Command Decision

Written for the Daily Flash Fiction Challenge with a word limit of 300.


The prompts: This story must contain the words: needle, locket and plate


Command Decision

As the needle ship flew through the outer edges of the mist-like clouds from the newly discovered nebula, Captain Nagel sat alone on the command bridge, a small locket held in his hand. With a practiced twist, he opened it to reveal a picture of a woman with her arms around a younger version of himself. Clare had given this to him the night she told him they were going to have a baby.

Their first had been a girl. They named her Gwen, after Clare’s grandmother. Ben was next followed by the twins, Cher and Doug. As the memories came, he wasn’t surprised to find his life’s highlight reel was all about family. His success at work was a distant second when it came to what was really important.

Now their children had children. Clare had passed on more than two years ago.

He wouldn’t let himself dwell on that last thought. He would be with her soon enough.

He looked up past the locket where a red light was blinking on the command console. It signaled a missing cover plate over an external power suite. Without that cover, a single microscopic bit of space dust could bring the mission to a tragic end. Someone would have to go out and replace the cover. Someone would have to be exposed to lethal amounts of cosmic rays coming from the nebula.

Someone would die.

The Captain’s eyes shifted to the left where a green light indicated that the ship’s other occupant, Lieutenant Jackson, was still safely tucked away in his cryo-tank. Nagel knew Jackson; knew his wife and young son as well. He knew that his second-in-command was just beginning to create his own highlight reel.

Someone would have to go outside.

Without another thought, Nagel reached for his spacesuit.

Word count 300