But we're not at war against these people. [ Matt waves the flask to encompass the street below them, the merchant in their stall. ] We're at war against the universe. The way it is now, the way energy is flowing--or not flowing, in this case. The stuckness of it. So I don't understand why like, mortal-style, mundane, land war politics are part of our strategy here. Apart from helping in Venera with the Innocence thing, this is the most concrete thing the Regent's ever asked us to do, and I have no idea how executing a few people is supposed to move the needle on any of our longer-term goals.

[ Which is to say: Is it wrong to kill people? Of course it is. A certain amount of wrong is going to have to happen before they can hit reset, but to Matt's mind, it should all have a purpose. Otherwise, it's just sadism. Stress relief for the powerful. ]

Maybe "base" is right, [ he adds after a moment, softer. ] I was gonna say tawdry.