Interesting Times - Chapter 53

November 8th, 2173

12:28

Illium, Tesale-System

Nos Astra

Ad Astra HQ

He stood on the steps of the main entrance to the Ad Astra HQ building, looking up its impressive height.

It was a massive building, housing hundreds of workers and other employees. Even the reinforcements of security officers that still trickled in with every passing day would have a place to stay in the building's barracks.

Workplace, hospital, residence. It was all that for Ad Astra's employees and more.

It was a veritable fortress, a bastion of humanity on a world otherwise inhabited by aliens.

Was it any wonder that Gregor was in awe?

Even should Illium's alien population turn hostile against the humans living here, this fortress could give them shelter and defend them until help arrived, even if this help had to travel through the whole galaxy.

If he didn't have his current position, Gregor would have sent in his application to work for Ad Astra years ago.

Yet, if the chance to change his employer came across, he would stay with his current one without hesitation. He knew what he was doing was for the benefit of humanity. To help his species rise to the top of the galactic hierarchy.

And today, he would do his part so humanity could rise to greater heights without problems.

All he had to do was to step forward and speak a few words, and he would help keep history on the right course.

When Gregor started moving, every single one of his steps was sure and steady. Furthermore, his heartbeat, which had risen as he thought about what he was about to do, calmed down to his usual pulse rate.

Even his mind felt more tranquil than before as he took the last steps and stopped right before the main entrance made out of glass.

Still, he had something to do before he could go in.

His hand went into the pocket of his trousers and took out the small pin badge, which he attached to his suit jacket's lapel.

It was a small pin painted with three colors, black, white, and yellow. Everyone who knew of his organization would recognize the symbol, and it should give Gregor enough legitimation to secure a meeting with Oscar Denebren.

Or, at least, it should get their notice and call security on his case, where he could explain his appearance.

After all, there had to be a reason why a member of his organization would approach a well-known public figure in the open.

The moment he stepped inside the building, Gregor felt eyes scanning him, deciding if he was an apparent threat or not.

At first, it seemed like they were dismissing him, but after he managed half the way to the reception desk, the feeling returned, much more intense than before.

As he reached the receptionist and was about to ask if it would be possible to meet with Mr. Denebren, another person stepped forward from the side and said: "Hitomi, take a short break. I'll cover for you."

Hitomi, the receptionist, looked confused to the side, but after seeing the smiling expression of her substitute, she gave a single resolute nod and answered: "I'll be back in a minute or so. Take care, Ms. Luddendorf."

Without looking back a single time, Hitomi left Gregor and the newly arrived Ms. Luddendorf alone. Her steps seemed unhurried, but they still had a sense of urgency behind them.

This and the fact that the substitute arrived the moment he was about to arrive at the reception desk told him that the personnel overlooking the lobby had identified his affiliation and commenced with a standard protocol concerning potentially dangerous people.

"Now," Ms. Luddendorf began, "may I have your name, and could you state your purpose for coming here today?"

The smile she gave him was practiced well, and if Gregor hadn't as much experience with such things as he had, he wouldn't have seen that it was fake.

After all, he saw a similar smile in the mirror when he practiced his own.

"Gregor McConte, I would like to speak to Mr. Denebren. I have some information my employer would like to share with him as it concerns the future of his company," Gregor answered, trying to convey his sincerity with his eyes.

"And may I ask the name of your employer?"

"I think you know it already," he replied and tapped his badge lightly with his finger, bringing her attention to it.

Ms. Luddendorf nodded at his explanation.

"Very well. Please take one of the elevators to your left. Someone will wait for you upstairs." She pointed toward Gregor's left, and he could see the five elevators at the side of the lobby.

"Thank you, Ma'am. Have a good day," and with his farewell given, Gregor turned to walk toward the elevators, almost missing the minuscule bow, and whispered "Goodbye" from Ms. Luddendorf.

When Gregor got closer to the elevators, one of the five doors opened without prompting, and a wry smile appeared on Gregor's face at the blatant invitation.

He didn't doubt that whichever elevator he chose would still stop on the same level, yet picking a different one just to be petty wouldn't help in the slightest.

Right now, he was here to meet with one of the most powerful humans alive and acting immature wouldn't help him to get the meeting.

