Kate really did not know what to do.  After waking up she had been groggy, disoriented and generally unable to think clearly.  From what she could discern, she was in deep deep water.  When these people had boarded her ship she had no idea that they were rescuers.  Pete and her had thought that the destroyers had come to finish the work that they had started.  Therefore, her and Pete had been fighting for their lives when they had killed one of Captain Stanhouer's crew.

When Captain Stanhouer had told her to give him a reason not to flush Pete and her out of the airlock she momentarily panicked.  After all, what information did she have to tell him except that Pete and her had only been trying to save their own skins.  That did not seem like the kind of information that was going to keep her alive very long on this ship.

Then it came to her.  Secrecy had been instilled in the people working on The Project so this thought was far outside the box.  She could tell Captain Stanhouer about the Star Drive.  After all, she owed absolutely nothing to TransGalactic.  They had tried to kill her!  She knew she was being nieve but in academia things like this just did not happen.

Kate opened her mouth, ready to tell her story and closed her mouth again.  Could she trust Stanhouer to not kill her anyway.  She looked into his eyes trying to fathom just who this person was.  They were a flinty gray color with golden specks in them, really very handsome.  Kate had to laugh at herself.  Checking out a guy when you are about to die did not seem very sensible and Kate was extremely sensible.

After a monments decision making, Kate opened her mouth and began telling Captain Stanhouer about the StarDrive.  Somewhere, Steven Wrightly, formerly of the living and founder of TransGalactic, began spinning in his grave.