Security Officer Gregory Hardman was let go, quite literally, falling forwards and having to support himself on the hard floor with his hands. The muscles in his arms ached from all the pulling and dragging the two soldiers that had been holding him had been doing. He was surprisingly tired, as if he had just run a marathon although in actual fact he hadn't done much physical activity tonight, if not at all.
It had started subtlety enough, with the camera feeds going out one by one. Then the two guards had been sent to investigate, only to go missing as well. Timothy Lassay had gone out with a shotgun to take a look himself and he hadn't returned either. These armour-clad soldiers had soon arrived as well, marching in along with their obvious leader who was dressed quite differently and wasn't wearing a helmet. That helmet was tucked under one of the man's arms as he stood in the middle of a small aisle between stacks of crates, looking around with the purpose of finding one in particular. There were about five of the armour-clad soldiers standing nearby, tall and rigid and showing no signs of movement. Gregory didn't think that could be humanly possible but then again these soldiers still had their helmets on even though the air in here was perfectly breathable.
A thought occurred to Gregory then and there that maybe these soldiers, save for the blonde-haired man with the accent, weren't actually human. Maybe they were some sort of humanoid alien race or maybe they weren't organic at all…That would make sense more so than thinking they were actually human. Regardless of whether they were human or not Gregory knew they would kill him if he tried making a nuisance of himself. The blonde-haired man didn't seem to care much for the security guard who was now their prisoner and didn't even bother looking back at Gregory, instead he stepped over to one of the crates at the bottom of one pile and read the label on it quietly to himself, moving towards the next one. He stopped, frowned and said something under his breath which sounded foreign. Whatever it was it had most certainly been a swear word of some kind since the man went on to kick the nearest crate, the metal of the container thumping loudly. Unaffected by the obvious pain that would have followed in his foot the man shuffled over towards Gregory, looking down with some obvious anger, those typical good-looks of his scrunched into a malevolent snarl.
"What the fuck were you people thinking?" The insults came thick and fast but not as fast as the punch which struck Gregory across the jaw, sending him keeling over backwards only for the two soldiers behind him to catch him mid-fall and hoist him back up and onto his knees. Now Gregory's jaw ached dully and he felt like swearing back at the man but something told him this wouldn't be a wise idea.
"You fucking Alliance people are all the same," the man continued, "you don't even know how to organize some boxes in a neat, well-coordinated fashion. Do you know what you're doing, huh? Because I think you don't." The man's accent was quite noticeable now; something told Gregory it was either German or Austrian. His guess led him closer to assuming it was the latter.
Gregory didn't reply to the man's obvious intimidation and remained silent, now able to taste blood in his mouth from a cut that had formed during the punch. He spat, the bloody spittle landing at the man's feet but surprisingly the German or Austrian man didn't respond. Instead he turned around and began pacing back and forth, muttering to himself as he did so. Gregory couldn't hear much of it but from what he could hear he guessed it was something to do with the fact none of these crates were organized properly.
While the German or Austrian man was busy pacing Gregory managed a look around, the soldiers behind him letting him go again. He relaxed onto his knees, thinking whether or not it was actually worth trying to escape. This German or Austrian man was obviously off the rails but important enough to be in charge of these soldiers. Maybe the blonde-haired man had been expecting things to be a little more straightforward?
Something that Gregory couldn't quite understand was why they had spared him. He wouldn't be much help if things were to do with this vast underground storage area since Gregory hadn't even known that it had actually existed until tonight. Ahmad had always told him it was there and full of secrets but Gregory had always been doubtful of this. Now he knew the truth: it existed and was full of metals crates and containers rather than secrets. Unless, of course, these "secrets" were being kept inside these crates and containers but how many "secrets" could there be? There were way too many crates and containers inside here and it would take days for them to be all opened and searched. Maybe that was why the blonde-haired German or Austrian man was so upset: he comes here, to Klensal, with the intent of finding something in particular only to be thwarted when he realizes that there are so many crates and containers but no actual filing or other organization system. That might be because the Alliance people who send these crates and containers here have no reason to ever recover them again. That was saying something of the sensitivity of their contents but Gregory's thoughts about this were soon interrupted when a voice, not familiar but certainly not belonging to the German or Austrian man and not to the soldiers spoke up from somewhere behind him.
