“I’m trying to help you, Mattin,” Seven says. “When I was on board the Pride, you had more grievances with the Kaiser than anyone. He raised taxes and your parents had to scramble to work harder on the farm to pay them. Your father worked himself to death, you said, because his five sons were all called to fight the Kaiser’s wars. When you received word that your daughter was born, you told me you were glad it wasn’t a boy so that he wouldn’t…what were your words? ‘Die for an old man’s selfishness’?”
Mattin doesn’t reply at first but I can see him waver. “You wouldn’t be any better,” he says finally.
Seven glances at me before looking back at him. “I never had any desire to be Kaiser—I was always open about that, even back when we crewed together. I wanted a ship and the sea around me an
