Rick

"That was close," said the Captain calmly.
I felt fear, electric, clenching.
"Next time we won't cut through the belt."
He was confident, relaxed.
Finally I relaxed too.
There won't be a next time for me, I said to myself.
Behind me, lay the adventure of a lifetime.
Beside me, beyond the ship’s silver skin, lay death.
Ahead, a tiny blue dot of hope punctured the black velvet of night.
"Next stop Earth."
I'm coming home.