The Key by Pauline Baird Jones Page B

you?”
    She nodded.
    “Is there anywhere on this ship you can be alone?”
    She didn’t point out the obvious, that they were already alone.
    “Actually…there is, though it’s not for the faint of heart.”
    * * * *
    “I see what you mean.” Fyn looked at the narrow catwalk at the very top of the Doolittle. He looked over the edge. “How did you find this place?”
    That was hard to explain. She shrugged. “I like to explore, improve my situational awareness. Look at this.”
    She reached up and pressed a button and a small door slid back, exposing a small porthole with a view to the outside.
    “I have no clue why they are here, but there are about ten of them along this stretch of catwalk.”
    She slipped off her jacket, and felt something in the pocket as she bundled it up. She pulled it out.
    “I almost forgot I got this for you. I think it was the last one, too.” She held out the Mounds for him to take.
    “What is it?”
    “Coconut and chocolate, dark chocolate, which is, in my opinion, the best chocolate.” She showed him how to open it.
    He looked a little dubiously at the two bars, but popped one of them in his mouth and chewed slowly.
    “Well?”
    “It’s…good.”
    He sounded almost exactly like she had after that awful crap on Kikk.
    Sara tipped her head to the side, her eyes narrowing and he grinned.
    “I like it.”
    He held out the other bar for her, but she shook her head. She liked watching him enjoy the treat. She had a feeling his life, even before his planet was absorbed, had been devoid of…the rich experiences she took for granted.
    When he finished, she put her jacket down on the catwalk, then sat down and lay down, so she could look out. Fyn stretched out the other direction, so that their heads were side by side on her jacket. It was nice and…safe—as long as they didn’t roll in either direction. She looked out into space, wondering what the stars were called and if there were people on them.
    When she’d been young, she’d spent a lot of time star gazing, imagining herself far away from her current foster home. Back then only her imagination had wings. Now here she was in another galaxy gazing at different stars with an alien. Amazing.
    “Are there a lot of women in your Air Force?”
    Fyn sounded relaxed, almost sleepy. It was a tiny glimpse into a Fyn before whatever had forced him to be a tough guy.
    “There are women in all the armed forces. Not sure there are a lot. Do you have women in your military?”
    Fyn shook his head. “I’ve never seen a female pilot until you. Our women do…did many things but not…battle. They are…vulnerable in a way men are not.”
    “That’s true.” She’d certainly considered that, when she thought she might be sent into battle. But war wasn’t the only place a woman was vulnerable. Ten years in foster care taught her that. At least now she could give as good as she got. “I knew it when I joined, but it’s worth it.”
    “You joined?”
    “Our military is completely volunteer.”
    He looked thoughtful. “That’s what makes you different. You…choose to fight.”
    “I know it makes us good.” It wasn’t bragging. It was the truth.
    “But this was your first dogfight? Then your world is at peace?”
    “I wish it was, but no, there are always tyrants to battle. I would probably have been deployed to our current conflict, but I was tasked to be part of the Enterprise Project . It’s like top, top, top, top secret. Started out as a test pilot at Area 51, thanks to Briggs, and some aptitude test I had to take. I flew one of the prototypes of the Dauntless , then was tasked for the mission as part of the wing.”
    “Secret?”
    “Yeah, not a lot of our people even know we’re out here. Most of our world thinks manned, deep space flight isn’t possible yet. Pretty crazy, isn’t it? We had to be, well, without strong family ties to be able to come. I guess if we disappear, they don’t want anyone asking too many