Thus, he walked into the open elevator cabin and stood in the middle of the small space. He put the hands in front of his lap with his fingers entangled.

A simple gesture of goodwill and the signal that he wasn't here to cause any trouble. His entangled fingers would make it hard to grab any weapon quickly or attack one of the security officers Ad Astra was sure to send his way.

If he was lucky, they would let him meet Oscar Denebren without clapping him in irons to ensure he posed no threat to their boss.

After all, Gregor didn't want to meet one of his heroes looking like a prisoner. That would be awkward.

The elevator's door closed with a hiss, which sounded ominous to his ears somehow, and the cabin started moving upward. It was a smooth ride, and if there wasn't a window showing that the elevator was indeed moving, Gregor would have believed it was standing still.

Especially as the display didn't show any floor number.

It was probably a precaution to keep him from orienting himself within the building.

Yet, in Gregor's opinion, it was useless as he could estimate the floor by looking out of the window and comparing the altitude with nearby buildings.

Of course, it wasn't absolutely precise, but he could make an educated guess where in the building he was, and that would have been enough for Gregor if he had been inclined to do more than talk today.

A soft ding announced the elevator's arrival at its target floor, and Gregor waited a moment after its doors opened to step out.

His fingers still entangled in front of his lap, he slowly turned his head around to survey the welcoming committee.

After a quick head count, he could see at least a dozen Ad Astra security officers with their weapons on display but thankfully not trained at him. The man standing in front of one of the two groups that blocked Gregor's potential escaped routes down the two sides of the corridor wore a slightly altered uniform, identifying him as the captain of the unit.

"Are you here to escort me to Mr. Denebren?" asked Gregor, already knowing the answer but trying to be polite.

"No," came the gruff answer of the captain. "We're here to bring you to the interrogation room. There are some questions that have to be asked. Starting with your reason for coming here."

"Then lead the way," replied Gregor, his tone still impeccably polite as he had expected something like this to happen before he could meet with Oscar Denebren.

Since the beginning of Ad Astra's mini-war with Eclipse, the security around Denebren had been beefed up like a bodybuilder on steroids. It would have been a wonder if a member of an organization that had the reputation of a terrorist group would have been able to meet with the boss of Ad Astra without any prior security checks.

Anything else would have been plain stupid.

The captain signaled him to follow and turned around. The six security officers on his side of the corridor did the same and started walking.

Having no other choice, Gregor started to follow them, keeping close to them while the remaining security officers took up the rear.

While they were walking, Gregor took the opportunity to take a closer look at the captain, who was walking a few steps in front of him.

The first thing he noticed was that the captain wasn't wearing any visible weapon.

Probably as a precaution, as he was the closest to Gregor.

Yet, that didn't mean that the captain would be defenseless. People in his position were trained in hand-to-hand combat, and the hundreds of different functions an Omni-tool could be equipped with meant that, in present times, nobody was truly unarmed.

The walk didn't take long until they arrived at a scanner. It created a blue field spanning the whole width of the corridor, similar to a gateway. One look was enough for Gregor to determine that it was supposed to check for hidden weapons. The sound it made whenever one of the Ad Astra security officers went through was more than enough to confirm his hypothesis.

The captain of the unit went before Gregor and made it through without a problem. If that was because he didn't have any weapons or an identifier that recognized him as a member of Ad Astra, he didn't know.

Afterward, the captain turned around and beckoned Gregor to go through too.

With a smile that held some hidden smugness and an expression that said: "I told you so," Gregor went through the scanning field, and the tone it made was only slightly different from the others.

The captain gave a single nod and held out a bracelet for Gregor.

"It's an Omni-tool neutralizer. As we can't know if you're using an implanted chip for yours, we would like you to wear this. Your cooperation will be noted."

Without hesitating, Gregor took the bracelet and clasped it on his left arm. A minor shock went through his arm, and he shook it to get rid of this feeling.

"May I try to activate my Omni-tool?" he asked, curious if this bracelet did as advertised.

"You may," came the curt response.

With a flick of his wrist, Gregor tried to activate his Omni-tool as he had done thousands of times before, but this time, he failed to draw even the slightest reaction out of it.

"It's secured to my Omni-tool. When you leave, I will disengage the bracelet, and all functions will be restored," the captain explained, and Gregor nodded in understanding.

