trans_9 | Heavens On Fire [Open]

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Heavens On Fire [Open]

Setsuna had stayed, and once again observed the training session of Starfighter Command, but declined to participate. While he had taken time to observe everyone's performance, and had his red Haro record the entire exercise, his attention had been mostly focused on Blade Squad. No surprise there, since they were mobile suit pilots. Like himself.

No. Not like me, he thought to himself.

He was on the bridge of the simulated Quarter right now, and had commandeered one of the various consoles. His Haro was connected to one of them, and was playing back part of Blade Squad's performance in the exercise.

As a team, they did fine, though something was missing in the way they operated. What that was, however, was something Setsuna couldn't quite put his finger on. Perhaps it was just this false environment they were in.

Still, something about this didn't sit right with him, so he reviewed the footage, and largely ignored the goings on around him. Maybe if he watched it long enough, he'd be able to figure out

((Free threading, mostly for Starfighter Command pilots, but everyone is welcome. See the ooc post here.))

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"Of course you did," Kira frowned at Setsuna's back. "If we can't get a feel for how we all fly, then what happens when we have to face the Ohm for real?"

"You'll all probably die," was the tactical assessment he gave, with no hint of emotion in his voice.

"Why do you fight them?"

"If we're not going to work as a team, then we are going to die," Kira's frown didn't leave his face. "And what sort of question is that? I fight them to protect the people here."

He skipped back, watching part of the fight from a different angle, this time in slow motion. Kira had to have incredible reflexes to pull off some of the moves he was doing.

"To what end?"

"Why does it need to have an end?" The pilot shook his head. "There are innocent people on this ship. If I have the strength to protect them, I'll use it."

"Do you really not care about that?"

"Without an end, the fighting will never stop."

He finally turned his head, and looked over at Kira. "Is that the future you want?"

"If we don't fight, then everyone on this ship could die. If we don't fight, then the Ohm could destroy hundreds more worlds." Violet eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Is that the future you want?"

"Fight to avenge a flawed past and preserve flawed present, and die having accomplished neither. Or don't fight, and still die," Setsuna laid out the options as he saw them.

"I choose to reject both options."

"I don't fight for either the past or the present," Kira put a hand down on one of the simulated consoles. "I'm fighting for our future! Doesn't that matter to you?"

More than you'll ever realize.

As always, the outburst by Kira hadn't bothered him one bit, it seemed.

"Are you? Because the future you describe is no different than the present we have."

"It's a future where people don't have to worry that their home and everything and everyone they know and love will be erased from existence in a heartbeat," he squeezed the edge of the console unconsciously.

"That makes it worth fighting for. If you're not going to help us, then why are you here?"

Setsuna had been asking himself that same question, though he meant 'here' as in the grand scheme of things. Not 'here' as in where he was sitting at the moment. Not that he bothered to clarify that distinction to Kira, or even say anything.

Having no answer to give, he remained silent, simply staring at Kira. Well, more like staring through Kira, really.

Kira stared right back at Setsuna, not moving a muscle, before he spoke again. "If you have the power to help people with your mobile suit - with your Gundam - and you don't do anything with it, then you don't deserve that power."

Edited 2010-10-29 02:40 (UTC)

That got his eyes to narrow, at least. Congrats, Kira, you managed to strike a nerve.

"Wrong. Its better to do nothing with that power, than to misuse it, abuse it, to fight the wrong battles with it. To fight for nothing with it.

"If all you believe is that your Gundam is a sword, then you don't belong in that mobile suit."

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"That's the problem, ain't it?"

As if Duo hadn't noticed.

"We're motivated, but we're not. We don't have the personal investment that we did where we fought back home. Not yet, anyway."

Kira glanced at the younger man. "They're the ones who destroyed our homes... protecting what few survivors we have - isn't that the investment you need?"

"Sure, that's what we've been told- it ain't the same thing as holdin' yer mom's still-warm dead body in your arms as you stare her murderers in the face though, issit?"

...He said, with not a single change in expression.

Uh. Wow.

"...no, I guess it isn't," Kira admitted after a pause. "But some people here - they've had their memories of the destruction returned to them."

Beat that trauma, sparklejesus.

But then again, he never did claim he was speaking from experience, did he?

"Maybe that's why they fight, then. But I can't answer for that until I experience it myself."

"People fight for what they truly believe. Maybe I just don't believe, yet."

Fllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! "If that's what it is, then no one can force you to believe," Kira said with a nod as he looked out at the starfield.

"Even if I don't remember what happened... I don't want Zokez II to happen again, here. I want to stop them if I have the power."

"Sure can't."

Duo turned to look too, and leaned against a railing. "No clue what that is, but it doesn't matter. I didn't experience it-- anyway, sure, I don't want the Ohm to go and kill people, but that doesn't mean I'm really motivated to fight them, yanno? And that's the problem."

"Maybe I'll get the motivation once I've faced them for real- but I can't know until then. It sucks, but it's the truth, and it's better to work with the honest truth than lying to ourselves."

"If you don't believe in what you're fighting for, then you'll almost always lose," he agreed quietly. "No matter how much you tell yourself otherwise."

"Eeeexactly."

"So, we'll see."

It was as simple as that, to Duo.

"I guess we will," Kira said almost absent-mindedly. Duo had a point, after all; forcing someone to fight almost never worked.

"I wonder if we'll run into them again soon."

Duo looked thoughtful.

"Do ya wanna?"

On the one hand, it would suck. On the other... maybe it'd be the kick in the ass that was needed.