"I thought she was a warrior."
"She is, but so far she's unproven. The public records indicate that she's a good 'Mech pilot and an excellent planner, but she's still a year away from her first contract. She could have come to the Assembly as a member of the gallery, but that's about as exciting as watching 'Mechs rust, especially without the frame of reference you get in combat. I doubt anybody thought the meeting would be as explosive as it turned out to be."
The pair continued in silence until McCloud remembered.
"Hey, you said the meeting with your family took only ten minutes. Where have you been for the last two hours?"
"Talking with Colonel Stirling."
"Cat Stirling?"
"One and the same. How do you know the colonel?" Rose looked over at McCloud, who only shrugged.
"Just one of the people you hear about in my line of work. I believe the term is 'larger than life.' "
"That sure sounds like her. There were times in the conversation when I swore I could hear her purr." Rose laughed at the thought and McCloud relaxed a little. Rose was already putting the past behind him and concentrating on the future.
"Did you talk about anything important?" McCloud tried to taint the question with a hint of jealousy, but Rose either missed the inference or else chose to ignore it. The idea was silly anyway.
"She more or less agreed with my father."
"Really?"
"Well, not really, but she told me she'd predicted the results of the vote yesterday after learning that my father was going to speak."
"Did you find out anything interesting?"
Rose nodded. "She was the commander of Danny's battalion when he died on"
"Your brother is dead?"
Rose nodded. He'd forgotten that McCloud didn't know. Though he'd only learned it himself a few hours ago, Rose was surprisingly at ease with the news. He and his brother had never been really close. The death of lancemates had hit him harder. McCloud, however, seemed to take the news as a great shock. He was greatly surprised when she stopped to give him a hug.
"Jeremiah, I'm so sorry." He struggled with what to say, afraid of diminishing her compassion and suddenly ashamed of his own lack of feelings. After a moment's hesitation, he hugged her in return.
"You're shaking." Rose loosened his grip and pulled back enough to see her face.
"It's freezing out here," she said. Rose squeezed her close and she returned the grip with fervor. Looking over the top of her head for suitable refuge, he noted a small restaurant across the street.
He pulled free and pointed across the street. "How about some food, on me?"
"Anyplace warm is fine with me."
Rose gripped her hand and led her across the street and into the restaurant, where they were greeted by the smell of freshly baked bread and by a rotund woman in green tartan. Behind the woman, in the restaurant's even smaller bar, men and woman mingled with loud humor.
"Two for dinner, please."
"Am I blind? Of course two for dinner." The woman slapped Rose good-naturedly on the arm with a pair of menus. "You wait a second in there while I get the table ready." Rose knew there were plenty of tables available, but the bar was where the restaurant made its highest profits and nobody was going to eat without first relaxing. Rose raised an eyebrow toward McCloud. He'd known her for two months, but this was their first social situation outside her DropShip. Did she even like bars?
McCloud
looked into the small room and nodded quickly. Rose smiled back at their disappearing hostess and followed McCloud into the noisy room. The single waitress was already leaving the table McCloud had acquired by the time Rose maneuvered his way through the press of occupants.
"Loud bunch." Rose leaned closer as if to whisper, but in the noise he was almost shouting. Still, McCloud barely heard. She nodded in agreement. The pair waited for several minutes, but their drinks still did not arrive. Rose looked over to the bar for the waitress, but she was nowhere in sight.
"What are you lookin' at?" It was one of the Highlanders propped up at the end of the bar. Rose hadn't even noticed the man until he spoke. As he turned away, the man pushed away from the bar and headed toward
Rose's table. "Hey, aren't you the guy from the Assembly this afternoon?"
"Trouble at six o'clock." McCloud stiffened, but did not turn around. Rose watched as two more Highlanders followed their friend over to the table.
"Hey, I was talkin' to you." Rose looked up at the lead Highlander. Red-rimmed eyes stared back with malice. Rose could feel the atmosphere of the room change as people vacated a nearby table.
"I was just looking for the waitress, friend." Rose considered standing, but the challenge of the gesture would be too much to miss. The drunk leaned into the back of Rose's chair, throwing the balance forward. Rose was forced to lean onto the table or rest his head on the man's stomach.
"Friend, of a coward like you? Not on the longest day you ever lived." Rose stiffened at the words, but managed to remain in his seat. His smile was plastered in place for the three drunks, but a knot was growing in his stomach.