I went in through a gauze-draped opening into the main bedrooms.
The room was over-warm and dark, dressed in red velvet with soothing, ambient music welling from hidden vox-speakers. The bed was in disarray. In one corner, on a gilt credenza, sat a portable vox-set. I padded forward and studied the responder log. Fischig's chaos down below rumbled through the floor like a distant storm.
The girl came out of a side room, a bathroom I imagine, and shrieked when she saw me. She was naked, and dived under the bedclothes for cover.
The muzzle of my shotgun tracked her.
'Who's here?'
She whimpered and shook her head.
'Inquisition/ I hissed. 'Who's here?'
She began to sob and shook her head again.
'Stay down. Get under the bed if you can/
In the adjoining room, I heard whistling. A voice called out a name.
'Don't answer/ I told the weeping girl.
I moved slowly round to the side room door. Light shone out. There was a hint of steam and a smell of bath-oils. The whistling had stopped.
He was wary, I'll give him that. He didn't bluster out, gun blasting.
I tipped open the door with the snout of my weapon and five high velocity rounds shredded holes in the wood panel.
I fell to my belly on the floor and fired three shots in through the door
gap-
'Inquisition! Throw down your weapon!'
Two more shots punched through the door.
I crawled backwards from the doorway and stood up, the gun resting in my hands.
'Come out/1 said, using my will.
A large, tattooed, naked male blundered out of the bathroom, half his face shaved and half covered with sudsy foam. A Tronsvasse Hi-Power autopistol was still in one hand.
'Put it down/1 commanded.
He hesitated, as if my will had no force. A conditioned mind, I supposed. Take no chances.
The autopistol was just pulling up to find me when I blew off his half-shaved face with the shotgun and sent his body splintering back through
the half-open door.
The girl was still crouched, naked, at the end of the bed, shivering. I was surprised she hadn't bolted out of cover at my command too.
I spun to face her.
'What's your name?'
'Lise B/
'Full name!' I snapped. I wasn't concentrating on her especially, but there was something about her. An air. A tone.
Alizebeth Bequin! Pleasure girl! I worked the Sun-dome these past four Dormants!'
'You're here why?'
'They paid up front! Wanted a party! Oh lords…'
Her voice trailed away and she collapsed on the bed.
'Get dressed. Stay here. I will want to talk to you.'
I moved to the door of the chamber and looked out into the unlit hall. Below, down the stairwell, gunflashes and shouts echoed up.