Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

Chapter 118 Conversation

That evening, in the reception hall of the Dawn Society.

Char hosted a welcome dinner for the crew and refugees of the Archangel. It wasn't a formal banquet that required formal attire, but rather a relaxed, buffet-style gathering. The long table was laden with food—grilled fish, grilled meat, and fresh vegetables and fruits that had been a long time coming on the Archangel.

Kira stood in front of the buffet table, holding a plate in her hand, her eyes fixed on the food, unsure of which to take first.

In the desert, a compressed biscuit is a meal; on the Red Sea, a bowl of stew is a luxury. Now, dozens of dishes are laid out before him, each emitting an enticing aroma. His stomach is churning, but his mind is blank.

"Kira, why aren't you taking any?" Thor leaned over from the side, his plate already piled high with food. "This tempura is so delicious! And this sushi! And this grilled fish!" he said, piling food onto Kira's plate.

"Thor, that's enough! Not enough! You've lost at least five kilograms in the desert! You need to regain it!"

Miria stood at a distance, camera in hand, and captured the scene. Through the viewfinder, she saw Kira's embarrassed expression, Thor's smug smile, Sai quietly sipping tea, and Mu chatting with Orb's officers. She pressed the shutter; the sound was barely audible in the noisy hall, but she knew this photograph would become one of her most treasured possessions. Not because of its beautiful composition, not because of its perfect lighting, but because it was proof of being "alive."

Lux Klein sat on a sofa in the corner of the hall, holding a green Haro in her arms, quietly watching the heat before her.

She didn't get any food or chat with anyone; she just sat quietly, like an observer. The lights and the crowd were reflected in her eyes, and a gentle smile played on her lips.

"Miss Lux." A voice came from beside her.

She turned her head and saw Xia standing next to the sofa, holding two glasses of champagne. He handed her one of them and then sat down on the sofa next to her.

"Aren't you going to get some food?" Char asked.

"I'm not hungry." Lux took the champagne but didn't drink it. "I'm watching them."

"What are you looking at?"

"Look at them laughing." Lux's gaze fell on the crowd. "In the war, I haven't seen so many people laughing at the same time in a long time. Not forced smiles, but genuine, heartfelt laughter."

Char paused for a moment. "Because in war, laughter is a luxury. Only the living have the right to laugh."

Lux turned her head and looked at Char's profile. On that face, which appeared particularly cold under the light, there was a kind of weariness that pained her—not physical weariness, but an unspeakable heaviness deep in her soul.

"Commander-in-Chief Askha, you should laugh too."

Char looked at her, a hint of warmth flashing in his deep red eyes. "Perhaps. But it's not the right time yet. The war isn't over, and peace is still a long way off. I can't stop before we reach that end."

"But you can rest," Lux said softly, "even if it's just for one night."

Xia was silent for a moment, then a slight smile appeared on his lips. "You're right. Even if it's just for one night."

He raised his champagne glass and gently touched it to Lux's. "To life."

"Respect for life."

The champagne swirled gently in the glass, the bubbles shimmering golden under the lights. The two sat quietly in a corner of the bustling hall, silent, simply watching the people laughing, eating, and chatting. In this moment, on this night, war was temporarily forgotten, hatred temporarily set aside, and fear temporarily dispelled. Only people remained—only the living, only those willing to believe that "tomorrow will be better."

After the banquet, Char stood alone on the observation deck of the Dawn Society, gazing at the distant orbital elevator cable. In the night sky, the cable shimmered silver-white under the moonlight, like a string connecting heaven and earth. On the sea, the lights of Orb City twinkled in the night, like a galaxy on earth.

"Commander-in-Chief Askha"

A voice came from behind him. He didn't turn around, because he knew who it was—Kira Yamato.

Kira walked over to him and stood beside him on the observation deck. The boy was wearing casual clothes provided by Orb, the bandage on his left arm was faintly visible under the sleeve, and his amber eyes shone in the moonlight.

