They say that going into cryo is the closest thing to death short of actually dying. I believe it.
When Michael Anderson woke from cryo at a distant alien star, he had no idea how isolated he would feel—no idea, that is, until his sole mission partner nearly dies in the thawing process. Twenty light-years from the nearest human being, without anyone else to help him, Michael must act quickly to save her life.
A 3,000 word excerpt from Genesis Earth. Won first place in the 2009 Mayhew short story contest at Brigham Young University.