—Shush!—prompted Leira quickly covering his mouth.—Hey! @李建澔2, wake up! These dummies have lost their minds. Here, check this out!
—So, Commander Morgan, you were telling me before that these Martians…
—Chi Virginians!, Herr Leira—Günther Morgan rebuked, in mild annoyance.
—Oh yes, pardon me. These “Chi Virginians” have been observing us for thousands of years, and build this huuuuge underground facility to keep us sealed like rats in a lab. I forgot to ask you, how much do you think all of this cost?
—Wir sind nicht laborratten! Die Kosten is not a problem for a… Überflusswirtschaft… a… post-scarcity society—Morgan responded, working hard to remember those three words.
—So, you mean, a lot. More than all the money on Earth.
—What ist your point, young man?
—Oh, nothing, nothing. I wondered if you were at all suspicious.
(Former) Commander @Vsotvep, who was listening the conversation, threw out a jovial laughter. He was having the time of his life with all this new technology, but he understood that being teleported just to have your world turned upside down, was quite a shock. He also had been very defensive at first.
—Hear, hear! You don’t need to worry so much, comrade Leira. As we explained before, these aliens truly are peaceful. Just wait until you see how advanced they are! It’ll cheer you up!
—Oh, I’m sorry!—Leira responded—I’ve simply never seen anyone spend that much money, “just for science,” ever; have you, Commander?
Leira did not let him respond.
—You know what does grease a few palms? Profit. You see, I wasn’t actually born in Middle-of-Nowhere, Nevada. The country I was born in no longer exists. I mean, nobody cares, certainly I don’t care, but it was all for profit. It’s just the way it is.—he stated, matter-of-factly.
Both commanders looked at each other like they have missed something Dr. von Zamenhoff. There was clearly something odd about this cadet.