Chapter 77

“And what is that?” Sandren asked, stepping away from Kira’s bed

toward the window.

“I don’t like where this is going,” Kira interjected from the bed. “Not

sure I want those social circles to blend.”

“If you want out of those restraints faster, then you might want to hold

that thought,” Leon replied with a wan smile. “Major, I’d like to take Kira’s

team back to the MTech lab on Valta to extract some equipment.”

“That’s not ours to take,” Sandren protested.

“It’s specialized and can’t be purchased from any old supplier,” Leon

continued. “It’d have to be custom commissioned, and that would take

weeks. Without it, we’re looking at three days for each test we run here, and

we’re not going to get what we need the first time. Those tests can be

performed in half an hour with the equipment I want to retrieve.”

Sandren considered the proposition. “Come to think of it, our official

investigation requires a deeper dive into MTech’s research practices. I