From total darkness they stood in a night full of electric light, and getting used to the light made it difficult for Liana to take in the situation they found themselves in now. Not only were they suddenly face to face with Marah and Frest who had drawn their weapons, but they also had five STC agents armed with shotguns and some kind of alien ray-blasters in front of them. "What?" Inaya muttered something like a curse when she saw that combination. There was no doubt left by now that the humans here were Oranderrans, and it was one of them who said the first word. “Follow us!” Their leader said, and Liana recognised the language as English,with an American accent. The leader of the STC agents was pointing to the edge of the roof, where the stairs began. Would they be brought to their leader now? Liana prepared herself mentally to do an emergency dimensional travel when needed, but for now she'd first see where they were brought. Maybe they’d finally get some answers now!
She vaguely noticed that one of the STC agents picked up their backpacks to take them too. For now she hadn’t completely parted with her sweater yet, and her phone, and she would certainly not leave them behind if she had any choice. Inaya looked at Marah with a glance which seemed to communicate a lot. They had Orranderrans with Orranderran weapons who took the initiative now? Marah was almost apologetically silent, but Liana knew she was communicating with Inaya via kah-yito. She could feel Inaya's questions pushing into her head too. “Oranderrans indeed. American soldiers or something like that, or rather paramilitary agents,” she affirmed wordlessly, “They have military clothes and they’re probably trained for war, but not from a national army.” On the chest of the men the same logo with the letters STC was visible again. “So the faction of the Onnobolda is collaborating with Hmana-orr themselves? These look quite dangerous to me.”
Marah had clearly understood it too, but her reply didn’t have any answer. “Andira will answer your questions!” was what Liana got back in Nummersil, but she didn't know how she'd even understood that. She barely understood the language.
They went down a flight of stairs. The whole area looked a lot more earthy in this artificial light, a bit like a scene from an over-the-top Hollywood movie with a climax which for some unknown reason took place in a large chemical factory. When they reached the ground floor they were led on through strange corridors, into the main building itself, which was the oversized ziggurat they had been trying to reach before. The mix of alien and terrestrial technology became more and more dominated by very weird Kavanderran machines as they progressed. Here and there they passed Nummerfa, Drotnira and American paramilitary STC-agents in camouflage suits, but they barely seemed to notice them. Many of the Orranderans carried boxes and suits, and they all were busy. Was there some kind of move going on? If so, the Nuanderrans didn't seem to be involved at all.
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Finally they entered a kind of elevator. One of the STC agents stayed behind, but other four STC agents, the two Nummerfil guards, Inaya, Lun and Liana took the elevator up. The officers continued to point their guns at Liana and her companions, but Liana clearly sensed that Marah and Frest on the one hand, and the Americans on the other, didn't trust each other at all either. Even though they were crammed together in the elevator, Liana still felt a sigh of recognition, and at least the illusion of recognition now. It was a weird relief to see completely familiar technology for once. The inside of the elevator was mostly made of mirrors, but above the control panel hung a large version of the logo that all soldiers also wore. “STC - Superior Tech Company.” So that was the meaning of the abbreviation, probably just the name of an American company, a multinational most likely. Why on earth were they in charge of a movement that wanted to exterminate all Earth people for the Nuanderrans who had never known war or greed?
They got out on the sixth floor, which again looked mostly like an alien world. They seemed to be on the top floor of one of the lower platforms of the ziggurat now. They had to walk a long outside corridor overlooking the base to reach wherever they were going. Liana noticed that the active part of the base was actually not as large as they'd imagined but there was a lot of activity going on for the hour of night. Liana noticed that all the people with their suits were moving in the same direction downstairs, as if they were doing a big move.
When they were stopped it was at a door that looked neither Kavanderran nor Oranderran, and seemed more out of place than the rest of the things they’d seen. They were led into a nearly-empty room in which they found what looked to Liana like haphazard boulders and pieces of tree trunks instead of the usual technology. In the whole room there was only one chair, on which they saw a long Nummerfil woman in black clothes. It was clear that she’d been expecting her guests.
“Ah, welcome to our little spies…”