2024-07-02: It's Your Fault He Died!

• Cast: Marian Cross, Murasaki El-Amari
• Where: A Morgenroete Test Site - Orb
• Date: U.C. 0099 07 03
• Summary: Marian conducts a weapons test with an ulterior motive. Is Murasaki an ally of Orb, or is she a threat to a country they both love?

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<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

The Directed Arc Emitter is a weapon system that utilizes mirage colloid particles to control and direct arcs of highly charged plasma. It's a simple, no-nonsense name. The same theory of bending and redirecting plasma with mirage colloid can theoretically be applied defensively to protect its user from beam weaponry. But the DAE is strictly designed and configured to do so with its own plasma arcs in a offensive manner.

And today is its final test to prove its combat effectiveness in a real-world scenario. Which means Marian has asked for a fellow Defense Force pilot to conduct the test with.

She needed someone with combat experience that can put up a fight. But she didn't just ask for anyone. She asked for someone who was - maybe still is - close to the Athha family...

Marian is in her prototype Gundam. The machine serving as the test platform for the DAE. Marian herself is, perhaps surprisingly, dressed in a pilot suit. Helmet on and everything. Other than it being custom dyed in white, it is standard Orb design.

Safety is paramount for a test like this. Especially when it involves live weaponry. So the cockpit of both mobile suits are doubly-reinforced. They're not actually out to kill each other, after all. Additional safety measures are also in place. Chief among them is a remote emergency power cut off that the Morgenroete engineers and scientists have access to as they work their numerous sensor suites behind the safety of a bunker.

"Are you ready, Commander El-Amari?" She asked as she reads off the diagonostics and ensuring all the data capturing equipment is on.

<Pose Tracker> Murasaki El-Amari has posed.

Murasaki had only just landed planetside when she received orders to report to the Morgenrote Testing grounds, her requested leave being cancelled. It was honestly starting to become a bit of an annoyance at this point. She couldn't help but believe the promotion had just been a way to dump more and more meaningless busywork on top of her. Although she sent a strong protest, it was by a special request that she specifically had to participate. And when she arrived at the facility to and sat through the briefing, to find out it was going to be a test with live weaponry...
...Well Murasaki started to think someone was trying to kill her.
When the platform being tested was revealed, along with the weaponry, the fact it was a Mass Production Nu Gundam really started to concern her. She only caught a glimpse of the Gundam pilot as she rode the lift up to the cockpit of an Astray painted in test colours. It was a Commander Cross, who Murasaki wasn't familiar with. Murasaki didn't have her typical purple flightsuit with her, and so was wearing a borrowed orange one from Morganrote.

Professional as always, Murasaki climbed into the Astray's cockpit, plunked her helmet on and sealed it, and started up its systems.

"My systems are all green Ma'am, I'm ready to launch when you are."

KTS: Marian Cross targets Murasaki El-Amari with Prototype DAE Standard Shot!
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari engages guard against Marian Cross's Prototype DAE Standard Shot!
KTS: Critical Hit! Murasaki El-Amari poorly guards Marian Cross's Prototype DAE Standard Shot,
taking 4515 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Marian Cross's In the Zone activates, causing Insight L1!

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

"Good. Let's begin. Switching to private comms." A beep as she opens up a private channel to her opponent. She has it set up so that none of it is recorded despite all the invasive looking equipment layered all around both cockpits.

Her Gundam raises its arms. Electricity crackling in its open palm as arcs gather into a orb for two seconds before she gets an all good to fire. And so she does, letting the orb loose towards Murasaki's Astray. 'Too slow,' she thinks of the time it takes to charge. But the orb of lightning travels rather fast, hitting its target true.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Commander." It was genuine, though not that she cared much of the military hierarchy anymore as long as she holds the title of the 'Hero of Orb.' "But don't just stand there, we need real data for the test." She says next, perhaps a little mockingly with that one.

