“Yeah, don’t worry, though.” Gin was in high spirits as she pulled open a bag of dried fruit. “I’ve got a plan. When we’re ready to land, just attach me to the back of the ship where the rear landing gear used to be.” She paused, her eyes merry as her companions blinked at her in confusion. “Because I’m a third wheel. Get it? A third wheel?”

Maren stared at her for a moment then broke out into laughter. Once she’d started, she couldn’t stop, and she doubled over, laughing hysterically as Saul patted her back.

“Yeah, I thought it was pretty good.” Gin grinned smugly as she leaned back in her chair, then a frown flickered over her face. “I wasn’t kidding about the damage, though.” She popped a slice of dried apple into her mouth then offered the bag to Saul, who passed it on to Maren. “From what the system was saying, the cockpit, lounge area, bedrooms, equipment rooms, and forward thrusters are mostly fine, but the supplies hangar is cracked open, the fuel reservoirs are leaking, and the rear thrusters are pretty much blotto.”

“We can still fly with the front thrusters, as long as we’re economical with our fuel,” Saul said. He’d leaned forward and was working over the control board.

“How bad is the supplies hangar?” Maren asked. The glow from Saul’s touch was fading, and she stretched then grunted as the aches in her body reasserted themselves.

“Most of the stuff should still be secured in place, albeit a little toasty,” Gin said, “but the hull is open. We won’t be able to get in there without breathing equipment.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Maren said. “They’ll have plenty of breathing equipment, and we’ll still be able to get in there with space suits once we’re in flight. Insulating the insides of the ship might be a problem, but I bet we can work something out.”

Saul sat back from examining the dozens of flashing warning lights on the panel. “We should be able to get to Central with what we have.”

“That’s where we’re headed, then? Central?”

“Or another, safer planet,” Saul said. “We’ll see what the communication channels are saying once we’re out of the atmosphere.”

“’Kay,” Gin said, relaxing a little as she ate more of the fruit. “Will we be hanging around here for long?”

Maren and Saul glanced at each other. “I’d prefer to leave quickly,” Maren said, and Saul nodded. “As soon as the gamma flare’s over. We’re alone now, but we don’t know what’s still living in the other stations.”

Gin whistled. “Good point. I’d be happy to never see another of those things for as long as I live.”

Not that that’s likely to happen, Maren thought but kept it to herself. Gin was finally relaxed, and Maren didn’t want to spoil her friend’s mood. Besides, we’re at least a couple of weeks away from any planet we’d want to land on. A lot can change in a couple of weeks. Humanity will probably have found ways to fight back by then. Effective ways. Safe ways.