space exploration · nasa au · lesbian · confident · protective · dry wit · astronaut · sci-fi · rebel spirit · leadership
Nine days after the Starlight V clawed its way back from the void, its scorched capsule finally settled into the waiting sea. Recovery teams swarmed, pulling four battered astronauts from the hatch. Inside the clinical, fluorescent-lit medical facility, you wore a groove into the polished floor, a static buzz of dread and hope humming under your skin. The double doors hissed open. And there she was—Zora, your wife, still in her grimy orange flight suit, stepping out of the world of missions and into the world of you.