Plans!
“All right, what are we actually doing, sir?” Buckley asked over the private circuit. Tobias and Lillian had found the internal airlock to the power section activated, with temperature warnings on the other side. Not that either of them intended to unseal anyway, but it was a handy excuse.
“Your orders are to get the crates into the cargo hold, Corporal. While you’re doing that, we’re getting the other two and bringing them back as well. If you can figure out how to decontaminate Hawthorne, run it by me. Otherwise, we’ll put all three in external quarantine on the trip back. If I have to, I’ll just lock their suits. That’ll hold them until we’re back at Heinlein.”
“Got it, sir. And if she gets violent, sir?”
“Restrain her if you can. But you are authorized to use deadly force to either defend yourself or achieve the mission objectives, Corporal Buckley. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir! Hope it won’t come to that, sir.”
“Same here, Corporal. Check in every fifteen minutes.”