Lina stared more deeply into her friend’s eyes. ‘This has you thinking, too, doesn’t it?’ she asked. One of the reasons Lina was so close to Ella was their shared history: Ella also had an ex-husband somewhere in Platini system; she too had been left with her son on Macao. Lina wasn’t surprised that Ella understood.
‘Yeah, I guess so,’ admitted Ella. She jumped down off the desk and rummaged in the drawers, taking something from the bottom one and turning round to show Lina. It was a large bottle of whisky, about two thirds full. Ella grinned broadly.
‘Hey, I don’t think we should drink that,’ said Lina, feeling a smile trying to surface on her own face.
‘Call it a customs seizure,’ said Ella, spinning the cap off. Lina laughed as Ella took a swig, her face contorting. She coughed and handed the bottle over. ‘Charlie won’t mind,’ she said, her voice comically hoarse from the drink.
Lina swigged, feeling the liquid run like fire down her throat and explode in slow motion inside her belly. ‘Man!’ she coughed, turning the bottle to read the label. ‘Green Goddess? I don’t think that’s what this actually is.’
‘Nah,’ confirmed Ella, taking it back. ‘It’s not. This is the local moonshine. The ground crew have been brewing it behind the hydraulic pumps for years now.’
‘Really?’ Lina wondered how many other little secrets her friend was privy to.
‘Hits the spot, eh?’
‘I suppose so,’ agreed Lina, chuckling to herself. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, the bottle changing hands several more times.
‘I’ll have somebody check the Kays, if you’re really concerned, Lina, okay?’ said Ella after a while. ‘But you mustn’t go sneaking around by yourself. If somebody had been tampering with the ships — which I repeat is unlikely — then the finger would inevitably come to point at you if you were to be found creeping around down here. Make sense?’
Strangely, after a few doses of Charlie’s moonshine, everything was starting to make more sense. Lina nodded. ‘Yeah, it does. Has the hangar been locked down all this time, then? I mean, have you had someone watching it at night?’
‘Lina, why would we do that? Everyone knows the ships are grounded. Who would try to fly one? Why?’ She held the bottle at arm’s length, looking at it a little ruefully, then capped it and returned it to the drawer.
‘I don’t know,’ said Lina. And then, before she could stop herself, she added, ‘I think there’s something wrong here. . . in the belt, or on the station. . . something. . . happening.’ She waited a little nervously to see what effect this would have.
Ella nodded wisely, seeming to give this paranoid suspicion genuine consideration. That was one thing Lina liked about Ella — even if she thought you were wrong, she’d still listen and consider before deciding that for sure. She never just brushed somebody else’s concerns aside. ‘Maybe,’ she said at length. ‘But then, I’m not surprised, after what happened on your last shift. It’d be odd if you felt that everything was fine.’
‘Yeah, I know you’re right. And the Sal thing has got me shaken up. But I feel like there’s more to it than that. I know that sounds entirely baseless — and I guess it is — but I can’t escape the feeling that, well, there’s more to it.’
‘More to it?’ asked Ella. Although her tone was light, her face was serious again. ‘You don’t mean that Sal’s death could have been deliberate in some way? Do you? ’Cause that would be a pretty serious allegation.’
Lina felt her conviction suddenly collapse. That had been what she meant, but in truth it sounded insane, now that she heard it said out loud. Ella was right — she was just trying to deal with Sal’s death, seeking some sort of culprit for what was essentially just an accident. If anybody was to blame it was those penny-pinching corporate accountants at Platini Dockyard. ‘I think I’m just tired, maybe a little shocked. I know you’re right, Ella, I just. . . I guess I just want someone to blame, is all.’
‘Lina,’ said Ella, spreading her hands benevolently, ‘it’s fine. And I’ll ask the ground crew to check the Kays and the ISL to make sure nothing’s flown.’
‘Thanks, Ella.’
‘I repeat: this is a perfectly natural way for you to feel, I’m sure of it. And taking Marco to Platini sounds like an excellent idea to me.’
‘Well that’s another thing. . .’ said Lina cautiously. ‘Where is our damn shuttle, Ella?’
Ella shrugged, as if it didn’t matter. ‘My guess? Another bloody equipment failure. I reckon it’s scattered across space somewhere between here and Way Station One. I don’t expect it to come now — it’s just too late — but I don’t suspect any sort of sinister influence beyond that of corporate greed and laxness. Don’t, of course, quote me on that.’
‘I suppose. It’s just funny that these things have come at once.’
‘Yeah,’ said Ella, standing up and pulling her uniform straight. ‘Regular sitcom, this frontier life.’
‘Will we be okay, though?’ asked Lina. ‘Until the next one, I mean.’
‘The food will last, under our rationing regime. We have it all worked out. They’ll be hard times, but the food will last.’
‘And the air?’ asked Lina in a tiny voice, catching her friend’s eye. ‘Will that last?’
Ella sighed, as if she’d hoped not to field this question, and looked away. Lina didn’t think this was a particularly good sign. ‘Honestly? Who can say. Officially? It’s all under control. Nik’s people are working on a standalone, jury-rigged alternative system, but you didn’t hear that from me. We should be okay. And that’s the best I can do, I’m afraid.’
‘And what if there is some kind of saboteur on board? I know you think this is all just coincidence, but. . . what if somebody is actually trying to harm us?’
Ella bit her lip, her face thoughtful again. ‘Hmm. . . I’ll tell my guys to keep an eye out, Lina. We’ve no forensics facilities here, with which I could check the scrubbers, the Kays, or whatever. All we can do is try to remain vigilant.’ She fixed Lina with a piercing eye. ‘I will take your concerns on board, Lina, okay? That’s about all I can do at this stage.’
‘Any more of that moonshine?’ asked Lina, attempting to lighten the atmosphere.
Ella laughed. ‘Drink on duty? Me? Perish the thought.’ She moved towards Lina, a little awkwardly, and gave her a brief hug. Ella’s body felt solid and strong. Lina was glad that they were friends. ‘See you around, Li. Go home, will you?’
Lina released her and smiled up into her face. ‘Sure. Thanks for not shooting me, Ella. I know how tempted you must have been.’
Ella waved this away. ‘Oh, no more than usual,’ she said, opening the door. She let Lina out first, then followed her back into the warehouse. Lina carried on towards the stairs up, as instructed, and left Ella waiting for the hangar door to cycle.
She wandered back to her quarters, feeling foolish after her interrupted attempt at junior sleuthing round the flight deck. The little voice inside her had become a voice of reason, now, and that was good. Ella’s surety, her belief that nothing was wrong apart from temporary bad luck, had genuinely affected Lina, casting a new light on her own doubts. She was glad that Ella had caught her.
She let herself into her quarters, where she played chess against herself (both losing and winning) until Marco returned from his kick-around with Eli, happy but a little wired with tiredness. Eli looked even more crumpled-round-the-edges than usual, but he seemed to have enjoyed himself, too. Lina could sense that he was worried about her from the little glances he shot her here and there, but she didn’t have the chance to speak to him alone and allay his fears. Feeling a hundred times better than earlier, she invited him to pool rations and stay for dinner, which he accepted.