Miles to Midnight

[Reeves]

For the first time since they first exchanged words, something she'd chosen to say resonated with him. And it happened to be her last sentence, added in after a glance at that accursed death stick, a mixture of good and bad no doubt. "That's the whole point of this war, you can encapsulate the last few centuries of fighting with just that footnote. Every rebellion's born out of hurt feelings and disillusionment, the ones that stay this way die. To succeed in any effort requires maturity, and there's nothing mature about ramming your head against the adamantine walls of the system." Evidently he was going somewhere with this, because he took a moment to reposition himself and relax, dropping the somewhat acrid and firm facade for the sake of being able to better communicate what was on his mind.

"We want to be more than just rebels, just like you grew up after pulling yourself out of the muck, so are we. There's not much I can tell you about the LFR, because it's all laid bare like somebody who wears their heart on a sleeve." Reaching for his shoulder, he pulled at one of the stars for a moment, the sound of velcro relenting against this sudden force punctuated the emblem he placed on the table in front of her. "The Liberty Free Republic isn't a State like what you signed up for. There's no promises of things being better or ideal. We don't even offer anything substantial, just the fact that determination rests with you, which is where it belongs. It's a hard reset, a blank slate for people to individually determine the kind of lives they actually want. Free from any single House's specific political leanings. It's a platform, one your people have died for since time immemorial. And while it might be born from dissent, the violent kind, it'll eventually be a Home to people like us - who want to be left alone." While he was otherwise fairly restrained in how he spoke, everything he'd just said was delivered with conviction, it was an uncensored gateway into his perspective if somebody wanted to actually look.

"Believe me, there's a a huge difference between the LFR and the Commonwealth, besides the fact that I'm older than the latter. Radically different backgrounds, extremely mixed political views under one roof and an absolute disdain for Governmental control and power, the exact things that make more worlds like Houston and Veracruz. I can't say with certainty that it'll be what you're looking for. But I can tell you that the ashes of a dead system you're currently serving isn't worth dying for. Especially not when their goal is supremacy over others, something your own Commanding Officer seems to fully believe in." As he grew closer to the end of that sentence, it sounded less like he was simply showcasing thoughts with passion, but rather pleading. As if he saw where these roads went and only hoped he could offer an alternative, unwilling to nudge or force, perhaps from a place of principle.

"I've said more than I wanted to, honestly. One way or another, you're going to have regrets. I just want you to make a choice, with no command structure or Government in the way. The only guiding factor being facts and what's best for you and your people." For a second, he flashed a smile, it was sincere based on the wrinkling at the corner of his eyes, but it was more apologetic rather than anything rooted in optimism. Nothing about any of this would be easy, and she deserved to know that much, regardless of what she chose to do.