High Flyer (Verdant String)

by Michelle Diener

  Iver heard the air explode out of Geral as he landed on top of him. He pulled himself up into a crouch, leaned over Geral's prone form, and snatched up the SAL before he had a chance to move.

  “I knew you were ex-military,” Admiral Valerian said from the door. “But I didn't realize how proficient you were.”

  Iver rose to his feet, SAL pointed down at Geral, and looked over at Hana, who was standing watching him with bright, humor-filled eyes from beside the bed.

  “You have a good reason for tackling the military liaison?” Valerian eyed Hana with surprise, and stepped into the room.

  “Besides the fact that he broke into my room and was pointing a SAL at me, threatening to 'eliminate me' to cover his tracks and give him time to escape?” Hana's voice was almost sweet.

  Valerian really looked at her now. “Those are good reasons, but how did Iver know them?”

  “I put a few things together while I was waiting for you to finish your discussion with your aide.” Iver lifted his shoulders, but his gaze went to Hana, and he saw the surprise in her eyes.

  She was working something out.

  And he realized that everything he'd seen in his head had been from her perspective.

  It wasn't that she had contacted him.

  It had been her upgrade to his upgrade.

  They were able to share information.

  The potential of it made him want to look for a chair to sit down in.

  Behind Valerian, two grim-faced Special Forces soldiers hovered in the doorway.

  He used the SAL to gesture to Geral Hui. “Come collect a new prisoner. He can go with the others Captain Donaldson's people rounded up. He's part of the Bret group, not the Craven group.”

  “Craven group?” Geral finally had his breath back and he struggled up into a seated position. “What are you talking about?”

  Iver looked down at Geral's red face and was suddenly done.

  He stepped back, and the soldiers took it as their cue to grab their prisoner and march him off.

  His shouted questions were still audible, even through the door to the stairwell, although Iver realized only he and Hana could probably hear that.

  “You up for more of a debrief?” Valerian asked as Iver walked to the door and held it open.

  “No. I'm going to bed now, and I'll speak to you again when I'm not running on no sleep or food.”

  Valerian nodded. “Which room is yours, in case I need to get you in an emergency?”

  Iver waved his hand around the suite. “You're looking at it.”

  Valerian's eyebrows rose, and she gave Hana a final perusal.

  “And Admiral.” He waited until she was out the door, and it was half-closed.

  “Yes?”

  “Make sure there aren't any emergencies.”

  Chapter 34

  “This is some high-level surprise.” Hana followed Iver through the military complex she had called home during the war, and nodded to a few of the guards she recognized as they were ushered through two security points.

  Finally, they were led into a room that was almost a let down after the build up of the journey, and she took a careful look around.

  Her former base commander, General Yarne, stood at the head of a long, oval table. Seated at the table was a woman and two men in civilian clothing, and then a few of the general's aides standing against the wall.

  When the room's occupants noticed them, they all smiled in a very friendly way.

  Hana glanced at Iver for an explanation, but it came from General Yarne.

  “Lieutenant Farwell. Planetary Commander.” He gestured to the free seats in an invitation to sit. “The VSC wishes to thank you for finding what is turning out to be the discovery of a lifetime.”

  “More than a lifetime,” the man who was beaming at her said. “This is the discovery of the shared history of the Verdant String.”

  Hana lowered herself into a chair, but she couldn't help the spike of nerves at the formality of the setting.

  If they had found out about the upgrade . . .

  Iver's hand snuck across and grabbed hers, and squeezed it.

  It was comforting.

  They were in this together.

  The man looked over at the general, received a nod, and stood. “You might have heard about the ship discovered by Tally Riva several months ago. A ship the Caruso were trying to steal.

  “We think they wanted it because they realized the same thing we did on just a cursory look, that it was incredibly old. They no doubt wanted to take it apart, see what tech was used, looking for something new to them.

  “It was an amazing discovery, one which we were very sure was part of the fleet that brought our ancestors to the Verdant String.

  “Unfortunately there was no salvageable data from any of the systems, except for a single distress beacon.”

  The woman at the table shook her head. “What was left was a treasure trove, Jackson. It might not have held the data we would have liked, but it spoke of a sophistication we had no idea--”

  “Yes, Professor Farra.” Jackson cut the woman who had spoken up off. “But in terms of directly communicated information, there was nothing.”

  She seemed mollified by this, and gave a nod of agreement.

  “Does this mean the ship we found did have information you could retrieve?” Hana asked.

  “Professor Vande here.” The second man leaned forward eagerly. “I'm happy to answer that. We think the ship that Tally Riva found had foundered somehow in space, and the crew abandoned it, wiping every trace of themselves away as a security measure. The ship you found . . .” Vande paused for a moment. “They didn't have the luxury of wiping anything. They were simply trying to survive the crash they could see coming.”

  “You said you already knew the ship Tally Riva found was from the ancestral fleet. How could you be sure?” Iver stretched out his legs, his thigh bumping against hers.

