With each slow, deliberate breath, all she could think about was the fact that it would be nice to be able to panic. Unfortunately, that was an emotional luxury that escaped her. Her intense training at the space agency had taught her that survival in dire situations was based wholly on composure and preparedness.

If it would not cost her precious minutes of oxygen, she would let loose the most raucous laugh at her training. All of the flight simulators and the psychological tests and the emergency prep situations had reached the end of their usefulness days ago. And now she was certain that survival depended much more on luck than anyone would ever care to admit.

But then again why would they? Who would choose to venture into the cold, dark infinite in a tin can with three other people if there was no certainty of a safe return?

A slow smile stretched across her cold, tired face because even had she known what would happen to the the rest of the crew, she would have still come. She had to.