The cargo bay shuddered as Chimera groaned like a wounded animal.

“What about Natalya?” Jasper asked the White Prophet who’d suddenly appeared in the cargo bay. “Teleport her to the other side of the ship.”

“Pul, we must go,” the woman in white told him.

Pul nodded, flashing a toothy grin at Natalya.

“Save Natalya! The cargo bay’s going to fall apart!” Jasper insisted.

“I am concerned with peace, Jasper, not the lives of individuals. I will not give you another chance to escape,” Erika, Prophet of White, stated.

A piece of the ceiling tore away. The atmosphere was rapidly thinning. Erika spread her arms and Natalya saw the diamond on her forehead glow. A moment later, the atmosphere stopped leaking. A pearly-white shield appeared out of nowhere to brace the cargo bay.

“Don’t worry, Erika. The rest of the ship’s crew are fine. I made sure of that,” Pul insisted, standing beside the White Prophet. “They’ve committed no crimes. But this one’s wanted for death.”

“My only concern is for Jasper, and peace. If you see this as justice, then I cannot interfere,” Erika said.

“It is.”

“Then we shall go.”

“No!” Jasper shouted, raising his sword to attack the White Prophet.

Erika grabbed Jasper by the arm. In that instant, she, Pul, and Jasper disappeared in a blinding eruption of light.

Nothing but an empty floor remained where the three people had stood. When Erika teleported, her shield protecting the cargo bay also disappeared.

Natalya crawled across the cold deck as the atmosphere resumed leaking through the widening hole. Ice formed on the metal from the rapidly dropping temperature, and Natalya kept her breath in controlled, short bursts as she made her way to the airlock.

There she found the oxygen tanks secured beside the straps. The tanks were meant for emergencies, or low atmosphere operations, but the oxygen saved her life as she stuck the mask over her face and breathed deep.

“Natalya!” came the voice of Augustus in her communicator. “Natalya, are you alright?”

“I’m alive,” Natalya answered. She looked at the cracked cargo bay. “For now.”

“I’ll override the seal.”

“No, don’t. The aperture hatch is broken. If you open the door you’ll cause a structural collapse.”

The cargo bay groaned. Natalya saw one of the metal braces that connected it to the rest of Chimera snap in half. Even if they could open it, there was no way she could make it through the hatch now.

Natalya stepped inside the airlock. If she could seal herself in, she would have a small bubble of protection. But the doors were fried. The lights winked out in a cascade of sparks.

“There’s no time. You have to jettison the cargo bay,” Natalya said.

“I’m not going to do that,” Augustus replied.

“The cargo bay will snap in half and detonate the spare fuel. You need to detach it before it rips Chimera apart.”

Natalya heard voices over her communicator as Augustus and the others argued over what to do.

“I think he was clinging to the side of the ship,” Sisi’s voice explained.

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“Sisi, you’re okay?” Natalya asked.

“I’m fine, Captain. Pul’s shields protected him from the vacuum of space and Chimera’s shields kept him secured under opalescent. He didn’t know that the same principle can be used with my welpro and I can temporarily exit through the vacuum to the lifeboat and—”

“That sounds wonderful, Sisi. I’m glad you’re safe.”

A crack sprouted along the cargo bay’s ceiling, splitting it down the middle. Natalya felt her exposed skin begin to blister. Her clothing kept her somewhat protected, but her hands and face felt like they were being sandblasted with ice.

“Anyway you can fix this, Sisi?” Natalya asked.

“The overrides shorted when the pilings broke apart and, well, it’s a long explanation,” Sisi admitted.

“Captain, is Jasper with you?” Ptolemy asked.

“No. A White Prophet took him. Pul too,” Natalya answered.

“I see.”

“What if I blow the door open?” Co suggested.

“That would probably break apart the rest of the cargo bay, but thanks, Co,” Natalya replied.

A cascade of shouts accompanied Co’s idea, and Natalya heard the clang of metal as her crew started running.

