“Alli! Pod on the left!” I check the ship’s scanners, searching for Jones’ ship. Sure enough, a small blip flashes on the edge of the field. Among all these asteroids, who else would’ve seen it? I make a mental note to use this as justification for visual spotters next time the Admiral complains about my crew system.

I tug gently at the controls, moving our trajectory to intersect with the pod. In this weather, we have to be careful that a flare doesn’t take us too close to an asteroid. But we’re small enough that we should be able to make it close enough. Most of the other ships are too big to make a rescue like this.

Astra’s rings are beautiful tonight. Even though it’s only day or night depending on what you’re behind in relation to the star. But on ship schedule, it’s evening. The more normal we can make this, the better. Even if my sleep schedule is still ‘when I feel like it and present events allow me to take a few minutes off’.

Some of the asteroids have large white patches the farther we go in. I tag them on my map, even though I’ll likely never see them again. Either they fall into the star, or they get lost in between all the others and crushed to pieces. I’ve seen both happen. And I’d like to have neither happen to me.

This pod looks different from the others. It’s shaped like the Old Earth Dragon capsule, but it’s more elongated and has bigger fins on the back. I don’t recognize the model, but spaceship manufacturers are like rings on a planet. Pretty common, but rare to find a really good one. Wait a minute. I squint at the viewscreen. Is that a plasma engine on the back?

Only the top-line manufacturers can afford to put entire plasma engines on pods this small. And only top-line rich people or mega-corporations can afford to buy them. Whoever--or whatever-- is in this pod, they’re important. And they’re lucky too. Without this crew, they probably wouldn’t be seeing another planet-rise.

I float up to the ceiling and pull my headset off its locking hook. The chatter is nice when I’m feeling lonely up here, but in times like this I prefer the silence. Although duty dictates I listen to people right now.

“...couldn’t shoot through a planet’s rings if she were a hundred klicks away!”

“Oh, you’re one to talk. Especially after last mission.”

“We don’t talk about that. You of all people.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

I hit the mic button on the console and leave it lit up. “Hey guys. Jones’s sighting is coming up. Get ready for a quick evac. If we can, we’re going to take the pod too.”

Jones clicks into the comms. “With a price tag like that? I’m not leaving it behind.”

“Just be safe. I can’t have another crew member out with an injury. And if you get injured this close, there might not be a recovery.”

“Just don’t fly us into Astra and we’ll be fine.”

“Most of us. I don’t know about Ant over here.”

“Nishka, I’m only floating off if you push me.”

“Gladly.”

I turn down the volume on the comms and focus on piloting. Some of the bigger ships just let the autopilot avoid the asteroids. We’re too small for that machinery, and honestly I prefer manual. They get to plant their boots on the hull, but I get to make sure they make it that far. Under and around another asteroid, this one bigger than most. I lose tracking on the pod for few seconds, but my map tells me it’s still there. And after I level out again, it’s a clear shot to the pod. And Astra’s surface. The orbit’s decaying a lot more than I initially thought. It’s gonna be a hot jump, almost too hot to see if the windows darken like they did last time. For once, I’m not jealous of my jumpers.

Volume back up. I’ll keep my eye out for any micro-asteroids, but I shouldn’t need to move the ship while they’re out. “Get ready for a hot jump. Probably hotter than last time.”

“My favorite.”

“And yes, Ant, before you ask, you do have to shield this time.”

He sighs over the comm. “Really?”

“Do you want to burn up?”

I can practically hear the shrug over the line. “That’s what you said last time.”

“Well, this time I’m serious. In fact, do a double-shield.” I leave the last part unsaid. Because as expensive as they are, you’re worth more. River’s probably seething that we left him on the station and then did a hot jump. But as much as I want him here, he would only slow us down. The sooner he heals, the better.

Three lights flash green at the same time on my console. I smile. Knowing the tangents Ant and Nishka get on, it’s nice to see them do something together once in a while. And Jones is a nice addition too. It’s all focus on the mission now.

“Dropping in three, two, one…” I close the remaining distance and match the pod’s orbit fifty yards up. One button, two switches, and an auth code. All marked in orange. The console tells me the bay doors are opening. Six tether lights blink on as the lines leave the ship. And they’re away.

