[He nods, easily accepting his response. If there had been only a few dozen, only as many as this a few times, be would remember them all. But there had been groups far larger than this many times, over many cycles.

Few remained.]

Another difficult question.

[He looks forward still, a quiet moment as he organizes his thoughts, considers hid answer. It was never satisfying, even to him. Too vague, too broad. The result of their sworn duty.]

We do what we must. The enemy we fight has many plots. They overthrow governments, insite wars, carry out invasions. But they also sway public opinion, change the direction of growth in civilizations, and discourage advancements. They meddle, here and there, on small scales and large. And we do our best to stop or undo the damage they have done.

[Not exact by any stretch.]

We adapt, as need calls. The Nest is made up of many individuals with many different strengths. We will need them all.