Father hesitated then nodded. "If you change your mind, if you need to come back, no one will think less of you."
"When I come back inside, Father, it will be with you and with survivors."
Father nodded again.
Bahzim, who had replaced Marco as chief miner, was calmly shouting orders from the airlock entrance. "Have two people check your suit and lifeline inside the airlock. Two. Head to toe. Every seam. Do not rush inspections. The debris outside will be jagged and sharp and will puncture your suit or your line. Keep your line slack to a minimum. Stay with your partner. Segundo, I want you and Vico on saws."
Father nodded.
Victor went to the equipment cage and took down the rotary saws. They were dangerous tools outside since they could so easily slice suits and lines, but the blades had good guards and Victor and Father had experience using them. Victor carried them to the airlock.
Toron entered from the corridor, flew down to the airlock, and faced Bahzim. "I'm coming with you."
"This is for experienced walkers only, Toron. I'm sorry."
"I know how to spacewalk, Bahzim."
"You don't have enough hours, Toron. If the sky was clear, I wouldn't have any issue, but there's a lot of debris out there. Anything could happen."
"My daughter is out there."
Bahzim hesitated.
"There's one lifeline left," said Toron. "I just counted. You have room for one more person."
"He can come with me and Vico," said Father. "We'll need someone to hold our lines clear while we work the saws."
Bahzim looked unsure. "You don't have a suit, Toron."
"He can wear Marco's," Victor said. "They're about the same height."
Bahzim considered this then sighed. "Hurry. I'm closing this hatch in two minutes."
Toron nodded his thanks to Father and Victor then quickly changed into Marco's suit.
They hurried into the airlock, and Bahzim sealed the hatch behind them. Everyone unspooled a lifeline from the racks along the wall and attached it to the back of his partner's suit. Then came the helmets. Bahzim typed in the all-clear, and fresh air and heat filled Victor's suit. Everyone took a moment to inspect the suits and lifelines of those around them. When all was clear, Bahzim punched in another command, and Victor's HUD blinked on. Live video of the wreckage outside appeared on Victor's display, taken from the ship's cameras. El Cavador's spotlights cut through the darkness, lighting momentarily on a piece of wreckage, as if considering it, judging by its size and shape if it were a likely candidate for survivors. Apparently it wasn't. The lights moved on. Victor's heart sank. There was so much debris. So much destruction. How could he possibly find Janda in all this?
The first bodies appeared shortly thereafter. Two of them. Men. Stiff with death. The spotlights rested on them, but the men were thankfully at such a distance that Victor couldn't make out their faces. The lights moved on.
A few minutes later the ship came upon a large piece of wreckage. El Cavador's retrorockets fired, and the ship slowed and then stopped alongside the wreckage.
"Listen up," said Bahzim. "We're opening the doors. First ones out are Chepe and Pitoso. They'll do a quick scan while the rest of us hang tight. If they detect something, the rest of us go in."
The wide bay doors opened, and what had been video became a reality. The wreckage in front of them was a mangled heap of destruction: bent girders, severed conduit, twisted pipes, torn foam insulation, crunched deck and hull plates. It looked as if it had been ripped from the ship instead of cleanly cut away by a laser. Victor searched for markings on the hull that might identify it as Vesuvio, Janda's ship, but there were none. Bahzim gave the order, and Chepe and Pitoso were out in an instant, flying down to the wreck and moving fast.
They flew to the hull side of the wreck where the surface was smooth and there were fewer protrusions that might snag or cut their suits. There were several windows, and Chepe went to those first, shining his helmet lights inside. The first few windows were quick looks, but at the fourth window they stopped. "There are people inside," said Chepe.
Victor's heart leaped.
"But they're not moving," said Chepe. "I don't think they're alive. Some are wearing masks, but it looks like they died from anoxia. They must have survived the attack, though. I see emergency heaters set up in the room. We just didn't get here in time."
"Is Alejandra with them?" asked Toron. "Do you see Alejandra?"
"It's hard to see faces through the masks," said Chepe. "And many of them are turned away from me. Plus the window's small. I can't see the w
hole room, especially around the corners."
"Maybe they're not dead," said Toron. "They could be unconscious. Maybe we could revive them."