"What are you people doing here?" The voice was that of a man's and sounded frightened.
Gregory turned his head and saw, just off to his left, another prisoner. This one was of a man who looked to be in his mid-fifties and with greying hair. He was dressed in the uniform of the science team that was stationed here in the facility and rather than be a quiet and subdued prisoner like Gregory was this scientist had started yelling.
"What do you people want? We have nothing here that could interest you!" The scientist sounded desperate, close to pleading for his life. Gregory had the urge to tell the scientist to shut up since there was every chance his yelling could annoy the blonde-haired man and give him an excuse to shoot the both of them. One thing Gregory didn't want to do was die a prisoner. One thing his father had told him, time and again, was that dying as a prisoner was not a good way to go.
"There is nothing here that could possibly be worth anything to you!" The scientist shouted, "There's just junk here, that's all! Junk!"
The German or Austrian man turned around and shook his head, almost in a pitying manner. He approached the scientist and for a moment Gregory thought he would pull out his gun and shoot the scientist right between the eyes but this didn't happen. Rather, the blonde-haired man stopped in front of the kneeling scientist and smiled.
"Liars don't rank highly on my list of favourite people," The man said, leaning forwards and looking down at the scientist who managed to move back slightly, afraid he was going to get punched or struck in some other manner.
"You're lying to me, professor," The blonde-haired man continued, shaking his head again and standing back up straight. He paused for a moment, thinking about what he should do about the whingeing scientist and Gregory managed to catch a glimpse of the man's hand go for his holstered pistol. It dwindled there for a moment before falling away from it, as if the man knew that killing the scientist would make things more difficult than they already were.
"Nothing in here is junk, professor," the blonde-haired man said, gesturing with one arm towards the nearest stack of crates, "that's why I and some of my loyal soldiers are here. If there was simply 'junk' here, as you refer to it, I and my soldiers wouldn't be here. I'm afraid, though, that if you keep lying to me professor I may have to shoot you."
The scientist moved back a little more, cowering against the wall behind him. He didn't look up as the blonde-haired man followed him and didn't even manage a single glance at him as he bent his knees and became level with the cowering scientist.
"Tell me, professor, what do you do here? On Klensal?" The Austrian or German man was smiling, obviously enjoying his tormenting of the scientist. The scientist opened his eyes, having been expecting some sort of gunshot to end his life here and now but was surprised when this didn't happen.
"We ruh-ruh-research this planet and take samples and—"
The blonde-haired man held up a hand, signalling the scientist to stop talking. The man thought about what the scientist had said and shook his head, once again in that near pitying manner of his.
"You're lying to me again, professor," the man said, smiling a malevolent smile, "do you seriously expect me to believe that a well-respected scientist such as you researches samples of rock and ice?" The thought seemed to amuse the man somewhat since he chuckled. "That's bullshit, professor, and you know it." He prodded an accusing finger into the scientist's chest and laughed when the scientist winced.
"Tell me the truth, professor," the blonde-haired man continued, "here, in this facility which is located on some out of the way planet such as this, what do you and your science team actually research?"
The scientist was silent for a moment, shaking his head in a resigned manner. Gregory had been listening to the whole discussion and couldn't help but think that maybe there had been more to this facility than he had first assumed. The scientist was quite obviously hiding the truth in a somewhat feeble effort and this blonde-haired man with the German or Austrian accent was enjoying squeezing the truth out of him.
