Corporal, I'm in charge here— "Doctor, you are in charge here. But this assault rifle has a special veto power, if you get my drift. - Charles E. Gannon

And over the many months that followed, as Caine crept through both terrestrial and alien undergrowth on missions to reclaim some of the autonomy humanity had lost, he learned and relearned the prime lesson in common to all the shocks:
That all assumptions, like all plans, or never more than a second away from a catastrophic collision with reality.

You are a traitor to your own race, servitor.
"No. I am its true servant, because the prerequisite of success is a ruthlessly clear understanding of reality, of the facts with which we must contend. Without that, all plans begin in error, and so, they must end in disaster.

And saying that doesn't get you in trouble, does it?
His smile broadened. "Nope. Not a bit." He straightened up, stuck out his hand. "I'm glad I was able to come and give you the inside scoop on—absolutely nothing. And on the people who have absolutely nothing to do with it."
Caine smiled. "Your failure to impart any information has been very illuminating.