[They've spoken about the price of command; there is a price, too, to serving someone else. Blind devotion is by far the easiest route, and the price then is often paid after. Regret. Retaliation. Isaak is of the opinion that it's a weak defense to claim one was simply following orders; ignorance does not make innocence. A man-- be he a good man as Pavel Andreievich is, or a decent man as Pavel believes Isaak to be, or (most simply) a man who wants to be able to meet his own eye in the mirror-- must accept that he is acting, must weigh his actions against his conscience, or at the least against the consequences.
Ideals, too, have a place in this. A man may fight and kill to protect his ideals as surely as he does so to protect himself. But a good soldier does not lie to himself about what he does. Whether a good man can be a good soldier is a question Isaak does not feel qualified to answer; and, strangely, one he is reluctant to delve into too deeply. He hopes the answer is yes.]
Your word on the matter means more to me than most.
[That is diplomatic, as to try and claim clean hands is surely beyond him, and Isaak of all people knows his own biases. But Pavel is a good man at heart, and a friend's word is better than a stranger's.]
action; backdated to 1/18
Ideals, too, have a place in this. A man may fight and kill to protect his ideals as surely as he does so to protect himself. But a good soldier does not lie to himself about what he does. Whether a good man can be a good soldier is a question Isaak does not feel qualified to answer; and, strangely, one he is reluctant to delve into too deeply. He hopes the answer is yes.]
Your word on the matter means more to me than most.
[That is diplomatic, as to try and claim clean hands is surely beyond him, and Isaak of all people knows his own biases. But Pavel is a good man at heart, and a friend's word is better than a stranger's.]