"With all due respect, Colonel, that's a different question," Sharon points out. "But the answer is: because if I'm going to be working with them, it would be beneficial for us to have a face to face. To successfully infiltrate with the lowest amount of risk, I need as much information as possible."

She shakes her head. "But we can use the established message chain if that would be too risky. Without knowing what that looks like or how you manage it or how long it takes to get intel, I can't determine the best course of action."