Retired

Chapter 3

  Chapter 3

I came out of my memories as the taxi pulled up in front of a luxury hotel. I cursed Robert under my breath. He had his people make all my travel arrangements. He knew I was coming home to retire. My days of luxury hotels were now gone. He had booked my reservation at the most exclusive hotel on Mud. I climbed out of the cab and started to walk towards the lobby doors.

As I reached out for the door handle, a woman brushed past me and into the hotel. I started to wonder about the manners of the people on my world. Then I realized it was the same young woman from the spaceport. I shook my head and continued up to the front counter.

"May I help you, sir?", a teenage girl asked me when I walked up.

"I have a reservation under Drake Daemon."

"Yes, Mister Daemon. We have been expecting you. There is a message here for you from Bobby Stavore." The young lady said softly, as I scanned my thumb and ID tag into the recognition plate. When she looked up at my face, a soft blush came to her cheeks. I had affected women that way my entire life. Asta had told me it was the animal lurking behind my eyes. It made women feel helpless in my gaze.

"Thank you, Deborah," I answered, as I glanced at her name tag. "I won't be here for long. I will be traveling on to my ranch tomorrow. Is there a good restaurant in the hotel?"

"Yes, sir, the chef here is amazing. She specializes in local comfort foods. Would you like me to make a reservation for you?"

"Nineteenth hour, please."

"You're all set, mister Daemon. Your room is the top floor. It has been coded to your identity and your luggage is already in the room." With that, she handed me a sealed envelope.

I took the message from her hand and our fingers brushed together. The color of her cheeks deepened and she started breathing harder. I watched her pupils dilate as she stared at the animal that lurked under my calm exterior. I could almost hear the thoughts that stirred in her mind.

Our fingers broke contact and she gave a sigh that almost sounded pitiful. I turned towards the elevator, as I again cursed Bobby in my mind. He had booked the penthouse. I was retiring and he knew I wanted to disappear into the local populace. That is why I had come back to this forsaken ball of mud. I was here to spend the rest of my life hacking a living out of the soil.

I waited for the elevator to arrive. These old tin boxes always made me nervous. They were a perfect death trap if someone was after you. I chuckled softly at my own paranoia. No one would be after me. I no longer lived that life. I had left it behind when I laid down my uniform for the last time.

The elevator doors opened and I was bumped aside as a flash of red hair stepped in front of me. I shook my head and stepped into the box that would carry me to my room for the night.

As the door closed, I reached out and touched the recognition plate. Then I touched the button for the penthouse. I noticed that she had pushed the button for the twenty-fifth floor. "You seem to be in a hurry. You should slow down and enjoy yourself. You will find the people here a little more laid back and relaxed than you are accustomed to." I spoke with the easy confidence of a man adjusted to life as it comes.

"I am sorry, do I know you?", the woman asked, as she turned her gaze in my direction. Her emerald green eyes held a fire that stirred in my soul. This young lady had a hunger in her eyes. I had seen that look many times in my life. It was the look of a young predator that had not tasted its first kill. She was after something and was unsure how to get what she wanted.

"No, Ma'am, but we should know each other well. You have pushed me out of your way three times today. That kind of behavior will make people around here not wish to talk to you," I said with a soft smile, to lessen the rebuke inherent in my words.

She gave a light blush at my words. "I am sorry. I have a lot on my mind right now."

"You could make it up to me by joining me for dinner tonight at the restaurant. I will be there at nineteenth hour."

"I am not here to find a man for the night, sir..."

"I am not here to find a woman, either. I thought maybe you would enjoy someone to talk to and a chance to atone for your rudeness. It was my mistake."

Her blush deepened as she tried to hold my gaze. I could see her anger fighting within her. She wanted to be angry with me, but she realized she had been rude and was even now being rude again. I watched as the hard lines at the sides of her eyes softened slightly. Then, haltingly, she started to speak. "I am sorry. I am used to men trying to pick me up as an easy mark. I would be delighted to join you for dinner, if you let me pay to make up for my behavior."

"I invited you to dinner, and it would be the epitome of bad manners for me to let you pay. However, you could call the score even by telling me the story of why you are here instead. You are obviously not a buyer of produce or meats. I would be interested in finding out why such a dazzling young lady would come to Mud."

"Mud?"

"That is what the locals call this ball we stand on. It has to do with the large amount of rainfall and the general condition of the land," I said with a smile.

She actually smiled. When she did, her face lit up like a star. Her smile could capture even the hardest heart. "I will join you for dinner." The doors opened on her floor and she excused herself to go to her room.

After the doors closed to take me to the penthouse, I opened the envelope in my hands and unfolded the hand-written note enclosed.



Drake;

With all our love, we hope this finds you safely back on the world of your birth. You have been like family to us and I could not let you go into your well-deserved retirement without knowing how much we appreciate the sacrifices and hardships you have faced for us.

I know you are probably cursing me right now for your hotel accommodations, so I will tell you to hold your curses until after tomorrow.

A new hovertruck will be delivered for you in the morning, and the guidance system will have the location of your ranch pre-programmed. I have taken the liberty of having a ranch house built with details to match the drawings of your dream home you once showed me. (You left them to be packed and I took the liberty of stealing them.)

We owe you more than we could ever repay. If you ever decide to come back, your position is waiting for you.

Love;

Bobby, Asta, Cleo, Danny and Little Drake.



I read the note and had to growl and laugh at the same time. Robert never could leave anything alone. He had to pull strings every time.

The door opened into a foyer. Directly across from me was an ornate door. Beyond it would be my room for the night. I still held the hope it would be just a simple room behind that wooden portal. I knew the hope was useless. There would be a suite like a small palace in there.

I touched the recognition plate and the door opened. Behind it was my worst nightmare. The room was not fancy, it was opulent. The apartment behind that wooden door was seven rooms with its own pool and Jacuzzi. It was decorated with ancient Earth antiques. There must have been twenty million credits wrapped up in the furniture. What a waste for just a one-night stay.

I looked at my luggage sitting neatly along one of the walls. There were two extra suitcases. Both of them had security seals on them. Now what had Bobby done?

I moved to the first of the extra cases and checked the outside of it carefully, without touching it. Old habits truly die hard. All of the security sigils were in the right places. It was either actually from its sender, or it was one hell of a forgery. I laid the case down and checked the bottom. There was Robert's personal mark. I touched it and the hidden recognition plate unlocked the case.

Inside the case I found my weapons. The katana set was over three thousand years old. The pistol was a Kitan rail pistol Mark VII. It was my service side arm, a gift from a general. I had saved his life and he had given me the pistol. There was also a rifle in the case. It was broken down for packing, but it was all there. The Smaug Model 724, high-velocity sniper rifle was deadly at seven kilometers. It was devastating at one.

The second case opened to reveal my dress uniform. Displayed across the top of the dress blacks were my medals, all two hundred fifty of them. Once again my mind drifted back to those days so long ago.