Black Ice

two characters with the mind reading ability aren't very useful, but one can be quite helpful.

If they start reading each other's minds, it could lead to a funny situation.
By the way, there can be several groups, so the second character still won't be superfluous. And during a mission, group members may not always travel together, for one reason or another.
Besides, it's quite cheap. Only one skill point. If you have an extra one, why not? A shield is unlikely to be of much use.