Michael Mitcheson stared up at the ceiling of the level twenty-seven B ring storage locker. Hardly a luxurious romantic hideaway, he thought wryly, trying to ignore the bolts on the deckplating digging into his back. But storage locker 27B had a few compelling advantages: the section of corridor it opened onto was one of the few blindspots for the internal cameras, it was only ever used by members of the engineering crew doing maintenance work at the direction of the chief engineer, and it had a door that could be securely wedged shut from the inside.
He turned his head enough to be able to see the woman lying half-sprawled across his chest. “You awake?” he asked.
“Kinda,” Nerila murmured. “Is it time to go?”
Mitch raised his arm to look at his watch. “Not yet.”
“’kay.” Nerila shifted a little, cursed the deckplates, and settled against him again. “Let me know, ‘kay?”
He ran his hand down the sweep of her back. “What do you think about all these friends Pilot’s got?”
“Friends?”
“Yeah, you know, this corp she works for, that Naqam officer comes round here, all those fans of Sansha. It’s not great company to be keeping, you know?”
“They’re okay."
“You saw that story on the news," he said uneasily. "That ... whatever-she-is, she was here awful quick. Awful quick to get her hands on Pilot's sister, too."
“No way, Mitch. I’ve seen her with the kid. No way.”
“They don’t think like people, sweetheart. They can’t. She might have been involved, might have – and not even know.”
He felt Nerila shrug. “Pilot’s not putting chips in our heads, is she? So what’s the problem?”
“It’s not her I have a problem with,” Mitch said. “She’s not a bad kid, for a pilot. But what comes with her … gives me the heebies, tell the truth. Not sure I want to … not sure I want to be here if she gets any closer to those folk do want to put things in our heads.”
Nerila lifted herself up on one elbow. “You’re thinking of leaving?”
“It’d solve a problem, wouldn’t it?” Mitch said. He looked up at her and raised a hand to brush aside the swathe of long black hair that had fallen over her left eye with her movement.
“Didn’t know we had one.”
“We will,” he said. “We’re going to get caught, you know. Sooner or later. Sooner, probably. The XO’s got eyes in the back of her head.”
“She doesn’t, you know. I do her physicals. I think I woulda noticed.” Nerila pulled away from him a little and her hair fell back over her face, turning her face into collection of fragments, eye, cheekbone, lower lip, none of them adding up to an expression Mitch could read. “Don’t use me as an excuse for what you want to do, Michael Mitcheson. Don’t you dare.”
“Would you still love me if I was stationed on a different ship?”
“Who says I love you?” she shot back, her hand closing hard over his and giving the lie to her words.
He smiled. “No-one,” he said. “No-one at all.”
“Good.” She settled back down beside him, head in the hollow of his shoulder. “Tell you something for free, Michael Mitcheson. Could never love a man left a ship that needed him.”
“There’s plenty of engineers in the cluster.”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I mean. You’re not that dumb and faking it doesn’t suit you.”
“Yeah. Well. Pilot’d have you, and Luisa.”
“Wasn’t two people she hired on that first ship, Mitch. Was three.” Nerila propped herself up on her elbow again, staring down at him intently. “Wasn’t two of us in that control room, either. Wasn’t two sitting watch and watch about while she cursed us and herself and tried to – ”
“Yeah,” Mitch said. “That’s all past, though, ain’t it.”
“She’s not a bad kid,” Nerila echoed back to him. “Not a bad kid, Mitch. Needs more than a couple of old spacers around. Needs a chief engineer who knows when to say yes and when to say not on your nelly.”
He chuckled. “I dunno what a nelly is.”
Nerila smiled lazily. “Funny, you had no problem finding mine a little while ago.”
Mitch laughed. “No wonder they won’t give you your medical licence back.”
Nerila punched his shoulder, playfully but more than hard enough to hurt. “Won’t be able to say that from next week.”
“Honest?”
Nerila nodded. “Luisa got it sorted.”
“’grats,” Mitch said. “Get a pay bump to go with it?”
“Pilot already pays us all above the grade,” Nerila said. “No point getting greedy.”
“Yeah,” Mitch said. “She’s generous.” He paused, idly tracing the line of her collarbone with his thumb. “Do you think she’s different?”
“Pilot?”
“Yeah. Do you think she’s different? Since … “
“Since the ‘accident’?” Nerila asked.
Mitch frowned. “Accident?”
“That’s what she calls it. Or ‘that fall’.” Nerila shrugged.
“ Accident. When she got accidentally – “
“Whatever." Nerila shrugged again. "Yeah, she’s different. What do you expect? I’d be different too. She’s scared. Something like that happens in your home, despite all that security, could happen anywhere.”
“Yeah. No, that’s not what I mean. I mean – since she got back in the pod. Taking the Duty’s Call out, f’instance." Mitch shook his head. "She hasn’t been on that ship more than once or twice since – “
“Well, I’ll tell you what, whether it’s the jumping, or something they did at station medical, or having all the systems down for maintenance while she was there, that static in the bio-telemetry is gone.”
“Your ghost?” Mitch asked.
