He'd been sworn to secrecy about it. Had the secret beaten into him, branded into him, and he hadn't spoken about the Admiral aloud ever since.

But the Admiral was dead.

He felt a sudden heat behind his eyes and he swallowed, roughly, trying to shake it away.

"Sorry-- Sorry, I just. I guess I never... I never really stopped to think about it, I..." His hand worked over his mouth, eyelids flickering. "... I didn't think about it. But he's dead."