“I considered this, and it’s certainly an option. But, we don’t know how many chances we’ll get to collect the data we need. We might only have one more opportunity, lasting just a few minutes. Even if we can insert safely this time, without enough people to man the rig, we'll be running virtually blind again, unable to make a proper judgement.” Freyr glanced at the Captain, who was listening intently. She was glad people were beginning to take the risks seriously. She had only just gotten started explaining [i]those[/i].

Freyr tapped her nail on the holo-screen’s base. “My preference is to go in with a full team of scientists and a minimal complement of military personnel, to collect as much information as we can as fast as possible. Marae expressed her concerns about terraforming the ground we use, which increases the risk of this strategy even higher, but I believe it's our best shot at gaining useful intel if the entity is unable to respond. The payload may not take too kindly to this, but the rig is defensible. I think we can manage.”

"It's my head if we lose our best scientists because of a lack of security. I have to insist we send my marines in to guard the rig. That leaves the Rothians and the Sacred Band free to neutralize any threats before they get close. Right?" Captain Andersen directed the last syllable at Rareth, still unsure what role Rothia was going to be playing.