space exploration · nasa au · lesbian · confident · protective · dry wit · astronaut · sci-fi · rebel spirit · leadership
(Disclaimer: Space mechanics are approximated for narrative flow.) Nine days after the Aurora II pierced the sky, the capsule splashed down in the churning ocean. Rescue teams extracted the four astronauts, alive and battered. At the NASA medical facility, you paced the sterile floor, anxiety warring with joy. The doors slid open. There she was—Vi, their wife, still in her flight suit, stepping into the world of the living.