2023-03-17: Svipul's First Flight

• Cutscene: Svipul's First Flight
• Cast: Anita Rosetta
• Where: Space
• Date: 2023-03-17
• Summary: Newfound resolve crystallizes and takes form. A Valkyrie stretches her wings for the first time.

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 Anita Rosetta has been busy. To those who know her well, this is notable. She's well known for carefully curating people's expectations of her in order to limit the amount of responsibility on her shoulders, to keep attention off her and limit her duties to the sorts of tasks she prefers doing. This has become less necessary now that she has broken away from Londo Bell and the Federation military structure, where the only people she has to answer to know her keenly, know where she excels and know how best to direct her. Maybe it's just force of habit, at this point.

 ...Or, maybe she just lacks the motivation. It's... not an /un/true statement, she'd admit. Or at least, that was the case. But lately, she'd found a spark. Something, someone, to push her forward and make her keep going, make her /want/ to keep going. It's not just /her/, of course, but being with her has opened her eyes. 'Together', they always say. Then, she needs something with which to fly side-by-side with her, to seize the future that they and their closest allies seek - a future worth even facing any enemy, no matter how great, if it means creating that possibility.

 And so, Anita's days have become filled with mumbling ideas and making sketches - both mentally, and on physical media. With long talks with the engineers she knows - on the Ra Mari II, but also on the Nadesico and the Eternal, and even back in Orb. If she's going to give this resolve form, then it's only reasonable to draw strength from those who stand with them, together as equals.

 And so... after several false starts and days of uncertainty, where it looked like this project might ultimately be all for nothing... it's done.

 And now, a brand new Variable Fighter, currently in Fighter Mode, sits in the Ra Mari II's launch bay. Its form factor greatly resembles that of the VF-25 Messiah...

 ...Which it should, of course, given that machine was used as the base. Under the hood, however, quite a number of changes and additions have been made, all in a joint effort between Anita and the engineers of the Three Ships Alliance. And the new name given to this experimental offshoot is...

 "...XVF-25I Svipul, ready for test flight. Launching in 3...2... 1..." Anita announces from within the cockpit, suited up in her EX-Gear. The bay opens. "Now."

 The Svipul picks up speed and then, launches out into space. It soars, gliding through the stars as Anita puts it through its paces, making spirals and tough maneuvers to really test what it can do. She can't help but let a grin cross her face.

 "Everything... feels good. Really good." Anita says. The Svipul unfolds into GERWALK mode, verniers firing to reduce momentum as it brings itself to a stop.

 "...Alright. Time to test out the Visual Link System." She says, taking a deep breath. This one... she knows how it's /supposed/ to work, and indeed she's even experienced it first hand, but this will be her first time initiating the system in actual flight. There's no telling what could happen... what it could do to her. But, she just has to trust in her team, and trust that she can be pulled back if something goes wrong.

 "Visual Link System... activating." She announces. Within the helmet of her EX-Gear a visor slides down, affixing itself over her eyes. She flinches for a moment... and then, her vision expands.

 "...Whoa. This is incredible." Anita breathes out, awed. For now, she sees the vastness of space as a Valkyrie would see it, her vision connected directly to her machine through her cybernetic eyes. BIts of data float around the corner of her vision, asserting themselves when necessary to ensure that she has the same continuity of information she would in standard view, but keeping her view of space before her clear. It's not entirely different from when she wears her goggles. That, at least, is an experience she's already familiar with.

 She begins to navigate... and its an altogether surreal experience. She /feels/ her body moving within the cockpit. The Svipul is still controlled in the standard way, despite the installation of a cybernetic interface. She has a fondness for it, that physical connection between herself and her machine. One layer removed, now, now that its eyes are her eyes, but it remains the same - she directs it, and it moves. Now, though... she /is/ capable of fine-tuning these movements, as well - signals running from her prosthetic body directly to the Svipul allowing for movements she would've otherwise lacked the reaction time to pull off.

 For a moment, she lets herself simply Be as one with her machine, seeing space rush past her as she flies... And then, a beeping on her console cuts her reverie short, reminding her that she's starting to stray too close to the edge of this corner of space they've selected for her test flight.

 "Right, sorry, I got a little carried away..." Anita admits with a laugh. "I know... there's still one last thing to test."

 The combat trial. By the time she returns, a number of dummy mobile suits have been set up. Anita draws her gatling gun pod and takes aim. One by one, the closest ones are shot down. She's already a keen shot, but now she's keener still. And for those furthest away...

 "Alright - I'm testing the Gungnir SC now." Anita announces. Over the Svipul's left shoulder, a beam cannon emerges - the Gungnir SC. This is perhaps the greatest change in form factor - the VF-25 Messiah Rosetta's signature shoulder-mounted beam cannon has become much sleeker in form, but no less powerful for it. She takes aim and sends two shots firing down-range - with immaculate precision, two of the three remaining dummy mobile are popped by beam fire. And for the final one...

  A beam crackles to life at the end of the Gungnir SC. Rather than rushing out into the distance, it stabilizes itself into the form of a spear's blade. And then, the Gungnir SC itself is launched from its mount. The Svipul chases after it, catching it in mid-air, and then uses the momentum to bear down on the final dummy, slicing apart the balloon with two swift sweeps of the blade before it even has time to pop. Its mission complete the blade fades and the Gungnir SC is returned to its mount, locking back into place and reconnecting to the power supply.

 "Spear mode's working just fine, too. I think that accounts for everything." Anita says. "...I think I'm gonna take it for one more lap - I have to get used to this feeling before I take it into a real fight."

 It's rare for her to be so excited about something... but why shouldn't she be? It's always a thrill for a project to come together this beautifully. She knows that things are going to be very different when it comes time to deploy it for a /proper/ battle...

...But for now, she'll just let herself enjoy this.