A Crash

    Gunshots rang out and the thing rushing Blanchard dropped. As she removed herself from the access panel, her leg dropped and Kevin could see the pistol she was holding between her legs.     "Impressive Shooting. I wasn't sure you knew it was coming at you." There may have been a measure of awe in his voice.     "It was nothing" she replied while surveying the scene around them. "You seemed to have taken care of your fair share. Now, should we get back to the bridge and let Andere know that we should have engines?"      She started toward the doors, but Kevin stopped her. "Hold on. I'd like to ask you some things before we head back..."         Blanchard glanced around the room. "This doesn't really seem like the best spot for it Ell Tee. But in your place I'd be hungry for answers too, so go ahead, shoot."

      Blanchard only took a moment to crack into the engines access port. Kevin was asked politely if a tad forcefully - from a subordinate to boot, though he still barely remembered her - to watch her back while she figured out why the engines weren't working. "I don't want one of those toothy fuckers biting me in the ass, you know? And this might take a minute," she had said before climbing most of the way into the access port, "especially since I really don't know what I'm doing."     "Then why are you back here?" Kevin asked as he kept watch.     "Easy answer. You see an abundance of other volunteers on this ship?"     Kevin had noticed a distinct lack of other survivors. As far as he knew, he, the captain, and the corporal were the only survivors on the 'tin can' as Blanchard had called it. He kept his head on a swivel and his eyes open. Kevin was sure that the only way to get back home would be for her to get the eng...