Only a couple of minutes had passed, yet to the two survivors sitting down at the large desk inside of the Brig, it most likely seemed to be an eternity. After some waiting, Alfred, a synthetic, walked in to talk to them.
�Good morning�, he greeted them, putting on a smile, and he quickly made his way to the desk where they were sitting at. The two survivors, still apprehensive, only gave him a look of wariness as they waited to hear what he was going to say.
�I am Alfred, a third generation Hyperdyne Systems synthetic. I have been assigned by the Captain of the USS Almayer to receive your testimony. I must apologize for the inconvenience the military police caused you by forcing you to disarm, and I understand this experience might be traumatic for you, but could you indulge me and my questions ?�.
The first one, dressed in a white lab coat and with a 5 o� clock shadow, answered. �What fucking stupid questions ? I just want to get back down to my fucking home, without you fucks occupying the whole goddamn place !�.
Alfred hesitated. �Please calm down. This will only take up 5 or so minutes of your time, as I said, just indulge me. I assure you I am much more sympathetic than the others that may be sent down to speak to you.�.
The first one relented, and the second one nodded to the first one. �Alright�.say what you have to say, then.�, the second one said, looking at Alfred.
Alfred cleared his throat. �The Military Police already got your story, my questions are of a different type. In your testimony previously, you said that the �movement� had been growing for months before that..could you care to clarify ?�
He looked visibly uncomfortable as he replied, �Mitch and some of the other miners got very angry with the way the marshals were treating people. Said it violated the constitution, and some other shit. I-I don�t know what happened to Mitch, but from what I heard he got illegal weapons shipments from somewhere in the inner colonies, something about connections to militia groups. After that, I..umm..I dunno what happened, I just know that a lot of the other colonists I knew disappeared, Mitch was arrested, and then the marshals started looking for them. After a week or so, they attacked from the jungle and crippled the security forces almost instantly.�.
Alfred nodded, smiling at the man. �Mitch seems to draw to the sovereign citizen archetype than anything else, I think. Although his tactics seem to draw from that of the literature of the communist guerrillas in the mid 20th century. As for the militia group, are you positive they aren�t associated with the CLF ?�.
The second one, a large man with a beard and wearing a miners uniform, having been silent for a while, cleared his throat. �CLF don�t kill everyone they can and then disappear. They aren�t CLF, I don�t know who they associate with. From what I know, they don�t want independence or any other of that shit the CLF spew, but I�m not sure. All we know is that they�re out there in the goddamn caves waiting for you to go down and try and deal with them. The people left from the attacks are still under martial fucking law for no good reason, too, and all I know is that the fucks are still out there. They. aren�t. CLF. The distress signal wasn�t our goddamn idea, yeah ? We just want to get back to our fucking homes without all this bullshit.�.
Alfred nodded, saying, �I understand completely. Fortunately for both of us, that is all I was ordered to clarify from you two. Thank you for your time, and I�ll see if I can arrange for the Alamo to take you down on the next drop. As part of the regular stipulations, a military police officer will escort you.�.
The first one snorted and shook his head, but neither of them said anything. Alfred keyed his radio headset, informed command of his findings, and started his route back to the CIC.