California: A Copper Door Opens In Space (Episode 4)

Three meters of trembling copper light hang beyond a maintenance gantry, and it only brightens when Riven steps closer. In Episode 4 of The Drift Compact, a reach for the unknown goes wrong mid-handshake, and Noa and Jonas must finish a three-part reply before the door closes on their friend. Free to read online. California fans of tense, character-first space fiction can pick up the chapter from the series page.