Post-mission, in the hangar

[never_choose]

[Upon coming back from the mission, Sho immediately gets out of the cockpit, the door closing behind him. His head low, he climbs down, and immediately turns around to face Arondight.

He waits for Connor to get out.]

Comments

[gundam_savior]

-Setsuna comes across Sho when he is still in the hangar, awaiting the medical team to arrive. Looking down at him sprawled across the floor with his injured arm and having seen Connor and Katina storm off earlier, it's not difficult for Setsuna to discern what has happened here. He makes his approach.-

So, it finally happened, didn't it?

[never_choose]

...Setsuna, can I ask you something?

[gundam_savior]

-Setsuna just nods and waits for him to continue.-

[never_choose]

You're always talking about 'being Gundam.' What does Gundam mean to you?

[gundam_savior]

-Surprisingly, Setsuna chuckles.-

This question again, huh? And from someone like you... it's a little unexpected.

Well, let me ask you a question first. Do you believe in God, Sho?

[never_choose]

I'm not sure. I'd like to, but there are a lot of things about the world that I can't reconcile with my idea of a God.

[gundam_savior]

I see. If you're familiar with the concept, then that's what Gundam is to me. More than a machine, more than a single entity... however, at the same time, it is important to remember that not all gods are benevolent. Therefore, Gundam has the potential to reap destruction as well as rebirth. It can take away just as it can give, can do harm just as it can do good. Its power is entirely dependent on the person using it. I don't doubt that the same holds true for the Arondight.

-Setsuna sits beside Sho and gazes at him curiously.-

But is that really what you wanted to ask about? There's something deeper concerning you, isn't there?

[never_choose]

...I killed someone today. I didn't pull the trigger, but my action was directly responsible for the death of a human being, with their own life, their own dreams, and their own family.

How am I supposed to justify that as having been the right thing? I killed one person to protect someone else. What gives us the right to choose which lives are worth defending and which aren't?

[gundam_savior]

Human beings are selfish and prone to violence. They fight for money, for sport, and even when there is no reason to at all. The world they live in is dictated by gray areas and plagued by problems that often cannot be solved by peaceful words alone. Today, you were confronted with reality... the reality of having to make a choice.

-Setsuna fixes Sho with a stern set of eyes.-

Killing is not something to take lightly, that much is true. And perhaps no one has the right to choose which lives are worth defending. But if we hesitate, even for a moment, yet more lives may be lost. Human beings aren't perfect, and neither are you. And I can almost guarantee you, Sho, that you will kill again. How will you handle it then? By continuing to turn a blind eye to reality?

[never_choose]

What's wrong with trying to fight against the harshness of reality?! Isn't it admirable to trry to fight for a world where killing isn't necessary? If, through my own struggle, I can end one conflict without loss of life, then isn't that something to be proud of?

[gundam_savior]

-Setsuna regards him calmly.-

Except there will never be a world where killing isn't necessary. You've pointed out the error in your own logic. In order to achieve a world devoid of such a crime, you would have to continue to take the lives of others. You may end one conflict bloodlessly, but what happens when there is another, and another, and another? As long as people disagree, bloodshed is inevitable. That is why war exists, because people fail to come to an understanding. You cannot be everything all at once to everyone, no matter how much you wish to. Should you try, you will fail... as you witnessed firsthand.

[never_choose]

Couldn't you say the same of the entire GDF? We'll probably never see a peacefully united world, so why do we keep fighting?

It's because the most noble ideals are the ones that can never be attained. By striving for what we can never achieve, we can always move forward.

[gundam_savior]

Heh. In some ways, it's like looking into a mirror...

That's a pleasantly idealistic way of looking at it, yes. In reality, the GDF exists merely to contain the conflict so it doesn't spread. Celestial Being's role is different. We, too, strive for the world you have imagined, but we are willing to do whatever it takes to get there. Together with our Gundams, we seek to eradicate war. We move forward because we know we must act, or else the world will continue to fall into decay.

As for why we fight? Well, following your logic...

-Setsuna smiles at him.-

It's undeniable proof that we're alive, right?

[never_choose]

Is that what Gundam means to you? The blind hope of a world where things like the GDF aren't needed?

[gundam_savior]

All hope is blind, if you think about it. We exist within a world that is rife with hopelessness, so realistically, there should be no logical reason to do what we do. We have intervened and drawn the ire of all nations, meddled in affairs beyond us, killed to avoid others from being killed. Yes, considering it now... it does seem sort of foolish.

-Setsuna chuckles sadly.-

Perhaps my wish is as forgone as yours. But there's that stubborn part of me that wants to keep trying anyway. Because what Gundam means to me isn't a weapon, a means of conflict, or anything else... but a way to fight for a brighter tomorrow. You believe in that tomorrow too, don't you?

-His face falls.-

A tomorrow that exists along a different path from mine.

[never_choose]

In the end, there's only one future. If we're all looking down different paths, then one day we'll all have to stray from them.