Tender, Tether, Shell
ShortStory 2,280 words Recommended by 3 award/anthology sources
"The intact remnants of Tess’ pressure suit sat alone at the bar, slumped before an untouched pint of beer. No one around the Waystation blamed Hae’cera for what they did after the reactor blew. According to the logs recovered after the accident, the blast killed Tess instantly while only damaging the alien’s shell."
Quasar links out; the story lives on Clarkesworld, where the author gets the click.