But.... the role of lethal force... in the network-centric battlespace.... is a body of thought in flux, Lieutenant.

	General. Please. I don't need think-tank bullshit right now.

	We're.... We're in this.. together now, Lieutenant. *sniff*

	Are you... crying?

	General...?

	Lieutenant.... If your career is over..... then so is mine. *sniff*

	*mmmgh* Miller...How do we make them understand...there are no insignificant humans?...

	It's dangerous now for any person to be oppressed... or even to think they're being oppressed...

	*snorfle*

	General Conchis... In twenty minutes, you're supposed to be in front of the Congress....

	And I'll give them a testimony to remember, Lieutenant.

	Let it come down, Miller. *hnrrggh* Let it come down.

	A soldier... by definition... has to be able to kill the enemy.

	Would you agree with that statement, General?

	It's... not a simple question anymore, Lieutenant. War... has always been about the imposition of will....

	I need to know... if my career is over...

	If everything I've worked for these past 14 years... has been taken away from me... by your fucking gas.

	General...

	You didn't.

	Took the whiff... 10 minutes ago, Lieutenant. Dosage.. same as yours....

	Should be... peaking... in 30 minutes.

	On national television.

	You'll be forced to resign, General.

	Had to do this. Responsible leadership. *sniff*

	Here come the attorneys to collect me. This is it, Miller. Over and out.

	Jesus christ, Conchis, what's wrong with you? Pull yourself together, man you've got a testimony to deliver. Wait.. wait a second. No. No. No. Are you shitting me? Please tell me you're shitting me. Oh god. Oh god. Oh sweet jesus fuck...

	*bling* -- THANK YOU FOR USING SPIDERNET.

	.....

	I can hear y'all whispering behind the door..

	Yo! People in the hallway...

	told you...

	jedi mind powers

	ahem.

	general be trippin!

	shit.

	sssshhh!

	Deneb.

	Tarazed.

	Alrakis.

	Alphecca.

	Izar.

	Mekbuda.

	Do all the stars have Arabic names, Khaled?

	Most of the visible ones do.

	They were named and charted by the great Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, father of astronomy.

	Khaled, look!

	He lived over a thousand years ago, during the First Caliphate. Peace be upon him.

	Ssssshhh! Not so loud, Ahmad.

	A fire dart!

	Allah's chasing an eavesdropping djinn away from Heaven!

	It's a meteorite, Ahmad. A stone from space, burning up in the Earth's atmosphere.

	No! The Holy Qu'ran... Al Djinn, verse eight...

	Ahmad... It's a fine line between faith and superstition.

	If you remember anything I say from this night, remember this: The New Caliphate can only rise if you and your generation reject superstition, and reclaim Islam's legacy of science.

	I want to learn more about the stars, Khaled. Can we stay up late?

	We have to sleep soon, Ahmad. Tomorrow's going to be.... a busy day.

	Then can we come out and watch the stars tomorrow night?

	I.... I wish we could, Ahmad. Unfortunately...

	I won't be around tomorrow night.

	Or the night after...

	Where are you going?

	I have a job to do.

		What kind of job?

	Hmmmm. You know something, Ahmad? You're right. We should stay up late tonight.

	To tell the truth, Ahmad... I've been watching the night sky since before I was your age.

	And in all my 29 years on this planet...

	The stars have never looked more beautiful than they do on this night.