Leigh's face switched in an instant to a deadly serious frown.
"You really want to know what we were looking for in Liberty?" he said gravely.
He took a deep breath before continuing.
"We in the Order have had something missing for a long time," he began, "something that Liberty has in abundance because of their unique status as the holders of a secret that dates back to before the Sol exodus."
He paused for effect.
"For too long, the Isis cafeteria has been without good donuts," he said, the hint of a mischevious smile creeping onto his otherwise stony serious face, "our mission was to hack into the LPI's central database on Manhatten and recover the secret recipe for their police issue donuts."
He rubbed his temples melodramatically.
"And we would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for you medling LSF agents!"
"So, you want donuts that badly? Fine, you'll get them. The Republic of Liberty is even willing to supply you with drinks in addition. Tell me, what do you prefer? Tea and coffee? Or maybe potassium cyanide? We have the latter in abundance, and we wouldn't mind treating some to you," the agent grinned, then continued, "On a more serious note, I thought you'd want to avoid the local spa treatment, Colonel. Rumors state that the quality of the treatment here is quite high, although I've never had a chance to witness that."
The agent went back to the table, but didn't take a seat. Instead he put his hands on the table and leaned forward a bit. "And I thought that the conversation would be more productive, Colonel. I'm pretty sure that you'll get through our treatment, despite the mastery of our service staff. But I can't guarantee that some others will show such endurance."
Norman sat down again. "However, let us leave this topic then," he sighed, "It looks like we'll have to accept the version provided by agent Sunderland: the vessel served as a forward base. And look how your list of charges grows, Leigh. I can already see multiple violations of the Liberty Code... Causing public disturbance, violating the Foreign Warships paragraph, fleeing from the officer when stopped, obstructing the course of justice... And the last, but not least: being affiliated with a known terrorist organisation. After that resisting arrest doesn't even sound serious enough, don't you think? And now refusal to cooperate with the authorities... We can add some more charges, if you want, like damaging the government property."
The agent smirked, then added sarcastically: "You're quite a troublemaker, Colonel."
"You can add as many charges as you want O'Connor," said the Colonel as his smile returned, "it doesn't change the fact that we do your job for you. Your charges are full of crap and you know it."
He held O'Connor's gaze.
"As for your spa treatment," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "those beds in the cells are stiff as a board and now my back is really killing me. If you've got my crew in a similar situation, I'm sure we could all use a little massage."
"You're actually right, the charges are mostly irrelevant. The simple fact that you're a Colonel of the Order is enough. Speaking about doing our job for us, you're not asked to do it, since we can handle it. The funniest thing is, some agents even believe that they do -your- job when they're deployed against K'Hara. That puts your organisation in a questionable position: why should we put up with an organisation which is incapable of doing its job at the necessary level (since we have to interfere), while the mentioned organisation is squandering -our- developments, possibly spying on us, et cetera?"
Norman leaned back in his chair.
"The question was rhetorical. Although I'd be interested to hear your point of view."
"Has it occured to you that we might be able to do our job much better if we didn't have to be so damn secretive all the time? We spy on you because you've made yourselves an enemy where we'd rather have an ally," said Leigh, "you keep squandering your resources to track us down and fight against us and in turn we have to squander resources keeping an eye on you lot to make sure you're not about to sweep into Omicron Minor at the head of a Navy battlefleet and wipe us off the map. It's a futile and childish game neither Liberty or the Order can afford to be playing but with your wall of damn rhetoric about terrorism and aliens, we in the Order can't do a damn thing about it but carry on with our mission regardless."
The Colonel's smile was gone and he looked intently at O'Connor with a steely gaze.
"You know the threat that is waiting just beyond Alaska, just a jump or two away from the heart of Liberty," he went on, "and despite the continued attempts to demonise and destroy the Order, we do a damn fine job at keeping it at bay. And when they slip through our net, we do our best to pick up the mess. But with us trapped between a greedy Guild Core, a swarm of gribbly aliens and an inexplicably hostile House military, I'm sure you LSF boys can endure the occasional squid hunt. It's not like you have to do it on a daily basis while dodging marauding Bounty Hunters after all."
