"I certainly intend to keep my focus on the mission," you say. "I'll leave the fancy rhetoric to others."
"Good," she says. "The Astral Corps expects many things from its officers, but our loyalty to the mission has to be paramount."
You're pleased to hear that. You've heard so much cynicism over the years from your fellow trainees, and even occasionally from instructors, about why the Astral Corps does what it does. You're a servant of the State, and it appears your troop commander agrees with you.
Her narrow features part in the ghost of a smile.
"What do you know about the situation on Cerberus?" she asks suddenly.
"Probably not much," you admit. "I know that there's a long-standing rebel force, and that the local civilians are often sympathetic to them."
"Do you know what the rebels are fighting for?"
"Independence?"
"What else do rebels ever fight for?" she scoffs. "But from whom? From the local Cerberan government? From us? From Terra itself? We're in the middle of this, and you're going to have to make decisions on the ground that have consequences far beyond your own platoon." She leans forward and pins you to your chair with her gaze. "So, what do you think?"