2023-10-04: A Friendly Bout
- Log: A Friendly Bout
- Cast: Alto Saotome, Maya Jintek
- Where:
- OOC - IC Date:
- Summary: <Summarize!>
<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.
The expedition to Gallia IV is set to depart within days. As such, the
various ships and mobile weapons that will be going have gathered at the
Frontier Fleet. The Nadesico is currently docked at one of Nergal's private
ports on the large colony ship, while the Macross Quarter is docked only a
short distance away.
Even during preparations for the departure, there remain other matters
that need attending to. Such as the continued testing of the new Nivalis unit.
It needs to be put through its paces to confirm the viability of the design,
especially given its use soon on an alien world. No doubt Nergal and
Morgenroete are interested in gathering futher, varied test data on the
machine.
Likewise, while the VF-25F variant of the Messiah line of Variable
Fighters has been in operation for nearly two years now, the LAI Corporation
continues to use it as one of the testing platforms for adjustments and
improvements that will go into future VF designs.
So it makes sense that, given the two's proximity at this time, they be
put through some 'cooperative testing'.
Which is just another way to say a mock battle.
Physical weapons have had their ammo replaced with paint filled
versions. Energy weapons have had their power output levels reduced to be
little more than flashy lights. There's still some risk of damage,
particularly from collisions or physical melee weapons. But at least this way
a mistake on the part of the pilots is unlikely to lead to any serious harm.
And the computer systems of both machines will compensate to make things seem
more real.
The VF-25F Messiah rises up on one of the Macross Quarter's hangar
elevators, Alto in the cockpit flipping switches as he prepares for launch.
There's a light shudder as the elevator reaches the Quarter's top deck.
Holographic launch indicators appear ahead of the fighter and Alto grips his
controls, <"Skull-4, launching."> Magnetic clamps disengage and the Messiah
just floats there for a moment in the zero-g, before Alto pushes the throttle
stick forward. The Messiah's nozzles narrow as the engines burn brightly,
sending the fighter rocketing forward through the holographic indicators and
then out into space proper.
It's a short trip to the designated combat area, at which point Alto
radios, <"Nivalis. I'm ready when you are.">
KTS: Alto Saotome has deployed in VF-25F Messiah <Fighter Mode>.
<Pose Tracker> Maya Jintek has posed.
Well, this was it. The final test of the Nivalis before heading away
from Earth. There had been others, of course, but this was a major one for
many reasons. It was to be a mock battle against a Variable Fighter, flown by
a professional, after all. Way different from simulators, target ranges, and
obstacle courses. It was going to be in space, where she had a lot less
experience. And also... it was going to be the closest thing Maya would
experience to a real fight before going off to encounter a very real threat to
humanity. To say she was treating this seriously would be an understatement.
"Maya Jintek, Nivalis, launching!" She reported to the handlers in
charge as the machine rocketed forward on its catapult, thusters boosting
forward at the end. Her IFS allowed her to have a great deal of control over
the machine, much moreso than her opponent had over his, and her machine was
newer, but she wasn't going to let herself get cocky about this. There was no
chance she had the experience advantage, and newer didn't always mean better.
But at the end of the day, they were both on the same side. She'd try and
learn as much as she could from this not just so she could survive and prove
the Nivalis concept, but so that she could help others.
The response on her radio was crisp and clear. No time like the
present. "Understood, Nivalis is ready. Don't go easy on me, OK?" Maya
replied, a little more casually with the last line, but not in challenge. She
was smiling slightly, both because she was a little nervous, and because she
was excited. She was looking forward to seeing how things went.
KTS: Maya Jintek has deployed in Nivalis.
<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.
The Messiah is packing some extra components on top of its base frame.
Some are bolted to its main airframe, but two large ones are slotted over its
wings, large thruster nozzles on their rear. The Super FAST pack primarily
augments the Messiah's manoeuvrability, but also grants it some additional
weaponry. Alto had decided that part would make for some more useful test data.
As Maya reports her ready status, as well as her request, Alto hehs,
<"Wasn't planning to. Wouldn't make for much of a proper test if I did.">
The Messiah swings around, now quickly barreling directly towards the
Nivalis. As it does so, Alto radios further, <"You're new on the Nadesico,
right? The expedition prep has kept me busy so it's been a while since I've
flown from it... I'm Alto Saotome with SMS. Nice to meet you.">
So nice in fact that Alto unleashes a swarm of micro-missiles from his
launchers. They dance through space in the direction of the Nivalis, exploding
into blossoms of not-so-deadly paint when they get close.
KTS: Alto Saotome targets Maya Jintek with CIMM-3A Micro-missile Launchers Lockon Strike!
