The armored Mercenary get gets up to greet Templar Ouryon. " It is nice to meet you face to face for once. I have already talked to Metsar about my main business wanting to fight with the empire. I came to talk to you saying that i hope we can put everything that we have said to each other in the past. If that is Okay." A friendly smile appeared on the mercenaries face when he finished his statement.

*Metsar doesn't even flinch at her appearance. Though he himself uses a custom combat clone more reminiscent of his old appearance, he knew many mercs ran the stock clone. And being a hospitaller he works on them often. Metsar leads the way to his desk and takes a seat, pressing a button on the console. Moments later his slave Torsuul emerges with a kettle and a few cups, pouring out two and setting them down. The tea's earthy aroma drifting up in wafts of steam.*

"Thank you, Torsuul." *He takes a sip and turns to Ryeon.* "It is a very good brew Ryeon-haan, enjoy. So were you born in Saiso?"

"Yes it would seem so. Only in the face of adversity can someone truly know the divine. How is one to ever feel it necessary to call upon the higher power if they are raised in a lush world like Gallente Prime? The soul needs hardship like iron needs the forge. To temper it and make it stronger. Idle hands are Molok's playground..."

*Metsar stares into his tea briefly before taking a sip.*

"By the way, my rank is Paladin. The second highest rank of PIE's ground troops. I serve directly under the Lord Marshal, Arrach Sarkal."

"What you say about adversity seems to be true ... and yet, different forms of hardship teach different lessons. The Gallente, too, came of age in difficult circumstances...." She takes a sip of tea. "As I understand it, lacking a world that made life difficult for them, they made life difficult for each other. If nation made war upon nation, tribe upon tribe, faith upon faith, is it any wonder that they seem to mostly think of group identity as a good way to get a lot of people hurt or killed?"

"I suppose that's one way to look at it, but quite frankly they have a strong group identity as of now. For all their talk they are rather intolerant of other opinions. Resulting in the Caldari State for instance. The Gallenteans all tout the party line and anyone who disagrees is a monster in their eyes. In my dealings I've found them to be a petty, selfish, arrogant people. Closed to the chosen life of other civilizations. So assured of their cultural and idealogical superiority. With a leader who governs and spurrs them on from within his city carved out of synthetic diamonds."

"They do often tend to speak as though they had received truth direct from the lips of the Creator, it's true. Despite their atheism, they hold on to faith in other sorts of abstractions with all their might. Though ... it's also true that they have little sense of history. For the Gallente, a century or two is a very long time, much too long to keep moaning about such things as a lost homeworld."

She cocks her head to the opposite side, colorless eyes wandering up the architecture, opposite.

"For the Caldari, a century or two ago may as well have been yesterday. What happened to them as a group, happened to each individual." She pauses, considering. "Is it a help to you, in dealing with the Matari, that you do not talk past each other in this way? Or-- I guess you do, after all; only on different issues."

*Metsar takes a long draft of his tea then sets the cup down, motioning for the slave to refill it.*

"When it comes to the Matari you have to remember a very large portion of them are still Imperial citizens, citizens I am sworn to defend. Most of them in fact are free and faithful after the Empress' decree. The Amarr and Minmatar share seven centuries of history. While those of the 'Republic' cry and detest over it, we see it far differently. To us they are 'our' people in rebellion, not some new nation. This is a civil war in our eyes... You know I've noticed a rather romantic notion among the Republic about their past. They have this nostalgic view of a harmonious tribal society. Little the forget that when the first golden fleet reached them, it found a barbaric society. Tribal wars, genocides, power struggles... They were enslaving each other! And their slavers were far crueler than ours... *ahem* Sorry to burst off on my tangent. Anyways when dealing with the Matari I take the stance that they are impetulant children. And I hope very much they will see the truth and return to us."

"Sometimes I wonder whether that is the way the Jove see all of us: as petulant children. After all, from all we know, it seems that when your civilization was young, theirs was already dying. What great regrets does our own foolish adolescence have in store for us, I wonder?"

