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"You think that extremism is a necessary evil in the world?" said Hector.

'Necessary? Maybe not. But I think on the grand scale, its influence isn't always a bad thing.'

Hmm. Hector hadn't thought about it like that before. But it at least made sense that a leading member of the Vanguard would view it that way, he thought. Xander probably had lots of comrades-in-arms who were much more extreme in their views than he. If he couldn't tolerate their opinions, then he likely would've left the Vanguard a long time ago.

He wondered what Harper Norez might say on this particular subject.

They'd gotten quite sidetracked, though. "Alright, well... why do you want me to tell Abolish that the war is going terribly for you?"

'Because by all appearances, it is. If that can make them overconfident, then we would be foolish not to take advantage of the opportunity.'

"So you've got a plan, then."

'Everyone has plans, don't they?'

He supposed that was true. But this guy was being evasive again. In the end, Hector didn't really expect Xander to share anything of real substance with him regarding the war. He decided to keep trying a little more, though. "Do you think Intar will join the fighting?"

'As a matter of fact, I do.'

Whoa. That was surprisingly candid--and also a totally contrary opinion to what he'd heard previously. "Really? Why?"

'Unless the war ends abruptly and soon, then Intar's entry is inevitable, I think. In all likelihood, the pressure in Sair will grow too great to ignore.'

"But Intar is politically deadlocked and very anti-war culturally, at the moment."

'Every modern country is anti-war culturally,' said Xander. 'Aside, perhaps, from those led by Abolish, but even in those places, a strong argument could be made that they--the civilians, at least--are more anti-war than anywhere else in the world. They just can't say so publicly. Living under military dictatorships can have that effect on you.

'No, Intar's hand will be forced, sooner or later. Steccat, too, if the Vantalayan warfront doesn't improve. I am not saying that things will be smooth sailing or that they won't get significantly worse before they begin to get better, but in the long run, this is a losing war for Abolish. It is plain to see even from the most uninformed perspective that the actions taken by the aggressing nations are unjust.'

Wow. That was definitely one way of looking at things. "...You're very optimistic."

Xander laughed mildly again. 'That is what polite people say when they do not wish to call me naive.'