2024-08-31: Not Good Enough

• Log: 2024-08-31: Not Good Enough
• Cast: Marian Cross
• Where: A Hospital in Orb
• Date: U.C. 0099 08 31
• Summary: The world was briefly saved from imminent destruction thanks to combined effort of everyone who was present during the Junius Seven colony drop. The 'Hero of Orb' contributed greatly to the operation, but for Marian Cross, was it good enough?

---

The interior of the Inazuma's cockpit is dark. Rumbling of air rushing past outside and shaking the machine violently. Glowing hot red air cushioning it as it enters free fall into Earth's atmosphere. The shield of the Ultra vanishing beneath her along with Nova as the Ultra made her exit, leaving Marian to her own fate. A fate she accepted as the Junius Seven colony breaks apart into numerous smaller chunks, just barely preventing a complete extinction event.

It's good enough. She thought. Though she didn't get to witness the aurora she was hoping to see.

The helmet she unclasped moments ago rolling around up against gravity, clanking against the metal paneling and display. Her body being dragged along upwards similarly. Even more strands of hair stuck to the side of her unconscious face as she sweats profusely.

Darkness takes her.

It's good enough. She thought. She's never aspired to be a hero, and yet her final act was a heroic one. A hypocrite.

...

Two and a half years ago at the Invasion of Orb -

Heavy fighting rages on near Kaguya island. The Ra Mari II and the Nadesico fighting on the frontlines. Explosions lighting up the air as Federation forces attempts to take Orb, and more subsequently, the Kaguya mass driver itself.

But on the other side of the archipelago lies Marian's squadron engulfed in their own fighting. A mission from Nergal, to repel the invaders from the other side. The reinforcement can not reach Yalafath island. 'Defend this point till the last man'. 'Defend it even after you're dead'. But that's Marian's own orders to her squad. Orb is her home. She refuses to let Federation turn them into a puppet against the PLANTs.

It will soon come to be an order that haunts her.

Wrecks of mobile suit and their limbs and parts are littered all across the battlefield. Smoke and fire bellowing all around as Lieutenant Marian Cross's squadron of VFs and her own MP Nu Gundam make their final stand.

Federation Strike Daggers rushes towards them. They're the last squad standing between Federation forces and the capital. Orb reinforcement is still mustering. They won't be able to recapture this point if Marian allowed them to pass.

A beam shot flies towards one of the squadron's VFs which it barely dodges.

"L-Lieutenant!" A voice rings out to the Nu Gundam. "There's too many of them! We have to fall back!"

A beam from the Gundam shooting clean through the Dagger in retaliation, "Negative! We lose this point and we lose Orb!"

"But we're at our limits, Marian!" Another voice as the VF haggardly cuts down a Dagger himself.

The Nu Gundam thrusts towards another Dagger, crashing into and knocking it over, before she lands another clean shot into the cockpit. "I said negative! Defend this point even if you die! But I will kill you if you do!"

What an unreasonable woman, the squadron all opined.

Their energies are running low, if not the machines, definitely the pilots. But morale raises in that moment. If they repelled this many Daggers already, what's one or two more teams of Daggers?

"Fine! Let's go then!"

"Hurrah!"

Like a second wind, a VF boosts forwards and following the Gundam's lead, shooting down another as it crosses Marian's vision.

The sight of it made Marian smile.

They're good enough. She thought. They could all pull through this.

That thought was swiftly shattered when a hole forms through its cockpit.

The explosion that ensued wasn't loud. Not to Marian. It was silent. A deafening kind of silence.

A comrade she brought over from Orb to Nergal, snuffed out just like that... He wasn't even able to scream.

"Daz!" Marian yelled. The fear and shock is apparent in the squadron now.

The surviving VFs returned fire. Tears running down one of their cheeks.

"Fu- Graaahhhh!" But they too was soon cut down. At least they managed to scream.

"No! Al... Pommel..."

Marian's grip tightens around her controls. Teeth gritting and almost clattering. She didn't even notice her own tears escaping from her eyes as she slowly comes to the realization that the closest people she has to a family are gone. The watery form of the enemies soon engulfs in fire and explosion as she darts around, killing one after the other in quick succession.

She's good enough for this. She thought. She will avenge them.

Another one.

And another one.

And when it comes to the final one that fell on its back. Hearing the pilot within begging for his life. A sense of accomplishment washes over her.

She's won. She's avenged them. She's successfully defended this area. She'll receive awards and medals and pay raises and promotions for this, won't she?

Good enough. She thought. She laughed weakly. Tears still running freely down her face. Was it worth it?

With a sudden motion, just out of the corner of her teary eyes, she sees a blackened object approaching her display rapidly.

The Strike Dagger on the ground, in a final act of defiance, picked up a limb from the wreckage surrounding the two and whips it across the Gundam.

Marian was just quick enough to react. Her beam saber activating and piercing the final foe... but not quick enough to avoid or prevent the metal limb from making contact.

The armor crashes and deforms. The plating was just thick and strong enough to stop the attack from destroy it entirely. But not entirely strong enough to prevent the cockpit from crumpling within.

The screen breaks apart first, sending shrapnel flying at Marian. What was even faster than the glass shards was the dashboard being pushed out from the chassis of the cockpit.

The panel splits under the weight of the crumbling armor. Large chunks of metal striking her torso and cutting deep into her as blood spills from her mouth and into her helmet.

Darkness takes her.

Not good enough. She thought. A final realization before her death. Her squad shouldn't have died for this. Not under her orders. She shouldn't have let her guard down. She should've just cut this guy down as he begs.

...

Three days later after the destruction of the tombstone of Junius Seven.

Marian opens her eyes to a cold sterile ceiling. She's in a hospital, back in Orb. Having survived that entire ordeal first thanks to Ultrawoman Nova, and then Eight Orlodhari and the Ra Mari II for rescuing her on the way down to Earth.

Not good enough.