The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy Read Free Page A

have given herself administrator access to the human systems, too. But he didn’t need to know that.
    “I’ll leave you, then. I’ll introduce you to Emment the shift manager tomorrow morning. He can take you around so you can give me a solid estimate of cost and time if that suits?”
    “Sure.”
    She closed the door behind him. Ignorant schlon. She wondered if all humans who came from human planets were as intolerant as him. At least at home humans and ptorix got along. Most of the time, anyway. Although even on Carnessa the relationship she and her father shared with Professor Xanthor and his family was vanishingly rare. Her father. It had been five years, now. She missed him so very, very much.
    ****
    Sean knew van Tongeren had arrived without even looking. The pretty barmaid took out a cloth and started wiping the benchtop instead of leaning over to talk to him.
    “A word, if you please,” van Tongeren said. He led the way to a bench outside the tavern where the music receded to a background thumping. “It seems to me you and your wife don’t get on, O’Reilly. Is that going to be a problem?”
    Fuck. He’d hoped they could paper over the cracks; for now, anyway. No chance of winning her back this time. If she hadn’t come back early and caught him with Nessa, it would have been okay. “Don’t worry about Ally. She gets like that sometimes. She’ll get over it.”
    “And if she doesn’t?”
    Sean shrugged. “She will.” He hoped.
    “If she’s as good as everyone seems to say, I’ll want her to move on to the other work as soon as possible.”
    “I told you, it won’t be a problem.”
    Van Tongeren leant back in the chair and smiled. “Would I be right in assuming you don’t want me to discuss the other matter with her?”
    “Not if you want it done. Just leave it to me.”
    The other man’s smile widened; a calculating, evaluating smile that had nothing to do with humor. “Just bear in mind, you get paid for thewhole job. Or not at all.”
    Sean’s heart jolted. He didn’t like the way the fellow said that. But it would be all right. All he had to do was make sure Ally went on to van Tongeren’s other task. One way or another.

Chapter Three
    Allysha hung the last of her shirts in the decidedly un-ptorix, pale-grey polyplast wardrobe in the
    bedroom. It was so incongruous, so out of place in this quintessentially ptorix room. Now what? Back to the bar? She better tell Sean about the living arrangements, at least. Besides, a walk would do her good.
    She strode along the road, grateful to pierce the bubble into cooler, drier air. The sweat dried on her face, a welcome relief from the enervating atmosphere. The tavern’s music provided her with an
    audio-beacon. She followed her ears to the ‘Miner’s Refuge’.
    She paused at the doorway for a few moments. A few men sat at tables scattered around a stone floor
    and a pretty girl leaned on the well-stocked bar in the corner, flashing her generous cleavage to the male patrons perched on bar stools. To one side, two potball tables had attracted a group playing or watching play. No sign of Sean. Oh, well; she might as well have a drink, maybe meet some of the locals.
    She headed for the bar, trying to ignore the stares, despite the flutters in her stomach. There were hardly any females here, of course they’d look. The barmaid, busy talking to a man on a stool, straightened up when Allysha arrived. “What can I get you?”
    “A citrose, please.”
    “Sure.” She placed a brimming glass on the bartop. “My name’s Trina. There aren’t many women here,
    nice to meet you.”
    “Allysha. Nice to meet you, too. Have you been here long?”
    Trina shook her head and leant her elbows on the bar, large breasts only just contained in a low-cut top.
    “A few weeks. It’s been good.”
    “Where are you from?”
    “Chollarc—do you know it?” When Allysha shook her head she continued, “It’s the closest inhabited
    world. They advertised