Andira had just finished the last sentences of her grandiloquent speech when someone new entered, also a Nummerfil. Liana got the sense that the newcomer had already tried to report something through wordless communication that hadn't arrived because of the intensity with which Ananadra was absorbed in her own grandiose ideas that she’d been preaching. She came up to the leader and whispered something in her ear, and for a moment they stood still, face to face, and then she disappeared again through the same door. Andira seemed to process something for a moment, then returned a furious look at Inaya. “Apparently I underestimated you, my dear Councillor Inaya,. I just got word that the locked cell that I had built is completely useless now. It was supposed to be indestructible. The Superior Tech Corp will pay for their incompetence!”
She looked at the soldiers, one of whom struggled not to show that he understood, and the rest didn't seem to follow what was happening at all and seemed to be completely bored after the speech in a language that they hadn’t understood. “The Council of councils, on second thought, may have sent the best person they had… Or the least hopeless...” She let out another diabolical laugh as Liana protested. “That was…” But Inaya signalled not to go any further and Andira broke off her sentence at the same time. “Shut up, you vermin!”. She looked again briefly and flamingly at Liana, who still managed to keep her out of her own head. Then she muttered something to Marah, who ostentatiously pointed her weapon at Inaya again. Liana noticed she was more hesitant than before. Inaya the high councillor was indeed someone who still received some respect, especially among the regular Onnobolda Nummerfa.
“That gives me another problem, I have to lock you three up somewhere else now, without Inaya taking you directly back through the dimensions so you can report with the council and make some stupid plans on how they can stop me here. I don’t have the energy for that to be honest. She muttered something unintelligible to herself. It was clear that she was also becoming nervous about the Superior Tech Corp and whatever they were doing too. “But you're not my biggest problem right now. I have to check out those maggots first!” She leaned toward Inaya as if she were going to trust her with a secret. “It’s almost finished! The Superior Tech Corp almost have the weapons ready. And then it can start the real words and discard those idiots!" Again she laughed eerily.
Liana had the feeling that the STC agent behind her who had sent the text was having to hold back more and more not to respond. What was he thinking? What were these people actually doing here? How much would they be paid to work full-time in this lifeless alien world with its 28-hour days, unearthly lighting and strange architecture? How far did people go to make money? Did they need it to survive with their families, or just to be able to afford more luxury? And why was there one among them who understood Dutch if it was an American firm? But those questions were for another time. She noticed that at that moment no one really had a weapon pointed at her. Would it be possible to do the same escape she did when Ellen was chasing her, taking Lun and Inaya with her at the same time? And how would she handle that?
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Questions raced through her mind as she also had to keep an eye on Andira, who wasn't sure what she was planning to do with her and her friends. But while Andira seemed to be conferring with herself, everything was suddenly disrupted. A number of new heavily armed STC agents suddenly barged in, accompanied by a man in a grey suit who looked important. He, too, seemed to draw all the attention to himself just by being present, sort of like Andira did. Most of his men had their guns pointed at Andira, and a few held the other Numberfa and Drotnira present at gunpoint. Andira's gaze was spitting fire again. "You?" She looked at the man in grey with a deep hatred, even the worst look she'd cast at Liana had been nothing. She spoke to him in English, with a strange accent: “Hello John, why this unexpected visit? As you can see I'm busy now!"
The man addressed as John completely ignored her and walked slowly forward. “I have something to discuss about our contracts!” Andira's eyes lit up with anger. This was clearly not the intention! She gave an order in Nummersil to Marah, and he signalled Inaya and her companions to go outside. This was something the two chiefs had to arrange together. "Where are we going?" Liana asked, but there was no answer, probably because Marah wasn't quite sure about that herself. They were on their way to leave the room, and Liana was thinking about escaping when a fight suddenly started behind them, and it was over just as quickly. All the weapons aimed at both sides were apparently fired at once, by everyone, and a pandemonium broke out very quickly.
It didn't take long, the weapons both sides had already pointed at each other proved quite effective after one shot! Liana and Lun had grabbed Inaya's hands and dropped to the ground, aware that the Nummerfa who were holding them at gunpoint still saw them, but not the humans and Drotnira. But Marah and Frest didn’t only let them do that, they also instantly did the same.