New scifi story idea: two space ships tethered to spin together, Mars-bound on a multi-month trajectory, both carrying crew[1], and one of them has the cliched

New scifi story idea: two space ships tethered to spin together, Mars-bound on a multi-month trajectory, both carrying crew[1], and one of them has the cliched space horror encounter with nasty alien life -- tell the story mostly from the point of view of the other crew. What to do? [1]: Cargo can fly cheaper & slower, not worry about radiation exposure.