[ Oh -- a polite young woman like her? He can't help the quiet twinge in his gut as she admits her occupation to him. His experience with military contractors has been less than positive.

More to the point, he had killed, or had a hand in killing, four military contractors just this week. It's stuck with him. He kills infrequently enough that it keeps him up at night. He can only hope that this woman is the sort to do only sanctioned crimes. ]

Yes, I'm familiar with military contractors. Back home, I am a police officer -- a Lieutenant with the RCM, though I wasn't given the same assignment here. [ He pauses. ] When you say you failed your mission, do you mean to say...?

[ It's rude to ask if someone's dead. But she volunteered the information willingly, and they are supposedly in Hell, after all. ]