"It's not about sentiment," Ren says restlessly. "If I drop him from the mission, he goes to challenge Amada on his own, maybe blows up the mission, definitely gets himself killed again. It's a huge risk. If I thought he'd just sulk on his own, I might have done it already, but as it stands..." He gestures with one hand. "The risk of keeping him on has to be bigger than that for me to kick him.

"Do you have a reason to think he won't take my instruction? 'cause that's not the same as if you tried to get him to do something."