Merkiaari Wars: 02 - What Price Honour by Mark E. Cooper

“I just love the way—”
    Kate stared at the blushing soldier in something akin to horror. Charlene was fifty if she was a day. She was wearing battle dress and was carrying an M18-AP rifle in addition to the pistol on her hip, yet she was blushing like a damn schoolgirl over a man half her age. There should be a law or something. She was a soldier for God’s sake!
    The barrier lifted and Robert was waved on. “What’s wrong?”
    Kate was still scowling. “Nothing.”
    “Something is,” Robert said glancing at her then back to the road. “You look like you swallowed a bug.”
    “I’m just feeling a little tired. It’s been a long day, Robert, and a lot’s happened. Is the hotel far?”
    “We’re nearly there.” He pulled into a parking area outside a tall building proudly displaying the name Tigris Mayflower in glaring blue neon over the lobby doors. “It’s the best place in the city.”
    Kate climbed out of the truck carrying her kit bag. The Mayflower Hotel was a tall chrome and steel building that would be better suited to a corporate headquarters if not for the balconies. They appeared to have been tacked on at some later time, and didn’t match the building’s architecture at all. The parking lot was a simple plascrete area surrounded by gardens on two sides, the road on the third, and the hotel on the fourth. There was a duplicate of the building, minus the balconies, seemingly unused on the other side of the road.
    “They were built by McPherson,” Robert said watching her study the towers.
    “McPherson?”
    “McPherson and Dermott used to make drive coils, but they went bust years ago. The towers are all that’s left.”
    Kate hefted her kit and walked toward the lobby. The night was quiet, but the hotel was anything but. When they entered, they found the lobby bustling with people coming and going. From the sound of muffled music, she decided there was a party going on somewhere. Men and women were walking arm in arm toward the elevators, while others passed behind her and through the double doors on her left. The music’s volume increased then dropped away as the doors closed.
    “What’s the occasion?”
    “Don’t need one to have fun,” Robert said with a grin and draped an arm around her shoulders.
    Robert escorted Kate to reception where she asked for a room. The receptionist, a slim balding man, asked her how long she planned on staying. She said a week, though she had no intention of staying that long. As soon as she completed her self-imposed mission, she planned to leave on the same ship that had brought her to Tigris. She had killed Millard as down payment for the information she needed to find Paul, but although it had been necessary, it didn’t sit well with her now that she knew Whitby was ultimately behind it. To redress the balance, she was going to end Millard’s war for him. The receptionist named a figure. It was daylight robbery, but she had expected nothing less. A place like this probably saw no more than one or two new guests a week. It was already obvious from the pounding music that the hotel made its profit from something other than renting rooms.
    “I’ll take it,” she said.
    “Payment all in advance, food is extra.” The receptionist tapped a finger against the screen in the desk. “It’s the law.”
    Kate dropped her kit bag to the floor and Robert retrieved his arm so that she could sign the register’s screen. Kate was careful to use her alias. She pulled her credit wand from her pocket, and slid it into the receptacle in the desk as the receptionist keyed a figure into his consol. Kate took note of the amount before pressing the transfer button. He hadn’t tried to con her.
    “Thank you for using the Tigris Mayflower,” he said in a bored voice before handing her a pass card. “Have a nice night.” He glanced at Robert and smirked at her.
    Kate ignored him.
    “Thanks for everything,” she said turning to Robert and taking her kit from