"Wuh-wuh-we research what's being stored here," the scientist said, a reluctant looking expression on his face, "there are…some, uh, interesting things being kuh-kuh-kept here…"
The Austrian or German man thought about what the scientist was saying, his face creased into a thoughtful expression. He patted the scientist on the shoulder, the man's mood having gone from angry to a somewhat calmer one.
"Very good, professor," the blonde-haired man said, smiling while he said it, "you finally told the truth. It's funny, a lot of you scientists are just such good liars, don't you agree?"
The scientist had no choice but to nod his head in agreement despite the fact he obviously disagreed strongly.
"Now, tell me, what can I expect to find in a place such as this?" The blonde-haired man kept smiling but stood back up, looking down at the scientist who was still cowering by the wall but a little calmer now.
"What are you looking for?"
This question was obviously what the German or Austrian man had been expecting since he reached into a pouch hanging from his waist and retrieved what looked to be some sort of photo. It was an old style photo developed from the outdated method of using film meaning it wasn't done with a digital camera. He handed the photo to the scientist who took it and looked at it for a moment, his eyes widening with surprise.
Gregory felt like he should know what these people were after but he knew that if he moved he might get shot. It seemed they mightn't need his help after all, not that Gregory would be able to supply much since he knew nothing about what was being kept down here. The scientist was probably the only one they needed to help them find what they were after, whatever the hell that was. For some reason Gregory had the feeling that they weren't done with him yet, having spared him for a reason. Hopefully a good reason as well since that way he might remain alive a bit longer.
"You're looking for that?" the scientist said just as the blonde-haired man snatched back the photo, putting it back into its pouch. "We don't even know if it's the real thing…"
"I'll know if it's the real thing," the blonde-haired man replied with a smile, "so, professor, do you know where it is? That way I and my men can get it and leave and maybe we'll spare you and the security guard…I'll give you a moment to think through your answer, professor."
Gregory winced at the way the German or Austrian man referred to him but knew that the only way he would get out of this alive is whether or not these soldiers and their leader would get what they were after.
The scientist, however, looked glum. He was frowning and deep in his own thoughts, having fallen silent while the blonde-haired man waited patiently for a response.
While the scientist was thinking this through the blonde-haired man turned his gaze towards Gregory, although Gregory didn't look back. Instead, he kept his head down and tried to avoid eye-contact, knowing that would probably be enough of an excuse for this off-the-rails German or Austrian man to kill him.
"You may be thinking about why you're still alive," the German or Austrian man said, a hand moving to Gregory's chin and forcing his head up so his gaze was up at the blonde-haired man with the malevolent blue eyes. "One thing I don't like is when people don't look at me when I'm talking to them, do you understand?"
The hand left Gregory's face, allowing him to nod in response. He wasn't about to give this man the satisfaction of verbal communication but this matter didn't seem to affect the German or Austrian man much. Instead, he continued speaking in a surprisingly calm tone unlike when he had first arrived here.
"Good, I'm glad you understand," the blonde-haired man continued. He paused for a moment before continuing, "by the way, my name's Dieter. You can call me that if you ever feel like speaking up, security guard."
Gregory nodded again. Dieter and nothing else, he thought, smart move, not giving me your last name. If I ever got out of here and reported this, the authorities would never be able to find you without a last name…
"What's your name, security guard? Or do I have to keep calling you 'security guard' all the time?"
Gregory realized that if he didn't answer Dieter would probably kill him or, at the very least, punches him again. Gregory's jaw was still throbbing as a result of the last punch so he decided to reply but limited the amount of words in his answers.
"Gregory Hardman…"
Dieter smiled, patting Gregory on the shoulder and giving an expression one would usually give when they had met a long lost friend.
"Gregory Hardman! Pleasure to meet you!" Dieter held out a hand in an offer to shake but Gregory merely looked at it and shifted his gaze away from the hand and Dieter as well, preferring to look towards the rough stone wall to their left.
Dieter dropped the hand and lost his smile although he didn't seem to lose his temper. Rather he looked down at Gregory with a slightly agitated gaze, snapping his fingers in front of the security guard's face.
