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[cloningblues]

[The discovery that yet another alien enemy race is presumably human-like drives Asagi to reflection. He's looking at the bonsai tree in his room, which seems to be growing fairly well.]

...The Wulgaru use an army of obedient clones to fight. These clones don't even have the will to refuse; they can only fight, and die when they're no longer needed. The Balmarians are similar; they want humans to be their soldiers. They want someone other to fight for them.

[A pause. He draws parallels to his own situation.]

...Are they really that different from humans?

Comments

[cloningblues]

I don't know. I don't feel like I miss my past much... But I remember those clone soldiers, on the Wulgaru ship. They were born with one purpose; to fight. Nobody asked them if they want to do this, they just do.

...My DNA was "tweaked" before I was born, not after. I'm not fully human; nobody on Team Rabbits is.

[actuallyselfish]

"I don't think you have to worry about 'being human' or not, man." Dido says. "We're all descended from the Protoculture anyways."

Dido scratches her head. "But to play devil's advocate, you never really had a chance to choose to fight either. It's probably why they wiped your memories: so your only bonds would be to the military, and so your only sense of self-worth would be fighting."

[cloningblues]

They never even bothered me to ask if I want to fight either, just took it for granted that I will. Were they really afraid I'll say no? I know what the stakes are! If they at least asked me, I'd know I have a choice...

...You need to have Wulgaru DNA to pilot the AHSMBs. Normal humans can't do that. This is why they grew some clones for themselves...

[actuallyselfish]

"But your DNA's not a license for them to fry your brain and draft you into a war." Dido mutter under her breath.

She blinks. "Your DNA's not...copyrighted, is it? You're not patented like a corporation's GM crops, right?"

[cloningblues]

Of course not. That's something Raven's Nest would do.

[actuallyselfish]

"God those Mercs suck." Dido mutters. "They've got like, no honor."

She looks at Asagi curiously. "So what are you going to do? About all this moral quandary stuff?"

[cloningblues]

I don't know. Is there really anything I can do? I can't just decide "nope, not going to pilot Blue One anymore, sorry".

[actuallyselfish]

"Plus, you're not the type to abandon your friends in the thick of things." Dido muses. "Especially Izuru."

She laces her fingers behind her head. "If you want my two cents of advice? Start building a life for yourself behind the Unity Group and MJP? Get some hobbies, makes some friends, take a correspondence course...expand your identity so that you're more than just a soldier. So that you'll have a life beyond MJP, when the Wulgar war ends."

1/2

[cloningblues]

I don't know what you mean. I treat all members of my team equally. They're equally important for me!

2/2

[cloningblues]

And I think I'm on a good way to what you described. Friends... I made a few, I'd like to think. And I have hobbies. See?

[Asagi pokes the pot with the bonsai tree.]