"It's difficult," she admits. "I've yet to hear of a war where no one but those interested in the outcome are swept up in it."

She pokes at her food listlessly for half a second. "And if I were told of such a war, I would wonder what the teller was hiding. All too often, the people most eager, who will benefit most, will feel the consequences least."

"But... For all that, if you do care about that... There are ways. They're risky, and I've never heard of a bloodless battle. But limiting the opponents' casualties is possible."