"Mr. Hardman, look at me when I'm speaking with you!" Dieter spoke in a sort of mocking tone, reaching down with one hand and turning Gregory's head so that he faced Dieter again. Gregory didn't like being manhandled like this but there was little he could do about it so he decided that he would take it and try not to lose his cool. Dieter was obviously trying to get on his nerves or maybe he was just really moody, it was impossible to tell. Regardless, Gregory knew he would have to be careful with how he replied or moved. Dieter was on obvious loose cannon and could shoot him whenever he felt like it.
Dieter removed his hand from Gregory's face, letting the security guard relax a little. This seemed to provide an ample excuse for Dieter to start talking again, seemingly having forgotten all about the scientist who was still cowering by the wall, his gaze removed from everyone else in the room. The armour-clad soldiers standing rigidly nearby paid no attention to Dieter and Gregory, or the scientist for that matter, which was enough of a reason for Gregory to assume those soldiers weren't actually human.
"Gregory…you don't mind if I call you Gregory, do you?" Dieter said, almost innocently, his mood having changed again. Gregory shook his head and Dieter smiled. "You and I could get to be really good friends, Gregory, just don't try and escape. If you did that, I might have to kill you and I really wouldn't want to do that to someone like you…"
For a second Gregory believed Dieter but that belief diminished when he looked up and into the German or Austrian's blue eyes, seeing malevolence and darkness they contained. This man was not to be trusted, even if he sounded like he was telling the truth. Men like Dieter would probably be good at lying.
"Tell me, Gregory, do you know the true purpose of this whole facility? Did you even know of the existence of this underground level?" Dieter had taken on an inquisitive tone, expecting an answer and probably a thorough one at that from Gregory.
The security guard thought for a moment, well aware of what answer he would give but not quite sure how he should respond. Should he even be answering Dieter's questions? All indications lead Gregory to believe that Dieter wouldn't be hesitant about killing him if he became uncooperative so he decided to answer to the best of his ability. He was unable to keep the uncertainty out of his voice, the memories of Ahmad's death were still quite fresh in his mind.
"I wasn't told about the underground level," Gregory replied, his gaze moving to the cowering scientist briefly. Their eyes met and Gregory could see the fear in the scientist, the very fear that meant that no matter what Gregory said to Dieter the scientist would be killed. They both would be killed once they were no longer useful, no matter how Dieter was acting towards Gregory now. It was all a front for whatever his true agenda was and which, from what Gregory could tell, concerned finding a certain item in storage here.
"Why not, do you think?" Dieter asked, Gregory looking up at the semi-crazy German or Austrian and noticing that his eyes had lit up a bit now. "You were assigned to guard this place, but what exactly were you guarding? What did they tell you this place was for?"
"It was a research facility to research this planet, take rock samples, air samples, all that kind of thing…" Gregory realized that what he had been told all about this facility had been a lie. Only the scientists and Lassay knew, as well as Ahmad to some extent. Gregory and the other guards, most of them being trained soldiers, had been "left out of the loop" as some would put it. They had been assigned to guard a research facility and all were fairly certain that's what it was and most were in no position to care much as long as they were paid. Now it seemed there was much more to this facility than originally made out to be…
"They were lying to you, Gregory," Dieter said, his eyes wide and bright as if he had had a sudden and immense realization, "they only wanted your services and nothing else. They were lying to you the whole time, Gregory! The scientists knew! And so did the guy in charge! But you and all the other security guards and trained soldiers weren't told the truth. Does that annoy you, Gregory?"
For a moment Gregory did feel angry. If he had known the full truth and not just some guesses from his friend Ahmad maybe he would have tried a little bit harder at getting a transfer. If he had known that some third party led by a loose cannon of a man would arrive and kill a whole bunch of fellow colleagues then maybe Gregory would have preferred to stay off of Klensal. The Alliance had been liars to him and everybody but the scientists and Lassay, something of which made him feel alienated, used even. He had been used, convinced that his services were needed to guard this shitty little facility on an icy ball of rock in some far out system nobody outside of it gave a crap about.
