Briefly, Vreta gave a curious look towards the suit of armor, not necessarily because of the armor itself as much as the mere fact that she had it with her. From his stay on the Barbarossa, he had been under the impression that military arms and equipment would need to be checked into the armory when not in use. The fact that it was not implied that it was not military property. In any case, he did not spare more than a passing thought towards it before returning his attention to the conversation at hand. He did not care much for what 595 was doing, just that he keep her willing to talk. 

“Not at all. I would be the first to admit that my people, as a whole, are not operating purely out of charity. We do have our own reasons, our own goals, but that does not mean the charity isn’t genuine. The universe is quite literally infinite, with more resources than all of us together could ever hope to exploit, even moving into Eternity. We have no reason to make enemies.” Vreta explained, though there was some slight delay from him as he thought back into his own memories. One he now shared with the Agent. It was an emotionally charged event for him, one that could bring him a smile or tears depending on his mood. It had not seemed like it at the time, but a few words he spoke there had altered the course of his life, and Karaz’s. “That day that you saw. That you [i]experienced[/i], really; it was an important one for me. You remember Karaz, yes? How couldn’t you? I know I can’t forget him. You seem to think that the way we treat other species is just a political game to gain favor, but Karaz believed in everything he was doing, fully and genuinely. You know it’s true, because [i]I[/i] knew it was true. He was willing to give up everything to do what he thought was right. He was willing to give up his safety on Rothian worlds, friends, his marriage, all because he knew he could help people who needed it. And you know how I felt about it? Well, I don’t think I actually have to tell you.”

In this case, Agent 595 would indeed know the answer to Vreta’s question. He had felt proud of Karaz. Vreta had always felt that Karaz was perhaps too idealistic and did not consider practical concerns as much as he should, but Vreta still admired his ideals. He even felt some guilt about the fact that he had not been willing to take the step to join Karaz fully. It had been an option for him, but his own pragmatic concerns had prevented him from committing to it. He had not been willing to put as much trust in other species as Karaz had. Vreta was not completely selfless, and certainly not completely trusting, but those memories did show that Vreta did not lie about wanting to help other species, in addition to his own.

“Maybe we’re not perfect. Karaz certainly didn’t think so. But we’re not that bad, Agent. Perhaps your people can handle this on their own, but they don’t have to. Karaz, he might have been naive in some ways, but he was willing to step up and do what was needed in ways that others wouldn’t. I was too worried, not just about taking risks with our technology, but my career, wealth, my next retirement. I could have helped him more, but I was too worried about keeping my company and maintaining business agreements. And none of it even mattered in the end; it wasn’t long after that when I retired anyway.” Vreta’s voice softened, and he let out a sigh as he once again glanced at the armor suit’s cold, expressionless faceplate. He was not exactly sure how this would go, but in any case, his words would not just be words this time. His words would conjure up emotions that he knew now existed in the Agent’s mind. “Now there are more people in danger. Your people. Now I’m in a position to step up and act, and this time, I’m not going to make excuses to avoid it. We can work together; we don’t have to be at each other’s throats.”