The Cadet stared at him, surely she misheard. She suddenly felt cold, like someone was messing with the environmental controls. She felt tears welling up in her eyes and she furiously wiped them. She hadn't cried once since she was thirteen and she refused to cry now. She had warned him this would happen. She had tried and tried time again to convince him to get help. But still... she felt like she'd failed. She had failled.

Suddenly the thought hit her that she was sitting in the admiral's office and probably hadn't said anything for some time. It seemed like she should say something, but she had no idea what to say. She swallowed hard, finding her voice.

"He... ran away when I was five, sir... I... found him just this past year..." She had no idea why she said that, surely Admiral Pike didn't care about her family sob story. She felt her lower lip start to tremble and she bit it, angrily scolding herself. No, no, don't you dare cry! "Sorry sir."