[Neo Zeon doesn't ring any bells for him either, so that's something of a relief, even if he didn't disclose anything too sensitive. All of this is noted, though; he can certainly see loose parallels between their two organizations, although there's clear differences as well, such as their goals. Liberation, huh?]
Mithril acts as peacekeepers. We engage in counterterrorism operations and intervene to suppress regional conflict.
[It's a lofty goal, perhaps, but Sousuke says it matter-of-factly. There's no particular passion that sparks in his eyes, but neither does he sound contemptuous of it all. He just says it like he's talking about any other job.]
[He's seen that smile many times and on many different faces, directed at him. But as long as it remained one of contempt and not outright hostility, he wouldn't make any moves. He only stares, like he's scrutinizing Angelo's demeanor, but he remains relaxed otherwise.]
What would you know about my world?
[He says it like a simple question and nothing more. A part of him is curious if Angelo is actually from the same world, but he's come to accept that most of them come from very different places, despite the superficial similarities. Their lack of mutual recognition with regards to their organizations added to that impression, even if it was far from proof.]
[ That answer is given freely, at least. Though Angelo generally feels like human nature is unchanging in a way he understands painfully well, he can admit that the specific political make-up of Sousuke's world is very much beyond him.
But... ]
I just have a hard time imagining that it's a utopia in which nobody is oppressed and nobody oppresses. After all, the people you are trying to subdue are also fighting for something, are they not?
[Groups that created chaos for the sake of it were in a tiny minority, after all; the majority had some reason to exist, whether it be for a specific cause or because they were a convenient tool to advance the goals of a state or organization. Sometimes there was overlap, too.
Nevertheless--]
But if a group resorts to massacring civilians or taking them hostage, they should expect consequences.
[Sousuke doesn’t react to Angelo’s critique of corrupt governments, but the reason will probably become obvious enough at his response.]
That’s correct. I’m not privy to the higher ups’ decision-making process, but we don’t discriminate between nations and independent groups. State terrorism is still terrorism, after all.
[ There's a brief moment in which Angelo allows himself to imagine that anybody had been there when his town got destroyed by the Federation Forces. That anybody had cared at all what was happening to them, when their houses burned and when papa--- and when mama---
But that's nonsense. Nobody came. Nobody would ever come. And if they did, it would be much too late. ]
-- sounds to me like your superiors are playing God.
[That elicits a couple of blinks followed by a lowered gaze as he mulls over those words. Maybe he wouldn't even have considered it that deeply before, but that all changed a few months ago, when he met Kaname. In that airfield surrounded by enemies, he'd made the decision to prioritize her life because the commander couldn't. He recalls the face of another girl, who looked hollowed out and lifeless--she'd only been rescued because the agent that found her made the reckless decision to save her rather than it being an objective.
So perhaps it's only natural that Angelo says that. Sousuke isn't inclined to deny it either, but...]
Then what would you do, if you were in their place?
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cleansheets) wrote2025-03-30 11:49 pm
no subject
Mithril acts as peacekeepers. We engage in counterterrorism operations and intervene to suppress regional conflict.
[It's a lofty goal, perhaps, but Sousuke says it matter-of-factly. There's no particular passion that sparks in his eyes, but neither does he sound contemptuous of it all. He just says it like he's talking about any other job.]
no subject
What highminded goals...
[ Laughable goals, at best. Harmful, more likely.
There's a smile on his face now, but it's not one of friendliness. ]
So you're just going to keep the world hanging in its status quo forever, the power balances just as they always were?
no subject
What would you know about my world?
[He says it like a simple question and nothing more. A part of him is curious if Angelo is actually from the same world, but he's come to accept that most of them come from very different places, despite the superficial similarities. Their lack of mutual recognition with regards to their organizations added to that impression, even if it was far from proof.]
no subject
[ That answer is given freely, at least. Though Angelo generally feels like human nature is unchanging in a way he understands painfully well, he can admit that the specific political make-up of Sousuke's world is very much beyond him.
But... ]
I just have a hard time imagining that it's a utopia in which nobody is oppressed and nobody oppresses. After all, the people you are trying to subdue are also fighting for something, are they not?
no subject
[Groups that created chaos for the sake of it were in a tiny minority, after all; the majority had some reason to exist, whether it be for a specific cause or because they were a convenient tool to advance the goals of a state or organization. Sometimes there was overlap, too.
Nevertheless--]
But if a group resorts to massacring civilians or taking them hostage, they should expect consequences.
no subject
[ Angelo is on the side of the political terrorists, just on principle.
Though... There's a beat and he goes a little quieter. ]
So you also intervene when armies sack towns and the like?
no subject
That’s correct. I’m not privy to the higher ups’ decision-making process, but we don’t discriminate between nations and independent groups. State terrorism is still terrorism, after all.
no subject
But that's nonsense. Nobody came. Nobody would ever come. And if they did, it would be much too late. ]
-- sounds to me like your superiors are playing God.
no subject
So perhaps it's only natural that Angelo says that. Sousuke isn't inclined to deny it either, but...]
Then what would you do, if you were in their place?
[There's a hint of curiosity in his voice.]