With a single brilliant flash, the nose of the Tempus exploded. The light dissipated in an instant as the gas fully burned away.
As if in slow motion, the large ship careened aft while debris flew in all directions, radiating out from the explosion in a strangely beautiful, uniform arc. But instead of continuing the eternal trajectory as it should have, the trail of rubble slowed, reshaping into a narrow stream. The charred remnants twisted backward and outward, winding toward the Divide like the flow of water snaking through a ravine.
“Shit,” Jackin swore over comms. “Rake, hurry.”
Heart pounding, she refocused and continued to pull herself forward, keeping watch on the drifting ship in her periphery. The tether fluttered in her grip, like a taut string that’d been plucked.
“Rake!” Jackin shouted through suit comms. He hovered in the open air lock, reaching out, urging her forward.
She’d only made it another few meters when the tether tugged roughly under her grip. She let go so it could slide between her hands as the remaining length expended from the Synthesis. When it ran out, the Tempus would start pulling the Synthesis along with it.
“Jack,” she shouted, “you gotta disconnect the tether.”
“Uh, you’re using it,” he called back.
“I’ll maneuver to you,” she assured, letting go of the sliding line completely. “Release it!”
She flicked on her MMU. A flashing red alert in her HUD warned that the thrusters were nonresponsive. But she didn’t have time to troubleshoot or belay the order.
Just as the tether snapped taut, she gripped it long enough to fling herself forward, then let go. Jackin slammed his fist into the manual release switch and the cable cut free from the Synthesis. It snaked lifelessly, drifting away along with the careening Tempus.
Thankfully Adequin’s aim had been true, if not much, much too fast, and she sped feet-first toward the open hatch.
“Shit—I’m coming in hot!”
Jackin cursed, yanking himself to one side as she flew into the air lock and crashed rather unceremoniously into the far wall. Pain shot through her joints as the left side of her body crumpled into the ridged metal plating and she bounced off. She scrambled to take hold of the grab rails, but they slipped between her fingers. Floating helplessly back toward the hatch, she noted with a modicum of relief that everyone except Jackin had already left the air lock. Thankfully no one else had been forced to witness her deft display of EVA work.
“Bloody void, Rake,” Jackin said as he braced himself on either side of the door frame. He caught her in both arms, stalling her before she could sail right back out the hatch again. “You do know what that rocket pack on your back is for, right?”
“It’s malfunctioning. Some kind of interference.”
When they were somewhat steady, he let go to grip her shoulder, tapping a palm against the side of her helmet. “You good, boss?”
Her stomach reeled and limbs ached from the impact, but she gave a quick nod. “Good.”
Spinning toward the hatch, she made to close the door when another flash of light burst from behind the Tempus. Not the clean static white of the Divide, but another blue, domed burst. The explosion released from the outward-facing side of the ship, shifting the vessel’s trajectory again, but this time pitching it slowly but certainly inward. Directly toward the Synthesis.
“Griff,” she shouted through comms. “Tell me you’re at the helm.”
The comms clicked and squealed in her ear, then his staticky response came through, garbled but comprehendible. “Here, Rake—engines—response—”
Adequin cursed and punched the hatch controls, but it didn’t comply, instead flashing a red warning: “Unsecured personnel.” Someone was still outside the ship.