That's when Gregory realized exactly what Dieter was trying to do. The German or Austrian was trying to get him on his side, to think almost like him and support him. The security guard had almost fallen for it and had been on the verge of agreeing with Dieter which would have been a grave mistake, yes, a very grave mistake indeed…
"It doesn't make me angry," Gregory replied much to Dieter's surprised, "it only makes me feel…betrayed."
Dieter seemed to think about this for a moment before he continued, unfazed by Gregory's unexpected answer and still in his bright-eyed mood.
"Would you like to know the truth about this place, Gregory?" Dieter asked, leaning forwards slightly, "the truth that the scientists and whole Alliance hid from you?"
Gregory did want to know the truth but he didn't want to voice that out loud. He was afraid of agreeing with Dieter but when he started thinking about this more it began to make more sense. What was wrong with learning the truth? It couldn't be much different from what Ahmad had guessed at numerous times but Ahmad himself certainly wasn't a reliable source.
"I'll tell you the truth Gregory," Dieter said, "regardless of whether you want to know. Besides, you know what they say? Knowledge is power…"
Dieter turned around, turning his back on Gregory for a moment and gesturing towards the stacks of crates that unfolded before them, filling most of the vast cavernous space they were in. The light fixtures up in the ceiling cast a shadowy glow over the containers and crates as well as whatever they contained.
"This is where the Alliance, the Alliance you served and the Alliance that lied to you, Gregory, keeps all its secrets!" Dieter shot him a crazed look, one that the security guard usually associated with people who were high on some euphoric drug, one that made them believe they were a god or something…
"Everything the Alliance and the human race in general wants kept hidden from prying public eyes and other species is kept here!" Dieter scanned the cavernous expanse before him with wide open eyes and an awed expression. "This isn't the only 'Secure Storage Facility' in existence, there are plenty more but this is the one which contains what I and my organization are after. The very item that will ensure our survival in a bleak future filled with chaos and destruction!"
This guy is nuts, Gregory thought, trying hard to contain his laughter. Despite all that had happened tonight, with all the killing and the punch he had received, Gregory couldn't help but find this Dieter guy quite amusing. He was crazy, his eyes filled with delusions of grandeur or whatever else you called it. Dieter had a problem, that was for sure, but he had been right about the lies the Alliance had been telling him and the other guards and soldiers. Even if there were secrets being kept down here Gregory sincerely doubted they had anything to do with this "bleak future" Dieter had just mentioned.
Dieter turned around, looking towards the security guard with crazed eyes.
"I've seen it in my dreams, Gregory! Whole skies filled with them, the very bringers of chaos, death and destruction themselves!" Dieter, once he had said this, suddenly seemed to calm down, his eyes returning to their normal, darkened state. He looked towards Gregory thoughtfully, as if expecting the security guard to agree or, at the very least, say something.
"What better place to store the most sensitive items of a whole governing power than on some out of the way planet where only the toughest microbes can live on?" Dieter asked, although it was more in the manner of a rhetorical question than one Gregory was expected to answer.
"You could hide anything here and the chances of someone finding it would be next to impossible!" Dieter laughed, a crazed, maniacal laugh which was enough to send a chill down Gregory's spine. "The Alliance is afraid of some of these items falling into the wrong hands but, let me assure you Gregory that I am not the 'wrong hands'. You have to understand that what I and my men are doing here is for the good of the human race and for the good of our future."
Dieter paused a moment, his gaze moving towards the scientist again and then back to Gregory. The scientist was sitting against the wall, calmly now and no longer cowering.
