“Thanks. I’ll inquire around. We’ll be in town overnight.”
She led her mare down the railed ramp and swung quickly into the saddle, galloping off as if she’d been raised on horseback.
Kit snorted in disgust. “How were you ever successful with the girls you knew at home? The reporter yesterday, and then this woman. Can’t you sense when females are interested?”
“She invited me to visit the business where she works. How is that flirting?”
“Fine, I’m not a match maker. Let’s find a hotel for the night, and a butcher.”
“You just ate ten large steaks.”
“Are you saying you won’t be hungry later tonight, or tomorrow? You need food for the ride to Plains. Buy more beef. I don’t know what game I might find to hunt.”
“You actually like beef don’t you? Even if you won’t admit it. In this low gravity, you’ll return home a fat blue beach ball if you don't watch your diet or get some exercise. Longhorns have considerably greater fat marbling in them than a wild and lean rhinolo, or any of our antelopes.”
Ethan swung into the saddle and placed a hand on Beau’s neck, to show him the image of the direction they would go. Kit, loping at Beau’s side, went down the loading dock ramp with them, and the three headed away from the rail yard and cattle pens.
A butcher shop, located conveniently at the edge of town, near the recently emptied and still fragrant railyard cattle pens, solved the problem of where to buy fresh meat for tomorrow. The shop owner had meat in his cooler, but admitted he was out of stock for the prime cut of beef Kit requested, to match their last purchase in Cayuga.
There were no Giant Longhorns left in the pens to see up close, spoiling both Ethan’s and Kit’s curiosity, all of them having just been shipped to Cayuga that morning, on the train that had passed them. The butcher said another small cattle drive was headed to Trail’s End tonight, or early morning, destined for another train to Cayuga, and he’d be buying at least two animals for slaughter from that herd. Kit asked Ethan to use her credit chit for her order, before they went deeper into the small town. The butcher had also caught regional news from Cayuga, and although nervous at first, he was friendly and curious about Kit.
He told them there were only two hotels in town, neither of which was of the quality of the Imperial where they had stayed in Cayuga. The town only had about six thousand permanent residents, and it too had more bars than restaurants or eateries, although most saloons also served food of some sort. This was a cattle town, and trail hands stayed in town spending some of their pay for several days after each herd was driven here for auction and shipping.
The butcher informed them that the last thousand head of the previous herd had been shipped out on the morning train, but there were still dozens of cowboys hanging around in town, so the hotels might not have vacancies. Less squeamish visitors sometimes found cheap accommodations for a few credits, sleeping in one of the barns of the four stables in town. If they had more cash than sense, they might even spend the night in a much higher priced brothel. There were three of them, he said, with a knowing grin at the handsome young man.
The man was a fountain of information on the subject. “Chisholm is one of only a handful of Rim Worlds that has legalized the practice of female prostitution, despite strenuous objections from the women leaders of the Planetary Union. Businesses like that are found on other Rim Worlds, with both male and female clients, and service providers of both genders, but they aren’t always properly legal, as they are here. The PU has outlawed the practice entirely on Hub Worlds, and on the New Colonies that joined the PU during the war.”
He uttered an ironic chuckle. “Funny thing is, eighty years ago in the PU, they had no complaint when the service providers were only men, and ladies were the paying customers. Now days, the male population has recovered from the Gene Wars, so it’s no longer acceptable to the government. Morality is in the eyes of the beholder.” He paraphrased.
Ethan shrugged. “Well, Kit and I have no objection to sleeping in a barn, except Kit might spook the horses. Although Beau accepts her OK, and he and I can calm the other animals I think. We’ll stop at the two hotels anyway, to see what’s available for overnight.”
He paid the butcher in advance for their order. “We’ll pick up the fresh meat tomorrow morning. I could take the five pounds of jerky I want now, but it’s better off in your cooler until then.”
