Nikolai

"Hey, Nikolai." I could hear a voice outside of the cell. I came up to the bars and looked around until I spotted movement. It was Dempsey coming with a plate of food for me, I didn't even think about how late it was, then again I'd been sleeping off the day.

"Tank...I'm surprised it's you and not some other man. Usually you're out on patrol this time of day, right?" I commented.

"It's storming, I'd rather not take the chance of damaging the Duneracers. Damn things are jerry-rigged enough as it is I don't want to have to buy brand new parts for 'em." he explained.

"I see, Smith & Weatherly are late this year aren't they." I continued. Dempsey shoved the plate through to my side of the bars and I took it happily.

"Sobered up yet?" he asked me in a slightly angry tone. It'd been two days since I'd drank, and it was a good chance that I wouldn't get another drink for the rest of the year.

"Da, I'm good." I answered starting on the chicken breast. He just nodded and pulled up a chair and sat close to the bars in front of me.

I knew what he was going to rant about, he was always trying to do what Ian had done for me when I did stupid things.

"I know you and the doc got off on a bad start, but you can't just go around picking fights with the wrong people." he started. The wrong people, what did that mean he was part of some gang or something.

"I'm not afraid of him, I don't see why you are. He's tiny, scrawny compared to me. Given the proper chance I could easily take him out." I replied.

"Nikolai!" he yelled.

I messed up again, I seemed to be doing that a lot, like an idiot child.

"It doesn't matter if you can take him out or not, he's a guest here...besides, it's best not to dig our own graves anymore than we have already." he went quiet.

"You say that like there's some catch to having him around. Other than the fact that he's a total psycho."

He didn't say anything for a while he just shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"I read some of the files on him, curtousy of Dr. Maxis lending them to me." he answered.

Were they really that bad that he'd worry for the safety of the outpost, and even for me.

"Just what are we dealing with Tank?" I tried to ask.

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you. The documents were all classified, eyes only and can only be read with Maxis' approval which I got. So, you'll just have to trust me on this. You leave Dr. Richtofen alone, it's bad enough you've already stirred the waters." he explained. The look on his face was grim almost as though he were scared of what could be unleashed.

If Tank was this afraid of what lay underneath the facade of that scientist then it was truly best to let my anger go.

"All right Tank, you convinced me. I will not harm the man...but," I paused, "if he so much as lays a single scratch on someone in this outpost his ass is mine, repercussions or no."

He chuckled a little and sat back in his chair more comfortably now.

"You never change do you?" he chided.

"Hey, once a fighter, always a fighter." I replied wolfing down the rest of the food on the plate and belching happily.

"So how much longer until you let me out?" I asked.

"I can let you out tomorrow, but you're not going to be doing training anymore and your drinking privileges are revoked until further notice. If I, or anyone else, catches you sneaking a sip you're back in here. Got it?" he replied.

"Da, da. Just like Ian used to do, I got it."

"Good, cause we also confiscated all of your vodka while we were at it." he added.

"You what?!" I shouted.

"Well what'd you expect, you think we didn't know about the crates of vodka in the floor boards." he laughed.

It was at my expense too, but I kind of had to laugh with him. It was a pretty stupid assumption that no one would ever figure out where they were. It went quiet after we were done laughing, and it became a little awkward after a while.

"So... Rune's pitched in some suggestions lately." Tank said breaking the silence between us.

"Suggestions, what about?" I asked.

"About the militia and... well I can't say I don't agree with her on a certain level." he explained vaguely.

"Tank...? This isn't about replacing Ian is it... because I don't think it's a good idea. Especially with what you just told me. I mean training isn't even over yet, and you're thinking about it now?!" I responded.

"We need someway to fill in that void in the defenses."

"Tank, at least think about it a little more before you even truly consider putting him with us. I mean, I've experienced what he can do already and I don't doubt Richtofen could be handy in helping defend the place, but you know how I feel about it."

He stroked his chin and started getting up from his chair, putting it back against the wall.

"I know Nikolai, but don't get your hopes up about not taking him in. We need somebody, and he's the only one I've seen so far on par with Ian, at least in the experience scale." he said before leaving. I was alone again in the jail left to dwell on that bad note despite having been glad just minutes before.

"Chyort." I cursed.


Maxis

"Day Four: Another drab day has gone by; research is slow, the basic training is painfully dull and to top it all off that blasted fool Edward has gone and made a show for himself. Just what we need another repeat of what happened on Mars... but I don't think it's all his fault. I checked his medication the other day and from what I've been seeing he may need a stronger dosage to keep him in check. Another thing to add to my list of growing concerns, not to mention the DNA results from some of the militia, two in particular. They show great promise in their genetic structure, something our military employers will be pleased with." I relayed into the small cylindrical recording device.

