...through the soles of his boots and rattled his teeth, the hatch gave way.

A cloud of crystallized atmosphere exploded outward, a brief, glittering galaxy of ice that vanished instantly into the

his own breathing, echoing in the claustrophobic dome of his helmet, and the high-pitched whine of overtaxed actuators.

Then, with a metallic shriek that vibrated

He gritted his teeth, pouring every Newton of force his suit’s servo-assisted joints could muster into the mechanical bar. For a moment, the only sound was the harsh, rhythmic rasp of

He braced his boots against the bulkhead, locking his knees, and pulled. For a terrifying second, nothing happened. The seals were frozen solid, welded by the absolute zero of the void. He gr

pressurized gloves of his EVA suit—to grip the manual release lever of the airlock. The metal was dead, coated in a skin of glittering frost that flaked off under his touch