High Flyer - Michelle Diener Page 0,32

than a person in her own right.

She, on the other hand, liked it a lot. The more anonymous she was, the better.

It was one of the reasons she'd tried to steer clear of Iver from the start. But that spaceship had pinched to the black, as the saying went. It was too late now. Iver was stuck with her.

She was struck with an urge to smile at the thought.

“Her name is Hana Farwell,” Iver said, voice cold.

Moiri sent him a quick, curious glance. “I've heard of you, of course. The most decorated pilot of the war. I thought you were older.”

Hana lifted her shoulders in answer.

“We've got problems, Moiri.” Iver's words had the administrator turning back to face him.

“I'm aware.” The dry humor in her voice made Hana warm to her.

Iver's lips twitched. “Lancaster arranged for Hana and I to be shot down. Then he was double-crossed by someone else, who shot him down.”

“Lancaster?” Moiri drew in a sharp breath. “I thought he was trying to find you when he--”

Iver shook his head. “And he isn't the only traitor. There's someone on the council who's involved, too.”

“Who?”

Hana thought Banyon would probably wince at the fury in Moiri's voice.

“His name is Banyon,” Iver said. “I haven't seen him, but Hana has.”

Moiri shook her head. “No one of that name is on the council.”

“It may not be the name he uses except with his fellow conspirators,” Hana said. “And he might be in the Protection Unit, not the council.”

Moiri grimaced and tapped her foot as if thinking, then strode to her desk. “First thing I need to do is let Admiral Valerian know you're safe. She's sent three special forces runners down to look for you.”

She'd just reached the comm unit when Hana heard the quick click of footsteps coming toward the office.

She stepped to the side in two quick steps, getting into place beside the door.

She caught Iver's gaze, signaled with her hand for him to shift out of the line of sight of anyone opening the door.

He moved, and Moiri looked up at him, frown creasing her brow, as she waited for the comms to connect with the head of fleet.

The door burst open, too hard and fast to be normal.

Moiri lifted her head, and Hana saw her eyebrows lift as a young man strode into the room.

“Moiri, there's an urgent message--” He stumbled to a stop. “Oh, you're on the comms.” He had left the door open, and Hana took a step toward it to close it.

Before she reached it, a flash of laz fire flickered through the room.

It struck the young administrator, danced up to the ceiling and then a thin tendril shot down to touch Iver.

Hana just managed to suppress a cry. She would have to get across the door to reach Iver, and that would expose her to Linnel, who was the only one who seemed insane enough to use a laz on Faldine.

She was about to run across in a burst of speed when Moiri raised her arm from in her desk and shot at the open door with the SAL in her hand.

Linnel made a sound of frustrated anger and Hana used the distraction to leap across the opening, rolling to her feet near Iver, and crouching beside him.

"Just my arm." He was holding his left arm close to his side, struggling to stand, and Hana helped him up.

"We need to go."

Linnel was lying in the doorway in a crumpled heap, but he might not be the only danger out there.

Moiri was bending over her staffer, and she glanced over at them. "He's out. He needs help."

"Your boy there set it up for our attacker. There's no way it was a coincidence that he came in just before an attack, and I notice he kept the door open. There was also a little too much melodrama in his entrance. We don't know how deep this goes. Who in your office is compromised."

Moiri winced, and Hana guessed she was also suspicious of her employee.

"What will you do?" Moiri straightened up.

"Tell Carina that we'll be in touch with her people as soon as we're somewhere safe. When are they expected to get here?"

"I don't know. Not before tomorrow, given where the space fleet was when you disappeared. How will you be in touch?"

"I'll find a way." Iver gritted his teeth as he moved to the doorway and looked down at Linnel, lying unconscious across the doorway.

"Fine. Do you know who that is?" Moiri gestured to Linnel.

"A