Snippet #1972905

"Don't worry about it." Douglas reassured her, "You've just got more to say than I have. If you've been as shut off as you said, you'll want a chance to talk a lot."
Douglas picked up his glass and downed the rest of it, wiped the liquid left on his lips away with the back of his hand and carried on talking.
"As for my story," He began, "I was adopted by a young Unduli couple after my operation. I was still recovering from the trauma of the Cogregate's siege, and my recovery hardly came quickly. I even thought about killing myself. It tooks months before I coulod be described as sane. Once I was able to cope with the trauma I was sent to school. I did considerably better than most of my classmates, who could hardly be described as pleasant individuals. They bullied me. Once. Secondary school wasn't as bad. I had friends there who weren't bigots. I did better in secondary school, probably because my self-esteem was higher. Now you might think this is somewhat strange, but I went to a good university and studied philosophy. I could have chosen a different, better-paid, less risky career but I wouldn't have been doing my duty for the republic. I had my arm enhanced with a gun, a blade and a grappling hook to make me a better fighter. I'm a commander now, so I'm only a rank lower than Cap. Does that provide you with the answers you were looking for?"