"The mighty Jackson Wolfe, contemplating the ethical and philosophical implications of destroying an alien machine," Pike chuckled. "That's a side to him the PR people would never let slip out. The ESA is convinced he's a ravening cannibal coming to devour them in their sleep, and the Federation does everything it can to encourage that."

"You have no idea how much it truly hurts him that he's viewed that way," she said sadly. "By either side. He always only wanted to be known as a competent officer who could be counted on to do the right thing and complete his mission."

"I can imagine," Pike said. "Those of us from Earth have carried a certain stigma for so long—" Jillian's head snapped over at that, and Pike knew he'd fucked up.

"What?!" she demanded.

"What I meant to say was—"

"Uh uh," she said. "You don't misspeak. You just let your guard down. You're from Earth?!" Pike sighed and leaned back in his seat.

"It's not widely known, of course, but yes. I was born in Cornwall, England. When I was of age, I joined the Earth Defense Force."

"This answers some questions but raises so many more," Jillian murmured. "Does Jackson know?"

"He's one of the few who does." Pike nodded. "I got drunk with him, and my native accent came out. He recognized it as being actually British, not just someone from a world in Britannia. The fact you didn't know means he kept it a secret as I asked. My already considerable esteem for him as actually risen a few points."

"So how did you get out here? In CIS service as a full Agent no less."

"When I was a teenager, I enlisted in Earth's defense force fleet. I had aspirations of serving aboard the great intra-system spaceships that patrol around Sol. It would have been a damn sight better life than trying to scratch out a living on an overcrowded Britain," Pike spoke easily, but there was a tightness around his eyes as he talked about his home world.

"During the entrance testing, there were some anomalies in my profile so I was selected and pulled out of line to be given a full psychological battery. The results showed I had well above average intelligence, a certain detachment that allows me to remain calm despite being in danger, and a flexible morality they look for. I was originally slotted to go through the EDF's ultra-secret operative training. I made it almost through the training itself when the program was discovered and disbanded."

"Discovered?" Jillian asked.

"It was actually a highly illegal assassin training program," Pike said. "Operatives were taught how to blend in on any planet, any culture, and kill without being seen. Needless to say, when the CIS found out that dear old Earth was getting ready to start fielding its own killer elite, they demanded it be shut down. The CIS doesn't take kindly to anyone moving in on its turf, and illegal killings is definitely their turf. When the CIS came to Earth to make sure the program wasn't just renamed and shuffled around to hide it, they went through the records and helped themselves to anything they wanted. Most of that was training methodology and manuals, but it also included personnel. I was offered the chance to go to Haven and have a new identity created for me if I agreed to work for the CIS."