Stracker was puzzled. Was De Lorraine doing it for her own amusement? Simply savoring the moment? The only times he saw an infectee was through crosshairs of his ship. He never had to face one in person, let alone in such conditions. Nor has he ever communicated with one, let alone an actual Nomad.
"It was my oversight, mademoiselle De Lorraine. I cannot blame people for having their own agenda. People who think it's okay to betray someone for their own gain. I can only blame myself for not seeing through it." Even in his probably darkest hour, he still retained his resilience, his will.
But, for a moment, he went along with a discussion. He knew that his fate was sealed, there was no reason to be afraid of what was to come. Yet while the moment allowed, even if he wasn't a man of words, he spoke. "I never had the honor of meeting him. I wasn't a diplomat, I was a soldier. I never questioned my leadership. Until frau Jones, our leader, decided to play geopolitical games with the Outcasts. We were a force, not politicians. It is why I joined Velvet. And why I left them."
He looked down. He remembered the shame he felt when he was escorting one of Rheinland Military Admirals, who was flying along with a high ranking Unioner that has almost met their end at Stracker's weapons a day prior. Never before he felt betrayed by his own fatherland. "I joined them because I've found a worthy cause. And a far worthy opponent. And I left because Velvet has become a political force. Not a safe vanguard for Zoners in the wild lands."
- The country that betrayed you and then the society in which you were looking for an outlet ... Your story is too familiar to me. I was Commodore in the Royal Navy. Before... All this. After what happened to Leeds, my life went downhill. It was a matter of time where I would end up - at the bottom of the bottle or on the chopping block for everything that I and others did at that time. But they intervened.
She was silent for ten seconds, thinking about how to express herself more correctly.
- To my surprise, I got a chance to start over from them. And they kept their word. It's like I was reborn. and although the memory of those days is with me, I have unironically become a better person than I was. It probably sounds like complete nonsense to you, but I think you realize it too. That's what I'm talking about. By the way... Did you know that They differ from each other? That is... There are several...Tribes, perhaps? That to which I got and now you are different. Ironically, it is humanity that is responsible for the emergence of this Tribe. They are the ones that were expelled during the Nomad War. They are back. And they have changed. Unlike those who remain, those who have returned seek ways for the two species to coexist in harmony.
She spoke calmly and confidently. Even if she lied, she herself believed in her lies. At least that's what he could thought.
- People are trying to destroy everything they fear. And fear gives birth to everything that is somehow different or unknown. So it was with Them. And that same war actually happened because a group of researchers from the Rhineland decided to take something that does not belong to them. They were the first to wake up. Ordinary human greed and ambition. Imagine that you were robbed and occupied your cozy home while you were in a different place. They had pretty much the same reaction. They were the first in Sirius...
She looked into the eyes of her captive, and sighing, added: - I think I've talked too much. Why delay the inevitable, right? Especially since you know everything yourself. I'll give you one last piece of advice. better not resist. Then you won't change at all. You will stay yourself.
"Myself." Stracker scoffed with a slight smirk on his face. "I never had time for myself, mademoiselle De Lorraine. It's the part of me that is tightly sealed. For people like me, greater causes come and they never stop coming. There is no place for myself. Even if I had to delve into that part of me, I would have no clue what to do with it. It would just lock itself up, telling me to do my duty."
He relaxed. There was nothing left for him to feel or tell. As many times before, he prepared to shed the Stracker that he was at this moment.
