He tips his head slightly, lips pressed together as he considers her answer. "Leaders must often make terrible decisions in the defense of their people. Deciding whose lives to spend on what objectives is one of the worst, but it is also unavoidable." He's sent more men and women than he can count (that's a lie, he knows the exact number, remembers every face and name and history, how and when and where they died and to what end) to their death in pursuit of objectives that seemed worth the cost. Sometimes they were, often they weren't.

"But it is important to keep in mind what you're fighting for, not just what you're fighting against. And that there are some lines that should not be crossed, even in pursuit of the most noble goal. Even if they might seem like the best, or only viable option at the time."