KTS: Maya Jintek has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Maya Jintek's EN Barrier activates, negating 1500 base damage. KTS: Maya Jintek fails to intercept Alto Saotome's CIMM-3A Micro-missile Launchers Lockon Strike, taking 3360 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Alto Saotome's The Twinkle Of A Tearful Planet activates, causing Insight L1!
<Pose Tracker> Maya Jintek has posed.
As it came into view on her sensors, this Messiah looked like it was
packing more than just the standard arsenal. She knew that these different
booster packs didn't necessarily weight down the craft as they often had their
own boosters and the like, in fact making them faster and more manoueverable,
in addition to whatever weapons they brought to the field. That was good. As
her opponent... Alto, he said his name was, said, it wouldn't be a proper test
otherwise.
He did seem to be polite, though, as he came rocketing forward. "Nice
to meet yoOOAHH!" She was in the middle of responding when suddenly a swarm of
red dots began to rush towards her. Maya almost accused him of playing dirty
by distracting her. Almost. But that was her fault and she quickly regained
her composure. The chainguns in the head of the Nivalis were designed for
this. They began blazing away as the missiles arced in, causing several to
detonate in colourful bursts of paint.
But even as she was moving to evade, focusing on the swarm ahead, she
suddenly read impacts all over as the distortion field flickered in anger.
Distracted again. She'd developed tunnel vision and missed the OTHER swarm of
missiles. This must have been how the Zentraedi felt during the war all those
years ago. The computer told her that it was a serious hit, though she was
still in the battle. "Ha. Nice one." Maya said ruefully as she flicked over to
the railgun. "Yep, I'm new - Maya Jintek of the Nadesico. It's nice to meet
you toooooooo~!" She was already firing glob after glob of paint capsules at
Alto's craft, rapidly accelerated to many times faster than any ordinary gun.
With any luck she'd be able to gum things up for him a bit and return a little
of what she was given.
KTS: Maya Jintek targets Alto Saotome with Standard Sabot - Power! KTS: Alto Saotome has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Alto Saotome successfully evades Maya Jintek's Standard Sabot - Power Alto Saotome transforms to VF-25F Messiah <GERWALK Mode>
<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.
It's true that the IFS control method is cutting edge stuff. A step
above the autobalanced control method that assists a pilot with basic
stabilisation. Which is itself a step above the manual control system where
the pilot needs to do everything themselves...
And yet Alto demonstrates that it's not always about who's got the more
advanced control system.
Rapidly manipulating the flight stick in one hand, throttle and
thrusters with the other, Alto deftly rolls and slides his space fighter
around the shots fired in his direction. As he does so, he continues the
conversation with only some mild grunts from the g-forces, <"It's interesting
to see the IFS implants being used in something other than an Aestivalis. I've
never used it myself but I've flown with the Nadesico's pilots enough times to
notice the difference in control style.">
Looking to gain an opening to shoot back, Alto jams his flight stick
down and pulls it back. The Messiah's transformation is triggered, its parts
separating and reconfiguring before jamming back together. All the span of
less than a second.
The half-fighter half-robot swings its legs up, engines burning in its
feet rapidly altering the VF's course. As it begins to circle the Nivalis, it
raises the gunpod in its right hand up and pulls the trigger. Paint rounds
rapidly blast out of the gattling gun, streaking towards its target.
KTS: Alto Saotome has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Alto Saotome targets Maya Jintek with Leading Fire! KTS: [Lucky] Maya Jintek's luck activates, and luck goes her way! KTS: Maya Jintek charges into the attack! KTS: Maya Jintek's EN Barrier activates, negating 1500 base damage. KTS: Maya Jintek partially guards Alto Saotome's Leading Fire, taking 2800 damage!
KTS: Alto Saotome begins a Formation attack!
<Pose Tracker> Maya Jintek has posed.
Maya clicked her tongue in frustration as Alto dances around the
projectiles, frustrated that absolutely nothing was getting by him. She wasn't
angry at him; he was doing precisely what he was supposed to be doing. It
looked bad for both her and the Nivalis if she didn't achieve anything in this
mock battle. Not all projects were successful, sure, but it didn't mean you
wanted to fail. 'No, don't beat yourself up over this. If one thing doesn't
work, then you try something else.' She told herself. A single failure didn't
mean everything would be one, and you can come back from them too. "It's very
intuitive - cuts down on training time, and an IFS has uses outside combat,
too!" Honestly, it'd be great if more people would be willing to give the
procedure a go, though people still shied away from any sort of cybernetic
enhancement.
As the VF transformed, Maya decided now was a good chance to try and
take advantage of the transition time. She jolted forward as the Nivalis
kicked into high gear, charging ahead. It wasn't quite fast enough to get into
melee range before he drew his gun, and the screen flashed as she took more
fire, but even though her mobile suit wasn't a melee specialist, she figured
it was probably more adept at it than a VF was. She drew her beam saber -
actually a canister of spraypaint for this scenario, and swept it towards
Alto, hoping that this would score her her first hit.
