RUPTURED J. L. Stowers Cara stared out the airlock’s viewport, struggling to ignore echoes of her shaky breath within her helmet. Goosebumps spread on her clammy skin as the destruction rotated into view. The airlock was always cold, but the sight outside truly chilled her to the bone. “Wow,” Devin’s voice rasped through her earpiece. “When they said an asteroid collided with IODS, they didn’t mean a glancing blow.” “Guess not,” Cara answered, her mouth dry. The Interstellar Object Delection System was Earth’s defense against asteroids. And, while it had succeeded in redirecting the latest threat, it did so at great cost. “I thought they were just nudging it.” “Maybe they hit it a little harder, just to be certain.” Devin turned to her, his experienced eyes ofering little reassurance. “We must be careful. Anything in there could easily rupture a suit, or worse. But we have to succeed. Just because Earth is safe for now it doesn’t mean there won’t be another threat.” She took a deep breath. “This isn’t a job I was expecting.” “I don’t think any of us expected this. The ion beam should have worked.” Their ship neared the wreckage. The asteroid had demolished the crew section. Bits and pieces drifted away from the corpse of the space station. Bodies of the crew tumbled sluggishly among the debris. “Are we supposed to just leave them there?” She forced herself to look away, as though seeing their bodies in this state violated their privacy. “Our mission is to get the data recorder and get out. Another crew is coming to… clean up.” “This is as close as we can safely get. Take the ponies and proceed with caution. We’re too far out for a tether to reach, so be careful.” Control announced. “Copy that, control,” Devin replied. He turned to Cara. “You ready?” “No tether? Take the ponies? It’s a graveyard out there! I collect samples from asteroids. I’m not a irst responder. I don’t have the ield experience you have.”
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