He gave the bracelet one last look, questioning how many devices were currently trying to sift through the data on his Omni-tool. There was no doubt that the device on his arm did more than suppress his Omni-tool.

After all, it would be what he would have done if he had been the person to construct this.

Yet, there wasn't anything to worry about.

Before coming to Illium, Gregor had exchanged his personal Omni-tool for a new one as it would take too much time to delete and later on reacquire the information saved on it. Furthermore, deleting data would leave traces that a sophisticated program could use to restore them, and while his purpose in coming here was to help Ad Astra and Oscar Denebren on Cerberus' behalf, giving them information about Cerberus' operations unconnected to this case wasn't needed.

As such, the only information they would be able to find would be what he left them to find if the bracelet did what Gregor expected it to do.

Hopefully, the information would be his ticket to a meeting with Oscar Denebren.

They walked silently for one or two minutes before the captain lifted his hand up, and everyone stopped.

Gregor stood a few steps behind him, leaving enough distance between them so that none of the security officers got the idea that he would be able to attack the captain without being stopped in time.

Yet, he was close enough to see the orange glowing circle appear over the captain's ear as he held his finger to it.

A few seconds later, the glowing circle disappeared, and the captain turned to face Gregor.

His face was mostly neutral, but Gregor could see traces of annoyance, disbelief, and caution.

"I don't know why, but the people up top are willing to hear you out. I'm ordered to take you there."

"Then, please, lead the way," answered Gregor, and he couldn't suppress the hint of smugness that crept into his tone. 

The captain noticed it and took a step closer. An intense thunderous look appeared in his eyes as he said: "I don't care why you are here or which information you have that got those higher than me interested in you, but let me tell you one thing. Should you do anything wrong, I will shoot you without hesitation. A threatening gesture, an insult, or even just breathing the wrong way in Mr. Denebren's direction. I will not enjoy it, but I also won't regret it. I won't even think twice about it. You mean nothing to me, and I will treat you that way. Do you understand?"

Normally, Gregor would have scoffed at such a blatant try of intimidation, yet there was something in the captain's eyes and voice telling him the captain wasn't making any threats.

He was making a promise.

Gregor could only swallow the sudden, fleeting feeling of fear and give a silent nod in response.

Seeing that his words had the desired effect, the captain turned around and led the way toward an elevator.

He swiped his Omni-tool over a reader and selected four officers from their group to position themselves in the newly arrived cabin. Jerking his head toward the open door, he signaled Gregor to enter and followed shortly after.

The ride was a silent one. Nobody was saying anything, and if Gregor hadn't heard the nigh unnoticeable sounds of breathing, he could have sworn that he was alone in the cabin.

Thankfully, it was a short ride, and Gregor was glad to step out of the cabin and its oppressive atmosphere.

They stepped into an empty corridor, and from a look out of a window, Gregor concluded that they had to be on a floor near the top of the building.

The walls were clad in wood, giving the corridor a comforting yet elegant feeling, and the floor consisted of a kind of stone that was polished to shine. Gregor could even see a murky reflection of himself on it.

As they walked toward their destination, they came across various plants in pots, tastefully placed between doors leading to offices belonging to the executive of Ad Astra. The plants ranged from those found on Illium to those from Earth, and from the look of it, they were expertly taken care of.

During their walk, Gregor didn't see any other person walking through the corridors, not even through those branching off. If he had to take a guess, then he would say that everyone working on this level got a message to stay in their offices until they passed through or until Gregor left the floor.

Their group stopped in front of a massive wooden double door. Taking a closer look, Gregor could see the signs that anybody trying to force this door open would have a hard time with it.

The door itself was reinforced, and the wood was obviously only a front hiding its steel core. Perhaps they used even something stronger. Even Cerberus didn't know what Ad Astra was hiding in their labs and hadn't released to the public and Alliance yet.

After a second look, while they waited for the doors to open, he also noticed the small, barely noticeable emitters placed around the doorframe. A simple press of a button would activate them and create a kinetic barrier in front of the door that even heavy weapons would have problems getting through.

Gregor couldn't stop the small smile from forming on his face. Standing in front of this door alone told him he was about to meet one of the most powerful and influential humans in the galaxy, if not the most.

Sometimes, it was astounding how standing in front of a door could impact one's nerves and expectations.