KTS: Murasaki El-Amari targets Marian Cross with Type 71 Beam Rifle Rapid Fire!
KTS: Marian Cross engages evade against Murasaki El-Amari's Type 71 Beam Rifle Rapid Fire!
KTS: Best Defense! Marian Cross successfully reacts to Murasaki El-Amari's Type 71 Beam Rifle Rapid
Fire, taking 0 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Murasaki El-Amari has posed.

Murasaki's Master Alarm blared as the attack roared in. She put up her shield to block it, and her Astray was shoved back hard, her body straining against the shoulder harness. The Master Alarm blared as her shield took the brunt of it, the HUD warning her of its reduced strength.

She scowled at Marian's little taunt, and began to fly in an orbiting pattern while firing off her beam rifle, the green energy beams slicing through the sky towards the Gundam.

KTS: Marian Cross targets Murasaki El-Amari with Prototype DAE Point Blank Blast!
KTS: [Lucky] Murasaki El-Amari's luck activates, and luck goes her way!
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari engages parry against Marian Cross's Prototype DAE Point Blank Blast!
KTS: Critical Hit! Murasaki El-Amari poorly reacts to Marian Cross's Prototype DAE Point Blank
Blast, taking 3500 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Marian Cross's In the Zone activates, causing Insight L1!

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

The prototype Gundam flies and orbits the opposite direction of the Astray, mirroring its movement. The green beams missing her by inches while she pushes a few more buttons. "Up next, the point-blank blast..." She said calmly, and then stepping on the pedal hard and thrusts forward, coming in from down below the beams. Its right hand coming up to her opponent's beam saber as another blast of electricty bursts and explodes against it.

"Murasaki," she call her by her first name. This is the first time they've met. So she's clearly making it known it was personal for whatever she's going to say next. "I've read the reports, and the news. But you were there...I want to know what happened from first hand account." She probed. She didn't specify exactly what she's referring to, but...

KTS: Murasaki El-Amari has activated the Accel Spirit Command and and has gained Terrain bonus!
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari targets Marian Cross with Type 70 Beam Saber Combo!
KTS: Marian Cross engages evade against Murasaki El-Amari's Type 70 Beam Saber Combo!
KTS: Marian Cross successfully reacts to Murasaki El-Amari's Type 70 Beam Saber Combo, taking 4230
damage!

<Pose Tracker> Murasaki El-Amari has posed.

"What happened?"

Now it started to make sense. Why she was specifically chosen. The audacity. Murasaki flashed back to the days upon days, upon days of interrogation. She wasn't even allowed to attend the state funeral. How all the mistrust became so patently obvious. She had told them everything, and yet everyone thinks she was lying, or hiding something.

"Exactly what happened in the report happened!" Murasaki radioed back, slashing at the Gundam with her beam sabers, trying to dart around and confuse her opponent.

KTS: Marian Cross targets Murasaki El-Amari with Prevent!
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari accepts Marian Cross's Prevent!
KTS: Marian Cross prevents Murasaki El-Amari's maneuvers, reducing her Skill drastically.
KTS: Best Defense! Murasaki El-Amari successfully reacts to Marian Cross's Prevent, taking 0 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Marian boosts backwards as the saber comes down on her machine. The red hot beam slices through the air in anger. She made a good effort at evading the Astray's onslaught. The tip of the beam narrowly grazing her armor, but Murasaki still got a few good hits in. Alarms started blaring in turn, but she swifly punches the override and shuts it off. She wanted to hear exactly how Murasaki is going to explain herself.

"Then why didn't you take the shot?! He said he'd tell you everything, didn't he?!" She yelled back, referring to the man who took the woman hostage. If she had just shot the woman, she could've gotten the info. Info that could've gotten us the culprit long by now. But Marian isn't blaming her for the bomb getting past security and on the car. She's blaming her for not doing her job as a soldier.

And she activates the mirage colloid EMP.

