<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="color: #FF0000">Major Tom ‘TT’ Theophilus Peters</span></span></div><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><a class="postlink" href="http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/o793/Galvin_Fugazi/0b1c5703-1ec6-4951-9974-ee41ec21aa28_zps54ccd4dc.jpg">[ img ]</a></div><br/><br/><div style="text-align: justify;">Tom shook his head on Freya’s question. He had known that she wouldn’t understand the joke behind it, but nevertheless it gave him the chance for some open conversation. And as he wanted Freya to trust them, it was better they started to speak openly.<br/> <br/><span style="color: #FF8000">“No. We don’t have slaves anymore in our world. But we had, in the past, some 200 years ago. For example the big dark-skinned soldier guy you saw yesterday with the group, he comes from a family that had been slaves once. I guess it is deeply rooted in the human mind that you want to enslave people you believe to be inferior to your kin and use and abuse them for things, you would never stand yourself. Humans are the most dangerous predator I have ever met. Because we are able to intrigue, to plan and to distract.”</span><br/> <br/>He looked at the Professor, knowing that this talk must interest him. Maybe he would chime in later.<br/> <br/><span style="color: #FF8000">“But it doesn’t change the fact that soldiers are not respected enough. Oh, we do with ourselves and we don’t feel inferior to non-soldiers. But as the soldier world is an enclosed one, with own rules, own hierarchy, own life habits, it is like a parallel world to outsiders. If you would ask Tania or the Professor here, how the life of a soldier is like, they could only give you some vague idea. We pride us that we save the country, that we risk our lives to keep the civilians save and the civilians know that we do it. But they take it as granted and they won’t respect us as much as they should.”</span><br/> <br/>Tom put his fork down and made a pyramid with his fingers.<br/> <br/><span style="color: #FF8000">“Look at me for example. I am over twelve years a soldier, I am the highest ranked soldier here on board, but in the public view I am far less important than Tania or the Professor. That’s what I meant with being lower as slaves. It was a joke, as we have no slaves, but in the public opinion we are not important at all. We have to die for them to keep them save, but that doesn’t grant us the comfort to get some proper meals for example. Or to travel in style. This plane, that’s what we call those flying objects, is a military one. You see it is functional, nothing on it that provides any luxury. No tasty drinks, no good meals, no entertainment. It is good enough for soldiers, but for Tania or the Professor it is a very uncomfortable way to travel. The planes they usually use are different. They have soft seats, they have people who are only there to provide food and drinks, they can listen to music or watch a film.”</span></div>