the cabin carrying her personal gear and found Karvon already waiting. Dedsun arrived a few moments later and they headed for the shuttle bay with the two ImpSec fellows who had been stationed at her door trailing behind.

  The shuttle pilot was leery of docking with the civilian ship but managed the task acceptably. Karvon only took a brief ten minutes to get himself changed, then he quickly loaded up some clothes and personal accessories to bring with him. Lothar stayed in the bay with Gizel, much to the concern of the ImpSec shuttle pilot and his offsider. Gizel gave the Iskander a big hug, which caused even more frowns, and at his insistence, she gave him a run-through of the battle from her point of view. She was just finishing when Karvon returned.

  She punched Lothar in the shoulder.

  “I should be seeing you guys soon. Give my love to the rest of the crew please Lothar,” she grinned.

  Lothar glanced at Karvon who spread his hands as if to say, search me. She noticed Dedsun raising his eyebrows out of the corner of her eye and that caused her to grin some more.

  “Okay, people. Let’s get this show on the road. My parents will be wondering what’s keeping me.”

  Chapter 25

  Bearding the lion…

  With Karvon’s return to the bay, the two ImpSec shuttle crew gave up their self-imposed bodyguard positioning and scrambled into place aboard the shuttle while Dedsun just rolled his eyes again and sauntered back into the shuttle. Back in space, Gizel moved up to the flight deck.

  “What are our landing instructions?”

  The pilot nearly jumped, obviously not having heard her arrive. His mate stifled a snigger.

  “The main landing platform, Your Highness.”

  “Bugger. Newsies will be everywhere.” she turned back to Karvon. “You still sure about this?” she asked, and when he cocked his head slightly she continued.

  “We’re coming down on the main landing platform rather than the private landing pad. Means my parents want everyone to see that I am home safely. It also means there’ll be fifty thousand newsies crammed in around the pad.” she grimaced.

  Dedsun had been following the conversation, looking from her to Karvon and back. Karvon shrugged.

  “I have committed to this course dear, so I’ll just have to get used to it.”

  Gizel noticed Dedsun’s eyes widen at this comment, as he stared at Karvon then back at her.

  “I don’t think anyone ever gets used to it,” she replied. “At least we have a Palace to hide in. ImpSec will be there to try and keep the newsies out of our hair. I can tell you I wouldn’t want to be a trivid star. I mean there are privacy laws and so on, but they are still watched continuously.”

  “Yes. We’re a bit better in the Kingdom, but not a lot. Oh well, I shall just have to put on a stiff upper lip and bear it.”

  He grinned suddenly and was soon almost laughing.

  “What?” she asked after a moment.

  “I was just thinking about the look on my brother’s face when I come home with you on my arm.” He looked at her with a big smile. “He was most disappointed with my going on half-pay you know. Not at all the thing a proper officer should do.”

  He said this in almost a caricature of his normal upper-class Brython accent.

  “He doesn’t know what you really do?”

  She found herself almost laughing as well.

  “No, poor fellow. Need to know basis and all that. Dad doesn’t either, officially, but I let on I’m something a bit more than just some tramp cargo ship captain. I think he understood. Canny old bastard.” he paused. “It’ll be good to see the look on his face too.”

  Gizel moved back into the shuttle body and hugged him, which caused Dedsun to go all blank-faced in the prescribed ImpSec agent manner. She grinned at him.

  “So Janus, there is going to be a period of much confusion and diplomatic wrangling, but in the end, I am going to be sailing the galaxy with my Captain here, and I’ll need a good ImpSec fellow to cover my back out in the wilds of space.”

  She paused and studied his non-expression.

  “Did that total lack of expression look you’re effecting take a lot of work to develop?” she fired at him from left field.

  He blinked and nodded, unable to stop himself from grinning.

  “God yes, Your…. oh, fuck.”

  This last was more of a whimper and he looked completely discomposed and set about trying to get his non-expression, expression back in place. Gizel laughed at his getting ruffled by her question.

  “I can bet. However, the real question is are you interested in a job. I suggest you not accept if you have a girl or family, do you have a girl Dedsun?”

  He shook his head.

  “I have an ex-wife and no kids. That only lasted a year as it was. The settlement was just before we shipped out. I was actually quite happy to be going off to the back of nowhere for a while, Your Highness.”

  “Well, if you want a job, I’m offering. You can be my aide and bodyguard as we roam around the galaxy on the Kormorant. I’ll even get a promotion put through for you. How does that sound?”