KTS: Murasaki El-Amari targets Marian Cross with Anti-Ship Swords Cleave!
KTS: Marian Cross engages evade against Murasaki El-Amari's Anti-Ship Swords Cleave!
KTS: Marian Cross successfully reacts to Murasaki El-Amari's Anti-Ship Swords Cleave, taking 4560
damage!

<Pose Tracker> Murasaki El-Amari has posed.

Murasaki growled at the accusation. How dare she. Who the hell does she think she is?

"WHY SHOULD I HAVE BELIEVED HIM? FOR ALL I KNOW HE WAS GOING TO KILL HER AND THEN BLOW HIS OWN HEAD OFF! I WASN'T GOING TO LET HIM LEAVE THAT ALLEY ALIVE NO MATTER WHAT HE TOLD ME!"

Murasaki's Astray drew one of the Anti-Ship Swords, and she raised it to bring it down on the Gundam.

"Or was it the hostage? Is a Japanese life worth less to you? Is that why you don't trust me? WHY NO ONE TRUSTS ME? WHY NO ONE BELIEVES ME?!"

Murasaki accelerated, closing in and swinging with the Anti-ship sword.

KTS: Marian Cross targets Murasaki El-Amari with Prototype DAE Multi-Beam!
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari engages evade against Marian Cross's Prototype DAE Multi-Beam!
KTS: Best Defense! Murasaki El-Amari successfully reacts to Marian Cross's Prototype DAE Multi-Beam,
taking 0 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

The sword cuts through a large chunk of her armor. It wasn't an attack she could've blocked or parried, so she tried to evade it as usual. The EMP didn't seem to work either, which she took a mental note of. She continues to analyse the battlefield calmly, contrary to Murasaki. Who seems to be actually out to kill her despite this only being a weapons test. It really seemed like she hit a nerve.

"What about Lord Uzumi?! What about the Princess?! What about Orb?! Were they worth less to a single life?!" She retorted. It's not that she doesn't believe her. Marian wasn't there to make the judgement. In that, she's less judgemental than most. But she's a soldier, through and through (discounting the disclipine). She serves her country. And she serves Orb's interests. She expects that of every other soldier, especially Orb's. A country that raised her and that she loves.

She charges up a large beam from her DAE and fires it off...but it seemed to have missed.

KTS: Murasaki El-Amari has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has gained proficiency bonus.
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari targets Marian Cross with Type 71 Beam Rifle Closing Barrage!
KTS: Marian Cross engages evade against Murasaki El-Amari's Type 71 Beam Rifle Closing Barrage!
KTS: Best Defense! Marian Cross successfully reacts to Murasaki El-Amari's Type 71 Beam Rifle
Closing Barrage, taking 0 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Murasaki El-Amari has posed.

Murasaki felt something start to wriggle inside of her brain, her heart, every extremity. Something flashed in her vision, for a milisecond an outline, an oval, she couldn't tell. She didn't know what it was, but she kept locking in on Marian. Then she heard Marian's next taunt. And she felt her gloved hands gripping the Astray's controls so tightly she felt like she was going to shatter them. She put the thrusters at full and charged to Marian once more, spraying her with beam rifle fire.

"Who are you?! Whose payroll are you on?! It's the Seirans, isn't it?! That's why you're here! Find a way to pin it on the patchwork and then put a beam through her cockpit on accident so she can't refute it! Well if that's how it's going to be, then FINE! Rewrite my words however it'll please your masters. Cagalli trusted me to protect her father and I FAILED! IT BURNS EVERY OUNCE OF MY BODY! EVERY DAY I'M FAILING HER, FAILING TO STOP THE MOVEMENT AGAINST HER! SHE'S GOING TO LOSE ORB! WE'RE GOING TO LOSE ORB! THE SEIRANS ARE GOING TO BURN ORB FOR THEIR OWN GREED AND I CAN'T STOP THEM! I'M THROWING MYSELF INTO BATTLES THERE'S NO CHANCE I CAN WIN, WITH NO SUPPORT, BECAUSE I CAN'T LOSE ANOTHER HOME AND NO ONE ELSE SEEMS TO CARE! THERE'S NO WHERE ELSE FOR ME TO GO!"

