Chapter 227 – The Sprouting of Resolve
"Yes. If things really do come to that, I'll have my troops respond accordingly."
After saying this, Eli exchanged a few more perfunctory words with the liaison on the other end from Side 5, then finally ended the communication.
"Whew... These weak-willed people. When it comes to drawing up patrol plans, they're all evasions and excuses. But now? Now they're suddenly desperate for us to take action."
Aboard the White Chaser in near-Earth orbit, Eli massaged his brow and spoke in a tone of complaint to Amuro, who sat beside him.
"That's just how people are. Without a crisis, they won't take the initiative to change. That's when laziness creeps in."
Amuro, seated beside Eli, picked up the thread of the conversation.
It was also his way of helping Eli relax.
Eli, sitting in a slouched posture, and Amuro, sitting upright—at this moment, it almost looked as though their maturity levels had swapped.
Eli had come to Earth himself, but he wasn't just playing the hands-off commander.
The first thing he did was quietly inform the various Sides that had military agreements with Undertaker—as well as the Yatsushiro Heavy Industries on the Moon—about the ambush.
The reason he did this quietly was because Eli, at that moment, had made his decision from the standpoint of preserving the stability of the Federation.
But after informing the various factions, the emotion that welled up in Eli was... sorrow for himself.
Call it being trapped by circumstance or trying to protect the bigger picture—either way, he knew he'd made a decision that people wouldn't be happy with.
Beep!
"Colonel, this time it's a communication from Jaburo."
The new captain of the White Chaser, Major Otto Mitas, informed Eli over comms. The seriousness and formality in his voice were unmistakable.
There hadn't been many personnel changes on the White Chaser, but Otto—who had taken over Captain Paolo's entire team—was naturally compared to Paolo by everyone.
In that environment, even though he had prior command experience and was nearly thirty, the pressure on Otto was nearly overwhelming.
"Let it ring for two minutes."
Eli replied with a line that could almost be considered insubordinate, maintaining the open connection.
Then he slumped back on the couch, planning to take those two minutes to compose himself.
But the unrelenting gaze locked on him forced Eli to open his eyes in resignation.
"…Amuro, have I really changed that much?"
As fellow Newtypes, Eli understood perfectly well what Amuro wasn't saying aloud.
"Yes. A lot."
Eli sighed again and straightened up.
"Let's hear it, then. I think I need to hear how others see me."
It was as if Amuro had been holding it in for a long time and finally got permission to speak. He no longer sat with that rigid posture.
For just a moment, Eli felt like he was seeing the youthful, innocent Amuro from the One Year War again.
"I can't see the Eli-san from the One Year War anymore!"
Just as that thought crossed Eli's mind, Amuro said something nearly the opposite—but with a completely different meaning.
As if his words alone couldn't convey the seriousness of what he felt, Amuro abruptly stood up.
But Eli remained seated.
"Back then, Eli-san shone with the light of ideals—I believed it was a light capable of changing the world! You, the adult among us, were someone we could rely on, someone we trusted!"
Compared to his younger self, Amuro's voice had deepened and lost its sharpness, but the core of his words hadn't changed.
This man had truly grown.
"Back then, you were the adult I looked up to. But now, you've lost that light. You've become old. You're like a beneficiary of the system, someone who only protects it instead of trying to change it!"
Because he'd once foolishly hoped that the task of changing the system could be left to General Revil and the others.
"But the ones who change the world aren't the old. It's the young!"
Newtypes really are troublesome—just by talking, your thoughts get seen through.
Amuro's chest rose and fell. Clearly, he still had more to say and wanted to get it all out at once.
Beeep—
"Time's up, Colonel. I'm patching Jaburo through."
Otto's voice cut into the conversation.
Amuro suddenly remembered that the line to the bridge had been open the whole time.
He took a deep breath to calm himself.
"This is Colonel Eli Lee. Preparing to initiate descent protocol."
Even as Eli began speaking with the people at Jaburo, he maintained eye contact with Amuro.
"Leave the White Chaser in orbit? Sorry, I don't understand. This…"
Though his tone betrayed a hint of confusion and urgency in response to the unreasonable demand, Amuro could see that Eli's expression hadn't changed.
"A direct order from General Revil? Understood."
Eli hung up the call.
"Sorry, Amuro. I need to go down to Earth alone this time."
Eli stood up and walked over to Amuro, who was still standing.
"General Revil never responded to you before. For him to suddenly issue an order now—it's definitely suspicious, isn't it?"
"I get it, Amuro. The reason I've become so cautious is because I overexerted myself during the One Year War."
Standing beside Amuro, the two men looked off in different directions.
"So now I have to sever my illusion—that things can still change if I just keep going like this."
Amuro's gaze darkened.
"Amuro, if something happens... please, pull me back—drag me from Earth back into space."
"That gravity's strong, Eli-san. If you don't make an effort yourself, I won't be able to do that."
"Haha. I've only grown complacent—not dead."
Having gotten Amuro's assurance, Eli finally put on his cap with a serious expression and straightened the brim.
His fingers paused for a moment on the Federation insignia.
"Amuro, I want to see a world without oppression. A society that can look forward, that can explore the future and the unknown. But I've always been hung up on ideology, believing that no one else in the world would agree with my vision."
"So you kept it buried in your heart, never telling anyone?"
Amuro still stood there, asking the question calmly.
"But if that's really what you believe, there are plenty of people who would support you, Eli."
"Exactly."
Eli nodded and walked toward the door.
"Because that single sentence is a beautiful hope shared in the hearts of many."
As he stepped through the door, he left behind one final remark.
"I had it wrong from the start. The Federation's problem isn't about the distribution system—it's that the people on Earth refuse to look up at space."