Asuka's question shifted the atmosphere of the gathering toward the future.
Maine shook his head, his steady voice echoing in the room. "Not exactly. New exploration missions require detailed planning and preparation, especially since those two worlds, according to preliminary reconnaissance, are... unique. Until we receive explicit orders, we primarily engage in routine training, equipment maintenance, and assisting the base with peripheral security tasks."
Dorio added, "Besides, having just returned from Elysium, the team needs time to rest, process the mission experience, and assist the Tech-Priests in analyzing and organizing the retrieved medical data."
Pilar shook his mechanical arm and chimed in, "Exactly. The data structures and energy matrices of those Med-Bays alone will keep those red-robed guys busy for a while. We can afford to be a bit idle for now."
Although Maine's squad indicated there were no immediate new adventures, the "normalcy" revealed in their words—the fact that dimensional exploration was a core part of their work and life—deeply moved the three teenagers sitting across from them.
Shinji lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously tracing the cold surface of his drink can. He recalled his days at NERV; aside from training and fighting, there was only endless confusion, self-blame, and isolation from the outside world.
He had never imagined that combat and power could be used as Maine's squad had: helping a completely strange world break its shackles and acquiring technology capable of saving countless lives. This experience was diametrically opposed to the feeling of being forced to pilot Unit-01, having to hurt others to protect specific people.
A faint longing, one he hadn't even clearly realized himself, began to sprout in his heart—perhaps, in another place and in another way, his power could be used for... "the right thing"? He wasn't sure, but the stories of Maine's squad had indeed opened a new window for him.
Rei remained quiet, but her red eyes moved slowly between the members of Maine's squad. She didn't quite understand complex concepts like "adventure" or "changing the world," but she could sense that the relationship between the members of this team was different from the tangled relationships at NERV, or between her, Shinji, and Asuka.
They were more like a tight-knit unit, each with a clear position, acting for a common goal. This pure model of relationship based on function and collaboration seemed easier for her to understand than those filled with complex emotional entanglements—it even gave her a hint of unnamable comfort.
Asuka's feelings, however, were the most direct and intense. Her azure eyes shined with unconcealed envy.
"Being able to go to so many different places, see all sorts of things, and use power to do something... truly meaningful, where you can see the results."
She paused, as if weighing her words to distance them from the heavy, vague mission of "saving the world" in her memory.
"That's much more interesting than being trapped all day in this dusty base of metal and rock, doing endless training and waiting for an enemy to pop out from some corner!"
Rebecca chuckled upon hearing this, habitually patting her flat chest with an air of approval and bravado.
"You bet! Though it gets sketchy sometimes, and playing it wrong might cost your life, but how do I put it? This way of living is better than rotting in one place! You should've seen the looks on those pampered guys in Elysium when we smashed through their precious territory like stars falling from heaven. Haha, it was priceless!"
"Every world has its own unique physical rules, social structures, and potential dangers," Falco's voice rang out with its usual prudence. He looked at Asuka with a serious gaze. "Not all explorations are like Elysium—with a clear goal, a relatively controllable process, and a seemingly 'perfect' ending. We've encountered plenty of failures, paid high prices, and had to accept frustrations. The unknown, while bringing opportunity, often means risks far beyond estimation."
Maine's heavy figure shifted slightly as he nodded in agreement with Falco's analysis. However, his gaze swept over the three young pilots and finally rested on Asuka, whose eyes were fierce with undisguised longing.
He added a sentence, his tone peaceful yet weighty: "Falco is right; the road ahead is never smooth. However, being able to cross boundaries beyond ordinary imagination, stepping personally into different starscapes, witnessing and even participating in the writing of those vastly different world stories... that experience itself carries a unique value that cannot be replaced."
This sentence struck a chord deep within Asuka. It did not shy away from the cruelty of reality, but instead pointed to a dimension of meaning in life beyond daily survival and combat. It wasn't just the thrill of adventure, but a confirmation of the broader possibilities of existence itself.
The light in her eyes did not dim because of the warning; instead, because of those words, it became deeper and more determined. A vague hope took root in her heart—perhaps one day, she and her EVA could become part of this grand narrative, rather than just weapons passively responding to threats.
She was no longer just the ace pilot craving recognition; after seeing a wider world, a new longing for free exploration began to take hold. She was no longer satisfied with being used as a weapon, repeating cycles of killing and survival on a fixed battlefield. The experiences of Maine's squad had sketched for her a more proactive and colorful possibility for the future.
The gathering continued for a while longer, mainly with Rebecca and Pilar sharing anecdotes of the luxury (or, in their view, "stupid extravagance") they saw on the Elysium station, drawing exclamations or disdainful comments from Asuka. Shinji occasionally asked a quiet question or two, while Rei listened silently throughout.
When the gathering finally ended and everyone returned to their quarters, the corridors regained their usual silence. But the states of mind of the three EVA pilots were different from what they had been a few hours ago.
Maine's squad had brought not just long-awaited delicious food and a relaxed social atmosphere, but a wind from the vast world that stirred their previously closed worldviews. Regarding the future and the potential application of their own strength, they began to have some vague ideas, entirely different from the past.
In the depths of the base, Osiris (Second Avatar) had already learned of this accidental gathering through ubiquitous sensors. He did not interfere with the change in the pilots' thinking; as long as it did not affect mission execution, it might even transform into a more proactive fighting will or exploratory spirit in the future, which for him was perhaps not a bad thing.
After all, the more diverse and adaptable the power in his hands, the more leverage he would have in dealing with this complex and dangerous universe.
The medical technology brought back by Maine's squad and the potential shift in the three pilots' mindsets were all accumulating variables in his grand plan.