“It won't come to that.”

“If we wait more than a few months, the option will disappear.”

“It's not supposed to be an option.”

“You're right, I know, I know. We signed up for a one-way trip.”

Hendrix flicked on his suit LEDs, a line of white across the chest of the jumpsuit, with a second, vertical line down the center.

Lester began down the claustrophobic shaft and watched the ghostly flicker of his own suit LEDs on pipes, panels, and hanging wires. Despite being relatively new on the job, he considered all things dim and mechanical his old haunts. Long before his Command work on Belka, back on Earth, he had worked in similar access shafts.

“You're lightning bugging again, Lester,” Hendrix said. “I thought you replaced your jumpsuit LEDs. What on earth did Nina do to it?” Hendrix laughed, and it was clear to Lester that the man was nervous.

He decided not to bring up Earth.

“Must've touched exposed wire one night,” Lester said. “I have a theory, actually.”

“Do you?”

The two had reached another maintenance hatch. Lester got on his knees and pushed himself through. Hendrix grunted through after him.

“Yeah,” Lester said, pulling himself to his feet. “The topic of Nina comes up a lot at Sunday service, since she's been gone. It's a little gossip-y, for my taste, but...” He sighed. “Well, supposedly she became dependent on Stress Reduction Hormone. Clarissa caught her hacking her patch with supplies from med kits she'd thrown open in Storage. And since station officers carry tasers, you know, I figure if Clarissa had felt threatened…” He turned toward Hendrix, scratching the back of his head. “Well, anyway, a taser to the chest could gum up internal electrics and mess with the LEDs.”

“You're not kidding! I heard she'd had a bit of a nervous breakdown, but—”

“We don't know. Just some kind of electrocution,” Lester said. Nina had been in rehabilitation, under constant watch of Officer Clarissa, for two weeks now.