As they pass the fallen xenos, Hannabel stops briefly to pocket one of their pistols. Know thy enemy, crewman, she silently quotes a half-remembered instruction from her first bosun.

"If finesse won't do it, ladyship, brute force might carry the day. Magos, when you have a minute - would you care to use that big axe and cut open the door to the pilot's compartment? Or, if you're too busy - care to let one of us have a swing?"

Suggestions for dealing with the pilot's compartment done, Hannabel snaps off a question at the sergeant. "What exactly happened here, sergeant? Why did the shuttle crash?"