[ He doesn't interrupt, but raises a lenient hand before Richard has even finished speaking. ]

No need. This situation has pushed all of us to do things we normally wouldn't. I think we are all still recovering from that last happening. All the more reason we need to come together to mount a defense.

[ Speaking of which, he won't waste Richard's time. They came here to talk about that. The sharp exhale of a breath that precedes it shows he doesn't take the matter lightly. ]

Now that we are able to speak privately, I must admit to you that I am not just a ranking officer. My world was decimated by nuclear warfare; Russia as we knew it no longer exists... and in the chaos and civil conflict that followed, I became the Commander of a small military force.