"I would have happily gone to fetch this 'package' I'm after myself, but it seems that the Alliance simply dumped their items down here without any sort of organizational system. It'll be impossible to find anything down here unless there was a great big arrow floating in the air and pointing towards it." Dieter shook his head, once again in that pitying manner of his. "I tried to get into the computer systems here but it seems they're surprisingly well protected and thus I wasn't able to get much helpful information from them. This is why I've kept the professor here alive, for now of course…"
Gregory wasn't quite sure whether Dieter was talking to him or not, the German or Austrian man's gaze having shifted towards the scientist who started whimpering quietly when he heard the latter part of what Dieter said. The German or Austrian man simply gave an innocent smile towards the scientist before turning his gaze back to Gregory.
"How would you like to be the one to go and fetch the package once I find out where it is exactly?" Dieter asked, smiling a surprisingly truthful smile which lacked that malevolence of his.
Gregory wasn't in a position to refuse, deciding to play it safe by agreeing. Dieter nodded in response and walked over to the scientist, using his right hand to hoist to scientist onto his feet by the collar and pinning him against the wall. The scientist yelped, almost helplessly and quite obviously fearing for his own life.
"Tell me, professor, where is it? What I showed you on the photo?" Dieter sounded angry now, as if all that happy-go-lucky and craziness had worn off as soon as he had stopped talking to Gregory. He pulled the scientist by the collar a little more and strangely enough, if Gregory's eyes weren't deceiving him, the scientist's feet lifted off the floor. Not by much, maybe about an inch or two, but it was still quite noticeable.
How could someone do that? They would have to be incredibly strong and Dieter looked well-built under the light armour he wore but otherwise he was just like any other soldier Gregory had seen. They were nothing too special, just enough to be able to get the job done in a fight. Gregory decided he wouldn't try thinking about it much more; he was already confused enough as it was. Tonight he had been punched, dragged and told a hell of a lot he hadn't known about this facility, having learnt that all he had previously known about it had been lies. That was typical, he guessed, you couldn't even trust your own superiors…
"I know you know where it is, professor, so don't lie to me," Dieter said, his voice taking on a menacing tone, "don't try giving me any fakes either. I'll know if it's the real thing or not."
The scientist, scared out of his mind and with the clear belief that he would be dead regardless of what he said to Dieter, replied in a croaking, squeaky voice. The confidence had all but left him and as if to prove this a darkened puddle had begun to form at his crotch in his blue standard-issue uniform trousers. Dieter ignored this, much more intent on squeezing the information he wanted from the scientist by any means necessary.
"It's…It's in a container marked BMH-0018…"
Dieter dropped the scientist abruptly, letting the middle-aged lab-coated man to start cowering by the wall again. He was terrified but the German or Austrian didn't notice, instead looking down at the scientist and frowning.
"Could you pinpoint the location of this container for us, professor?" Dieter asked, "Or is that impossible, considering these crates and containers aren't in any sort of organized setup?"
The scientist looked up, his face grave. It was as if he knew his death was coming and had resigned fighting, simply glaring at the German or Austrian man and shaking his head.
"It's not here…"
Dieter's face contorted into a snarl and once again he picked up the scientist by the collar, pinning him to the wall. The scientist yelped almost helplessly but Dieter took no notice and instead started yelling angrily. He hadn't been expecting news like this and so was now very angry that this was the case. Gregory even felt some surprise, closing his eyes when the scientist's words registered in his mind. How could it not be here? Dieter and these soldiers had come all the way here, to Klensal, with the sole purpose of getting this container and it just so turns out it's not here! No wonder Dieter looked like his head was about to explode. Gregory guessed that the scientist would be killed now that it was obvious he was no longer useful. Gregory realized his death would soon follow and Dieter and his soldiers would leave their bodies down here, heading back up to the surface and leaving by whatever methods they had arrived by.
"Where the fuck is it, then?" Dieter said, his grip tightening on the scientist's collar. The scientist looked far too frightened to reply but after a few seconds he did manage to form a broken sentence, one that was enough of a reply for Dieter.