She lifts her teacup to catch the Paladin's reflection, peering with one lustreless, smiling eye.

"Are we creating them already, perhaps?"

"The Jove are twisted and deformed monstrosities. They are inhuman in body, mind, and whatever shred of a spirit resides in their malformed bodies. Theirs is a grave sin. To scorn and alter the form bequeathed to us by God. To change His natural processes. And to proclaim such an advancement, an improvement on His work. I care not what such creatures think of us... And before you retort with 'what of our own cloned bodies' I'll say our changes are far from the scale of theirs. And even these bodies we admit are no longer the sacred flesh of our first lives. But of the deviant Jovians... As far as I'm concerned they are daemons lurking in the darkness of the void... And I would see them cleansed from existence... Our empires squabble and fight when we should turn our blades to those abominations. They are our greatest threat."

"... Sansha's Nation... The rogue drones... The Jove... and most of all the Sani Sabik... These are my personal daemons Ryeon-haan... And my immortal existence shall forever stand against them. I hate each for different reasons, most not even as religious in nature as you might think. Also the Caldari and Matari are wrong if they view their relationship with the Jovians as 'friendly.' How can we comprehend the machinations of a race so apart from our own? How can we hope to read any of their gestures with the tiniest shred of validity? ... ... ... I do not 'fear' the Jove. When you have seen the things I have seen, when you have done what I have done... You learn there is only one thing this universe offers that is worthy of your fear..."

*Metsar pauses and stares at his cup of tea, then slowly slides it off to the side.*

"... Inhumanity... I... Have faced the inhuman before."

*Metsar's serious expression fades into the ghost of a smile.*

"I'm not referring to you or clone soldiers in general if that's what you're inferring. I find most capsuleers and mercenaries are very much human aside from a few individuals. I speak of a greater inhumanity. Not one solely of the body, but the heart and mind as well. I've seen things you wouldn't believe... Many lives ago, before this immortality."

"I suppose I can't disagree with that. The future holds many possibilities. But as for today I am human, and quite frankly you, Kalamari, and Fae have been the most conversable individuals I've met at this summit. Aside from my fellow praetorians of course. Anyways I prefer not to be so serious all the time. So how is your corporation doing? The Initiative is well known to PIE."

"That's a shame to hear. I know the Initiative was founded upon the basis of securing the Caldari State. It's sad that's been lost, profitably or not..."

*The paladin's expression drops drastically. As though any hint of emotion had fled his features.*

"Nonetheless, if you'd prefer our previous line inquiry that's fine. I see you're not one for personas and appearances. As for myself I find them useful. And despite the many years of my life I can still draw on my upbringing in the lower nobility to maintain them. So what would you like to ask or discuss?"

"Well suite yourself, it has been an interesting conversation Ryeon-haan. Hmm..."

*Metsar reaches into the desk and pulls out a small aluminum box.*

"Ah here, some Khanid tea leaves. It is not often you find a partaker of teas among our ilk. Consider them a gift."

*He holds out the box.*

Weeks have passed since the last time the young merc came in. Curious about what has been happening lately in Pie Inc. he walks up to Metsar at his desk " How has everything been lately. I talked to Mira one point about recruitment but i changed my mind. Due to my resume being ruined by one of my past ceo's."

*It takes a moment for the weary Paladin to respond, the shadows of sleep deprivation under his eyes. The downsides to being stubborn about his new existence. Most mercs switch clones, or use resting chambers to minimize sleep. It was marginally known around that the PIE officer rarely switched clones on-station, and preferred natural sleep. However he apparently was having troubling getting much. It took another moment for recognition of the young merc to come to him. He set aside his current display panel and absentmindedly opened his file (he kept some notes on all visitors to the emissary).*

"Ashaltiasten, Knight. What seemed to be the problem?"

" Problem i have no problem. Well beside my profit margins being down. I simply came here to talk about the current status of the 24th imperial crusade. In positive news massive defeats lead to a increase in the war effort. Bad news is we have had massive defeats. " 21 then looks around and notices that the couch that was ruined before was replaced.