"Are you serious about this?" The quiver in the soldier's voice was absolutely unmistakable. It nearly brought a smile to the my face, but for all the wrong reasons. I though I nearly sensed revulsion in the man's features. That was one thing that I could not stand. I could put up with many things ranging from envy to disgust, but revulsion was a whole different matter.

"I think that you are forgetting yourself, Seargent." I stressed the last word especially hard. That kind of things always made the underlings squirm. Some of the Sadowans were a little more squirrely, but appealing to the general respect for authority seemed far more effective than anyting as paltry as a clear threat. "The operations of the Orian Empire are for the benefit of us all. I assure you, that I wouldn't ask if it was not vital." I paused for effect, before narrowing my eyes just enough to blend the line between feigned suspicion and feigned anger. "Or is there another reason that you are failing to comply with a lawful request?"

This seemed to do the trick. Confusion was replaced with resignation. I am not sure if I had appropriately appealed to some innate sense of duty or just reminded him that service and security went hand in hand, but it did the trick. "I just don't understand the good of patrolling an asteroid field, sir." He waved a hand in the air as though gesturing at something unseen. "We have enough to deal with given the encampments on Sepros proper. I am just genuinely puzzled on what you expect us to find.

"Ah." I uttered the single word, and let the silence hang for four heartbeats before I continued. "That is the beautiful thing! I have sensed a disturbance in the Force. Using our temples as a focal point has revealed something in our system that is creating a great eddy of energy. Given that such things tend to tie into troves of secrets, the connection cannot be denied. Look at Korriban, look at Yavin, look at Operation: Antiquity, Dentaavi or the site of any other number of Sadowan or Brotherhood campaigns and what do you find? You find secrets, you find artifacts, magics, rituals and antiques. You find sources of power, wells of might, and sometimes we find ancient weapons which we can use to save our homes or destroy our enemies. It is like I told young Kharno back during the Ziost campaign-"

"Sir," the word brought my words to a stop. I felt the anger well up in me, but I stifled a snarl of anger. "Forgive me, but when were you at Ziost? I am familiar with our most recent campaigns, but I have not seen on any action on any world called Ziost."

"It was a marvelous campaign. It was back during the height of the Sith Empire." I could hear my voice take on a proud tone. Then I saw the confusion etch itself more deeply on the man's face. I had been prepared to launch into a lecture on the time period. I had almost forgotten myself. I felt that tickle in the back of my skull, as a small part inside me struggled before I wrestled it back down. "It was during a different time in my life. It was from a point where I most enjoyed myself. The blood, the steel, and the power we wielded back then was an unbelievable high."

"I see, sir." Though the words were compliant, it did see the uncertainty.

"I will have to tell you more about it. The pursuit of secrets, of power, of pieces of history is unparalleled. There are few greater joys to be experienced."