The Two Rico's (Starship Troopers Male Oc)

The Start

Carmen works alone on the empty bridge. She yawns. Zander brings coffee for the two of them.

Carmen: "Thanks. You read my mind. Third watch always seems to last forever."

Zander: "Oh, I don't know...Depends on who you are spending it with."

He caresses her hair. She kisses his hand. Zander notices the plot map.

Zander: "Profile's wrong... there."

Carmen: "No, I replotted the course. It's more efficient this way."

Zander: "Three weeks aboard a starship and you know it all, huh?"

Carmen: "Hey, check it."

Zander slides into his chair, runs a check.

Zander: "You know I was talking to Captain Deladier, and she said..."

Carmen: "Don't change the subject. Am I right?"

Zander: "Well, whad'ya know..."

Carmen: "Don't mess with the boss. So, what'd the captain say?"

Zander: "She got a command... and she thinks we oughta team up officially and crew for her. She thinks we're good together."

Carmen: "You and me, huh?"

 They start to caress again when suddenly ALARMS sound. Captain Deladier appears on the hot screen, still waking up.

Deladier: "Report."

Zander: "Captain, we are in the path of an unidentified object moving at near light speed..."

                Carmen and Zander frantically check their displays.

Carmen: "WHERE IS IT?"

Zander: "THERE! GRAVITY FIELD... IT'S BIG!"

Carmen: "It looks like an... asteroid."

Deladier: "In this part of the system?"

Carmen and Zander see it through the front screens. A huge ASTEROID tumble's directly towards them at terrific speed.

Zander: "Sweet Jesus...!"

Carmen breaks glass that reads EMERGENCY RETROS, arms the switch within and fires the rockets.

The Starship Athena torques to one side. The asteroid grazes the ship, cutting a huge gash in Athena's hull. Ice and rock travelling in its wake shreds communications equipment.

Carmen and Zander brace themselves as diamond hard particles pound the front screens. The ship continues to tumble.

A fighter loses its mooring, tumbling into other craft, explosions ripping the deck.

Crewman are sucked into space. Others hang on frantically as automatic doors seal Athena's wound and their fates.

Captain Deladier arrives on the bridge, now crowded as other flight officers rush to their stations. Zander's going through star charts.

Deladier: "Where'd it come from?"

Zander: "Trajectory indicates it came out of the Arachnid Quarantine Zone."