"I like to start with the basics. Where you from?" She says it in that flippant, rote way that people do when they ask how you are-- you're fine, and they're not expecting any other answer. But Shepard's eyes are sharp on Lakshmi, and her interest is clearly genuine, despite the affect, "I assume you got family."

She knows these answers, in some capacity: the husband, the nation, the struggle. But all journeys begin on the launchpad, and this one is no different.