  He shook his head. “I’d say yes, Your Highness, but you know they won’t let you run off with the Captain here and sail about in his ship.”

  Gizel simply smiled enigmatically and stood up a bit straighter.

  “I don’t see how they can stop me. Hopefully, they won’t try. Karvon and I intend to marry, which many will see as a step down for me, but I see it as getting to lead a life of adventure at the side of the most marvelous man I’ve ever met.” She lost her grin. “I’m afraid quite a few people are in for a shock or two but that’s the way things go when you are in love.”

  She paused and then cocked her head slightly studying him.

/>   “So was that a yes, or a no, to the job offer.”

  This time he grinned openly.

  “A yes, Your Highness.”

  “Good,” she replied.

  She moved over and sat in her assigned seat and said nothing more until the shuttle had landed and the crew moved in to get the shuttle door open and the ramp extended. She eased over to the door and could see the packed newsies over the other side of the pad. Great!

  “Game faces on,” she announced.

  With great composure, she proceeded down the ramp in the dignified manner of a Princess, something she had been coached in how to do since birth.

  There must have been fifty Imperial Security fellows around the pad keeping the newsies back. There was also an Imperial Security greeting party, including Captain Horman, who she knew, along with an unknown Lieutenant. The Captain took in her dress uniform, without rank tabs and played it safe by saluting.

  “Your Imperial Highness. Welcome home.”

  She returned the salute.

  “It is good to be back Captain.” She turned slightly to one side. “This is Captain Alistair of the Kormorant and my aide Janus Dedsun.”

  The Captain had taken the introduction to Karvon without a blink, but his eyes rose a little at her designation of Dedsun as being her aide. Imperial Aides was not normally an office filled by someone from Imperial Security.

  The newsies were shouting at her and making a hell of a racket, so she walked over to roughly the center of the area they were all jammed in and raised her hands to ask for quiet. She mimicked the sound dropping by moving her hands in downward swishes. Gradually the shouting subsided. She simply ignored all the shouted questions until finally, even the stupidest reporter amongst them realized she wasn’t going to respond until they all shut up.

  Eventually, she had quiet, sort of.

  “I have to go and see my parents so I will answer three questions, one each from three different reporters. The first question can be from…”

  She looked around and saw a girl being crushed by several guys.

  “You, the girl there. Who are you and what is your question?”

  The surrounding guys actually made her a little room when Gizel pointed to her.

  “Celia Hannay. Brython News,” the girl said loudly in a mild Brython accent. “Were you injured, Your Highness?”

  Gizel shook her head negatively.

  “I was lucky, along with maybe a third of the crew, in not being killed or injured. We were just very lucky. My thoughts and condolences go out to the families of my shipmates who aren’t coming back. It was a terrible battle and a very near run thing.”

  She paused and closed her eyes for a moment then shook her head slightly and turned to her right.

  “You there, dark hair and handlebar mustache.” She pointed at the fellow.

  “Gurt Vanhoger, IBC. Do you have any idea who was behind the attack on your ship?”

  Gizel glanced at Captain Horman who simply shrugged. Right. Her decision.

  “We think we know who was behind the attack and he was killed in the battle.”

  She looked to her left and pointed to a large, as-in overly solid, chap she thought she recognized.

  “Edder Loman, Kimeria One News. Welcome back, Your Highness. Is it true you had the operations officers on Kimeria One arrested by Imperial Security?”

  “Oh, dear. Is that what happened. I will admit to being unhappy with the officer in charge and his attitude towards me. As I had declared the whole operation a matter of Imperial Security I asked Baron Travgar to see what the fellow was up to. But that was all. I didn’t realize my question would get him arrested!”

  She tried to look, well, innocent, remorseful? She then waved at them all.

  “That is all I’m afraid. I have to go and face the music with my parents now. Thank you all for coming to see me arrive.”

  She ignored the renewed shouting as she led the party to the door that opened onto the corridor into the Palace. She knew the way of course so led the party through the labyrinth the Palace had grown into over the centuries. Mind you it didn’t take that long to reach a pair of large wooden doors where she halted for a moment to pull herself together.

  “I hope you don’t expect me to remember my way out?” Karvon said in a half-whisper.

  She couldn’t help herself and laughed.

  “No. Janus can help you if necessary,” she said and Dedsun choked.

  He hadn’t had Palace duty for years and wasn’t entirely sure he could remember the way out himself.

  “Right. Janus. You, Captain Horman, and his people can all stay out here for the moment if you don’t mind. Karvon, you ready?”

  “I guess. Hey, what’s the worst your father can do to me after all? Being a foreign national and all.”