When the doors opened, he couldn't help the slight pang of disappointment as he wasn't led into Oscar Denebren's office but into a receiving room larger than most apartments he had seen in his youth.

The decor was simple yet elegant, just like the corridors they passed. The right side of the room was dominated by a sitting area where those having an appointment could wait for Mr. Denebren to call them into his office, while the left only had a single desk where his secretary worked.

Gregor's eyes scanned the room for any hidden defense mechanisms, and while his experience helped him identify some hints, anybody else would have overlooked them.

Defensive barriers coming out from the ground, kinetic barriers protecting the doors and windows, and hidden turrets in every corner of the room, effectively creating a dead zone for anybody stupid enough to walk into the room with ill intentions.

There were probably more, but Gregor didn't have the time to look further as the captain motioned him to move.

But one thing was sure. Ad Astra took the security of their boss seriously.

And this was just a branch HQ.

While the conflict with Eclipse had probably played its part in the security, Gregor couldn't help but think that the security in the Ad Astra offices on Earth, Terra Nova, and the Citadel would be comparable, if not even more extensive.

He was led toward the double door on the other side where two guards, who looked like they didn't come from the security division of Ad Astra but its anti-piracy forces, stood on each side.

They didn't move an inch or even twitch at their presence, staring stoically forward.

The hairs that suddenly stood at attention on Gregor's neck as he closed the distance between them told him enough to be wary of them.

Those two were dangerous. 

Maybe not capital D: "Dangerous," but both would be able to kill Gregor before he noticed them pointing their weapons his way.

Well, it wasn't like he was here to do anything that would result in having to fight for his life. This was simply an information delivery, and knowing Oscar Denebren's reputation and conduct, Gregor would walk out of the building unharmed, even should his words be taken in the worst way.

As the door to Oscar Denebren's office slid open, Gregor took one last deep breath before stepping into the room.

He didn't know what he expected, but the office looked similar to the lobby and somehow fit the man sitting behind the desk at the opposite wall.

The room was dominated by the wooden desk with two comfortable-looking chairs in front of it.

A small sitting area with two couches and a small table to the side went mostly unnoticed. Its presence was overshadowed by the imposing presence of the other piece of furniture in the room.

Yet, Gregor's eyes focused on the person sitting comfortably at the desk. Apart from his first curious look around the office, it didn't occur to him to let his look focus on anything else.

The presence of the man called Oscar Denebren was too captivating to him.

It felt like he was frozen in place by the cool look in Denebren's eyes that felt like he was laying open every secret Gregor held.

For the second time in his entire life, Gregor encountered a situation where the phrase: "Like a mouse before a tiger" could be applied.

The only other time had been during his briefing for this mission as he talked with the leader of his organization, The Illusive Man, and that had been via hologram.

This time, it felt far more intense.

"You asked for a meeting," said a woman in an elaborate uniform, showing her position of commander, who stood a step behind Denbren's left shoulder. "Mr. Denebren is willing to hear you out, as it is not usual for Cerberus to act so openly."

Only his year-long experience with intense meetings stopped Gregor from flinching. He had been so focused on the man before him that he had overlooked the woman, whom he identified as Commander Abebe, the commander of the Ad Astra security forces, standing behind him.

"Of course. Thank you for the opportunity," Gregor responded with a dip of his head to show respect.

He put on a slight smile that every trained negotiator attained with enough time and practice to put the opposite party at ease. It wouldn't have any impact on the conversation and its course, but it felt natural to Gregor to put it on nonetheless.

"A member of our organization was recently approached by a Turian who wanted to open talks concerning, as he called it, "a golden opportunity" to further our influence within the Alliance. While our organization isn't known to work together with different species very well, we still recognize the value of doing so. In this instance, our member agreed to hear him out, and after the conversation and presentation of this so-called opportunity, she decided to inform her higher-ups about it, who, in turn, send the information up the ladder."

"How high did the information go before a decision was made?" asked Commander Abebe.

"Until the top," answered Gregor without missing a beat.

"Until the top?" repeated the commander questioning.

"Yes, it went all the way to the top of our organization."

"And what was this information that The Illusive Man decided to send you to me?" asked Oscar Denebren, speaking up for the first time since Gregor entered the room.

His voice was deep and soft, almost soothing. Yet, it also carried the confidence and power of someone used to give commands and have them obeyed instantly.

