The transition from the Abomination to Mykolaiv and then to Keller's gunboat was comparable to traveling through different climates on earth, they were so different. The Abomination seemed like a Coalition vessel in name only, and looked like none of the other technology Rachel had seen in her short visit. Mykolaiv Research Station was clearly a scientific facility, clean and organized, with only peripheral mention of the larger military-industrial complex of which it was a component. Keller's ship, however, defined the man as a force to be reckoned with from Rachel's first step onto the vessel. Everything spoke of brutal efficiency and the threat of attack in her mind.

Rachel's core need as a scientist took over, and she interjected before Keller could finish speaking. There was a harsh edge to her tone. "Field Marshal, I've been patient. It's been nearly two years since Planetform 'retired' me, and destroyed my prospects of any work in Liberty. Since then, I've been fighting with the Board of Trustees for Cambridge to try to get a teaching position. I've been patient. I'm done being patient." She stopped as they walked, and stood there until Keller turned to look at her in the eyes. She was not going to give him the chance to ignore what she had to say, like Dross had been so willing to do. And she held his gaze.

The young doctor wasn't interested in the scenery, and she wasn't even looking out the window. She only cared to keep Keller's attention, though she returned to walking as she thought out the answer to his question in her mind. "I overheard about the Coalition in a bar," Rachel said. Saying the words out loud pulled an involuntary chuckle from her throat. The absolute ridiculousness of making a life-altering decision on a bar rumor set in like she hadn't contemplated it before, and she was quiet for nearly a minute before speaking again. "But, you need me. You need someone who can give your people a home here. I am that person, Keller." Rachel was back to complete confidence.

She wasn't going to let down the opportunity for her own curiosity to be sated, though. "What does a Field Marshal do, exactly? How do you serve the Coalition?" Rachel needed to understand the military structure better if she was going to survive here.

Annoyance flared across Rachel's features at Keller's words. As a scientist and an intelligent woman, she had many times in the past expected people to be able to read between the lines she drew. She'd often been disappointed. She had hoped Keller would be different.

"I would think you'd be able to pick up on them," she said, her voice matching her expression. "I have the ability to create life, and turn a dead world into a paradise, Keller. That's my goal. That is my motivation. I will not let my talents go to waste. If Planetform and Liberty and Bretonia aren't smart enough to realize what I can do for them, then perhaps the Coalition will." Her combined opinion of Dross, which was already at rock bottom, and Keller, which was plummeting rapidly, made her doubt that.

She listened to Keller's explanation of his responsibilities and filed the data away for later use. She'd been right in the assumption of his level of authority. It wasn't going to change how she treated the man, but it was still important. His decision to ignore her query completely further annoyed her. "Quite full of himself," she thought as she turned toward the window. Her disappointment was washed away as she finally gazed at the planet, Jiang-Xi. Hope replaced it completely.

Part of Rachel's abilities came from her skill at imagining all possibilities. Where Keller no doubt saw a small settlement that looked humble compared to anything that Liberty had to offer, she saw the future. In her mind, the encampment was just the predecessor to a grand vision. As her view washed over everything in sight, and then her eyes closed, she imagined buildings more grand than even Rheinland could build, with millions of people occupying the world. And she would help make it happen.

"It won't stay this way for long, if you put it in my hands." Rachel was too lost in her thoughts to focus on the tone of her voice, so whether she was threatening or reassuring was unclear.

Surprise replaced hope as Rachel's primary emotion at Keller's apology. It was the second time in less than 15 minutes that he had elicited such a response. She turned away from the dream of the future in front of her, meeting his eyes again. Never skilled at hiding her emotions, the thoughtful look she gave him was earnest. "You're forgiven, Keller," she said, much more softly than before. "I assume a man in your position has to make a lot of assumptions in order to do his job. I'll try not to hold it against you." Her voice lifted and one corner of her mouth pulled up, smiling as she turned back to stare out the window.

The view was completely different now. For as far as Rachel could see, the flora and fauna of the planet had been utterly annihilated. The soft tone of a radiation alarm hit her ears at the same time as her eyes settled on the destruction of what looked like a city below. Remnants of bombed-out buildings and transportation systems were still there, and they looked aged, but no natural life had grown to replace them. It was a clear sign that there was more to the scene than just explosions. Radioactive isotopes were the bane of natural life. Though not visible to the naked eye, Rachel knew their effects when she saw them.

Rachel's voice went clinical with a side of cocky. "You're already underestimating me, Field Marshal," she said. She addressed him without turning, letting her mind play over the possibilities for this much bigger challenge. "You'll learn eventually." She smiled, and questions raced through her. She wanted to know everything - any information about the weapons used in the bombardment, the current active radiation doses throughout the exclusion zone, any signs of natural life that might have survived but couldn't be seen from altitude. Already she was at work, ready to change a world and make it better for humanity.

"When do I get to work?" It was the only question that mattered to her now.

Rachel was pleased by this smile from Keller, unlike the last one. She acknowledged his role in her future, and was distressed it was not a more direct one. Impressing Keller wasn't going to do her any favors. She turned to him again. "You won't be disappointed, Keller. You have my word on that." There was a fire in her voice. She went back to looking over the exclusion zone as the vessel descended. The angle of approach didn't give her any more visual details, and eventually she gave up trying to find any. She turned delicately in place and leaned back against the glass, crossing her arms over her chest.

Keller wasn't her commanding officer, wasn't even in charge of her section, but still took an interest. Rachel didn't know what to think of it at first. As she rolled it over in her mind, she came to an assumption regarding his motivation: The military needs people and supplies. A planetary infrastructure best enabled both to be provided. Her success served the military's interests. She didn't care either way and would take advantage of any shielding from bureaucracy that Keller could offer. "I'm pleased to hear it, Keller." She wasn't military. She wasn't going to address him by his rank.

The gunboat settled down a few minutes later, and Rachel pushed herself off the glass and followed Keller toward the exit. She didn't know how exactly to go about finding any residential assignment on Jiang-Xi, but she wasn't going to tell him that. She'd been given comm frequencies for her actual command structure, and would reach out to them instead. There was no point in showing just how unprepared she was for the banalities of uprooting her entire existence for the Coalition. Halfway across the platform that would allow her to leave the ship, she turned back to Keller one last time.

"Those eyes...," she thought again, the feeling unprompted and unwelcome. She wouldn't let them go, though. "I hope it doesn't come to you having to beat people out of my way, Keller. I have..." Rachel paused mid-sentence, and realization crossed her face. She smirked. "Do you have a first name?"