"It…wuh-wuh-was muh-muh-moved…Last week…"
"Where to?" Dieter had lifted the scientist off of the floor by a few inches again and Gregory was still trying to figure out why the German or Austrian was strong enough to do that.
"Talerian…" The scientist was barely able to say the word, his voice more of a gasp for air than anything else. Not only was Dieter holding him by the collar but now the German or Austrian had him by the throat and was slowly constricting his airways, the scientist's face taking on a red tinge.
"Where?"
Dieter hadn't heard the word and in response had tightened his grip a little more around the scientist's throat. The scientist himself was quite literally gasping for air, beginning to writhe about where he was held. Both his hands went to Dieter's one at his throat but this attempt at struggle was futile.
"A secured…facility…Talerian…"
Dieter heard this, his face relaxing and nodding in approval. Rather than let the scientist go and drop to the floor he pulled the scientist away from the wall and threw him towards his right. Gregory watched with some surprise as the scientist was hurled into a stack of metal crates, knocking a few of them over before disappearing behind them, no longer visible from where Gregory knelt. Dieter didn't take any notice in the scientist's fate, merely brushing his hands against his armour and turning around, looking towards Gregory with a neutral and carefree expression. Gregory looked back, their gaze meeting for a moment.
"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine," Dieter said, most probably referring to the scientist he had thrown aside with superhuman strength. "You will be fine as well, just as long as you don't do anything stupid."
Gregory simply nodded, having no intention of doing anything "stupid" as Dieter had put it. Dieter approached the kneeling security guard and simply looked down at him, some interest crossing his face.
"Stand up," he said simply. Gregory slowly rose to his feet but kept his hands on his head, noticing how the several possibly non-human armour-clad soldiers had all turned their heads to look at him.
"Put your hands down, I know you won't try fighting," Dieter said and so Gregory took his hands off of his hand, letting them rest naturally by his sides. He had no clue as to what Dieter's intentions with him were but he doubted they would be anything good. Getting on the wrong side of Dieter would probably be a huge mistake seeing as the German or Austrian man could toss aside people as if they were simply rag-dolls. How he did that was beyond Gregory's knowledge and deep down inside the security guard he could feel some sort of curiosity begging him to ask how. Humans were naturally curious, just like cats were.
"Have you ever been to Talerian, Gregory?" Dieter asked, reaching into a pouch at his waist and opening it. For a moment Gregory thought he might have been reaching for a weapon but was relieved to find that it was simply a pack of cigarettes that Dieter removed from the pouch and not a knife. Dieter casually put the end of one cigarette into his mouth and lit the end with a lighter he had retrieved from the same pouch. Putting the lighter away he puffed a few times on the cigarette, the smoke getting into Gregory's eyes and making them water slightly. Gregory didn't complain about the smoke though and simply stood listening to what the German or Austrian had to say.
"I…I've never heard of the place…" Gregory replied hesitantly, unsure of whether Dieter had been expecting an answer or not.
Dieter grunted in an understanding manner, taking the cigarette away from his mouth and shrugging.
"Figures. It's a shitty little world in a cluster near the Sol System," Dieter said, "but we're going to have to go there if we are to track down this package, my friend."
Gregory frowned at the way Dieter used the term "we're" as if he was referring to himself and Gregory. The addition of the words "my friend" while obviously referring to Gregory further help heighten the security guard's uncertainties about what was coming.
"You see, Gregory," Dieter said, taking on an understanding tone and showing no sign of his previous anger, "if I were to walk around the streets of the settlement there with some of my soldiers, chances are I'll get noticed. But if you did the searching and ran some errands for us we would receive very minimal attention. Do you follow what I'm saying?"
Gregory nodded. It seemed that at least he would survive this encounter but somehow he didn't think it was worth being made to work for this loose-cannon of a man. Dieter was dangerous and so were his soldiers, regardless of whether those soldiers were human or not. Tonight they had killed a several trained Alliance soldiers as well as Lassay and Ahmad which lead Gregory to assume that the only reason he was still alive was because of simple luck.
