(V) & Wick/Nuke merge has been on the cards, before the Wuke/(V) war, before WUKE. Several of the leaders have had a lot of respect for one another for sometime. It's always been an option.
I have the utmost respect for XVI & the guys, they have supported WUKE from the beginning (PnP wise), defended our honour when no one else did.
I had the feeling when I first heard about this merge, XVI may change there opinion of the tribe and it's players. I hope not. The move, although may seem aggressive in the likes of people looking from the outside, was beneficial for both tribes (V) & WUKE.
Diplomacy between XVI/(V) seemed a little shaky to me at times, especially on the PnP forums, but I hope that XVI will view this for what it is and not anything else.