KTS: Maya Jintek targets Alto Saotome with Beam Sword Slash! KTS: Alto Saotome's EN Barrier activates, negating 500 base damage. KTS: Alto Saotome blocks Maya Jintek's Beam Sword Slash, taking 2040 damage! KTS: Maya Jintek has engaged Alto Saotome! KTS: Maya Jintek begins a Formation attack! KTS: Alto Saotome has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has disengaged.
<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.
It's true that Alto is a little shy on the whole cybernetic enhancement idea.
Though to be fair he grew up on the Frontier Fleet where cybernetic
augmentation is illegal. But he does know a number of people who have gone
through it and he has no problems with them...
Well, okay, maybe one of them. But that's for reasons totally unrelated
to his cybernetic enhancements.
The Nivalis comes in for a swipe from its 'beam saber' and Alto is
grateful he transformed. Because it's very true that VFs are generally not
built for melee. But they can handle it to some degree in a couple of their
forms. Specifically the ones that have shields!
Alto brings the shield on his VF's left arm up to meet the paint can, a
barrier of light forming to reduce the amount of paint that gets drawn across
the shield. There's still some damage recorded, but his system deems it to be
non-lethal.
<"I hear it does have its downsides though. And can be risky depending
upon the person.">
Not wanting to stick around in close quarters, Alto leverages the
superior thrust of his machine to blast away from the Nivalis again. Of
course, he's not about to give Maya a chance to shoot him in the back either
as he goes, once more launchers in his FAST pack opening to unleash a dizzying
array of micro-missiles in her direction. At even greater quantity than
before. They spread out, closing in from multiple vectors to try and overwhelm
the Nivalis's distortion barrier.
KTS: Alto Saotome has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Alto Saotome targets Maya Jintek with CIMM-3A Micro-missile Launchers Multi-directional Assault!
KTS: Maya Jintek has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Maya Jintek has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Maya Jintek fails to evade Alto Saotome's CIMM-3A Micro-missile Launchers Multi-directional Assault, taking 6175 damage!
KTS: Alto Saotome completes the Formation attack! KTS: Maya Jintek has activated the Trick Spirit Command.
<Pose Tracker> Maya Jintek has posed.
'I got him!' Sure, it was hardly a fatal hit or anything, but the
streak of paint on the Messiah said it all. At least she could walk away from
this fight and say that it hadn't been entirely fruitless. As she expected,
though, Alto made a quick escape, showing off the speed of a VF. She allowed
it, figuring she might be able to hit him with the railgun next round. Maya
didn't think she was going to win this battle, but maybe she could put on a
good showing at least.
His remark on the procedure showed he did have at least some knowledge
of it, and she responded in kind. "That's... true, I admit. I didn't have any
adverse reactions, but that doesn't mean it'd be the same for everyone." Maya
had been a little concerned she might develop increased aggression, one of the
more well-known side effects, but at least to her knowledge she was her same,
average self. More concerning presently, however, was the missiles coming her
way, even more than before. 'I can't shoot them all down!' An almost zen state
comes over her as the Nivalis twists and dodges, attempting to evade the
swarm. She was only hit by a small percentage of them, but given the quantity,
a small percentage was still a lot of missiles.
"Got my machine redlining with that one! Just how many battles have you
been in?" Maya asked, impressed with the skills of her opponent. Sadly, the
Nivalis' energy problems had reared its ugly head again, the fast paced nature
of this battle not allowing her time to recover, so she flicked away from her
railgun after considering it strongly, choosing instead to launch a burst of
missiles of her own, although unlike Alto's, these were designed more for
annoyance and distraction rather than aggression. It might give her time to
build up for something bigger.
KTS: Maya Jintek targets Alto Saotome with Ion Storm! KTS: Alto Saotome successfully evades Maya Jintek's Ion Storm Alto Saotome transforms to VF-25F Messiah <Fighter Mode>
<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.
Alto does actually pause a little in thought as Maya asks him that
question... Just how many HAS he been in? It's not something he's really
considered. He muses out loud, <"I... Don't know, really. My mission count is
over a hundred, but they don't all include battle. Many are just boring
patrols or escort missions where nothing happens. If I had to guess... Maybe
one third of those included combat?"> So probably somewhere around the thirty
to forty mark.
<"Even then. Some are just minor skirmishes with pirates who flee
pretty quickly. Actual major battles is probably closer to a couple dozen.">
Which is probably for the best. It's not every day that you want to be facing
down a hostile Macross, a swarm of Vajra, or a Behemoth of a mobile weapon...
