Clear Blue Sky
by Mangaka-chan
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam 00 and its character; they belong to Sunrise
"We will be rolling out in 1500 hour. If the Gundams appear engage them only as long as necessary for the completion of the mission. That is all. You are dismissed."
A collective salute could be heard as the commander turned away from the A-Laws pilots in the briefing room. As he made his way to the door, one of the pilots, a young man with neat blonde hair, said in a strong but reluctant voice, "Is it really necessary to use the automatons in Kill Mode, sir? If we were to capture some of the rebels alive we might gain more information about their organization―"
Soma Peries lifted her furrowed eyes from the holographic report in her hands to the soldier who had spoken up. She recognized him as one of the newly recruited members: a young soldier with an impressive flight record, but whose time in the military had been short compared to his fellow pilots.
"Don't be a fool," the commander replied tersely. "If we don't wipe out these rebels every chance we get they'll never be completely extinguished. They're like ants; if you don't destroy the entire colony some will always come back."
"But to not even give the enemy a chance to surrender…" Soma could hear the young man's voice wavering, and she retracted her gaze as his sentence faded.
Staring down at her white gloved hands and the holostick she held, the commander's firm, unyielding tone ringed in her ears, "Innocent thoughts such as yours are things we can't afford in A-Laws. Decisive action is the sword we live by. In order to bring peace and unity to this world I hope you will understand that."
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The hot Arabian sun glowered overhead, but none of its burning rays could be felt inside the cockpit of the retreating Ahead Soma piloted. The calm and loneliness inside the machine allowed its occupant to be lost in thought. On the screen the untouchable desert and the impossibly clear blue sky sketched out for miles without end.
Soma recalled the conversation she had with the Colonel earlier. How happy she had been then, gazing at this same azure sky. The sky remained unchanged but inside Soma no longer felt joy. And she wondered, for the first time, if she had been too innocent as well.
