"I said some of the same stuff to my mom when I was fifteen, you know," Max said. Was there. Was there a tiny little tear in the corner of his eye?

"My dad died when I was twelve in one of the border skirmishes between Orange Star and Blue Moon that used to happen durin' the time before the alliance. I wasn't any good at school, and I knew that I was only good as an army brat. Told my mom that I was gonna do somethin' with my life, be like my dad, do somethin' for Orange Star, protect her and get her some money so she didn't have to work so hard."

"I was a punk kid when I was twelve, thirteen. After my dad died, didn't know what to do with myself. Heck, I even used to have little fake tattoos on my shoulders and arms all the time, sorta like you got, only yours ain't fake." Okay that was actually a tear in the corner of his eye. Wait it was rolling down his face, and there was another tear in his other eye now threatening to do the same thing.

"Wanted to protect my mom and country and be better for all of 'em. She didn't want me to do it; she'd already lost a husband she didn't wanna lose her only son, but it was the only way I knew how to do it right."

Max started sniffling like a giant, terrible, muscular baby, as he reached up with a finger to wipe the tears from his eyes.