"Don't worry, none of what you will do for us should be very dangerous," Dieter said, "hell, maybe I'll let you go after the package we're after on Talerian. Time will tell, though, my dear friend Gregory…"
Gregory didn't say anything in response. Dieter didn't look to have been expecting an answer and merely smiled while putting the smoking cigarette he had in his right hand back into his mouth. He puffed some more before turning around and stepping towards the elevator, pressing the "call elevator" button on the panel by it. The doors opened and Dieter stepped inside, turning around and gesturing for Gregory to follow. For a second Gregory was hesitant, having expected the armour-clad soldiers standing near him to have gone in before him but Dieter sensed what he was getting at and merely shook his head.
"Don't worry about them, Gregory," Dieter said, "they still have some things do to down here. You and I, on the other hand, do not. So come into the elevator and we can talk a little bit."
Gregory didn't seem to have much of a choice and so walked on into the elevator, the doors closing behind him. Dieter, at this proximity, certainly seemed taller than Gregory. He was almost a head taller than the security guard and smelt of expensive deodorizer, implying that Dieter was one with expensive tastes and good funds.
The elevator started on its way up to the surface facility a few seconds later. This was enough of an excuse to make Dieter start talking even if Gregory didn't feel like a conversation with someone who had just lead a raid that had killed a few close friends.
"You realize, my friend Gregory, that the Alliance is run by incompetent fools?" Dieter asked, although this was more of a rhetorical question than a proper one. Gregory didn't answer and didn't need to anyway, Dieter continuing along on his own accord.
"They've been trying to get their seat on the galactic council for some time but I, and many others, don't see the point. I personally believe us humans should put this Council business aside and ignore them completely. The alien species, you see, have no idea what's coming which is why I came here, Gregory.
"I came here looking for something, something that I and my associates have been tracking for a long time now. With it us humans can protect ourselves from the bleak future and let the other races burn, in a quite literal fashion."
Gregory didn't say anything. Already, in his mind, he could tell that this Dieter was an alien-hating bigot who thought he could see the future. How he could have had only been hinted at and yet how could a crazy man who has dreams about a so-called "future" have the resources to host a raid like the one that had occurred here tonight? Gregory realized that, throughout history, many "crazy" people had reached positions of power. Take all those dictators from the twentieth century, such as in Nazi Germany and early 21st century Venezuela. Dieter was probably no different, with all the necessary resources at his disposal which more or less enabled him to do as he pleased. For all Gregory knew Dieter probably held some sort of position of power, whether it be the military, government or something else.
"You may not accept the methods my soldiers went to so I could gain access to this facility but you shouldn't blame them. After all, the guards here would have fought us and made us suffer unnecessary casualties. The deaths that occurred here tonight are really just a minor pitfall in the plans I and my associates have created to ensure the survival of the human race."
Dieter's words were going through one of Gregory's ears and out the other. The man was a moody lunatic and so didn't deserve to be listened to, although just in case Gregory was asked any questions he made sure to keep enough tabs on Dieter's ramblings so that he could answer to a reasonable standard. Thankfully the elevator stopped, Dieter stopping his talking as the pair of them stepped out into the corridor beyond, close to the room where Ahmad's corpse lay.
You killed him, you crazy German…
Gregory remembered something that had been nagging away at his mind ever since he had met Dieter and it was a simple enough question, one that hopefully Dieter wouldn't mind answer.
"Uh, Dieter?"
"Yes?"
Gregory tried to find a non-offensive way of putting the question. He had no way of knowing that Dieter would kill him or not regardless but he doubted it, the German or Austrian had seemed to settle on what he wanted Gregory to do.
"Are you German? You certainly sound it…"
Dieter heard the question and laughed. It was a light-hearted chuckle with no malevolent undertones but unsurprisingly it didn't last for very long.
"I'm Austrian, you idiot."
