A dozen is better than seventy-plus, but still way too many. "Sorry to hear that. I can't imagine." He can, in truth, but he'd prefer not to dwell on that. "We've got his people locked up the same way Khan is, back home, all accounted for. They won't be able to get out any more than he can." He hopes that'll be at least some comfort.

Having grown up in a society where the shadow of his father's sacrifice has hung over him literally since the day he was born, it's still something of a novelty to run into people who've never heard the story. But he's slowly getting used to it. "Maybe," he concedes. "It's not entirely her fault; I ran off when I was a teenager. And she did send me messages once I enlisted and showed up in the public eye again. It's just... awkward." It's her word, but it's an apt one, so he uses it again.