Sword of the Alliance (Alysha Forrest 3) by Hogarth M.C.A

Author:Hogarth, M.C.A.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: science fiction
Publisher: Studio MCAH
Published: 2018-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

Laelkii gathered her apron in her hands as she headed down the halls, rubbing at the ultramarine stain on them as if she was on her way to do something about it. At least, that was the story she had planned if anyone stopped her, though it really was bothering her. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d used ‘wooly blue,’ a topical anesthetic that had earned its name by setting in just about any fabric it touched: thus, ‘dyed in the wool.’ The stuff was annoying, and outside of cheap emergency kits, hard to find where Laelkii’d been trained.

That, though, was Gledig. Or at least, the makeshift infirmary the pro-Accords had set up. Laelkii hadn’t seen anything so ramshackle outside a bad 3deo drama.

She didn’t need her cover story, though. Passersby in the halls of the underground ignored her, probably because of the medical apron, and the trust it engendered. Even when she ducked into less used hallways, no one stopped her, which suited her fine. The utility Alastar had sent her for her data tablet had identified the pro-Accord’s local computers and confirmed that they were cordoned off their world’s network. ‘Star posited that those databases would have the sensitive information they were seeking, and none of it could be tapped from outside the local network—so local, in fact, that she’d have to be in the same room. Laelkii supposed that was one way of securing your vital data, but it seemed nonsensical to her… what if a bomb took this place out? And to hide it in a storage room?

Alastar had called that ‘security through obscurity,’ but it felt like trusting to blind chance to Laelkii. Granted, she was a healer, not a computer specialist, but… backups mattered. Didn’t they? Unless you were hoping the data would just vanish one day….

Having located the core, though, she had a second mission. Still wearing her preoccupied look, the Asanii drifted through the halls, punctuating her passage with mutters about substandard supplies and crude operating procedures.

No one gave her a second look, and even with the medical apron, Laelkii wondered. Were there enough pro-Accord personnel that strangers were of no moment? Or was there so much turnover that they were used to people being replaced? Maybe they were only pretending not to notice her?

Spycraft, definitely not something she was cut out for. And yet, you did the jobs that needed doing. That much was as true in Fleet as it had been when she’d been a civilian assisting her healer husband at his clinic.

Glancing up from beneath heavy white lashes, Laelkii found her target hall empty when she drew abreast of the storage room. Nor did touching the archaic knob and opening the door sound any obvious alarms, or bring anyone running. Security through obscurity indeed! Laelkii slid inside the room and closed the door quickly behind her, palm flattened to its surface to still its faint vibration.

Laelkii let out a sigh. That was one thing done, at least.

Withdrawn from her apron pocket, the data tablet caught blue reflections from the faint overhead lights.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.