"Can't sleep?" Xia asked.

"I can't sleep," Kira said calmly. "I'm thinking about some things."

"What are you thinking about?"

Kira was silent for a moment. "I think of Aslan. I think of Butterfield. I think of those who died in the war. I think of those who are still struggling in the war. I think—will peace really come?"

Char looked at him, the moonlight reflected in his deep crimson eyes. "Kira, do you believe peace will come?"

Kira remained silent for a long time. "I don't know. But I want to believe. Because if I lose even that belief, I'll lose the motivation to continue fighting."

Char's lips curled into a slight smile. "Then continue to believe. Even if one day you find peace is still far away, even if one day you find war continues, don't give up believing. Because belief itself is hope."

Kira stared at him for a long time, then slowly nodded. "Commander-in-Chief Asha, why have you been able to persevere? From Heliopolis until now, you have never shown any sign of giving up. Even facing Kruze, even facing Butterfield, even facing enemies many times stronger than you, you have never backed down."

Xia didn't answer immediately. He looked at the distant sea and the lights twinkling in the night.

"You'll understand when you've experienced enough," Char's voice was soft. "On Junius 7, amidst the deaths of tens of thousands, I felt despair. I don't want to experience that feeling again. That's why I fight, so that no more people will experience that despair."

Kira's fingers tightened slightly. "I've seen it too. In the Junius 7 wreckage area, that mother and child floating in the vacuum. The mother held the child, the child held the mother, inseparable even in death. At that moment, I thought—if one day I have a child, can I protect him? If one day I have a lover, can I keep her safe?"

I don't know. But I want to try. I'll try until I can't try anymore.

Char looked at him, a hint of relief flashing in his deep red eyes. "Kira, you've grown up."

"Perhaps," Kira's lips curled into a slight smile, "Perhaps it was the war that made me grow up. Perhaps it was Commander-in-Chief Asuka that made me grow up. Perhaps—it's just because I can no longer be a child."

The two stood side by side in the moonlight, silently gazing at the distant sea. A sea breeze blew in from afar, carrying a faint salty taste and a subtle floral fragrance.

"Kira." Char broke the silence.

"Um?"

"In Orb, you have your own choices. You are Kira Yamato, an ordinary teenager. You can choose to continue fighting, or you can choose to stop. No one will force you."

Kira stared at him for a long time, then looked down at his own hands. These hands had gripped joysticks on the battlefield, dug through rubble in ruins, and held Athrun's hand on a deserted island in the Red Sea. These hands had killed and saved; held guns and held the hands of friends; stained with blood and held up hope.

"Commander-in-Chief Athha, I choose to continue fighting." Kira raised his head, his amber eyes gleaming with unwavering determination.

Mang said, "It's not out of hatred, it's out of protection. To protect those I want to protect, to protect those who have lost everything in the war, to protect those who still believe in peace."

Char's lips curled into a slight smile. "Then let's continue the fight. But in Orb, you're not alone. There are many who are willing to fight alongside you."

Kira nodded and turned to walk towards the exit of the observation deck. When he reached the door, he stopped and glanced back at Char.

"Commander-in-Chief Askha, thank you. Thank you for letting me know that even in war, it is possible to choose not to take lives."

Char did not answer, but simply nodded slightly.

Kira is gone. Char stood alone on the observation deck, gazing at the sea under the moonlight. In his hand, he held an encrypted terminal, the screen displaying the latest intelligence from VEDA: the development progress of PLANT's next-generation mobile suits, the deployment status of the Combine's mass-produced mobile suits, and the movements of the Kruze team.

The war continues. Peace is still a long way off. But at least today, they can sleep in safe beds, eat hot meals, and not worry about ZAFT torpedoes, Coalition missiles, or whether they will die tomorrow.

This is the meaning of his fight. It's not about "ending the war," it's about "letting more people live." As long as there are people who survive the war, as long as there are people who see hope in despair, as long as there are people who are willing to believe in peace, he will not stop.