Conversation 2

Michel lowered his gaze and looked at his palms. They were the hands of an MS pilot, his fingers bearing thin calluses from years of handling control sticks.

No one knew what was reflected in his eyes. But his expression was no longer his usual flippant one.

"My father is a member of the PLANT Supreme Council." Nicol's voice was lower than usual. "So I understand the situation within the PLANT Council better than most. After the war began, everything changed. The moderates' voices grew weaker and weaker, while the radicals' grew louder. Patrick Zala... he is dragging all of PLANT in a dangerous direction. What he advocates is revenge and total victory, not peace and coexistence. 'For a blue and pure world'? Just hearing a slogan like that makes it sound insane."

He raised his head and looked at Xia Ya. "We were taught that we Coordinators are the superior race, and that Naturals are ignorant and backward. But here, aboard the Archangel, in Orb, I saw something different. I saw Naturals piloting warships and fighting side by side with Coordinators. I saw you risk your lives to protect people who had nothing to do with you. You fight, but your purpose is not to conquer or destroy anyone. It is completely different from what I learned in ZAFT."

"But this can't go on," Michel took over, his voice carrying a little more strength. "Simply obeying orders will never end the war. Even if ZAFT truly wins and the Earth Alliance is utterly defeated, then what? The seeds of hatred have already been planted. What comes afterward will not be the future I hope for, the future where I can live in peace. Thanks to all of you, I realized that."

A smile returned to Nicol's face. He clenched