I know I should stay at the console and keep watch. But this is a hot jump, closer than we’ve ever done it. They can’t see the beauty. But I can. Assuming the window shielding doesn’t darken too much. And nothing bad happened last time. What are the odds? I push off the floor and fly over to the port window. Not exactly spacious, but it’s pointed in the right direction.

It’s harder to see than I would have expected, although I can in fact see through the window tinting. At this distance, Astra’s light is almost overpowering. The pod is a dark spot against all the white, easy to hit in general but hard to precisely aim at. I can see the ionized helmets of my crew almost completely black from the radiation. I hope they can see.

The three extra tethers have magnetic locks on the end, although it’s been long enough since I’ve tested them that it’s anyone’s guess if they work. If not, then it’s on to the contingency plan: find a good spot to secure the manual hooks.

“Ant, I see a clear spot down to your right.” Nishka’s voice, all business now.

“Got it. I’m gonna try the maglock.” Even though there’s no sound in the vacuum, I imagine the clunk of the lock hitting the pod’s surface. After a second of waiting with baited breath, Ant reports back in. “It works.”

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One down, two to go. And as much as Ant could help, I need him back in the safety of the bay. “Ant, can I get an affirmative on your lock?”

“Lock Two is live.”

“Okay, I need you back in the bay.” I don’t stop talking, leaving no room for protest. “I know you can help, but it’s getting hot out there and I need those shields to hold for another regular mission.” Can’t argue with that.

“Ten-four.” I see him pull on his tether and start his way back up. Two more.

“Maglock Three is live.” Jones coughs. “It’s getting a little humid down here.”

“Double-check the lock, then come back to the bay.”

“Can do.” After a moment, a figure starts climbing up a second line. One more.

“Alli, Lock One isn’t holding. I think we might have a fuse issue.”

Of course it’s the last one that has problems. “Go for the hook then. We don’t have time to try and fix it on this one.”

Two lights on the console blink out as Ant and Jones reenter the bay. Good. They’re safe. Now I just need my tech girl back.

“I’m not seeing a spot to hook this. The closest I can get is a ladder step.”

We both know that’s not going to hold. “Then we might have to try the one with only two lines. We’ve done it before.”

“Alli, two lines isn’t gonna work this time. This is way bigger.” She pauses. “I’m going to wrap it around.”

“Nishka, no! You don’t have a tiled…” The comms crackle with static as she passes behind the pod. “...shield.” I stare at the pod, willing her silhouette to come back around into the ship’s shadow. She’s going to get an earful when she gets back into the bay.

“Alli?” Her comm’s clicking again, even though she just fixed them all.

“I’m here.”

“The tether’s hooked to itself, so just keep it taut. But I don’t feel so good.”

Nash’s medical training from the station floods my brain. “What’s the problem?”

“Well, everything kind of tingles. And my head feels really heavy. Wait, has the ship always been that color? I thought you painted that part…” Her voice trails off.

“Nishka? Nishka! Can you hear me?”

“Want me to pull her in?”

“Are you sure you won’t tangle her…” A red light starts flashing on the console. “Wait a second, Ant.” I float back over and settle into my usual position, half floating in front of it. What’s the issue this time?

Our luck has finally run out. There’s an asteroid on collision course with our ship, and it’s going pretty fast too. If I’d been on lookout, I would have seen it before now. But I had to watch the hot jump…

Time for that later. “Ant, forget about her for now. We’ve got an imminent collision up here. Get the pod in as fast as you can and then worry about her. If you can, keep her in the shadow.”

The winches in the bay whir to life, pulling the pod out of its doomed orbit and to us. The only problem is, it probably weighs as much as we do. Which means we’re going to have to overclock the engines again just to get up to a stable orbit, let alone get back to the station. And I don’t have Nishka to help me this time.

As soon as the pod is tight against our hull, Jones transfers the winch power to Nishka’s line and hauls her in. I leave the bay doors open and push the throttle forward. If we’re ever going to leave, now’s the time.

The asteroid’s coming at us from the front, so I turn and start blazing my way back through the belt. At this speed, any little thing could punch a hole straight through us, but at least now we’re the ones moving quickly.

“Alli? Are you gonna close the bay doors?”