  “Besides the fact that everything was built exactly for people of our physiology, we found a body. A mummified body of the one person who must have stayed onboard in case the others needed to return.” The woman who Jackson had called Professor Farra spoke quietly. “We will soon be able to go public with what we know. We've only kept it quiet because we wanted to make sure we had all the facts before announcing something this big. Now we have your discovery, too.”

  “It will be view-altering,” Jackson's words were hushed. “We cannot thank you enough for finding the ship. And that you flew one of the runners--” He sent a quick, narrow-eyed look at General Yarne, who threw up a hand.

  “Special Forces have apologized numerous times for the destruction of that runner. Fortunately, there are seven others you can study, still in perfect working order.”

  “How did you?” Vande studied Hana, his attention a little disconcerting. “How did you fly it?”

  Hana lifted her shoulders and worked on keeping her face earnest and honest. “We were under a lot of pressure. We had armed soldiers after us, and we knew we needed to get to Touka City to stop the shield engine from being stolen. I just did what looked right, and fortunately for me, the design was user friendly.”

  Vande nodded and sat back in his chair, but Hana wasn't sure he was convinced.

  “What's happening with the shield engine, now that I mention it,” she asked Yarne, as a distraction. She knew from Iver the military had taken over clearing the site.

  “There's another group of archaeologists and scientists waiting until conditions are safe for them to access the ruin. Most of them were working on the ruins at Cepi before it was destroyed, so they're beside themselves at the opportunity they see in the Spikes,” Yarne said.

  “There was something you wanted to show us today?” Iver asked, and Yarne nodded.

  “Professor Jackson agreed that as the people who discovered the wreck, you should be the first to see it.”

  Jackson cleared his throat. “It is . . . astonishing. Absolutely astonishing.”

/>   Hana leaned forward, felt a nervous tick start up beneath her eye.

  “They had supersoldiers.” Professor Farra couldn't hold it in any longer. “They had mastered nanotech, more than we have, and they used that tech on the men and women who volunteered to carry the tech in their bodies as a safeguard against any adverse conditions they might encounter.”

  “But if they were part of the fleet, why don't we see evidence of this nanotech in ourselves?” Iver asked. He squeezed Hana's hand a little harder.

  “We don't know. It appears not everyone was comfortable with the concept. And don't forget, the first planets in the Verdant String were clearly suitable environments. Perhaps it was only the part of the fleet pushing into the unknown that thought they would need the nanotech. It doesn't come without cost, it seems. There were side effects.”

  “Side effects?” Hana asked, and her throat closed over the words. Her upgrade soothed her, a light touch of comfort.

  “A sense of otherness, from the description. Of sharing space in one's body--” Jackson cut himself off. “Here's the comm we found. The language spoken . . . well, it is mind-bending in its similarity to Arkhoran. We had a linguist work on it and she's created the sub-titles you'll see.”

  He stood and activated a screen that she'd noticed in the corner of the room. It flickered on, and she saw a woman dressed in a jacket and trousers, the cut and fabric foreign, but the design not so unfamiliar.

  “This is an update from Dr. Lucille Barton. All ten of our nano-volunteers have completed their latest check-up, and I'm happy that they are healthy, physically at least. All of them have said they think the tech has an artificial intelligence that has developed into a second consciousness inside them--a second opinion with the ability to control their bodies when it feels they are in danger. Every single one has said they are not afraid the nanotech means them any harm, that its primary objective--to make sure they survive at all costs--remains firmly in place.” She moved in a way that spoke of concern. “I have to admit that I don't know if I can trust what they are saying. If the nanotech has advanced to that level on its own, it may also have the ability to affect their view of it. There could be a symbiosis at play, where the nanotech intends to make sure its host protects it, as much as it is prepared to protect its host.” She sighed, and looked down at her notes. “I've passed the information on to the other ships in the fleet. Most of them haven't started the program out of an abundance of caution, and now I wonder if we shouldn't have done the same.”

  The comm cut off, and there was silence in the room.

  Hana looked over at Iver, but his face was calm, and she realized she felt calm as well.

  It will be all right.

  The message came from Iver. Not in images, as she was getting used to, but the actual sentence, as if he had spoken in her head.

  I know it will.

  She answered him back, and she knew he had heard it, because he suddenly looked sharply at her.

  “Amazing, yes?” Jackson switched the flickering screen off.

  “Amazing.” Iver's voice was deep. “Did you find any evidence of the nanotech on the bodies?”

  Professor Farra waved her hands. “We are still looking, but for now, the remains are indistinguishable from each other, so until we are able to scan and assess each body, we won't know if there is a difference that we can pinpoint.”

  “Well, if that's all, I'm afraid I have a few things I need to discuss with the planetary commander and Lieutenant Farwell about the situation that led to them finding the ship in the first place.” General Yarne pushed off from the wall where he'd been standing through the presentation, and the scientists scraped back their chairs and gathered up their screens.

  They filed out, thanking Iver and Hana again as they left, and finally it was just the general and two of his aides, who Hana noticed hadn't so much as moved from their places since she and Iver had walked in.