As it happened, neither of the two hotels had a vacancy, and there was a waiting list if any unexpected checkouts occurred. He rode Beau down Main Street, towards a stable that the last hotel clerk had recommended. Kit stayed on the sidewalk side of the street from Beau, to stay clear of vehicles that weaved by the occasional horse traffic. Beau suddenly littered the street, and that led Ethan to wonder why he’d not seen other piles. There weren’t many horses on the streets, but he saw a couple every block. His curiosity was satisfied when behind them a flat oval robot cleaner darted out of a bulge in the street curb.
He and Kit looked back as the fastidious little robot paused to check for traffic, and then swooped out onto the roadway to scoop up the poop, sprayed a cleaning solvent, wiped that away, and darted back to its small curbside “hanger,” where it presumably deposited it’s cargo into the sewer system.
They had paused to watch the robot, it being a device they hadn’t seen on far less developed Koban. Kit sent him a Comtap message as she looked at the structure they were about to pass. “There’s Brethard House.”
“Where? Oh…, so it is.” There was a glowing red sign hanging in front of a white decorative three-story building. It was built in an ancient architectural style, with six white colonnades across the front. The red sign seemed rather lurid for the elegant looking structure.
Kit said, “I’ve been detecting the pheromones for several blocks. This building is one of three I think are sources. You can’t tell me you don’t notice.”
“I noticed. I assumed they were coming from the three brothels that are supposed to be located on Main Street.”
“I think they are, and the other two are farther up the street.”
“Other two? Do you think this one is a brothel? Can’t be. This business is managed by Madigan Brethard.”
“How does this exclude it as what the butcher called a…, wasn’t the word he used actually whorehouse?”
“She was too pretty, too sweet to be a prostitute.”
“I think you’re too dense and too gullible to be a Kobani, yet you are. She said you’d be interested in her business, and she offered you a complementary gift from the proprietor. Does that gift seem more interesting to you now?”
“Despite my shattered illusions, it does. But I thought she liked me.”
“Her pheromones suggested she did, you ignorant skugrat. Sex for money doesn’t mean she can’t have a real attraction for a member of the opposite sex. I tease you, but from mental impressions, from multiple girls you know on Koban, they think you’re a handsome catch. Personally, as my annoying sibling, I always thought you were more a match for what that robot just cleaned up. But you do smell better. Marginally.”
“Thanks, Sis. I’m touched. You don’t smell as bad as a rhinolo’s butt. Some of them, yes, but not most.”
“OK. Mutual admiration aside, are you going to check on your complementary gift, or check into Hotel Hay Bale?”
“I need to stable Beau for the day anyway, and drop off my stuff. I can pay for our stay there, and then come back here and see what I was being offered. You can do what you want.”
“I certainly don't want to come back here with you. The odor is almost overwhelming outside and it must be stifling inside. I think I’ll go scouting the local countryside, and sniffing out what sort of wild life we’ll encounter on the trail.”
They proceeded to Abel’s Stable, paid for Beau’s feed and stall for the night, and Ethan left his property in a coded locker he rented. Then Kit headed out into the woods at the edge of town, and vanished, d
elighted at the opportunity to learn about another world’s wild life.
Ethan jogged back to Brethard House, the heat of the afternoon sun unable to force him to break into a sweat. He walked up the four steps to the wide portico behind the columns, and wondered why this was such an imposing building for its actual purpose. Then he spotted a painted over logo that was embossed on the wall next to the double doors. It had once read Calder County Bank, so the property was still earning money, but surely extending no credit.
He pushed through the doors, and approached a wide wood looking reception counter with an attractive young woman behind it, looking at a screen, and wearing an ear bud phone. She smiled, and told him, “Madigan is in a conference, but she’ll be down to escort you soon Mr. Greeves. She says she’s involved in a negotiation. Would you like something to drink while you wait? We have a full bar through the doors to your left, your drink is on the house, just ask the auto bartender for what you would like, or describe what you might wish him to make for you.”
“You know who I am?”