Murasaki began to close in even closer. "I WISH I DIED THAT DAY WITH HIM!"

KTS: Marian Cross targets Murasaki El-Amari with Prototype DAE Multi-Beam!
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari engages guard against Marian Cross's Prototype DAE Multi-Beam!
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari successfully guards Marian Cross's Prototype DAE Multi-Beam, taking 5200
damage!

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

The Gundam narrowly dodges the multitude of beams coming its way as it retreats. And once again charges and fires off another large beam, which hits it target this time. Once more noting its performance as her eyes darts across the screens.

"Seirans? Unlike those bastards I'm not a murderer!" She retorted and she continued to listen. She understand now. She's mad. She's upset. Thinking she failed. Just like she has in her last fight that cost her dream and two years of her life. Maybe Murasaki did fail...but it's never that simple.

Then she scoffs, "and what?! You think dying is going to solve everything?! Bring Lord Uzumi back?! Is anyone going to stop the Seirans from taking over if you do?!" She doesn't exactly appreciate being lumped in with the Seirans, and trying to make it clear she's not with them.

KTS: Murasaki El-Amari targets Marian Cross with M1 Astray Shield Bash!
KTS: Marian Cross engages charge against Murasaki El-Amari's M1 Astray Shield Bash!
KTS: Marian Cross successfully reacts to Murasaki El-Amari's M1 Astray Shield Bash, taking 2560
damage!

<Pose Tracker> Murasaki El-Amari has posed.

Murasaki's cockpit was blaring with alarms. By all accounts she should stop, pull out, calm down. But this woman had the worst possible pep talks if that was what she was going for.

"OH YEAH?! AND WHERE WERE YOU HUH? I DIDN'T SEE YOU FIRING RPG'S INTO ZAFT MOBILE SUITS IN NORTH AFRICA! I DIDN'T SEE YOU ON THE FRONTLINES AT ORB! AND I SURE AS HELL DIDN'T SEE YOU IN THAT ALLEY!"

Murasaki took a swing with the Astray's Shield at the Gundam. Her anger was only building, why, why was this happening?

KTS: Marian Cross targets Murasaki El-Amari with Prototype DAE Point Blank Blast!
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari has activated the Foresee Spirit Command.
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari engages evade against Marian Cross's Prototype DAE Point Blank Blast!
KTS: Best Defense! Murasaki El-Amari successfully reacts to Marian Cross's Prototype DAE Point Blank
Blast, taking 0 damage! 

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Instead of dodging, Marian accelerated into the Astray's shield. She crashes into it and her body - within the inertia dampened cockpit - still lunged forwards as they impacted each other.

And anger flared up within her as Murasaki accused her. Against her better judgement, she pulled off her helmet. Sweat running down her face without her knowing with strands of hair sticking to her face. "But I was there! My whole life, I've been defending Orb!" As young as she could work, she joined the Defense Force as a foot soldier. And even when she was with Nergal, she worked security, and only asked for assignments that involved Orb.

"I was there when we were invaded two years ago! I lost my entire squad to defend a site that prevented more reinforcements! I SACRIFICED MY BODY AND DREAM FOR ORB!" That last sentence was from the heart. Indeed, she's lost everything that day. She also wanted to die. The guilt really was unbearable. She became the 'hero' when she should've died that day.

Marian pulls the sticks and the trigger, taking another arc blast at the Astray's head point-blank.

KTS: Murasaki El-Amari has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari targets Marian Cross with Anti-Ship Swords Combo!
KTS: Marian Cross engages evade against Murasaki El-Amari's Anti-Ship Swords Combo!
KTS: Best Defense! Marian Cross successfully reacts to Murasaki El-Amari's Anti-Ship Swords Combo,
taking 0 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Murasaki El-Amari has posed.