“Shadow reading, ghost, whatever. It’s gone. So I’m happy. If that’s different, I’m happy with it. Whatever it is.”
“Yeah. I just – “
“You just what?” Nerila looked down at him, frowning a little.
“You don’t think she’s different? Since?”
“Different isn’t bad, Mitch," she said.
“Not always, I guess.”
Nerila lifted his arm to look at his watch. “Is it my turn to leave first?”
“Yeah. “
“Give me fifteen minutes.”
Mitch watched as she wriggled into her clothes, until she looked up and caught him at it, quirking her eyebrow.
“Hope you don’t look at me like that in front of anyone else, Chief.”
“I’m allowed to appreciate a fine piece of engineering,” he protested.
Nerila snorted. “Good luck running that line past the XO.”
He grinned. “Don’t worry. I have a plan for all eventualities.”
“Oh yes?” She stopped, one boot on, one off. “Do tell.”
“If the XO comes down on us, we’ll appeal to Pilot.” He shrugged. “She’s a romantic. She’ll probably congratulate us and give us her blessing.”
“Yeah, and then Luisa will put one or both of us out an airlock, Mitch.”
“Oh, but sweetheart – that’s what Significance is for.” He began to chuckle at the look she gave him. “Will you still love me when I’m a two-day old new clone?”
“Who says I love you?” Nerila retorted, turning away to tug on her other boot.
“No-one,” Mitch said softly, reaching out to brush his fingers over the line of her back. “No-one at all.”
“There’s plenty of engineers in the cluster.”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I mean. You’re not that dumb and faking it doesn’t suit you.”
“Yeah. Well. Pilot’d have you, and Luisa.”
“Wasn’t two people she hired on that first ship, Mitch. Was three.” Nerila propped herself up on her elbow again, staring down at him intently. “Wasn’t two of us in that control room, either. Wasn’t two sitting watch and watch about while she cursed us and herself and tried to – ”
“Yeah,” Mitch said. “That’s all past, though, ain’t it.”
“She’s not a bad kid,” Nerila echoed back to him. “Not a bad kid, Mitch. Needs more than a couple of old spacers around. Needs a chief engineer who knows when to say yes and when to say not on your nelly.”
He chuckled. “I dunno what a nelly is.”
Nerila smiled lazily. “Funny, you had no problem finding mine a little while ago.”
Mitch laughed. “No wonder they won’t give you your medical licence back.”
Nerila punched his shoulder, playfully but more than hard enough to hurt. “Won’t be able to say that from next week.”
“Honest?”
Nerila nodded. “Luisa got it sorted.”
“’grats,” Mitch said. “Get a pay bump to go with it?”
“Pilot already pays us all above the grade,” Nerila said. “No point getting greedy.”
“Yeah,” Mitch said. “She’s generous.” He paused, idly tracing the line of her collarbone with his thumb. “Do you think she’s different?”
“Pilot?”
“Yeah. Do you think she’s different? Since … “
“Since the ‘accident’?” Nerila asked.
Mitch frowned. “Accident?”
“That’s what she calls it. Or ‘that fall’.” Nerila shrugged.
“ Accident. When she got accidentally – “
“Whatever." Nerila shrugged again. "Yeah, she’s different. What do you expect? I’d be different too. She’s scared. Something like that happens in your home, despite all that security, could happen anywhere.”
“Yeah. No, that’s not what I mean. I mean – since she got back in the pod. Taking the Duty’s Call out, f’instance." Mitch shook his head. "She hasn’t been on that ship more than once or twice since – “
“Well, I’ll tell you what, whether it’s the jumping, or something they did at station medical, or having all the systems down for maintenance while she was there, that static in the bio-telemetry is gone.”
“Your ghost?” Mitch asked.
“Shadow reading, ghost, whatever. It’s gone. So I’m happy. If that’s different, I’m happy with it. Whatever it is.”
“Yeah. I just – “
“You just what?” Nerila looked down at him, frowning a little.
“You don’t think she’s different? Since?”
“Different isn’t bad, Mitch," she said.
“Not always, I guess.”
Nerila lifted his arm to look at his watch. “Is it my turn to leave first?”
“Yeah. “
“Give me fifteen minutes.”
Mitch watched as she wriggled into her clothes, until she looked up and caught him at it, quirking her eyebrow.
“Hope you don’t look at me like that in front of anyone else, Chief.”
“I’m allowed to appreciate a fine piece of engineering,” he protested.
Nerila snorted. “Good luck running that line past the XO.”
He grinned. “Don’t worry. I have a plan for all eventualities.”
“Oh yes?” She stopped, one boot on, one off. “Do tell.”
“If the XO comes down on us, we’ll appeal to Pilot.” He shrugged. “She’s a romantic. She’ll probably congratulate us and give us her blessing.”
“Yeah, and then Luisa will put one or both of us out an airlock, Mitch.”
“Oh, but sweetheart – that’s what Significance is for.” He began to chuckle at the look she gave him. “Will you still love me when I’m a two-day old new clone?”
“Who says I love you?” Nerila retorted, turning away to tug on her other boot.
“No-one,” Mitch said softly, reaching out to brush his fingers over the line of her back. “No-one at all.”
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