Lukas gulped, berating himself. He unclasped his hands and began to speak again:
"My apologies, Commissar." He paused briefly, then continued on.
"I will be brief. I am here because Rheinland is not what it once was. I will avoid details of my career, but my homeland is afflicted. Once, we valued honourable qualities, but now the Kanzler holds the state in his
vicelike. choking grip."
"I am here to help fix that, Commissar, if I can."
He stops, fixing his gaze on the grain of the wooden desk.