[b][I]Raven Rivers[/i][/b]

One step closer to rescuing his family, one step closer to liberating Espia as their one last good deed before leaving. When the high of victory had left Raven, all he could think about was, [i]What a waste of human life. Even though they were scum, even though they were enemies, I take no satisfaction in their victory.[/i]

They were back in the base, and Raven had taken the time to shower and groom himself with the new facilities the junkyard provided. Now he was back in his military fatigues and combat boots, all the while feeling... disassociated from the rest of his Lance.

With all due respect to them, they were hardened and bloodthirsty, and when put in a real life-and-death crisis, they put up walls of violence, rage, and contempt between them and the foe; he had done the same thing earlier, so fair enough. But the thing was, apart from Ingrid, Reya, and the Colonel himself, the rest of the Lance was too focused on violence, on their paychecks, on the thrills of daily life, and that wasn't for him.

But they were family; Katrina and Andrew were too, but that didn't mean that he should discount his Lance-mates so easily. But how can he connect to them when they have such different priorities?

He could not forget how they were somewhat blase about the innocent people killed by those impostors, how they were more concerned about consequences to themselves than the fact that innocent people had died on a planet they had garrisoned in for years. That, and he still felt guilt about his voice being used to frame the group, to make sure that those same innocents had died hating the wrong people.

So Raven was walking to his Colonel's new quarters, asking through the intercom, "Hey, Colonel; mind if we have a chat, just like old times?"

Old times that would never return, old times that were gone forever. But the Colonel had dreamt of being a hero and despite everything that's happened, he managed to make some progress towards being one. So if let in, the Mechwarrior would say, "I can't stop thinking about what happened to that town. I also can't stop thinking about how our Lancemates don't care about the innocent people who've died not just in Keahi, but literally on this entire planet due to that crisis that a lot of ordinary people - Not just us, not just fighters - are caught up in. We were there when mercenaries proved themselves greater heroes than most standing military forces. I was there when you dreamt of becoming heroes - ideal warriors - just like the Kell Hounds, and that dream is actually close to being fulfilled."

He breathed in, then out, before saying, "But the others don't care. I think of them as friends and kin, but they still don't give a dang about the local population, including our employer at times. And that might lead to trouble."

[@AndyC]