Date: 25 Novermber 2975, Terran Solar Calendar, 1620 hours Mountain Time
Location: Mountain Point Army Academy, Cheyenne, Wyoming, United Republic of North America, Terra

To say that Alasdair was a curious sight at the academy would be something of an understatement, despite having held a tenure as a training instructor. After all, a cadet school taught children, and as such, an actual ÆSIR commando was a rarity. Even after DAW had begun posting such soldiers in advanced combat instructor positions, there was only ever one of them at any given time, and most students never interacted with them. Even more unusual, the man in question was currently walking through one of the cadet barracks, carrying a cooling container in one large hand. Alasdair's expression only added to the strangeness of his presence, wearing a look of weariness that was rarely seen at all, let alone where students might see. Frankly, he didn't care, though. He was well aware of the current circumstances of one of his students, and one that particularly mattered to him. He had, of course, heard of the Lusitania incident, which had resulted in the death of another of his students, one Ian Malkovich. He'd attended the memorial the school had held, unable to take leave to attend the actual funeral, but though he'd shown more promise than most, potentially a candidate DAW would want to recruit after his graduation, Ian had simply been another loss, a young life brought to an end all too soon. Samus, on the other hand..Alasdair didn't allow the connection, however indirect though it was, to interfere with his instruction of the girl- no.. She was no girl anymore, he mused grimly. Not after all she'd suffered. She was a young woman, and one soon to likely be making her own way in the galaxy. In his other hand he held a second case, though this one resembled one that might be used to hold a laptop or datapad. This, however, did not prevent the towering Beacon native from knocking on the door to Samus's barracks room, if the loud bang of metal on wood could be called merely a knock. Still, he didn't rattle the hinges this time.

"Samus, yeh hae a mom'?" Alasdair called through the door, and though his voice carried, it lacked the same cadence that it held when drilling cadets. What that might portend, though, would have to be learned with time.