“Like most sailors in the Exploration Age?” No, too mouthy.
McGowan let it pass. “The rule is no contact.”
Disappointment shuddered through me. “Yes, sir.”
Was I really going to cheer the aliens on from the shoreline? Could I make myself stand by if they started to drown in the next few minutes? By the time the contact team emerged, they might be dead.
“You don’t lower the line,” McGowan said. “You drop the free end into the boat.”
My pulse rocketed.
McGowan said, “Assume that something can climb up that line. No continuous line of contact with the alien vessel. Understand?”
“They have super-fast cooties,” I said, smiling so hard my cheeks hurt.
McGowan said, “Be sure it’s one of the excursion boats. No survival supplies.”
“Yes, sir.” If my grin got any bigger, my head would split
