If they’re really not all that different from us, what are we slaughtering each other for?”
He sighed.
“Honour,” he said. “Moral imperatives, to defend our country and our way of life. Money, of course, and eternal glory, and to defend our trading interests. Because we’re right and they’re wrong. Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it’s better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because the fire god is on our side, and it’s our duty to Him. Because they started it.
But at this stage in the proceedings,” he added, with a slightly lopsided grin, “mostly from force of habit.”