Two years after beginning his military training, Alek complains to his instructors that he's still not used to the idea of being a soldier. He says that he doesn't understand how a soldier can run away from a bare-handed attacker. Alek points out that there are times when a soldier cannot back down even in the face of an attack. He compares this to his father, who taught Alek to play the part of a soldier in order to please his father. Alek says that his father was like the other instructors in that he was carried away with "ideals" that had no meaning in the real world. He refuses to be a soldier like them.