"I fear life is not always kind enough to provide third options."

That was, perhaps, he thought, the fundamental difference between Union and the rest of the world. Blinding optimism... and in a way, a merciless lack of sympathy for those who could not hold to such ideals.

"But what's done is done. It is time to think about the path forward - this, too, is an evolution in the progress of your people. The question is not, 'what should you have done', but rather, 'what are you to do'?"