“The AI monitoring the external cameras did, and informed me and Ms. Brethard you had appeared at our doorstep. When you walked past us earlier, she was disappointed you had not stopped for a visit.”
“I take it the free drink is the customary complementary gift from the proprietor?”
She frowned prettily. “I wouldn’t think so. We offer a free drink to all first time visitors, and Madigan isn’t in the habit of offering other gifts to visitors. It must be something she offered specifically to you.”
Ethan raised his eyebrows, and walked towards the indicated doorway. As he passed through the noise suppression field into the bar, he suddenly heard crass music playing, voices and laughter. There were several men, cowboys by their looks, already siting at just one of the ten tables, with three attractive women dressed in rather scanty outfits with them. They all had drinks, and from the collection of empty glasses and slurred merriment, they had been at it for some time. It was barely after noon.
At the bar, he ordered a simple shot of bourbon on ice, one of the few types of liquor he knew by name. He was thanked, and his drink was poured by hidden mechanisms under the bar top, and delivered through an opening that briefly appeared on the bar top, directly in front of the smiling bartender who passed the drink over. He overheard one of the women tell the man on whose lap she sat, that if they went upstairs he needed to bathe, which she would be happy to help him do. She whispered in his ear, and he fished a credit chit out of his shirt pocket, and stood up and started to follow her.
One of his inebriated companions called out. “Hey, Brent. Afer drinkin’ all night, you still rich ‘nuff to get the full treatment?” He laughed, but it showed his envy.
Brent wasn’t quite as sloshed as his buddy was. “Hey right back at you pal. I bought shares in our drive after I scouted the condition of the beeves in our quadrant, a day before the roundup started. They looked a bit fatter than usual after a mild winter. When the auction paid higher per head than average, I was paid more for my shares. If you didn’t drink and screw away all your money every month, you could save enough to invest, and have extra credits to drink and screw longer.” He laughed back at his friends, and looped his arm around the girl and left the bar.
Ethan smiled at what seemed to be a lifestyle for many of the unattached younger cowboys he’d observed in his short time here. Living paycheck to paycheck, caught up in what they considered a “manly” and romantic life style, staying free of obligations and commitments. They craved excitement, and liked being paid extra money for going after men they were told were rustlers, or hassling selfish people they believed were trying to change their way of life. Catching rustlers or forcing out squatters and tearing down fences, was simply paid adventure for real men. They weren’t bad, just young, wanting drinking, women, and adventure, and they were gullible.
Much like myself, he though wryly. Except I have Mind Tap to avoid being gullible, he told himself with naive confidence.
Not to mention he had a metabolism that all but prevented drunkenness, which only led to risky foolishness. Luckily, sex wasn’t diminished for him in any way. On the contrary, his superconducting nerves actually enhanced that experience greatly. It was good to be a Kobani, with marvelous physical endurance and a quick recovery. He was curious if he’d have an opportunity to demonstrate his prowess today.
When Madigan walked into the bar, he suddenly was more than curious, he was ardently hopeful he’d have that opportunity. She was radiant in an ancient historical period gown, a pale blue satin finished dress that flared widely to the floor from a tightly pinched waist. It was the bare shouldered, snugly fitting, push-up top that enhanced her marvelous cleavage that really dazzled him. Her blonde hair was put up in a lovely style, with a small floral wreath of tiny blue flowers set around the gathered hair like a crown, with arching wisps of blonde hair framing her beautiful smiling face. A black neck choker, supporting a blue sapphire that matched her eyes, contrasted against the flawless creamy skin of her shoulders, and her full breasts.
She looked like the Bell of the Ball, having stepped from a scene of an old Earth image of plantation life for one of the elite. He eventually tore his eyes away from her breasts, and shining blue eyes and smile, to notice she even had arms. They were covered with white satin gloves, the sleeves reaching just past her elbows. Her hands were lightly clasped in the front.
She was apparently pleased with the effect she was having, spread her arms, hands palm down with fingers pointed out and low to her sides, and did a complete turn in place. This permitted him to see the equally flawless beauty of her back, and the gentle wide “V” of the backside of the bodice of the dress.
