"You make it sound so easy," he says, his voice softened momentarily by something akin to wistfulness, which dissipates as he continues on. "But I don't think you understand the Militia. Men like that don't come sniffing around first, they come with the intent to put an end to things, and waving paper at them won't steer them away."

The gravity of this discussion seems to draw him in closer; he approaches slowly, looming, progressively more intense. "You can build up all the legitimacy you want—and what if they ignore it? And they will ignore it, should it suit them. Who will hold them accountable?"