They also fight who only socialize. With full apologies to Milton or whoever it was she was misquoting.
Kris smiled through introductions and answered the inevitable question from one matron. “No, I’m not married. No, I’m not engaged.” She managed not to add “No, I’m not even hooked up, though there is this cute Iteeche I’m hanging out with,” before the woman dismissed herself to hurry off and arrange the inevitable parade of potential bridegrooms.
Kris was unable to break away from the others and their inane social chitchat . . . though she tried . . . until the match-maker was headed back toward Kris with a line of dazed young men in tow.
At least most were dazed.
Three of them had clear intent in their eyes. Apparently the size of Kris’s trust fund had made the papers. Kris could always spot certain types by the dollar signs in their eyes.
Nelly, see Those Three.
Yes, Kris.
Warn Me WHENEVER one of THEM GETS close.
Yes, MA’AM.
“So you are the Kris Longknife I’ve heard so much about,” came in a deep baritone.
Kris turned her back on the approaching line of young male meat to face a rather distinguished man with a heavy dose of salt in his jet-black hair. His face was tanned and lined by years in the sun, but the hand he offered her was firm to her shake. He met her grip solid for solid without threatening to turn it into an arm-wrestling contest. That happened to Kris occasionally when she met a man pressure for pressure.
“I’m guilty as charged, sir.”
“I’m Jim Austin tonight. Duke Austin when I’m up at the state house.”
“Ah, my great-grandfather told me about you,” Kris said.
Actually, King Ray hadn’t said a word about anyone. But he’d included this guy, along with all major players on Texarkana, in his briefing paper. Kris was experienced with great men like him, though, and would gladly add an extra ego stroke if he wanted to believe it. From the size of his smile, she knew he’d enjoy passing the lie along to his wife and not be at all upset if she turned it loose to all the back-fence gossips on the planet.
“And I’ve heard a lot about you. And seen you on the vids and just about everywhere people talk about the up-and-coming youth today.”
“You’re very kind. I hope you won’t hold all that against me. Much of it is not true, as Captain Montoya can testify.”
“I was usually there, but most of my wounds have healed,” Jack said, shaking the offered hand.
“Then let us talk about what is true and what is merely a bum rap,” the duke said, and led Kris away from the woman eagerly waiting to inflict on this princess from Wardhaven all the eligible bachelors present.
With a joyful heart, Kris walked with him.
Until he started talking.
“Strange things are going on. We got laws here against aircraft buzzing cattle or landing your plane just anywhere you want. One loud noise can stampede a whole herd and run a year’s worth of meat off their bones.”
“I can imagine,” Kris said, though she’d never given it much thought. Any thought.
“Yep, it can. Now we got strange airplanes buzzing around, and one of our cowhands is missing.”
“Probably just took a wrong turn,” Kris said. “Bet you he shows up in a couple of days with a wild tale about being kidnapped by aliens.”
“He better not have been kidnapped by some wild gang of union kids that borrowed their papa’s airplane and thought it would be fun to chase a herd of cows.”
Kris had feared that the duke fellow had figured out what she’d been up to that afternoon and was obliquely trying to tell her so. Boy had she gotten him wrong. He was all for forming up a posse and heading off to the big city to get back the fellow she had locked away three hundred kilometers above his head.
For a peacekeeper, Kris was starting on the wrong foot.
Well, at least she was keeping Iteeche from scaring the meat off his cattle.
“I’m headed up to Denver tomorrow. I’ll look into this for you.”
“Think you could? Maybe they’d give you a peace offering. Though, I tell you, their kids need a good trip to the woodshed.”
“Somebody does,” Kris agreed. And dodged the nudge Jack gave her in the ribs.
“How long you going to be here?” the duke asked.
“I don’t know,” Kris admitted.
“You going to land anyone from your ship? Most ship captains don’t hang around Texarkana very long. They tell me the zero gravity is bad for their crews.”
“It is,” Jack agreed. “Bad for my Marines, too.”
“How many Marines you got? More than these six I see riding night guard around us?”
“The Wasp is an exploration ship, Your Grace,” Kris explained. “I have about a hundred scientists and close to that many Marines and sailors.”
“Woo, wee, Princess, you do carry a big enough stick to knock a few heads, don’t you.”
“We managed to stop a filibustering expedition that was set on taking over a planet,” Kris said. “Not that the folks on Pandemonium needed all that much help. Still, they were glad for a hand from a few Royal U.S. Marines.”
“I heard tell about that. Sounded like a lot of fun. Nobody’d dare try anything funny with Texarkana,” he said, patting the holstered pistol at his side. It looked bigger than Kris’s .44. When Abby passed Kris her pistol, she’d have sworn nothing could be larger that wasn’t a rifle.
Kris just nodded.
“Anyway, about all that zero-gee time your folks are going to spend while you’re here. You see, I got this ski resort place up in the mountains. Not much skiing this time of year, so I was wondering if you’d like to rent it. Cheap. Most of the hands are following the herds just now, but I imagine I could rustle up a few to help tend bar, change the beds.”
Kris glanced at Jack. He actually looked enthusiastic about something for the first time since the Iteeche had boarded.
“We got bartenders,” Kris said, “and most of our people know how to change their own beds. What do you say that we take over the place, empty as it is and run it ourselves? It might actually be better.”
“How’s that?”
“You know, a sailor likes to have a girl in every port. Some of my scientists are kind of young, too.” Which was such a lie. “Let a couple of them lose their hearts to some of the pretty girls I see sashaying around the dance floor, and I could lose some of my best boffins. Some of your tenderhearted girls might wind up pregnant and waving good-bye to the cad that did it.”
“Not if her daddy has a shotgun up his backside.”
Definitely Kris wanted the place as empty as she could get it. “Do I need to have my procurement officer meet with someone on your staff?”
“No, no,” he said, holding out his hand. “If five thousand dollars a day sounds just fine by you, we can shake on it, and you can be dropping your folks down to a lovely vacation tomorrow.”
He’s way OVERCHARGING. I’M CHECKING The RATES of The local LODGING places, AND This PLANET is really cheap. Don’T know WHAT IT’S like in WINTER, BUT SUMMer RATES are DIRT cheap.
“Two thousand,” Kris said.
“Oh my, you are Al Longknife’s little girl, aren’t you. Four thousand.”
“Three thousand,” Kris said, sticking out her hand.
He shook it. “You will be needing victuals and spirits. I’ll send someone around tomorrow to fill up the cold house and all.”
“Feel free to do that, but you might warn him that he’ll be negotiating with my computer, and she’s already checking the prices on what we’ll need against what’s advertised online.”
“He’s gonna have to cover the cost of shipping it to hell and nowhere. And it’s up in the mountains, too.”