He listened to her story with an interest, eyebrow arched in curiosity. He had heard of Cerberus before, nothing of real significance, but they had begun to stir on the fringes of human society. Some kind of radical pro-human movement, as he understood it. Why pro-humans would assault a human colony was beyond him, but from what he'd heard it hadn't been the first time. Rumors of outposts and small colonies vanishing had cropped up a lot in recent months, and his team had been preparing for an anti-insurgent mission not-so-subtly designed to target Cerberus. Then the world had been ripped rather violently upside-down when a 2-click-long dreadnought had ripped the Citadel halfway to hell.<br/><br/>His eyes strayed to a piece of it that was still floating outside, visible against the violet backdrop of the nebula in silhouette. Sovereign. Shepard had famously claimed that the ship was alive, that it wasn't just some geth construct, that it had been the first of a large-scale invasion of monsters just like it. Cole had no idea what to make of that. He tried not to think of it. He turned his gaze back to her when she explained her views on sex related to morale, and smirked again.<br/><br/>He looked down at her hand when she touched his leg, and shrugged carefully. "I would, of course, do my duty as the newest member of your crew." He looked her in the eye. "I would do so very vigorously. But I would also be remiss if I didn't express my sincere belief that there just isn't enough time before the briefing in the CIC to do to you what I would need to do in order to ensure my duty was completed." He shifted a bit closer and leaned toward her, his hand covering hers. "But as the commander, being late is your prerogative. I am a loyal soldier, ma'am. Ready and," he paused, eyes flicking to her sheer top and back, "<i>very</i>willing to prove it."