Stratford
Avon
Irece Prefecture, Pesht Military District
Draconis Combine
15 April, 3050

     The bar was dark, as it seemed most were anymore, but this one was lit mostly by candles. Or some approximation of candles.  Faith had to admit, the decor in here was fairly impressive. The surfaces reflected the light from the candles in a way that, while dim, still set an ambiance of wealth and status. This was no dive. The tables were fairly ornate, the carvings visible through their glass tops. The spacious bar itself had a solid dark wood top which gave an air of stability to the entire establishment.

     The female waitstaff deftly moved among the customers like a choreographed dance, ensuring that no patron wanted for food or drink any longer than was necessary. The three bartenders behind the bar moved efficiently, but with an air of style about them as they served drinks to the patrons who chose the bar over the myriad of tables throughout the room.

     Faith made her way to an empty seat at the bar, smiling subtly at the sidelong glances and hushed whispers that accompanied her entrance. From her quick survey of the room, the information in the briefing had been correct. The bar was filled almost entirely with DCMS officers, with a few civilians sprinkled in, probably important figures in the local community. And they were almost exclusively men.

     If she had thought the Confederation was a patriarchal society, it certainly had nothing on the Draconis Combine. In the brief time that they had already spent in Combine space, she had already nearly tussled with more than a few misogynistic DCMS officers, and it was beginning to get on her nerves. She had always avoided the Kobe district during her days on Solaris, and now she remembered why.

     The cultural briefing had described this bar as one of the best, but had also noted that it catered to the Combine elite. Mercenaries were certainly encouraged to stay away, and to frequent the lower class establishments in the poorer district of the capital city. Such information, of course, had been like blood to a shark with Faith, and as soon as the unit had gotten their gear stored and secured at their temporary barracks, she had set out to find this place.

     And that was how she found herself sitting at the bar, sporting her field jacket which bore the patches both of the 4th Tau Ceti Rangers and the House of Lords stable. This was the bar for the elite, and she considered herself such.

     After several minutes with no service, she finally piped up. "Barkeep! What's a girl gotta do to get a drink in this place?"

     The bartenders each shot her a nervous glance, and then their eyes darted towards a man standing further back at the bar, almost at the doors to the rear area. He was Japanese, likely in his late forties, impeccably groomed and clothed in a suit that absolutely screamed money. If he wasn't the owner, he was at least some kind of big shot. She locked eyes with him. He stood motionless for a time, before slowly making his way over to where Faith sat.

     "In this establishment, decorum is important. I ask that you not raise your voice." Without looking, she knew that the attention of the room, be it overt or subtle, had shifted to their conversation.

     "And I would ask for a drink, but your staff seems...inattentive."

     "Yes, well I am sure there are many establishments where a person such as yourself might get a drink far more quickly, miss...?" The disrespect in his tone was glaring.

     "McCarron. Lady McCarron. And I'm here at this establishment. I didn't see a sign on the door telling me to keep out. Maybe you should think about hiring a bouncer."

     By now, several of the DCMS officers in the room had stood up and made their way over to the bar, crowding around her. "Here in the Combine, there is no need for such things, people know their place and need not be reminded of it. Perhaps it is different where your kind of people come from, but here, we have respect.

     "Yeah, well you might want to work on that. There are some Clans kicking your front door in, and you need help from outside the little boys club to keep them out." She knew the clan reference would raise the hackles of all of the Combine soldiers around her, but she threw it in anyway.

     One of them, a Captain, or whatever the Kurita equivalent was, took the bait. "We are keeping the Clan out with our steadfast devotion to the coordinator. We do not need your sell-swords. There was a time when the Coordinators words were 'Death to Mercenaries'. And while I do not recall any of us placing an order for a woman to come here to sell her...services, we would be happy to entertain you. I see you come from the Capellan Confederation, no doubt your rates are cheap enough."

     That was all she needed. The Drac was not expecting her punch, and the blow caught him squarely in the face, sending him reeling. The crowd that had gathered around her stepped back quickly, as stools clattered to the floor. The Kuritan replied with a punch-drunken swing at her which she easily deflected, sending him sprawling on the floor.

     She started to turn to face the crowd, but she was interrupted by a sharp blow to the right side of her head. She didn't know where it came from, but it sent her vision spiraling into chaos. The next few minutes were a jumbled blur of double vision, blows given and received, and a sea of disorientation. She vaguely remembered being manhandled, and feeling the cool outside air on her face, before a sharp crack sent her into unconsciousness.

     The next thing she remembered was gasping, the shock and confusion of awakening in an unfamiliar environment. She sat bolt upright, as someone had thrown a bucket of extremely cold water on her face to snap her awake. It took her a few seconds of spitting and sputtering to gain her bearings, and she was aware that she was sitting on some kind of cheap cot. The room was still spinning somewhat, but she made out the form of a man in uniform holding a bucket, clearly the villain that had brought her back to consciousness. As she blinked away the cobwebs in her vision, she realized she was in a cell, and that three men stood just inside the door. She relaxed, recognizing Orkdung, Ace, and Vandril.

     "Morning boys. How was your night?"