Page 297 of Commander’s Mate

MOVEMENT.

Not every person would move through them at the same speed.

Not every person would use every stage.

That was the point.

Ari looked at Zared.

“What if command needs information before survivor is ready?”

“Then command explains why.”

“To who?”

He looked at me.

I looked at Ari.

“To the survivor when possible.”

Ari nodded.

“And when not?”

Zared answered.

“Documented emergency authority. Reviewed after.”

She considered.

“You can be wrong.”

“Yes.”

That answer mattered.

A commander admitting systems could be wrong felt more useful than promising they never would be.

Nora brought up the family reunion failure.

Oren and his sister.

No one used their names in the general record.

We discussed the procedure instead.

Family match was not reunion.

Family match was information.

Contact remained a separate choice.

Zoe added mobility requirements.

Scarlet added security without visible confinement.

A mining survivor added language access.