All grown up. Just like Etienne. Precisely like Etienne, in fact, only on the other side of a conflict that can never been peacefully reconciled. If EMC prevails, if Messiah is destroyed, I have no doubt that I will follow shortly after, if of course I don't fall before. If Messiah conquers, well. I can't imagine. Destruction. Maybe I could protect Kotako. She's a machine at heart, like Messiah.

But Etienne...

No, I don't imagine we can both survive this, no matter how much in pains me to know.

"I won't." I hate lying to her. I am. I do. I want to protect her, and I can't even risk opening a visual feed in this conversation that will probably never happen again.

"You're strong."