At the last possible moment, Murasaki leaps the Astray to the right, drawing the Anti-Ship Sword once more, whipping it at the Gundam in a flurry of slashes.

"THEN WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO GET OUT OF ME?!"

KTS: Marian Cross targets Murasaki El-Amari with Prototype DAE Point Blank Blast!
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has gained proficiency bonus.
KTS: Murasaki El-Amari fails to engage Evade against Marian Cross's Prototype DAE Point Blank Blast!
KTS: Best Defense! Murasaki El-Amari successfully reacts to Marian Cross's Prototype DAE Point Blank
Blast, taking 2625 damage!

KTS: Murasaki El-Amari has been defeated! 

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Marian turns the Gundam towards the right, blasting the Astray once more at point-blank. The head was too far, and the cockpit...no. She couldn't. Without skipping a beat, the hand of the machine goes directly for the Astray's legs and disabling it.

And then she kicks the hatch open, whips the lift down and stomps at the Astray's cockpit, waiting for it to open up...

<Pose Tracker> Murasaki El-Amari has posed.

Murasaki is powerless as the Astray's legs are taken out from under her. It slams the ground hard, knocking her around in the cockpit. Red lights and alarms blare, but she doesn't hit the emergency shutdown. While the Astray isn't at risk of exploding, the critical damage causes an auto shutdown within minutes. In the slowly dimming emergency lights of the cockpit, under her helmet, tears are flowing down her eyes. She can't take it anymore. Why is no one helping her? What did she have to prove to fate? What did she do to have the entire world go against her?

Her scream was muffled by her helmet and dead comms.

Then she heard banging on the cockpit. Fine. Have your body.

Murasaki slammed her fist on the shoulder harness quick release, and pulled the emergency open. A warning alarm blinks and blares outside, allowing Marian enough time to step aside before the hatch fires off in a blast of smoke, landing meters away. Murasaki sits up, and grabs on to the edge, and begins to pull herself out.

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Marian braces herself as the Astray's hatch launches into the air. She allowed Murasaki to climb before she hastily grab her by her collars, pulling her out of the cockpit, and then swings at her helmet. Her knuckles cracking, and red coats her white gloves. Bad idea. She winces and flicks her wrist.

Marian wanted to know her. Someone who was close to Cagalli and Lord Uzumi. She wanted to know the character of someone who was kicked off the Secret Service. To see if she's someone who harbored ill intent towards the Atthas after her demotion. Like Murasaki's justified suspicion of her, she also needed to know if she's someone who'd be dangerous to them. As the 'Hero of Orb,' she needed to know who's a threat to Orb, and who's an ally.

Then she pulled Muraski's helmet off to punch her some more, thinking she likely took little if not barely any damage from that. Her punch probably hurt Marian more than it did Murasaki.

And then she sees her tears...She thought she'd be angry at her. At the Atthas. At Orb. But now that the tears made it clear she's loyal to Orb. And that she's hurting...perhaps not physically... It's put her at a tough spot. She doesn't know how to react to her. Her arm still drawn back, paused in the air, and her eyes getting teary unknowingly.

<Pose Tracker> Murasaki El-Amari has posed.

Murasaki barely has time to comprehend when she's yanked up, but when fist hits helmet, the feeling returns. The feeling of an imminent threat. It pervades every fibre of her being for a second. The oval in her vision returns, it rotates, it solidifies. The helmet is whipped off. For just a moment, maybe Marian sees it, maybe not, but for just a moment, Murasaki's irises look like they solidify, then she's jostled again, she blinks. Her eyes calm. The oval is gone. Only Marian, holding her by the collar. She just looks at the other woman for what feels like an eternity, the sorrow and pain on her face apparent.

