Outside the ship, I took a moment to look the other vessel over. It was huge. The skipper had to have been at least a little disappointed that it wasn’t clear for salvage, but Interstellar law dictated that we rendered aid to ships in distress when we found them, and he took the duty very seriously, unlike some salvagers. It was one of the reasons I had signed on with him. Also, I loved this kind of stuff: I evaluated the distance – about thirty meters – and chose a likely entry point – an airlock on a jutting fin closest to me – and I leapt. My heart soared with the freedom and danger of the maneuver as I glided across the gap. I had a little bit more spin than I had intended, and I couldn’t see where I was going, but I knew I was on the right course, so I detached my safety line, and drifted unencumbered the rest of the way.
I collided with the ship shoulder first, and out of the corner of my eye, I was sure I had seen some bit of flotsam drift away from the ship as I came to it, but I was too excited to pay attention. I got out my tools, and prepared to drill or torch my way through the airlock..
It opened.
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