He paused for a second, holding his eyes on O'Connor.
"You've read my file no doubt," he went on, "read my Navy service record, reviewed all your intelligence on me, hell, you've probably even got a copy of my divorce certificate. But I bet you don't know why I joined the Order over transferring to the LSF do you?"
Norman's expression didn't change as Leigh was telling him about what the Order operatives have to go through. Having listened to his speech, he replied.
"Has it occured to you that all that happened between Liberty and the Order happened for a reason, Colonel? Let's leave the war that happened almost twenty years ago out of this, Orillion had his reasons to do what he did, although I do not approve of some of his moves, or the moves of his successors. How has a top-secret Liberty development become a usual vessel of the Edge Worlds? Why didn't we get our blueprints back? Then those multiple incidents in Alaska and in Liberty Core... For everything we've done, you gave us a reason. In fact, for some time you were useful... at least you weren't giving us much trouble while saving us from the trouble of getting rid of the occasional nomads. "
He tried to sound calm, but occasionally Leigh could hear a hint of disguised annoyance.
"Also, your organisation become a problem when you started blocking our way in the Omicrons. And don't think that you're the only one who's acting on the frontline, we also know what it's like to face multiple enemies," he made a pause, "as for your reasons... sure, you may tell them. We have nowhere to hurry, after all..."
"And what is that reason? Because if it's just because of the Osiris class then you guys hold a hell of a grudge against something that saved your bacon," the Colonel said, "and if you wanted your blueprints back, you should have just asked after the Nomad war instead of continuing to harrass and persecute the Order for the sake of propoganda."
"As for your access to the Omicrons," he continued, "you should have thought about that before you started facilitating Core attacks on Minor. You might have stopped now, but allowing them to use the trans-Alaska corridor put us in a very uncomfortable position, as did the Navy vessels moving to Delta to join up with the Core and attack us. You left us with no choice but to turn Minor into a fortress."
He sighed and rubbed his injured shoulder.
"As for my story," he went on, "most of it is in my Navy service records so it's not like it's completely unknown to you lot. You'll know that I as in the Navy squadron escorting the Donau when the Order destroyed it. You'll know that I fought against Rheinland in the Nomad war. And you'll know I was there when our orders started making no sense and navy vessels started being equipped with 'prototype' weapons. You'll know that I stayed on as a flight instructor at West Point for a year after the war ended before I retired."
He stretched his back briefly before continuing.
"But what always puzzles you LSF clowns is why I went to the Order instead of the LSF when I found out the true extent of the Nomad threat," he said, "it was because of the whole damn hypocracy of the thing. You acknowledge the threat is there, but you lie about the extent and keep promoting the selfish political interests of Liberty which in turn leads to totally counterproductive activities in the face of the greatest threat humanity has ever faced. When the Nomads come in force, what will you say to the people of Liberty when they ask you why you are powerless to protect them? Will you tell them the truth? That you squandered your resources fighting a futile war against Rheinland and demonising and persecuting the only people who make it their entire existance to fight the threat. That because of the selfish actions and disunity of the Houses, they are all about to die. Or will you keep on lying to them even as Nomads swarm out of the Omicrons wiping out every shred of humanity they find?"
"Good speech. I bet you repeat it every evening before going to bed, old man. What you keep forgetting is such a thing that's called loyalty. Loyalty to your House and people, Colonel. And I never expected you to understand that maintaining secrecy may be for the sake of the people I'm talking about. Why cause panic and chaos while we can do the job silently?" He took a small break, then continued: "I have not been in the Force for long enough to discuss the older days with them. What I am aware of is that an attempt of cease-fire failed. I won't lie, I'm not aware how all that stuff with blueprints ended, Colonel. But I didn't see the Core using the corridor, nor am I aware of such cases. So you're, wrong at least when it comes to trans-Alaska corridor."
