Read Online The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy by Greta van Der Rol - Free Book Online
Authors: Greta van Der Rol
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They have cartons in there labeled as
innocuous things like pipes or machine parts. But they are actually weapons. If they’re supporting
terrorism, I don’t want to be a part of that.”
“Weapons, eh? You’re sure?”
“A hand gun’s a weapon, isn’t it? And even I know what a rocket launcher looks like. There’s some
sort of squishy explosive stuff, too.”
“Is there indeed? Can you show me?”
“Sure.” She opened the door. He made to follow but she held him back. “Wait here. If you go in there, you’ll activate the alarms.”
She pulled out a block of the explosive and came back with it.
“Shardite,” he said, holding the packet in his hand. “It’s pretty well undetectable, the sort of thing terrorists use to blow up restaurants.” He handed it back to her. “Thank you.”
She returned the explosive to its carton and closed the door behind her.
“Have you done something so you’re not tracked?” he asked. “The system says you’re in your room.”
She squirmed. “I have.”
He stared down at her for a long moment. “I’d love to know how you did that.”
“Just a bit of software engineering. That’s what I do.”
“Tell me, what exactly have they asked you to do?”
“Hide subsets of the system so an InfoDroid won’t find the data.”
He nodded, frowning thoughtfully. “I can’t stay here too long. Can I meet you later? To talk? I’m off duty in an hour.”
“Okay. Come to my room. It’s private there.” As soon as she’d said it, she regretted the words. Maybe he’d see it as a come-on? “Or… or somewhere else.”
“An hour, your room.”
He walked away, tall and confident. Her heart thudded dully in her chest. She hoped she hadn’t done
something stupid.
Chapter Eleven
Saahren checked his chrono again. Another ten minutes and he could go and meet her. He couldn’t get
her out of his head. He felt like a love-struck kid. But it wasn’t just her slim body, her creamy skin and those incredible eyes. What a find; what a remarkable find. She’d altered the security system in the mine, she could speak Ptorix, she could work on ptorix systems and she could fool a military-grade InfoDroid.
He wanted her for himself, and her abilities for his fleets. Assuming he was reinstated, of course.
How she felt about all of that might be a different issue. She certainly didn’t like Admiral Saahren.
Perhaps Brad Stone could change her perception.
Duval, his replacement, came into the control room still yawning. “Everything quiet?”
“Of course. Nothing much happens here. Have a good time.”
Saahren vacated the chair and strode down the main drive to the side tunnel. His heart pounding, he
almost ran up the stairs and knocked. The door slid aside and she stepped away to let him in. He gazed around the room, all curved walls and arches covered in whitewash. A sofa and two single chairs stood around a low table and a holovid cube occupied a corner.
“Ptorix,” he said.
“Yes. If you look carefully, you can see hints of the design under the paint.” She huffed a sigh. “Vandals.
But at least you can get whitewash off. They scraped the walls of the main tunnel. Priceless artifacts, destroyed.” She shook her head.
“Typical GPR. They don’t like us, but they like the ptorix even less. As you say, vandalism.”
“Where are my manners?” She waved a hand at a chair. “Sit down. Can I make you some tea?”
He sank down onto a chair and shook his head. “No, thank you.” He rummaged for words, staring at
her. The top button of her shirt had come undone and he caught a tantalizing glimpse of breast.
She tilted her head to one side. “What did you want to know?”
When you’ll marry me. He hadn’t even realized he’d thought the words.Pull yourself together. “What do you know about this place?”
“Not much. I’ve only been here a few weeks. You know about the warehouse.”
“I do now.”
She gave a little shrug. “I
innocuous things like pipes or machine parts. But they are actually weapons. If they’re supporting
terrorism, I don’t want to be a part of that.”
“Weapons, eh? You’re sure?”
“A hand gun’s a weapon, isn’t it? And even I know what a rocket launcher looks like. There’s some
sort of squishy explosive stuff, too.”
“Is there indeed? Can you show me?”
“Sure.” She opened the door. He made to follow but she held him back. “Wait here. If you go in there, you’ll activate the alarms.”
She pulled out a block of the explosive and came back with it.
“Shardite,” he said, holding the packet in his hand. “It’s pretty well undetectable, the sort of thing terrorists use to blow up restaurants.” He handed it back to her. “Thank you.”
She returned the explosive to its carton and closed the door behind her.
“Have you done something so you’re not tracked?” he asked. “The system says you’re in your room.”
She squirmed. “I have.”
He stared down at her for a long moment. “I’d love to know how you did that.”
“Just a bit of software engineering. That’s what I do.”
“Tell me, what exactly have they asked you to do?”
“Hide subsets of the system so an InfoDroid won’t find the data.”
He nodded, frowning thoughtfully. “I can’t stay here too long. Can I meet you later? To talk? I’m off duty in an hour.”
“Okay. Come to my room. It’s private there.” As soon as she’d said it, she regretted the words. Maybe he’d see it as a come-on? “Or… or somewhere else.”
“An hour, your room.”
He walked away, tall and confident. Her heart thudded dully in her chest. She hoped she hadn’t done
something stupid.
Chapter Eleven
Saahren checked his chrono again. Another ten minutes and he could go and meet her. He couldn’t get
her out of his head. He felt like a love-struck kid. But it wasn’t just her slim body, her creamy skin and those incredible eyes. What a find; what a remarkable find. She’d altered the security system in the mine, she could speak Ptorix, she could work on ptorix systems and she could fool a military-grade InfoDroid.
He wanted her for himself, and her abilities for his fleets. Assuming he was reinstated, of course.
How she felt about all of that might be a different issue. She certainly didn’t like Admiral Saahren.
Perhaps Brad Stone could change her perception.
Duval, his replacement, came into the control room still yawning. “Everything quiet?”
“Of course. Nothing much happens here. Have a good time.”
Saahren vacated the chair and strode down the main drive to the side tunnel. His heart pounding, he
almost ran up the stairs and knocked. The door slid aside and she stepped away to let him in. He gazed around the room, all curved walls and arches covered in whitewash. A sofa and two single chairs stood around a low table and a holovid cube occupied a corner.
“Ptorix,” he said.
“Yes. If you look carefully, you can see hints of the design under the paint.” She huffed a sigh. “Vandals.
But at least you can get whitewash off. They scraped the walls of the main tunnel. Priceless artifacts, destroyed.” She shook her head.
“Typical GPR. They don’t like us, but they like the ptorix even less. As you say, vandalism.”
“Where are my manners?” She waved a hand at a chair. “Sit down. Can I make you some tea?”
He sank down onto a chair and shook his head. “No, thank you.” He rummaged for words, staring at
her. The top button of her shirt had come undone and he caught a tantalizing glimpse of breast.
She tilted her head to one side. “What did you want to know?”
When you’ll marry me. He hadn’t even realized he’d thought the words.Pull yourself together. “What do you know about this place?”
“Not much. I’ve only been here a few weeks. You know about the warehouse.”
“I do now.”
She gave a little shrug. “I
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