"You know," he said this in a hushed voice, eyeing the lineup of sorry souls just a ways away. "Frankly, I don't think most of them are gonna make it out of here alive to begin with. Times are rough for the soldier unfortunate enough to get medical attention. I can't stop you if you decide to rough them up, but..."

That came out a lot more defeatist than he would have ever thought himself capable of. Considering that he hardly thought himself the most capable person around for this job, it was no surprise that he felt complicated about having to do it in the first place. This was neither the time nor the place to beat himself up over it, though.

"Look, just hold them down and I can do the rest. Real simple." He stared at her with the most awkward face he's made yet before turning away and calling the next person over. "No need to be a hardass about it."

That's rich, coming from him.