“No. Leave your suits on and don’t open the door until we get free of the rings.”

“What about Nishka? She’s literally passed out.” Why am I always the one making all the hard decisions?

“Leave her alone. And make sure she doesn’t bump into anything too hard. We’ll get to her when we’re all safe.” I pull on the controls and turn the ship to the left, heading farther into the rings. The whole ring system spins counterclockwise from the north pole, so maybe if I join the swarm it’ll be easier to maneuver. We still need to go faster if we’re going to get out in time, especially with a pod this size. I reach over to the purple section of the console and flip three switches. One ignition and two interlocks, all open. Our reserve fuel tanks start emptying, pushing more thrust out the back of the engines.

Time to do my job. I float down and hook my feet into the metal clasps on the floor. For this next part, I can’t be floating aimlessly around. Two hands on the controls, eyes on the viewscreen. Left. Right. Over. Around. The asteroids keep flying at me as I pick up speed, but they’re never right in front of us when we need a clear path.

The edge of the ring system lights up on my viewscreen, asteroids not daring to venture any further. Two more seconds, and we’re passing through the rim. And suddenly space is wide open, no rocks or planets. Just the distant stars. And the one really close star. I slow the ship down, cutting the lines from the reserve tanks. At full power, we can use the normal engines and fly at half speed. It’ll take a while, but we’ll get home all the same.

“Jones, you’re clear to finish securing the pod. Ant, as soon as the bay doors close, I need you up here piloting. I’m gonna come down there and take a look at Nishka.”

“Got it. Give me three minutes.” Jones’ line light flashes back on.

Now that the immediate danger is over, the worry starts to creep back in. I hope she’s okay. I’ve heard horror stories of large ships trying to make rescues too close to Astra and burning up. Even if the ship is fine, sometimes a line will come back with the end burnt and charred, no harness. At least we still have her. But from how she sounded, who knows for how long.

“Done. I disconnected the lines. Ant, pull them in.” The winches spin back up as Jones reenters the bay. A few more seconds and the doors close, the edges scraping against the pod’s engines below us. But they’re closed, and the console tells me we have a good seal. I’m already halfway to the door when the light blinks green, my headset hanging on its hook.

Ant has doffed his suit and is headed my way when I get to the bay. Jones is stowing the lines, and Nishka is still floating, her line intentionally snagged on the handle of a winch so she doesn’t fly away. I twist off her helmet and toss it in the general direction of the lockers. The gloves go the same way. The boots I have to actually fly over myself, because the magnetics are expensive and I don’t have the budget to buy any more at the moment. The rest of the suit comes off with a few tugs and clicks in the right places. I shove it halfway into the open locker and hope it’ll stay there until I can come back later and do it right.

She doesn’t look good. Her darker skin has a very distinct red tinge to it, like that one time she burned herself touching a live engine when she was tinkering with it. She’s covered in sweat, her hair plastered to her forehead. And I bet she’s going to have a terrible headache when she wakes up. There’s not much I can do for her until we get back to the station. I push off the wall and float over to the doorway. She goes through first, bumping her hand on the top of the hatch. I angle her into the third door on the left. It’s the smallest compartment by far, only tall enough to sit up in. Although she’s not awake enough to do that. I push her down onto the white sheets and fasten the bed straps around her. She’ll be in for a scare if she wakes up, but it’s necessary. I can’t have her getting more injured than she already is. Just for good measure, I tear open a sedation patch and press it onto her burned arm. The longer she sleeps, the better.

I convince myself she’ll be fine until we can get back before sliding the clear door closed and latching it from the outside. At least she’s still breathing. I crank the temperature control knob all the way down, although it’s not going to help much with her burns. She needs actual medicine for those. For me, at least until I think of something else I can do to help her, it’s back up to the control deck.

“Is she gonna make it?” Ant turns to me as I float back into the forward cabin.

“To the station? Definitely. Beyond that? Death only knows.” I take back the controls from him. “Can you go finish stowing her suit in the bay? I just realized I never got everything in.”

He nods. “Just get us back as fast as possible.”

I flip the purple switches again, feel the shudder as we accelerate. I might regret this later, but we need to get home soon. I know the price for fuel. It’s higher, but the price for Nishka’s life is higher.