Rebellion is in the Air — Philip R Benge

Sung-Li, emperor of the planet Zeta and its colonies, believes that a group of people are plotting rebellion. To destroy all such traitors, he comes up with an elaborate plan to winkle the plotters out so that they can be destroyed. Prince Johan Galliano, a believer in hereditary monarchy, together with his friend and employee Troy Defoe, who believes in democracy, are caught up in the emperor's scheming and are forced to flee from the emperor's agents. Their journey takes them across the galaxy and back again. During their Odyssey, an actual rebellion is planned, where before only dreamers existed, however, Troy's search for democracy leads him to an unexpected situation, one that demands a swift, but terrible, response.