This mission would be easy if, you could pass up all the chests in this room. A Jetpack could take you over the walls and to the exit in a hurry, but....
When you start there are three enemies to deal with. Keeping mendel alive will be a great bennifit to you later, you'll see why, so just do it. If you have a "newer" recruit, like one that you picked up along the way and have been nursing him along, there are two chest behind the guys you can see to start. The near one has, +1 technical skills, and the far one has +20 equiptment.
The center will let loose some small spiders once you enter it, so don't go running in with hot weapons.
The two chest just through the wall from where you start, not the four in the middle or the three lined up along the far wall,contain +1 Battle Fitness, and +1 Light and Heave Weapons Skills. Very helpful, it is just a long way to go, you have to go through the middle, right around the corner, and back down again. It is not a problem for a guy with a Jet-Pack but he probably does not need it.