"Can't blame them for that," he replied, smiling. "Although, pardon me for asking but, is it what you want to do, long-term? To be a soldier?"

He used to think it was a vocation, before he was pushed into a world where everyone, even kids, had to fight for survival. It wasn't meant for everyone and not everyone should have to do it. But he didn't know where she came from, what kind of world she lived in. She might not have had a choice.

"In a sense. After I left the service, I became the leader of an underground group, fighting prejudice against our kind. One of my things was to find recruits."