The agent took out black sunglasses out of his pocket and started examining them, pondering for a moment.
"But now we have what we have... A secret war, so to speak. And speaking about the threat, Colonel... I think you're just exaggerating. Even if not, - it's always better to overestimate the enemy, after all - stopping the nomads would become my primary concern. The others will decide what to tell to the people. But think of it: if the mighty Order gets destroyed, how could simple humans hope to achieve victory?" - the last phrase was obviously sarcastic, but then becomes serious. "If the nomads attack, the LSF will stop them. Surely, with the help of the Navy and maybe with the help of other Houses... Now when I think of it, the Order seems like some sort of litmus paper to me. By your state we may be able to determine the level of the threat and the scale of the needed intervention of ours."
"That does sound cynical," he sighs, "but that's one of the options we have. Speaking about the Order however, I may doubt your motives as well. Who knows, maybe you seek power? Advanced weaponary based on K'Hara technologies, perhaps? That could explain why you try to keep people away from your territory, where one can find some truly interesting objects, as we both know. Or maybe you seek to unite people under your banner? You'll get power either way, just from different sources."
"Don't speak to me about loyalty O'Connor," Leigh said, anger creeping into his voice, "I gave up everything to fight the Nomads. My family collapsed. My wife and daughters think that I'm some brigand out in the Edge worlds. The House I served from the age of eighteen in the Liberty Navy declared me a traitor and a terrorist. Wherever I go I'm hounded, constantly having to hide from those who would do exactly what you're doing now. And I lost all that because I am loyal beyond question not just to Liberty, but to all those who stand to loose everything if this threat is not turned back. You talk about loyalty, but when you get off duty, you go home to your bed and your home. Maybe you have wife waiting with a nice meal. When I get off duty I eat synth-rations then retire to a cramped bunk until the alarm goes and I have to cut my rest short to go and fight for my life against Nomads or Core or whatever other nosy bastard is poking his head into Minor on any given day."
The Colonel let his shoulders sag slighly before continuing.
"You can't contain this threat in secret," he said, "it's too big and too dangerous to lie to the people about what they face. We try our best but the Order are no miracle workers. When they are ready, they will brush us aside like a fly and decend on Sirius with a fury you can't imagine. If you don't tell people the truth, how can they possibly be ready for that? What will they think when the Nomads are on their doorstep and the Navy is busy fighting the Rheinlanders? And what will they do when the find out you knew all along?"
He glared at O'Connor.
"As for our motives, I would ask you the same question," he said venemously, "if the LSF developed prototype weapons from Order hybrid tech, what would be done with those weapons? We both know they'd be bolted onto the Navys ships at the first opportunity and shipped off to the Rheinland front to kill your fellow humans in the name of power and profits. We aren't interested in power or wealth. Ask any Order agent their life story and it will be largely the same as mine. We give up everything to do what we do, and we ask for no reward."
"So, a bunch of altruistic knights in the shiny armor trying to protect humanity? Sorry, but I'm not going to believe that, and the fact that you didn't answer to my question about gathering power may prove me right here. You don't ask for the reward because you will be able to claim it afterwards. Everyone has some skeletons in the cupboard, and nobody is innocent when it comes to that. Neither you, nor me, nor anyone else. And judging by your words, you still perceive the world as black-and-white. No doubt, it helps you to do your job and keep conscience clear..."
He pondered for a while, then put the sunglasses on.
"And don't think that my life is a lot better than yours, Colonel. I do know what it is to eat synth-paste and work overtime. As for the secrecy of our operations, the decision is not mine anyway, so we can leave that too. I can understand your point. However, it just happened that we are on the opposite sides of the barricades, and each side has more enemies to fight," he stopped for a moment, trying to remember one phrase that Leigh said, "Oh, and you said that you have to hide from those who would do exactly what I am doing now, Colonel? Please, we are just having a talk. I guess you are lucky enough that I'm the one who does the talking. Some others would've stopped at the part when you mentioned donuts and would've made you talk."