[She has certain things in mind, of course, that Portam Hall would agree to, but Viktor is obviously not a man of war.

That's alright. There are other scientists eager to develop other projects. In the interim, they need protection as much as they need weapons.]

I don't always believe a good offense is the best defense. Thorne has a nasty habit of attacking innocent civilians from above. If you can help us better defend our nation, we can retire your bombs. And...the generals would probably be amenable to those terms.