“Oh, nothing.” Hale tapped his mahogany desk with his index finger’s nail. 

“We protect ourselves first, and always have, because we can [i]never[/i] expect the same from them. This isn’t just about the Tindrel and the QV, but Angjusk, the Renaissance, the whole Diaspora. They all stand to exploit this crusade. Even Earth.”

Benoit Souza and João Sequeira bristled at the thought, looking at each other.

“With all due respect, All-Conqueror, I expected a longer term view from you. You and many of your kind would have been alive when Human civilisation ripped itself apart.”