The Key by Pauline Baird Jones

Author:Pauline Baird Jones [Pauline Baird Jones]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781603180108
Google: 01VxHwAACAAJ
Amazon: B004IAS06O
Goodreads: 2679498
Publisher: L&L Dreamspell
Published: 2010-06-15T14:00:00+00:00

Twelve

The fighter screen didn’t return to mom until she was back in position above Kikk. The Gadi would be sending a small delegation—in a small ship—to confer with them, in a few days. When they withdrew from Gadi space, Sara’s last act was to restore all the Gadi weapons systems.

She and Hawkins got to be first in the hawk circle, so she was already out of her bird and out of her zoombag when she saw Fyn clamber out of one of the ships.

Her heart leapt, then steadied. Just because he was back on the ship didn’t mean he was back in her life. He still had a wife down on Kikk. And Colonel Halliwell was waiting to debrief them. She only had time to meet his gaze, before she had to follow the Old Man out of the bay.

Outside his wardroom, Sara stopped, flushing a bit. “Can I hit the head first, sir?” She was way over due for a pee.

He looked amused, but nodded permission, signaling for Hawkins to go in with him. When Sara joined them, Hawkins was almost at the end of his report. Sara waited quietly and when he finished, Halliwell said, “Glad you made it back. Colonel Emerson wants you back on board the Patton a-sap.”

He saluted, giving Sara a look of regret before going out. Sara was glad to be alone with the Colonel. No way she could give her report in front of anyone.

“Have a seat, Donovan.” He looked at her for a long moment. “Bad luck the Gadi happened to be in the way of your hop.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did they ever say what they were doing there?”

“No, sir.”

“I’m guessing he…made the same connections that the Dusan did?”

“That would be when it went south.”

“Who knew you’d have the face that would launch a thousand ships.”

Sara grinned a bit wryly. “I’m not getting delusions of prettiness, sir.”

His eyes widened a bit, he hesitated. “When I was picking crew for this expedition, I almost pulled you from the list.”

Sara didn’t know what to say. She had the most hours in a Dauntless. “Why, sir?”

“I knew we’d be gone a long time. No one likes to talk about it, but on a trip like this, in such close quarters, stuff happens. You’re not pretty, Donovan, you’ve got something…more.”

Sara jerked in surprise and arched her brows in disbelief.

“I watched you interact with your squadron and decided it would be all right. You’d found a way to fade into the background. But I remember thinking, if anyone ever noticed you, things could get interesting. I’m not thrilled to be right.”

“I don’t…know what to say. I—”

“You really didn’t know, did you? I thought you knew and just kept it down, but you didn’t know.”

She still didn’t know. She kind of shrugged.

He looked almost impatient. “Think about it. Miri started a war in this galaxy and you look like her.”

Now Sara knew what to say. “Who a person is, it isn’t just about how they look. It’s what inside them, sir.

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