Because the three pilots needed to change suits, it was not suitable for a woman to stay. The straightforward Cagalli was pushed out of the combat room by Siegfried. After changing, Kira finally spoke to Siegfried in a serious way.
"Um… Sai?"
"Huh? Senior? I'm obviously younger than you. No need to be so formal."
"Then Sai, didn't you feel uncomfortable piloting that GINN?"
"Uncomfortable? Why would I?"
"We're Coordinators, and ZAFT is full of Coordinators too. By logic, shouldn't we stand on their side? But now we're…"
"But now we're helping Naturals fight our own kind. That's what you mean, right?"
"Not just that. We're just students, yet we're piloting MS to kill people. Why can you be so calm about it?"
Kira's voice echoed in the empty room. Mu had finished changing on the other side and stayed silent, choosing to listen. He also wanted to know how the boy would answer.
"First, you're asking two questions. In the first one, you divide Coordinators and Naturals into opposing sides, almost like different species. But Coordinators bleed red too, and they die if they're hurt badly, just like anyone else. You saw the state of that GINN, didn't you?"
"This war isn't between species, and there's no absolute good or absolute evil. It's subjective good clashing with subjective good, one belief in justice against another. Both sides are human, and both have their reasons. If you can't decide which side to stand on, then decide which side you want to protect."
"As for the second question, I'm not heartless. Back in Heliopolis, I aimed my weapon at ZAFT soldiers and couldn't pull the trigger. I was terrified, so scared I froze up. But if an enemy appears in front of me now, I don't think I'll be afraid anymore."
"I don't even have a kill count yet, but humans adapt fast, in frightening ways. That's true for environments, and it's true for killing."
After sorting out his thoughts, Siegfried did not plan to influence Kira too much. He knew that soon enough, the so-called strongest sword would meet the one who truly wielded it, and questions of war and peace would be answered by someone else. Right now, he only wanted to steady the boy before they entered Artemis.
They were about to arrive at Artemis, and Siegfried worried that foolish actions by the Eurasian Union might push Kira too far. Any incident there would be bad news for Archangel's escape. So he limited himself to a brief summary and nothing more.
"Kid, you really see things clearly. Sometimes I wonder how two students from Orb Industrial University can have such different attitudes." Mu sounded genuinely surprised by hearing such views from a fourteen or fifteen-year-old.
"Different experiences give people different perspectives. I'm going to rest now."
"Wait. Once we enter Artemis, make sure you lock your MS startup systems. Don't let anyone else open them, especially Assault!" Mu called out, voicing his concern at last.
Unlike Kira's shocked look, Siegfried didn't turn around and only waved as he left. Not finding Hilde this time meant they likely wouldn't meet again soon. If she was nearby, there was no way she would go to Artemis carrying an Energy Pack.
The best outcome would be her returning to Mendel to repair the black MS and then coming back, but that would be after Artemis had already fallen. Because of that, Siegfried didn't care much about what happened to the GINN. He would lock it as required, but if Eurasia wanted it, he wouldn't resist.
Back in the room, he found Cagalli sitting quietly on the bed, staring at the floor. She didn't even notice him come in until Haro bounced to her feet and caught her attention. She looked up at last.
"Haro, Haro, stupid woman thinking."
"You little thing!" Taking Siegfried as an example, Cagalli decided the simplest answer was a kick. Haro had already predicted it and dodged behind her, jumping up to hit her back.
"Haro, Haro, hotheaded idiot."
Even Siegfried couldn't tolerate it anymore. Since separating from Hilde, Haro's language system had grown sharper by the day. He steadied Cagalli and grabbed Haro out of the air, throwing it out the door.
"Thanks. That thing is really…"
"Just to be clear, I didn't make it. It's probably older than I am." Ever since he first became aware of himself, Haro had been there before even Hilde.
With Haro gone, Siegfried looked at the still sulking Cagalli and sighed as he helped her straighten up. If Kira somehow held together under pressure, he worried this ticking bomb might go off first. Just thinking about it made his head hurt.
"Listen. Once we enter Artemis, even if someone points a gun at you, don't reveal your identity. You are Louise. No matter what anyone says, stick to that. Blink if you understand."
Cagalli answered with a confused look. Then she blinked twice.
The connection with Artemis Trench went so smoothly that the senior staff of the Archangel could hardly believe it was the same Eurasian Federation known for poor performance. Siegfried, who understood exactly what the other side was planning, took Cagalli to eat in the cafeteria. After going out to fight on an empty stomach, this was the moment to eat properly, because once a gun was at your head, you would not be able to swallow anything. Besides, with the way Cagalli blinked in a daze, Siegfried could not be sure she truly understood him, so keeping her close felt safer.
Even though the Eurasian side existed on the ground as a follower of the Atlantic Federation, at this moment they showed no hesitation. Faced with a group from the Archangel that did not even have friendly identification codes, they fully embraced the idea of taking advantage of the opening. Before Siegfried could finish a proper meal, a squad of armed soldiers escorted Neumann and others from the bridge into the cafeteria. Behind them came civilians from Heliopolis who had been taken in by the Archangel.
"So annoying. Why are we locked in here when we are all Earth forces?" Flay complained near his ear. Siegfried continued to eat at an unhurried pace, making no move to respond, yet he still found himself thinking that Flay had a pleasant voice.
When Siegfried finished the last serving of fruit and was about to lecture Cagalli about not wasting the food still on her tray, a light tug at the hem of his clothes made him turn his head.
In the next second, Cagalli noticed that the familiar sense of safety around the boy vanished. He stood like a beast about to hunt, his whole body tight and ready.
The object of Siegfried's vigilance was only a little girl of five or six. She tugged at his clothes and swayed them back and forth, while turning her head to call to someone behind her.
"Mom, come quick. I met the big brother who lives at our place."