[He definitely knows everything she's saying. Every moment of every day is a careful dance of never revealing too much, never letting on... in some ways, it's even more stressful than it is at home. He knows for sure what the consequences are there. Here, everything is a mystery. In a way, just sitting in a room with her is a welcomed relief. He doesn't have to lie or pretend.

A pittance of a comfort, given everything else, but he'll take it.]

... It's a bit of a long story, [understatement] so I'll keep it brief. I guess the first thing you should know is that, in this world, humans have developed powers far beyond what we could ever imagine in our world. [Weapons deadly enough to drape entire continents in eternal twilight; he can hardly even imagine it.] What you saw on that screen wasn't a movie. The United Earth found the city we were originally operating out of, and destroyed it in seconds, with a single weapon. That's what we're fighting against.

[He swallows, hard, and there's a very noticeable pause before he continues. He feels bad laying it all out so bluntly, but he knows Satella can handle it. More importantly, she has the right to know. Everyone should know about the atrocities that were committed down there, so that they can be stopped.]

There were at least half a million people still living there.