[ The war back home hadn't had such dire stakes, and Yuri can acknowledge that was a mercy. But he does know that desperation and greed run high in any conflict, for those who are either opportunists or deeply shortsighted will always crop up in those times. They're not even mutually exclusive, for that matter.

As for diplomacy in their present situation, well... ]

It's my understanding that efforts have been made, and we can credit those for hostilities not being worse than they are. Delaying some inevitability, perhaps, as more of these Oracles get claimed by one faction or the other.

[ Desperation for limited resources, just as Joshua had said, is ample motivation. ]

I suspect we're best off with neither having too many of them.