"...What do you want from me?"

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Marian saw it. The eyes looking back at her in a weird shade of hue she's never seen before. But she simply chalked it up to adrenaline. Tunnel visioning, perhaps. Oddly quick it returned to normal though...

'What does she want from her?' Well, Murasaki's already answered it with her tears. She still doesn't know what to do with that expression. She's seen a similar one Cagalli made. A face of hopelessness. Of pain. Of guilt. So she does the only thing she knows how to in a situation like this. To antagonize, to draw someone out of their hopelessness and become angry instead. If there's somewhere she can direct her rage, she can stop thinking about all the guilt. Of her failure to save her squad. Her failure to carry her dreams forward, to have a loving family. It's projecting. She doesn't know how someone else would react to her coping mechanism. But it's the only one she knew.

So she clicked her tongue, her expression swiftly twisting into one that seems to be upset. And let her arm loose at Murasaki. The red on her knuckles growing in size.

"I want to validate your guilt!" These words...

"It's your fault Lord Uzumi died!" It's not.

"No one is going to forgive you for that!" Only you can.

"If you want to hate someone, hate me!" Not yourself.

"If you want to blame someone, blame me!" Don't condemn yourself.

"If you want to prove me wrong, then show me your strength and atone!" Rage at me instead!

Each swing interjects every sentence she yelled out. These are words Marian wanted to hear when she awoke from coma. It's almost like she's mirroring them to herself. She never found someone who could take on her pain and direct her guilt. And she understood Murasaki's pain most of all. She doesn't want to see a child, one taken with Orb, one who loved Lord Uzumi as she did, to continue suffering the same pain she is. So if she could be that person for Murasaki...then she'll take on her ire.

<Pose Tracker> Murasaki El-Amari has posed.

Murasaki takes blow, after blow. Each blow makes the Oval start to reform. It rotates more and more and more and more, faster and faster but then it disappears with out warning once more, just as Murasaki has enough, and drives a shockingly hard punch into Marian's stomach, hard enough to knock the wind out of her. Then, Murasaki lands a blow of her own directly to Marian's jaw, laying her out flat. Murasaki looks at Marian, still so confused. Murasaki wipes a bit of blood from her nose.

"I didn't kill her...because a soldier who takes an innocent life...is just a murderer...I won't be that."

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Marian really did get her wind knocked out of her. But the reaction from that is much worse than than one she received on her jaw. Her body is still locked up as she fell on the hard metal below her. She pants for a moment, curling up into a fetal position as she crutches her stomach. It was where the largest chunk of debris crushed her two years ago.

It was an unslightly look for the so called 'Hero of Orb.' Throwing up her last meal in a fetal position as she pants, with tears running down the side of her eyes in horrible pain.

But she still retorted, keen on continuing to antagonize her. Even if she does so coughing as she drooled down on the Astray. "And a...soldier- who can't do- do what it takes for her country... is no- no soldier at all."

<Pose Tracker> Murasaki El-Amari has posed.

Murasaki didn't have a retort, her vision starting to blur as six blows to the face suddenly caught up to her. She slumped onto the edge of the hatchway, and before she slipped back into the cockpit,
she just muttered:

"I wanted...to be a baker...like my mom."

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Marian continued to cough for a moment longer before she audibly gasps for air. The pain is still gripping at her stomach. But as Murasaki talks about her dream. The pain she's feeling in her stomach seemingly melts...and replaced by a worse pain that grips at her heart.

Her throat tightens up when she tries to reply. It took a longer moment of continuous panting and sobbing before she manages to get a word out.

"I..." A hic. "I wanted- wanted to have a family... I didn't- don't have anyone... No mom... No dad... No- No one... It's... It's all taken away from me..." All's left for her, is Orb.

<Pose Tracker> Murasaki El-Amari has posed.

In the cockpit, before she slips into unconsciousness, Murasaki hears Marian's words.

"You're not alone."