There was a crude whistle, which came from one of the drunken cowboys, and that took away from the magic of the moment for Ethan and he frowned, but it didn’t faze Madigan. She said, “Why don’t we talk somewhere else?” She turned, and he followed her out through the noise suppression field, never having noticed the drop jaw expressions on the two working girls. They had never seen the “Boss Lady” dressed like that.
The young woman at the desk was maintaining a studiously neutral expression, and she kept her eyes on her monitor screen as the couple left the bar. “Ellice, I will be unavailable for calls and visitors until I inform you otherwise. I’ll be in my quarters in the event anything urgent arises. You are in charge of routine business decisions and assignments for this evening, or Chantel will be, after she relieves you at five. Please inform her.”
Ellice looked at her boss, with only the slightest smile present, saying only, “Yes, Mam.”
Madigan turned to her guest, “We’ll use my private lift in the back to reach my suite.” She looked at the half-empty glass he still held. “I have a better supplied auto bar upstairs if you wish to refresh that, or to order something of a higher quality than what we keep in there for our, shall I say, less discriminating clients.” She smiled warmly.
He smiled back, and spoke honestly. “Ms. Brethard, Koban was so isolated for most of my life that I don’t pretend that I’ve developed sophisticated tastes in foods or drink. I’ll be happy to try anything you suggest that I might find interesting.”
“Please call me Maddi. I’ll certainly have some suggestions, and I hope they will be interesting, but none of them will concern food or drinks.” With that less than cryptic comment, his spirits soared, and he accepted her offered gloved hand as she led him past a number of rooms with doors closed, to the rear of the building.
There, a nondescript unmarked wooden door responded to her retinal pattern when she looked into what seemed to be a peephole. A lock clicked, and she pulled the door outward, revealing a lift door that slid open. They stepped inside, and the outer door closed automatically as the lift door closed. It had no panel for floor selection, so it obviously served only her private quarters.
She spoke rather shyly as the lift rose, not looking directly at him. “When you passed us
by a short time ago, I was afraid when you saw what my business was that you disapproved. I own and manage this business, and turn a tidy profit, but I don't personally provide services. You are an exception to the usually crude and rough spoken men I meet from Chisholm.
“I liked you the moment I saw you with my horse, calming her. That and the exotic attraction of meeting my first off world visitor. You were being nice to Smokey without knowing who owned her, and I love that mare. I raised her from a colt.”
He nodded. “I could sense her fear and learned what caused it right away. I was reassuring her that Kit was not a threat, and that she actually likes horses. Like me, she thinks they’re beautiful, and we’d never actually seen any before arriving here. Outside of pictures, of course.”
The lift door slid open silently, to an elegant foyer with a mirror facing them on the wall, and fresh flowers in an arrangement on a table below the mirror.
She had an admission. “I learned about your mind reading ability from a follow up story on one of the Tri-Vid stations, after yours and Kit’s first day in Cayuga. How it requires direct physical contact. I was over there attending to some business of my own, interviewing girls that want to come and work for me, and I was delivering some cattle sales paperwork for my father. I had no idea I’d see you two on the train coming home. I invited you on impulse, but I’m pleased that you accepted. I don’t invite men very often. I’m sure I surprised my employees when I came down dressed so formally, for a daytime meeting in the middle of the week. You can only make a first impression once.”
Ethan smiled. “You already did that on the train. I had no idea what sort of business Brethard House was, but I wasn’t going to miss a chance to see you again. I simply needed to stable my horse, stow my trail gear, and arrange for a night’s sleep there with Kit, right next to Beau’s stall.”
“Sleep in a barn?”
“Not a problem for me or Kit, and the two hotels are full.”
“Where is your friend? I mean, your adopted sister I suppose. That’s how you describe her, isn’t it?”
Koban Universe 2: Have Genes, Will Travel Page 17
