Although he had already observed Creuset piloting a strangely modified CGUE on the opposite side, it would still take some time for both sides to close in to combat range. Therefore, Luther, inside the 'Time Observer,' was in no hurry and even had time to mutter to himself.
"This is fine too. I don't have to worry about being seen as aiding tyranny by siding with the Principality of Zeon;
Nor do I have to wade into the Earth Federation's quagmire, filled with incompetent allies, and passively become an accomplice in suppressing the resistance of space citizens;
Moreover, my late father Daiken's spirit in heaven would probably be pleased to see his Newtype theory expanding on a global scale, right?"
Although Luther was talking to himself in the cockpit of the 'Time Observer' with no one else around, it was clear that Aqiu, transformed from QB, was neither an outsider nor even human. Thus, she was able to listen and refute Luther's remarks.
"But from your memories, isn't the situation in the Cosmic Era just as bad as in the Universal Century?
Even compared to the UC era, where conflicts still exist among humans—merely masked by geographical distinctions between Earth and space, but essentially class contradictions—
Here in the CE era, the conflict between Naturals and Coordinators has escalated to the level of racial or even species conflict.
If I had to say, isn't the situation in the CE era even more of a quagmire?"
Luther naturally couldn't refute the summary Aqiu made based on his memories;
However, compared to the rational Aqiu, Luther, as a human, had a more flexible way of thinking.
"The situation is indeed as you describe, but it also depends on the perspective you take.
Although compared to the CE era, the contradictions in the UC era may seem less severe, they are rooted in the entire economic structure.
After all, it's the upper echelons of the Earth Federation—less than 1% of the population controlling the capital—using a quasi-feudal order to control less than 20% of Earth's population as second-class citizens, while excluding the remaining 80% of space residents as outcasts.
This well-established system, heavily influenced by the creator's own national context, dictates that at least 20% of the population—or at least 2.5 billion people—must either be reorganized or physically eliminated for any new direction to emerge, whether better or worse.
As for the CE era, not to mention that the core of the conflict is similarly disguised class contradictions;
More importantly, although the conflict has indeed escalated to the level of racial or even species conflict due to deliberate manipulation by certain parties, the number of people actually on the front lines of this conflict is relatively small.
Moreover, the Coordinator side, with its smaller population, faces significant difficulties even in natural reproduction. Without complete reproductive isolation from Naturals, can they truly become an independent new species or even a new race in the long run?"
"Even considering the worst-case scenario, compared to nearly ten billion Naturals, there are only a few tens of millions of Coordinators. Using Giren Zabi's methods, this problem could easily be resolved."
Luther briefly analyzed the similarities and differences in the primary contradictions that led to war between the Universal Century and the Cosmic Era, as well as the fundamental issues inherent to Coordinators—the side of the contradiction in the Cosmic Era. This fundamental problem of "Coordinators not yet being able to exist independently" essentially formed the core factor behind the Plant faction's inclination toward "promoting talks through conflict," as advocated by the Clyne Faction.
At the end of this analysis, Luther mentioned a solution he couldn't even laugh at—one that essentially mirrored the "Blue Cosmos" proposal from the original timeline.
Naturally, Aqiu, who knew Luther's nature well, understood that Luther was merely venting, so she quietly waited for him to continue.
"Moreover, from the perspective of whether productivity has reached a bottleneck—a key factor driving moderate reforms—the situation in the Cosmic Era is far better than in the Universal Century.
After all, humanity in the Universal Century timeline had largely completed space development within the limits of productivity. The Earth Federation's leadership, holding the reins of power, had already sent all the 'burdens' they could discard into space colonies, leaving no room for incremental growth to drive moderate reforms.
In contrast, as we previously outlined when analyzing our options, space development in the Cosmic Era has only just begun. Coordinators can return to their original role as pioneers of space exploration, achieving moderate improvements by expanding the pie. In fact, most Coordinators aren't opposed to this path.
In other words, even if they simply redo the Universal Century's 'homework,' the Cosmic Era could buy at least another 50 years. And compared to the more 'federal' Earth Federation in the setting, the Earth Alliance is far more 'confederate.' Perhaps, before a hot war breaks out, internal conflicts among the three major powers could extend the Cold War by another 50 years, potentially uncovering new avenues for productivity growth.
So, the current state of the Cosmic Era has reached this point not only due to deliberate provocation but also because both sides' leadership previously misjudged the other's resolve, leading to a 'game of chicken' that spiraled out of control.
Thus, if there were suitable steps and no further instigation, both sides would still have room to reach a consensus through compromise and negotiation.
As for the apparent core of the conflict—the ability gap between Coordinators and Naturals—it's no greater than the difference between geniuses and ordinary people.
After all, the level of Coordinator creation in the Cosmic Era is merely a tentative step from zero to one in Genetic Ascension. True mastery of the most basic 'Gene Tailoring' technology would require the stable mass production of individuals like Kira Yamato without causing reproductive difficulties. I'm not even holding it to the standard of 'Designed Evolution'!
So, the reason Naturals have been so easily incited is essentially because certain parties have deliberately repackaged pre-existing class conflicts as racial or even species conflicts to serve their own interests."
"Do you believe that if we offer free Coordinator enhancement surgery for future generations, many people's opposition to Coordinators would instantly change? In fact, those who oppose most fervently now would become the staunchest supporters later."
With the precedent from the Universal Century, Luther's analysis of the Cosmic Era seemed highly credible.
His final statement—"It's not that they oppose Coordinators, but that they oppose themselves and their descendants being unable to become Coordinators"—showed a deep understanding of human nature. Although Aqiu had only analyzed human nature through statistical data, it was precisely because of this "human-like" reasoning that Luther's argument became irrefutable.
Watching Creuset's CGUE, now almost within Funnel attack range, Luther delivered his final conclusion.
"Moreover, thanks to your efforts, Aqiu, we now possess a stance more neutral and transcendent than Orb, which claims neutrality.
From Gundam works of other worldviews, we have already found a reasonable plan to perfectly leverage this transcendent neutrality.
Now, all we need to do is stir the situation, act as an external force to break the deliberately engineered deadlock at its core, and ultimately eliminate the small group of schemers who have driven the situation to this point.
Whether it's the military-industrial complex, which commits every evil for profit and has entangled the entire Earth Alliance through layers of manipulation, along with their trained attack dogs;
Or the fanatics who will seize power after the key figures on the stage exhaust each other, yet believe everyone should accept their fate simply because of their own emotional dissatisfaction;
Or even the one before us—a madman and clown who, due to his own tragic experiences, magnifies humanity's evils infinitely and vows to drag all of humanity down with him—think the kindfrom Batman stories.
Now, let you taste a new power from beyond this world, one that brings possibilities!
Go, Funnels!"