High Flyer - Michelle Diener Page 0,54

how this shielding works has a significant advantage, obviously for military purposes, but for illegal operations, as well. And if the rebels do want to start up the war again, imagine if they could hide their bases from view?”

“And smugglers could hide their ships.”

Iver turned to her. “And the Caruso could hide theirs. Or any mining operations they have in mind. That's what they were doing on Veltos, right under the nose of the VSC, and that was without any shielding.”

She nodded slowly. “If the Caruso are involved, this is why. They want this for themselves.”

“My guess is Lancaster had already given whoever he was dealing with enough to find the camp without his help, so they decided he was better dead than alive and being questioned by the VSC. If I'm right about that, the Caruso, or whoever his co-conspirators are, will be sending someone, or coming themselves, and soon, to take what Lancaster promised them.”

“Except . . .” Hana frowned. “Bret told me I needed to accept I wasn't going anywhere, because they weren't letting me go until they were finished at the camp. And when I asked when that would be, he didn't know. He said 'a while'.”

“You know what I keep thinking about with this shielding thing?” Iver was looking at one of Faldine's small moons when Hana turned to look at him. “I think about Cepi.”

“The Kalastoni moon they blew up less than a year ago?” Hana remembered that. Remembered there had been a lot of fuss about the mysterious gravity and atmosphere generator that had encased the tiny moon. Her eyes opened wide at the implication. “You think this shield is similar to the ancient tech on Cepi?”

Iver shrugged. “There's a ruin here. There was a ruin on Cepi. A ruin that wasn't built by anyone from the Verdant String, or our space-traveling ancestors. The ruins are way older than that. And while the shields aren't exactly the same--this one's an invisibility shield, the other was an environmental generator--there are similarities.”

She nodded. Rested her chin on her hands. “At the very least, knowing there was a physical engine to steal on Cepi might have inspired Bret to find out if there was a similar shield engine here.”

“And there were definitely smugglers involved in what happened on Cepi. Bret seems to have fought on the rebel side in the war, so it's possible he even knew some of the people who tried to steal the engine from Cepi.”

“You think one of them might have given him information to help him in what he's trying to do here?” she asked.

Iver shook his head. “Everyone involved in that attempted theft died on Cepi before the Kalastoni blew it up. They were killed by the people who'd employed them.”

“So maybe he just saw the parallels, like you.” She closed her eyes, let the heat of Iver's body beside her warm her through.

After a while, Iver sat up, and she joined him, leaning back against him in a way that reminded her of their positions hiding from Linnel after the missile had brought down her Sig.

It was peaceful, sitting in the gloom of the overhang, watching the sunlight slowly gild the mountains and valley in gold.

Iver leaned to the side and grabbed one of the packs, handed her some water and an instant meal.

She didn't realize how hungry she was until she had the spoon in her hand. It shook as she scooped the mixed fruit into her mouth.

She glanced at Iver, saw he was eating just as fast. She gave a wry smile. “I take back what I said about these the other night. They're not that bad.”

He grinned. “Yes, they are.”

“Okay. They are.” She drank her water and leaned back again, eyes half-closed. It was the most calm and safe she'd felt in days.

Iver picked up the pack again and brought out two sweet nut bars, and she took one with a quiet whoop of joy. She kissed his cheek before she opened hers and bit in.

When he didn't do the same, she turned her head to look at him, saw he was watching her with the kind of attention that had her cheeks flushing.

Then he leaned closer and covered her lips with his.

She groaned at the feel of his mouth against hers and twisted in his arms. He lifted her up onto his lap in a move that was so easy she didn't realize it had happened until she was straddling him.

She rocked against him where