"I-I don't know what to do! The gunny is dead and our second in command is who-knows-where so just do whatever the hell needs to be done!"
[i]”Splendid. Just what I was hoping for.”[/i] She thought grimly, motioned the man who introduced himself as ‘Jack’ to wait and leaned closer to the marine so they didn’t have to shout. “Well, I hate to burst your bubble of confidence in my abilities, but neither do I. I’m cooking out of water here. Alright. Hold the line, we’ll get the crew and the loading party inside, then it’ll be your turn. My officers and I will go last. No one’s tried to shoot us yet.” She saw a hand drag the marine away and turned to Jack.

“I’m sure you’ll excuse me if I don’t check with the Director or the HR department immediately. But given the state of things, I’m not going to complain about some help. Start moving the loading party into the ship. Once they are stowed away, go back outside and help hold the line. Once the marines are inside, we’ll fall back to the ship, hope the ramp closes fast enough and throw out anyone who tries to climb on board uninvited. Try not to hurt anyone too badly, these people look like they don’t like us too much as it is. Whatever happens after that is up to the crowd control teams. But as I don’t have any training nor experience with riot solutions that don’t include water cannons, shock batons and three platoons of infantrymen, I’m open to other ideas, so speak up if you have some.” Miranda was about to add something, but she was interrupted by the PA from within the ship as she drew her breath.

[b]"Attention all personnel. Return to your stations immediately. The ship will be taking off in 10 minutes."[/b]

“And there’s our deadline, so if you have suggestions, make it quick. Otherwise, start herding them inside.” she finished as the ground shook. [i]”What the…? This isn’t normal, is it?”[/i] She didn’t know, but certainly hasn’t felt any tremors since she arrived. But the three years she’s spent on a volcanic planet with daily seismic activity rubbed off on her senses. She opened a channel to Director Ogilvie again. “Did you feel that? What’s with these tremors? Did someone forget to mention a volcano or something when they sent me here?”

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