These four days had been painstakingly slow in terms of progress within anything, excluding the DNA tests from the blood samples we took from the militia, but even then we had to wait until the training was over to get it really going. If things could go a little more smoother it'd be a god-send instead we were stuck with this terribly timed weather and just about everybody in the militia was paranoid of Dr. Richtofen. Had he still been that young student of mine I wouldn't have had any problem with punishing him, but that was a long time ago. Now I was beginning to feel as though I was long past my time trying to find the one thing that I'd spent my whole life tracking down. I had to remember that if I did succeed we would be rid of this Dukni menace and have an infinite source of which to draw upon to fuel humanity for eons to come.

I sat alone in my chair, my thoughts overlapping each other sometimes clearing enough for me to remember that I had other things I was doing this for. My daughter, Samantha, who was still on Earth studying in Berlin under the guidance of one of my former students now a professor at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences. I hadn't seen her in person for over two years now, so many things could have changed in that time, but I always checked in every month or so and even then she told me everything was fine and I had always accepted that answer. What if everything wasn't fine, what if she was having difficulties in her studies or perhaps she had a relationship she wasn't telling me about. That thought made me shiver, if so it better not be some low-life brute or an idiotic pretty boy only getting by with his parent's money.

All the thinking about my daughter made me start to feel homesick, perhaps in a few months I could take a trip back to Earth and see her in person. I think she'd like that more than I would, she always said she missed me. She was always my little girl, no matter how old she got or how many honors she received.

"Dr. Maxis." I heard Edward call from outside of my door. I snapped out of my thoughts to address him.

"Ja, what is it?"

"You've got someone who would like a word with you." he answered.

That could have meant a whole plethora of things, but I didn't have the patience to ask any excruciating details.

"Let them in." I ordered and the door was pushed open. I was thoroughly surprised to see the young militia-woman standing there. She came right in without a quiver in her step or a nervous glance at Edward who, to anyone else, would have been a concern for being so close.

"Dr. Maxis, I wanted to speak to you about some things concerning your group." she spoke, but her eyes said something different.

She wanted a private talk, without any other ears around to hear it. I looked to Dr. Richtofen who was standing expectantly in the doorway.

"You can go back to what you were doing Edward." I ushered him away.

"Of course doctor." he replied before turning and closing the door leaving Ms. Albana and I to speak in private.

"Vhat is it you need to talk about?" I asked immediately. She wasted no time either quickly taking a chair and seating herself across from me.

"I would think you've looked over this outpost's history, correct." she said.

"Ja, I have und I have to say it's a bit depressing at times. Four men lost in ze course of only two years, even New Shield doesn't lose zhat many in five years time." I answered.

"And that's where I start my case. We're short on experienced members and we're low on the waiting list for any skilled defense to get posted here." she made it short, sweet and to the point.

"I'm guessing you've taken an "interest", if I may say, of Dr. Richtofen zhen." I concluded.

"Yes, but it's not decided fully yet. We're considering the option of putting him into the militia, but because of the recent uproar we've been reluctant to just okay the action."

It was good to see that they weren't blindly taking him in, and with the files I'd given Dempsey this whole scenario was probably because of what he'd been able to read on him.

"I understand your reluctance to do so. Taking him in has it's pros und cons even to Group 935 it's still a struggle to make sure things don't get out of hand." I added.

"Cons or not, he's got the experience we lost when my fath...I mean when Ian was killed. We could use the help especially if that means warding off the Dukni more effectively." she stressed. They were that desperate for experienced militia... well what I'd seen of some of the others' behaviors did make it seem like they were an incompetent bunch other than the four running the whole defense.

"So vhat exactly are you asking me to do?" I questioned.

"If we end up doing this we'll need Dr. Richtofen's cooperation and..."

"Say, no more. He's already in cooperation... isn't zhat right Edward!" I called specifically to the hallway outside of my office. As expected the door opened slowly and there he was standing with his hands behind him looking expectantly at the young lady.

"You just can't keep your curiosity under wraps can you." she commented giving Edward a cold look.

"It's saved my life more time zhan you vould think." he responded in a mildly humorous tone.

"Vell, go on und tell Sgt. Dempsey zhat should you all end up going through vith your decision he's ready to lend his expertise." I urged her. She looked back and me and stood up from the chair.

"Thank you for your time, sir." she said before leaving my office. Richtofen stepped back and let her pass and then came back into the doorway. It was quiet for a moment as we just stared at each other.

"Won't you be glad to be out and about." I chided.

"I'm not an old man like you Dr. Maxis, I'm still very much in my prime." he chuckled.

"Is that why your hair's started to gray?" I mocked. I saw him instinctively trace the gray hair near his ears.

"That's from stress, it doesn't count." he retorted.

"Face it Edward, you're thirty going on sixty before you know it they'll put you back on Earth as a college professor for the rest of your life." I joked.

"You know I'd kill myself before I let that happen."

We both had a good hearty fit of laughter, it was nice to ease some of the tension that had been building since we'd gotten here. He left soon after, closing the door like always and probably going back to his room. I couldn't help, but worry about him sometimes as though he were still that young teenage prodigy just starting his work on the Ray Gun. How many years ago was that, twenty or so? Edward was right, I really was an old man.