Page 41 of Tethered

Tanisira looks more thoughtful than judgmental. “You weren’t expecting to take off with us.” It’s not a question—smart woman.

“I wasn’t. That reminds me, I need my things back.”

“They’re in your cabin.”

Ah, the cabin I have yet to explore. I’ll have to check later and reach out to people before they start making missing posters.

“Why is yours so empty?” I ask.

“I don’t understand the question.”

“When I first woke up, I thought I was in an unoccupied room. You have no belongings.”

Tanisira hums. “I have a plant, actually.”

That shouldn’t make me want to laugh. I bite down on the inside of my cheek to hide a smile. I genuinely want to know. “Do you sleep upside down in a dark corner or something?”

“According to Khrys, I don’t sleep at all.”

“Wow, you are defrostingallthe jokes today.”

The corner of her mouth curls. “What can I say, you bring it out in me.”

My gaze snags on the sight before I manage to drag it away. “You dodged the question.”

“I didn’t bring anything with me.” She shrugs.

That’s...insane. People accumulate shit naturally, even if it’s just a small thing here and there. She has nothing? Is this woman a psychopath?

My expression must say it all because Tanisira is gracious enough to say, “Just ask.”

“Nothing?” I mouth, incredulous.

“There was nothing of my past life that I wanted to keep.” She checks the time and stands, managing to do so gracefully. “Time to head out. Are you ready?”

Immediately, any ease I felt disappears. I inhale deeply, hold the air in my lungs, and exhale slowly. Then I nod and follow behind, lumbering to my feet. We take up positions in front of the exterior hatch and Tanisira directs me to stand on top of two clear marks. They’re next to a matching set of her own, peeking out from beneath her boots. My tether snaps taut when I wobble forward, nearly giving me a heart attack.

Even though the stuttering of my breathing is muted, I wonder if she can’t hear it anyway. This time, I don’t even attempt to check my vitals on the monitor. I don’t want to know.

“Opening exterior hatch now.” Kit’s voice echoes in my ear. “Tethers unlocked.”

The hatch swings open with a hiss that raises all the hair on my body. Under my suit, I probably resemble a porcupine. The door clunks into the bulkhead and I push my gloves into my hips, trying to fortify my spine. Ahead of me stands a portal into nothingness. I stare through it, vaguely aware of sweat not dripping down my skin, but running up my back. Beside me, Tanisira turns and taps oh so gently on my faceplate. It jolts me out of the icy grasp that had locked my muscles. Through her visor, her eyes look ochre and gentle.

“I’ve got you,” she says.

I feel an instant aversion to her words becausenoone’sgot me. But her gloved hand takes hold of mine, despite how awkward it is, and she starts walking. These suits are so heavy, and yet I can feel Tanisira’s quiet strength as she guides me along. One step, two, three, four—

Oh.

Oh my—

I’m floating inspace.

A darkness like nothing I’ve ever experienced before surrounds me. I expected it to blanket me, but it’s more an absence of light than the presence of shadows. Without the torches embedded into my suit, I think I’d still be able to see my hand in front of my face, though not with any great detail. That wouldn’t be such a bad thing, I decide, when I acknowledge that I’m nothing but a mote of carbon amongst anincomprehensiblenumber of stars.

With awe, my head cranes to take in the blazing auras speckled as far as the eye can see. I remember Vee telling me once that stars don’t twinkle in space; it’s through the lens of Tellurian’s atmo that they look like that.

It’s incredible.