noon
In a flash of insight , Corina realized that Sunbeam had , perhaps without fully realizing it , given her a very accurate capsule description . Greggson 's work was truly all he had : the Corps was his entire life , nothing outside had any meaning whatsoever . She found herself pitying him as she and Medart left with his agreement , on the way to speak with the rest of the shielded ones . The group that finally came together in Briefing Room One shortly after noon to form the assault team was an unlikely one , but the only one that would have any chance at all . In addition to those they 'd first spoken to , the Rangers had found a nurse , an engineer 's assistant , the ship 's junior navigator , and four other Marine officers . There was noticeable tension in the room when Corina called the briefing to order . They already knew the basic situation ; she could go directly to the assault itself .