"The opportunity to acquire parts of Ad Astra after it breaks up after your assassination," replied Gregor, instinctively lowering his head slightly in deference after delivering the news.

Normally, Gregor would have expected to see some reaction ranging from surprise to disbelief.

Instead, Denebren just looked at him intently before saying: "Hm, I see."

This was the reaction Gregor expected someone to have when they opened their fridge and saw that they couldn't make their favorite dish because an ingredient was missing, not when they were told that there would be an assassination attempt.

Perhaps he shouldn't be so surprised. A man in Oscar Denebren's situation probably had to fight off an assassination attempt per day, with most of them not even worth mentioning to him.

It could also be that he had read the information Ad Astra had possibly gotten from his Omni-tool and had been prepared for Gregor's revelation.

Yet, somehow, Gregor knew this would have been the same reaction if Denebren had been uninformed.

"So," continued Denebren, his expression still calm and composed, "why did Cerberus decide to send you instead of sending a simple message."

"After the fact that we were approached, we wanted to make sure that you and Ad Astra understand that, concerning this issue, we stand on the same side and not against you. As much as our approaches differ, Cerberus acknowledges that Ad Astra and you, as a person, are one of the best assets available to guarantee a strong humanity."

"I am flattered that your organization thinks so highly of me," commented Denebren dryly.

Gregor responded with a wry smile.

"It may sound like brown-nosing, but that is the essence of Cerberu's stance concerning you and a stance I believe is shared by most of humanity."

Denebren waved his words away. "Anything else you want to share. I don't believe you came here with just a warning. That is not Cerberus' style."

"You are correct. We identified the Turian who approached us and connected him to one Quintinius Cicerio, who I believe is currently a close associate of yours."

"Not for much longer," replied Denebren. "We already knew that he was working against our interests. This only proves that we should accelerate our plans. Nonetheless, I'm thankful for your information. Anything else?"

"Furthermore, we gathered a list of names of other people they approached. If you want, I could recount some of them?"

"That's not necessary," answered Denebren with a shake of his head. "They haven't done anything I wouldn't do myself. They are vultures, but that is to be expected in this business. And if that's the case, I believe I already know their names. It's not that hard to conclude who would do something like that."

"Nonetheless, I would feel better if I handed over the information as proof of Cerberus' stance."

"And where is this information?" asked Commander Abebe, cutting into the conversation.

Gregor turned his head toward her and said: "I asked a messenger to deliver it to me when I exit the building."

"Did you think you needed an exit strategy?" asked Denebren with a raised eyebrow.

"Not that I didn't trust your civillity. It's just a habit I acquired after dealing with less civil groups," replied Gregor, and he could feel his ears turn hot from embarrassment.

"Nothing to apologize for," said Denebren and showed for the first time since the start of the conversation a small smile on his face. "I approve. It shows that you take every possibility into account. It's a sign of a professional." 

"Thank you," replied Gregor, bowing slightly once again in Denebren's direction.

A small part of him felt giddy at being praised by Denebren.

"The captain that accompanied you here will take the information off your hands after you leave the building," said Commander Abebe with a pointed look toward the captain standing behind Gregor and didn't give him any chance to object.

The only thing he could do was nod in acceptance.

Knowing that the conversation was over, Gregor started to turn around to begin the way down, but Commander Abebe's voice stopped him.

"One last question." Gregor turned back around. "Why did Cerberus decide on this course of action?"

Gregor waited a moment before answering to study the faces in front of him.

The commander looked like she was waiting for an answer, traces of confusion on her face, while Denebren looked slightly surprised at his commander as if he didn't expect her to ask the question but quickly schooled his expression.

"As I already mentioned. Cerberus believes that Ad Astra and Oscar Denebren are vital for humanity's future in the galaxy. His demise and Ad Astra's breaking up would spell chaos for the Alliance. And chaos isn't something we need right now. It would only make it easier for humanity's enemies to take advantage of us."

Having said his piece, Gregor turned around after giving Denebren a last slight bow and left the office with the captain who had escorted him here a step behind.

He had accomplished his goals in making clear that Cerberus wasn't an enemy of Oscar Denebren.

Whether anything came out of it and if their relationship would improve over time wasn't his concern.

At least, not right now.