Her brows rose as the commander went on to explain the devious and unhanded tactics his father employed to obtain what he needed and eliminate competition. It was manipulative, and she was just as surprised that he had so much power that he was able to get away with being prosecuted. Once the initial shock subsided, she was a little less amazed that such a thing could be allowed to happen. Ava was learning that the Alliance allowed many things that were punishable by law, or simply frowned upon morally, in the civilian world. His father sounded like an awful man, and it was a wonder that Nick had made it through life without becoming warped and twisted. "Was he always this way? She asked without really thinking that the question might be a little invasive. She knew that he kept much of his family life private. He spoke about his mother once, and his father very rarely. He usually wasn't the topic of discussion when he mentioned him, usually only referenced briefly. Today, however, he brought up his father on two occasions, though indirectly at one point.<br/><br/>"Do you think he was different once?" She rephrased, hoping her curious inquiry wouldn't come off as intrusive as it might have before. She suspected that he might have. He was a married man once, perhaps in love if it was a genuine union and not one of manipulation or deceit. He might not have always needed to use conscripts as leverage or disperse false information about companies with resources he wanted to acquire. He could have been happy once, or he could have been just as rotten as the commander often described him. Though it wasn't necessary that she know, and she wouldn't be offended or disheartened if he declined to respond, but with how little he spoke of his family she figured she may not get the chance to ask for quite some time.