" Nova, what's your like... life ambition?" William asked as they sat in the back of the bridge together. It was late; the computers were running on automated course calculations.

" Well, I wanted to end the war. Don't know what to do now. Didn't think it'd be so easy. What about you? Why are you asking?"

" ...I'm trying to think of what to do when this is all over," William explained. " I don't know."

" Come back to Sturm with me," Nova said.

" I can't. I'm a DASS citizen."

" You don't have to be."

William sighed, and slumped against the wall.

" It would be nice, wouldn't it," he said. " If we could both just be us, and there was nothing else in the way."

" What, off on some desert planet, no empire, no masters? That'd practically be the same as being dead."

" ... But you don't really want to be Lorn or anything, right? It wouldn't be so bad to just be... free."

Nova flicked his ear.

" Even if it'd be nice, it's not like I can just dump all my baggage on someone else and run off."

" You really hate yourself," William observed. " It's sad."