(… continuing)

“Hi,” came Luna’s voice as she bounced into the suit locker.
Dukk turned around.
“Are you alright? You are all flushed?”
“Yes, I am fine. I was practicing some yoga in zero-G. I lost track of time. Quite challenging and not what I expected,” Luna replied.
“Yoga?” Marr mouthed silently at Luna from behind Dukk.
Luna smiled cheekily.
Marr held her hands up and looked away as if to say ‘I don't want to know’.
Dukk laughed. He’d been an apprentice too once. He knew what was on his mind the first time he was in zero-g. And, he could tell an intentional lie.
“Are you sure you want to try this now? I can go alone and you can get back to your ‘yoga’?” Dukk asked in jest, emphasising the last word.
“Nope, I’m good. Let’s do this.”

Thirty five minutes later, Luna stood at the port outer doorway. She was in awe.
Dukk and Luna had completed the same process Bazzer and Marr had done earlier. Marr, with Bazzer’s help, had then brought down the DMD, depressurised the airlock and opened the port door. With the door open, Dukk had headed out and Luna had done some practice within the hold airlock.
Luna peered out the door. She could just see Dukk up beyond the tail. He was floating near the solar panels.
“Ready, Dukk,” Luna said enthusiastically into her comms.
Dukk turned around so that he had visuals on the port door.
“Excellent. Let go of the door and I will engage the propulsion. Let’s bring you out here,” Dukk replied.
“Done, so I do nothing right?”
“Yep, just float and allow me to do the rest.”
Luna started to move forwards out of the doorway.
“So I just succumb to your will, so to speak?”
Dukk laughed. “It is up to you how you interpret this process.”
“Is this all haulier tradition, like you giving me your backpack for this first EVA?”
“Well, some of this is just common sense.”
Luna laughed into the comms.
Dukk waited until she was clear then went to adjust the propulsion.
Nothing happened. Luna just kept moving away from the rig. And she was gaining speed. He checked the buddy connection. It was still working. The system was telling him he was adjusting the propulsion, but nothing was happening. Something was wrong.
“Wow, this is amazing. How do I turn around to see you and the rig?” Luna asked.
“Luna, something is wrong. I’m coming to you. Hold tight,” Dukk said as he engaged his propulsion in her direction.
“What’s going on, Dukk?” came Luna’s voice in a panic.
Dukk knew he was not going to get to her before she got to the end of the tether. He was going to need help.
“PAN PAN, we have a pack malfunction. I am still buddied, but I can’t shutdown Luna’s propulsion. Attempting intervention. Assistance required,” Dukk announced on the crew comms.
Luna’s tether went taut. She was swung around violently as the clip was attached to her chest harness. The outwards momentum was counteracted by the taut tether. It pulled her back towards the rig.
Luna screamed as she now raced back towards the rig.

“LUNA, I need you to listen,” Dukk said firmly in the comms as he targeted her with his propulsion guidance and engaged full power.
“Holy cow, help!” she answered.
“LUNA, I need you to unclip your tether. I can’t get you clear if we are tethered. Your momentum will smash you into the hull. Focus, Luna, focus.”
Dukk unclipped his tether as he raced towards her. He then gathered a lanyard from his belt and clipped one end to his harness.
Luna was still racing towards the rig. She was still attached to the tether.
“LUNA! UNHOOK, NOW!”
Luna could be seen struggling with the clip at her chest. She got it free just as Dukk crashed into her.

The combined momentum took them away at a tangent. They zoomed past the nose of the rig.
During the collision Dukk had managed to grab Luna. He now turned her around. Facing each other, he clipped the other end of the short lanyard into her harness.
“Look at me, Luna,” Dukk instructed.
“Everything is moving past so fast!” Luna screamed.
“We are spinning. Just look at me. Ignore everything else,” Dukk said calmly.
Luna looked at him. “What now?” she replied in a slightly less panicked tone.
“We hope someone reacted fast and got into a Transport pod. The crash took out our propulsion. But we still have suit integrity and air. Unfortunately, by my calculations we are now dropping towards the planet. The atmosphere here is light, but our speed will be enough to burn us to a crisp if we enter it.
“Oh shit!”
“At least we’ll not have to suffocate.”
“Is that an attempt at a joke?”
“Trying to lighten the mood.”
“Oh, in that case. So, this is cosy, some time alone together at last. Do you come here often?”
Dukk laughed. “Let’s get someone’s attention.”
“MAYDAY, MAYDAY, we’re going to need a pick-up!” Dukk said into the crew comms.

(to be continued...in the next chapter)

[Rule of Twelve, Double Take, Chapter 15 - EVA (Passage 5 of 5)]

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