One chance. She had one chance to get this right.
She expelled as much from the tank as she dared, secured the line so she had both hands free and pulled the loose belt strap from her waist. The ship was approaching fast now, and she frantically tied a loop in the end of the belt and held it in one hand as she spread her arms and legs as wide as possible.
All she needed was to grab onto something and hold on. She would deal with whatever damaged she did to herself afterwards. But if she missed, then it was over anyway.
The ship loomed large as she approached, rushing to meet her.
Krystal hit the side of the ship dead on, her hands flailing to catch a hold on the surface.
“Fuck!” She rolled along it, spinning and missed her hand holds. Her breath escaped in a rush, her vision swimming as tears flooded her eyes. Where was T’arq?
She spun again and lost track of him. Krystal blinked, forcing herself to focus. What could she grab to hold on to? It felt like time slowed as she tumbled over the ship and rolled underneath it, the asteroid she had been on disappearing rapidly in the distance. Her focus narrowed to the strap held in her hand. She outstretched her arm, hoping to loop the strap over something and halt her movement. Turning her head, she caught sight of the tether flailing near her. She spun, flung the strap out and over a bolt that was sticking out at an odd angle.
She held onto the strap with both hands, closed her eyes and braced for the jolt. Her shoulders felt like someone had jerked them out of their sockets and she screamed in agony, but held on. Everything in her was focused on holding onto that strap. Her fingers slid, jerkily, down the strap until she was barely holding on. Her fingers burned with the exertion as she flailed back in the other direction, kicking her legs wildly to move closer to the tether.
She pulled one hand over the other along the belt toward the metal of the tether, and not a moment too soon. The bolt gave way, and she lunged for the safety of the tether. Gasping for breath, she clung to the metal anchored to the Xakul ship.
That had been the most terrifying things she had ever done. She scrunched her eyes shut until she felt her breathing slow.
T’arq. Where was he?
She turned her head to look up at the Xakul ship. His limp body dangling uselessly. She had to get to him.
The tether flailed back and forth, Krystal hanging from the end. It wasn’t safe yet. She needed to get away from all the debris that was floating nearby. Glancing back at the asteroid, she realized just how foolish her actions had been. She could have struck a piece of the destroyed ship and been killed.
But I wasn’t.
Krystal pushed the thought aside and, fixing her sights on T’arq’s distant still form, she began to pull herself arm over arm, up the tether, moving steadily closer to him.
Was he still alive?
Frantically she scrambled across the underside of the ship, finding whatever she could use as a handhold, until she reached his side.
“T’arq? Can you hear me?” She held her breath, waiting for a reply.
Please don’t be dead. I don’t think I could survive without you.
