"No. They know, now, if I back away from it it will prove everything they worry about, with regards to my power over you. It'll mean it for them, and in the end, it'll mean it for you. It's important that it continue."

He tells him, because he's a formidable tactician in his own right. Which is part of the problem. He isn't a child, a cadet, who needs to learn better. He's a genius strategist with a seasoned lifetime of command.

He picks up the next boot, and starts once more.

"Tell me about Earth?"