Shepard's explanation of the military she knows is enough for Claude to lower his weapon slightly with his focus turning from the shot he'd just taken to listening instead. What she describes isn't the same experience he knows - not entirely, at any rate - and he considers this for a few seconds.

"Sounds both the same and different from what I used to know, in some ways. I can't speak for everyone who joined, given some battalions were asked to join by their regions and that asking was generally not voluntary. But if someone didn't want to take up the causes we represented or disagreed with some part about them, that was also an important piece of how I ran things. All of it was worth hearing to make sure I was making the right decisions, especially if asking someone to put their life on the line for what I decided even if I was out there doing the same right beside them."

It's not solely being a soldier alone that he knows, though truthfully: the longer he thinks about it, the more it does sound like they have in common. There's only so far the idea of free thought can be stretched into being the truth; the reality is that of course there was the setting aside of any number of thoughts, hopes, dreams - anything in between to take up the one they were directed. It's not the first time he's thought about it that way, but it's sobering to be presented with it yet again.

Which is exactly why he pivots back to something lighter for time being. "I think what you're saying, though, is that by 'not so bad' there's a good chance that does mean some level of annoying. Unfortunately, that's not so different than from when I was in charge since I think my commanders would've also preferred less talking from me now and then. Helped break up the action side a bit, though."