He found the stranger eating at the refectory.

  Kaine approached.

  “Mind if I join you?” he asked.

  The man glanced up, shrugged, and looked back at his plate.

  “I’ll take that as a no.”

  Kaine pulled a chair, sat, and brought up the holodis controls. He took his time selecting his food while watching the other guy from the corner of his eyes. But Rickert was ignoring him.

  Once done, he leaned back in his chair and waited a few seconds.

  “Val told me your story. Quite impressive.” The man jumped, as if he’d forgotten someone else was there. “I’m not sure if I buy it, though.”

  Rickert frowned.

  “I haven’t seen you before. Who are you?”

  “Ah. Kaine’s the name.” He held out his hand.

  The other just stared at it.

  “You’re supposed to grab and shake it.”

  Rickert grunted as he went back to eating.

  “Guess you’re not gonna do that then.” The hand dropped. “Fine. So how about you tell me who you really are?”

  “If Val told you, then you already know.”

  “Are you sure you want to stick with that story?”

  The former lieutenant dropped his fork and scowled at him.

  “Look, if you don’t believe me, just check my pod. I’m sure it will prove—”

  “Oh, I already did that. And it has.”

  “Then why are you harassing me?”

  “It’s not where and when you come from that I doubt, but your identity.”

  “Meaning?”

  Kaine looked down at his plate, grabbed a fork, put some food into his mouth, and chewed on it for a moment. He made a point not to look at the other man, though he could feel the guy’s eyes burning holes through him.

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  He swallowed and finally met the other’s gaze.

  “You said you were an officer?”

  “Lieutenant.”

  “So you weren’t just cannon fodder like you made it sound. You were part of the system.”

  Rickert stared at him.

  Kaine put more food into his mouth and chewed, holding the man’s gaze.

  “There were others above me,” the stranger muttered.

  “Aren’t there always?”

  “You don’t understand.”

  “That’s why I’m here, sitting across from you, asking questions.”

  The man looked away, his eyes drifting to a window and the stars beyond.

  “You told Val how in your society—this United Nations of Cadrina—everyone is programmed at birth with specific skillsets. You don’t get to choose your line of work. That made me wonder, how would one be promoted in such a system? Is it even possible to be promoted at all?” When the other said nothing, Kaine continued. “And so I figured you were always meant to be an officer. Maybe even more than a lieutenant?”

  Rickert swung his head to squint at him.

  “What are you saying?”

  “So I’ll ask again. Tell me who you really are.”

  The man hissed. “What does it matter, anyway?”

  “If you think it doesn’t, then why not come clean?”

  “Because it matters to me!”

  Kaine dropped his fork, leaned back in his chair, and smiled.

  “So you admit that you lied.”

  Rickert gritted his teeth. “I did not lie. I just...” He fell quiet.

  “Omitted some details, perhaps?”

  The man grabbed his fork. “I want to finish my meal now. Alone.” He went back to eating.

  Kaine shrugged. “We all want things we can’t have.” He sighed. “You asked why it mattered. Here’s why. Val is a friend. I care about her. And I want to know the people who are near her are people she can trust. If you are lying to her, then how can she trust you?”

  Rickert glanced up. “Then drop me off on the first world you find and leave me be.”

  “As tempting as that sounds, I’m not sure it would be a good idea. Not until I know who you are and what you are capable of.”

  They both finished eating in silence.

  When he was done, Rickert put down his fork and looked at Kaine.

  “Do you think I am proud of what I have done?” he asked.

  “I don’t even know what you have done.”

  The man grimaced. “I was young. I was brash. I was stupid. It was my idea. To attack Hryunh. Not that I was in a position to make it a reality. But there were others close to me who were. I made grandiose statements, vaunting the supremacy of our military, and questioning why we were not striking at the heart of the enemy, where it would most hurt them. Why not root out this evil once and for all? I riled up the troops, and there were those above me who liked what they heard. They summoned me not to condemn but to commend. You asked how one could be promoted in this society I came from? It was not impossible.”

  “That’s how you became a lieutenant?”

  “No.” Rickert grunted as he looked at the window again. “I was born a lieutenant. My boasts made me a colonel.”

  Kaine pondered the story for a while.

  “And what do you want to do now, Col. Rickert?”

  The man grimaced.

  “Please. Just Darius. I’m not that man anymore. He has been dead for millennia.”

  “As you wish, Darius.”

  The man crossed his arms, still staring at the stars. “I want to be at peace, but I doubt I can ever have that.”

  “I cannot heal your wounds, but we could find a place for you to live, in some quiet and isolated colony.” Kaine paused. “Of course, there will be no peace anywhere so long as those aliens are wreaking havoc through the Imperium.”

  “Just don’t put me back in that pod,” the former officer muttered.

  Kaine stared at Rickert. “You thought we would do that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, we wouldn’t. That’s... No, just no. Never. You can get that thought out of your head.”

  “Alright. Thank you.”

  Kaine sighed. “How about a peace offering? Ever had zestri?”

  “What’s that?”

  The thief grinned. “Oh, my man, you’re gonna love it.”