“Auggie, you have to jettison the cargo bay,” Natalya insisted, her hands shaking. “Detach it. I’m not worth sacrificing yourself. Ptolemy… Ptolemy.”

“Yes, Captain?” Ptolemy replied.

“You were right, Ptolemy. Break off the cargo bay. Save the rest of the ship and go get your space station. There are billions of people in this galaxy. One life doesn’t matter.”

Only silence replied, along with the groaning of the cracked hull.

“I think you’ll find, Captain,” Ptolemy said, “that your crew disagrees.”

Bulkheads shattered above Natalya as a cylindrical object crashed through the ceiling. Natalya thought at first that the cargo bay had finally imploded, but with blinking, frost-covered eyes she saw that Chimera’s lifeboat had smashed its way into the cargo bay.

The pill-shaped, tiny shuttle, one of two attached to the ship’s main corridor, could not have broken off unless the corridor had also broken.

This despair was the last feeling Natalya thought she’d have, when the pneumatic hatch popped open and Augustus leaned out of the shuttle’s tiny cockpit.

“As with most things in life, this problem can be solved with a little penetration,” Augustus said.

Sisi stood inside the shuttle with her welpro, projecting a gravity well that kept the lifeboat’s atmosphere from spewing out. She tossed something at Natalya and shouted, “Hurry!”

Natalya saw a coil of rope land just out of reach, the other end trailing to the shuttle.

“You’re crazy,” Natalya mumbled.

“No time for flirting, Captain, just take the rope,” Augustus insisted.

“Break off—”

“Captain!”

Natalya looked up at the lifeboat, at Augustus and Sisi.

“Natalya, hurry,” Co said in her communicator. “There’s still time to save Jasper.”

“Jasper,” Natalya said. She imagined the Prophet’s hands on her, his warming touch healing the bleeding wound in her leg. She reached. It felt like her arm broke free of concrete as Natalya took hold of the rope. With her other hand, she grabbed her carbine from where it was stuck near the airlock. She’d need it.

Sisi and Augustus pulled the rope toward the lifeboat. With the artificial gravity powered down, Natalya flew toward the shuttle. Sisi fired a burst with her welpro and pulled Natalya inside the shuttle while bulkheads rained down around her.

Augustus put his hands on the controls, but Natalya stopped him. “Wait!” she said. “The Key Core. Sisi, get the Key Core.”

“No time, Tally,” Augustus said.

“Sisi, use your welpro!”

Natalya pointed at the safe that had broken free of its compartment on the crumpling wall. Sisi fired her welpro and pulled the Key Core safely inside the shuttle just as the hull shattered.

Augustus punched the pneumatics to pull the door closed. The hatch was still cracked open as he fired the lifeboat’s thrusters and sent it tumbling away from Chimera.

“All clear!” Augustus shouted.

The second the shuttle was away, a silent explosion severed the last of the braces that held the cargo bay to the rest of the ship. The force of the blasts sent the cargo bay tumbling away. Chimera lunged forward, fleeing its severed limb as the cargo bay came apart, bulkheads imploding and the spare fuel igniting in an eruption of energy.

The lifeboat cleared the cargo bay before it turned into shrapnel. Augustus righted the tiny ship, guiding it back to Chimera.

“Jasper…” Natalya trailed off as pain replaced the cold in her body.

“She’s going into shock. Don’t worry, Natalya, I found warming materials and equipment in the med bay that can reverse the effects of vacuum exposure,” Sisi said as she put a blanket over Natalya. “Body heat will do in a pinch but, oh my, you’re cold.”

“Step aside,” Augustus said, and picked up Natalya by her shoulders. He wrapped her in his thick arms, and Natalya felt his heat wash over her like she’d been dunked in hot water.

“Thank you,” Natalya said, allowing Augustus to keep her on her feet as the ice on her skin melted.

“If this is what it takes to get a little affection, I’ll have to save your life more often.”

“Oh, we’re hugging now? Okay!” Sisi said, and added her meager body heat to the embrace.