  Gizel laughed again. Perhaps from the nervous tension she was feeling in her stomach. “He can order spies shot,” she said smiling.

  “Oh great! What reassuring words, thank you very much.” Karvon put a hand over his heart.

  Captain Horman had been following this conversation closely and cut in here.

  “Your Highness, I have read the report of how Captain Alistair saved your life, but I can’t allow you to take him into your parent’s presence without guards accompanying you.”

  Gizel looked at Karvon. “Do you begin to see a pattern here?”

  Karvon smiled. “Yes. I can actually. I find it interesting, as it is not something I had considered before. You are still young though. They haven’t had a chance to adjust yet.”

  The Captain looked puzzled by this exchange. Dedsun, however, moved to stand a bit further away and let the Lieutenant and the two troopers who had accompanied them inside the palace move closer to the Princess.

  Gizel looked from Karvon to Captain Horman.

  “Captain. Karvon and I are going in there together to meet with my parents. Privately. Do you understand?”

  The Captain drew himself up, getting a serious frown on his face at the same time.

  “I cannot allow you take a foreign national, a Brython Naval Captain, at that, into the presence of their Imperial Majesties without guards. No, Your Highness.”

  Gizel stared at him for a moment.

  “Captain. I am going to have a private meeting with my parents and the good Brython Captain here. Without anyone else being present. Do you understand me?”

  “I cannot allow that, Your Highness.” he answered shortly.

  Karvon saw her hand reach for her hip and smiled.

  “You’re a lucky man Captain. She left her blaster in her luggage.”

  The Captain blinked and looked at Karvon.

  “What?”

  Gizel ignored them “Dedsun. Get me Baron Travgar.”

  “At once, Your Highness.”

  She smiled as she realized he already had his pad out. He was getting the hang of the being her aide thing quickly.

  The Captain started to look worried. Dedsun moved forward once more and handed her his pad. The Baron’s visage appeared shortly after.

  “Ah, Baron Travgar. We are outside the Imperial suite and I wish to have a private chat with just my parents, myself, and Captain Alistair but your Captain Horman is refusing to allow me to take Karvon in there without guards. Fortunately for the good Captain, I left my blaster in my luggage, would you mind having a word to your overzealous guard dog, please.”

  Baron Travgar looked at the young Princess, thought about the report he had from Major Gundar and the hole in the head of Gizel’s uncle, apparently inflicted by a hipshot from across the room, according to the eyewitness. He decided it was probably a good thing her blaster was in her baggage. He was just getting to the point of joining Karvon and Dedsun in realizing that the Princess he was looking at now was a completely different person to the Princess who headed off for her first ship assignment. He almost wished he could be a fly on the wall when she finally went in there to see her parents, bringing Karvon Alistair with her. He had al
ready deduced that there was something going on between them, if for no other reason than the Brython had spent the whole trip back aboard the pirate ship in her company. Right.

  “Captain Horman.” The captain moved to where Travgar could see him. “If Her Imperial Highness Princess Gizel feels that Captain Alistair is not a security threat then I am not going to argue with her and nor should you. Your Highness.”

  He nodded and cut the connection.

  The Captain looked at Gizel and shrugged.

  “Just trying to do my duty.”

  Gizel nodded. “I know Captain.”

  She turned to Karvon. “You ready now?”

  Karvon nodded. “Still say he’s lucky you left the blaster in your luggage.”

  He nodded to the Imperial Security officer who didn’t look like he understood anything Karvon had said at all and turned to face the door.

  “Ready.” He was trying to sound confident, Gizel decided.

  She pushed the door open and held it for Karvon to enter then closed it in the faces of the Imperial Security contingent. She then turned to where her parents were rising from their couches, looks of surprise on their faces. She took Karvon by the hand and moved forward.

  “Mum. Dad. Allow me to introduce Captain Karvon Alistair.”

  Her mother’s eyes narrowed and her father’s expression became one of intense study as he looked at the Brython Captain.

  Karvon stopped and bowed to her mother first.

  “Your Imperial Highness.” He then turned to her father. “Your Imperial Majesty.”

  “Hmmph.” Her father said. “I was hoping we could spend some time together Gizel.”

  Gizel smiled. “But we are, father. As Karvon is going to be joining the family I felt we should start out on the right foot from the beginning.”

  She took Karvon’s arm with her own as she said this.

  Now her parents both looked taken aback. Her father turned his hawk-like eyes on her.

  “Normally a prospective swain asks for the father’s permission first,” he stated.