"I know war when I see it, thanks," Tim growled. "I've been in war before. I know it can be mindless, that people die." He didn't want to be having a moral argument, not now. It was too much to be focused on, was going to throw him off balance. Not when he had to keep himself balanced emotionally, mentally and physically, stumbling back and ducking away from the cultists who used their own fellow as a distraction. So he wasn't going to let himself get too worked up about it, or give too many explanations. "But let's say that we don't understand these guys-- in my world, cult fanatics are often victims themselves." There was more to it than that, of course-- the value of life, the options. But this was a fight. And protecting people was the first priority, not lectures.

And he really had come into this knowing it wasn't likely he could save them all. He just had to damn well try.

Besides, he really did have his own fight to focus on. He lost part of his balance, but he didn't let himself fall much, instead forcing his staff out to help catch himself, working to turn the momentum-- and horizontally, aimed to take the two others hard in the stomachs.