  “The Cores?” Iver asked the general, and Yarne gave a nod.

  “The Cores. The person you knew as Jake wasn't onboard the Dynastra, although the bodies of Sub-lieutenant Linnel and a few other men who used to work for Lancaster were. We don't know where Jake went, but if he saw Captain Donaldson's team arrive, he may have decided to cut his losses and run, and was never rounded up with the others.”

  “Do you think he's a danger to us?” Hana asked.

  Yarne shook his head. “He'll be long gone. There was an unidentified ship hovering in nearspace. We know the Caruso had some kind of new shielding tech that they were sharing with the Cores, and this ship was obviously using it, because Admiral Valerian's people didn't pick it up until just before it pinched to the black. So it's gone, and likely, he's gone with it.”

  “At least they went empty-handed.” Iver rose to his feet.

  “Thanks to you and the lieutenant,” Yarne agreed. “Glad they didn't get you the couple of times they tried, Sugotti.”

  Iver nodded. “That's on Hana. There's no pilot like her.”

  “We tried to keep her in our ranks, but it looks like she did the right thing going to work for you.” Yarne nodded at her and Hana saluted him in response. “I have to admit, I'm as astonished as Professor Vande that you were able to fly that runner. I've seen the control panel, and it doesn't make sense to me.”

  “When you have to do something, you usually find a way to do it.” Hana lifted her hands, and the general gave a grunt of acknowledgment as he waved them away.

  As they stepped outside and walked across to the small runner they were using until Iver replaced the Sig, she decided to try her new-found skill again.

  I want a week alone somewhere. Just you and me.

  He didn't turn to look at her, but his hand came out and took hers.

  You've got a deal, lover.

  She slid her arm around his waist and tilted her head up. “Should we be worried?” She didn't need to say what about.

  He shook his head. “I wouldn't change a thing.”

  She felt her upgrade agree, strongly, as he bent and kissed the top of her head. “Neither would I.” She turned, putting her other arm around him and lifting up on her toes to kiss his mouth. “Neither would I.”

  Also by Michelle Diener

  Science Fiction Novels

  Sky Raiders series:

  Intended (Short Story Prequel)

  Sky Raiders

  Calling the Change

  Shadow Warrior

  Class 5 series:

  Dark Horse

  Dark Deeds

  Dark Minds

  Dark Matters

  Verdant String series:

  Interference & Insurgency Box Set

  Breakaway

  Breakeven

  Trailblazer

  High Flyer

  Historical Fiction Novels

  Susanna Horenbout and John Parker series:

  In a Treacherous Court

  Keeper of the King’s Secrets

  In Defense of the Queen

  Regency London series:

  The Emperor’s Conspiracy

  Banquet of Lies

  A Dangerous Madness

  Other historical novels:

  Daughter of the Sky

  Fantasy Novels by Michelle Diener

  Mistress of the Wind

  The Dark Forest series:

  The Golden Apple

  The Silver Pear

  Short Paranormal Fiction

  Breaking Out: Part I (Short story)

  Breaking Out: Part II (Novella)

  To receive notification when Michelle Diener’s next book is released, you can sign up to her new release notification list.

  Excerpt: Sky Raiders

  Book One in the Sky Raiders Series

  Chapter 1

  He'd asked her to wait for him, and then he'd disappeared for two years.

  As he reached the top of the pass and started down the steep path to the valley below, Garek wondered just how angry Taya would be.

  That she w
ould be angry enough to have taken someone else sat like week-old loaf in his stomach, heavy and sickening.

  He'd had no choice, had come as soon as he could . . . he tried to shake off the chill that touched him, despite the bright day. He'd take her anger, her fury--he'd take it all if it meant he didn't find her with someone else.

  He forced himself to pay attention as the path became steeper still, and frowned at how badly maintained the way had become, as if no one had repaired the damage a winter in the mountains could do to a narrow track. The spring thaw had come and gone, replaced by a golden summer, and the snow had retreated to the tops of the mountains.

  Kas should have done something about the erosion by now, even though this path was a shortcut few besides the villagers knew of, cutting across the Crag and shaving hours off the journey through the foothills.

  The familiar landscape tugged at something inside him. He hadn't thought himself sentimental, and though he'd missed Taya with an ache that hurt worse than a knife to flesh, he hadn't thought the sight of the rolling hills and high peaks would affect him. The crowds and enclosing stone walls of Garamundo had been something to bear stoically, but he was surprised how easy it was to breathe here, and it wasn't just because the air was sweet with the scent of summer grass.

  When he'd left two years ago, the only thing he'd regretted was leaving Taya behind him, and he'd come back only to fetch her.

  Fetch her and run, as fast as possible.

  As far away from West Lathor as they could get.

  The shadow cast by Garamundo had a long reach, certainly long enough to reach out and try to grab him again if he stayed here, and he'd sworn when they'd finally released him that he would never go back.

  He wouldn't give them a chance to conscript him again.