Alto is torn from his thoughts by the missile lock alert. He pushes his
throttle forward and starts to weave his way through space. As the missiles
get close he turns quickly, just barely escaping their 'explosion' radius each
time until finally they are all spent.
At which point Alto says, <"Probably time to finish this up for the
day.">
The Messiah's legs kick up, rapidly slowing it before it spins around
to point towards the Nivalis. The machine transforms once more, back into
fighter mode, before its engines burn brightly and start to accelerate it back
towards Maya. Settling the other machine in his sights, Alto pulls the
trigger. The machine guns in the Messiah's wings come to life, spitting out a
stream of smaller but more numerous paint pellets compared to the larger
calibre gunpod.
KTS: Alto Saotome targets Maya Jintek with ES-25A High Speed Machine Guns Concentrated Barrage!
KTS: Maya Jintek has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: [Lucky] Maya Jintek's luck activates, and luck goes her way! KTS: Maya Jintek successfully evades Alto Saotome's ES-25A High Speed Machine Guns Concentrated Barrage
<Pose Tracker> Maya Jintek has posed.
"Wow... truth be told, this is the closest I've even come to actual
combat." Even if it were only around 20-25 'real' battles, that was a wealth
of experience beyond what she had. She laughed at this. "Thank you for showing
me what it's really like." Maya knew this still wasn't what it was really like
- there was very little chance of any actual injury, outside of mechanical
failure of some kind, and that wasn't something anyone really considered
unless they were really paranoid. Besides, she was very familiar with the
internals of this machine, so she knew that it was in good repair.
The veteran, having apparently decided that this was his moment, made
his intentions clear. His craft transformed again, this time opening up with a
hail of gunfire that was rather intimidating in its volume. "Not if I can help
it!" She jinked and dived away from the fire, but even then Alto was sticking
tight to her tail. But at that instant, there was another sensor return in
close range. It looked like it was a piece of space junk from a decommissioned
satellite. 'Star-Link' was scrawled on the metal, but the important thing was
that it was close. VERY close. Maya picked it up and used it as an impromptu
shield, deflecting the paint pellets like a certain ancient superhero. It
wouldn't have stood up to actual gunfire, but paint was another story.
When the VF rocketed past, she tossed it towards Earth, its space now
slightly safer from space debris. "Let's see how you deal with something a
little bigger!" Maya declared as she triggered her railgun's alternate fire
mode. The rails expanded, to allow for a larger round to be fired. The
selector chose 'Armour Piercing', and a short volley of pellets rocketted
towards Alto, at even higher speeds than before. Electricity sparked from the
weapon as it fired, already complaining at the work it was having to do.
KTS: Maya Jintek targets Alto Saotome with Armour Piercing Sabot! KTS: Alto Saotome fails to react to Maya Jintek's Armour Piercing Sabot, taking 7670 damage!
KTS: Maya Jintek completes the Formation attack!
<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.
Alto is DEFINITELY aware that this is not what battle is really like...
But he doesn't correct Maya, because he suspects she knows that too. It's hard
to grow up in this age without having at least some idea. Even if you haven't
been involved directly, there's a good chance you know someone who has. Even
just watching the news will reveal the many tragedies that seem to occur so
often. The spectre of war has been looming over the Earth Sphere for so long.
Not unlike the demonic visage looming from Jupiter even now.
But at this very moment, Alto focuses on the task at hand. Maya chooses
to bring out a bigger gun and Alto once more tries to get out of its line of
fire. He pulls back on his flight stick hard, taking his machine into a hard
turn. Several of the shots from the volley rush past, just barely missing.
But it only takes one!
One of the rounds hits the rear of Alto's fighter hard and his system
registers the damage...
A moment later the light from Alto's engines cuts out and the fighter
is left drifting from its inertia.
Alto blinks for a moment, before glancing at his damage readout. He
then snerks in amusment, <"Looks like you got the main feed to my engines.">
The damage is not fatal, Alto could continue fighting. But without those
engines, his thrust is reduced to just manoeuvring thrusters. Which are
definitely no where near as powerful.
Alto considers for a moment, before saying, <"Let's call the match
there. I don't think there'll be much more they can learn if we continue,
given our states."> Technically it means no one won. But on the bright side,
no one lost!
Switching his machine out of the simulation mode, Alto presses his
throttle forward gently. The Messiah's engines come to life again and the
fighter lazily swings around to start heading back towards its carrier.
As Alto starts heading back, he says, <"Nice last shot there. You've
definitely got potential."> It's only after Alto says that, that he realises
how strange it sounds coming from him...
When did he stop being the newbie and become the seasoned pilot?
<Pose Tracker> Maya Jintek has posed.
'I got him...' "I got him!" Maya cried out, her radio thankfully off
to save her the embarrassment of exulting in front of others. The computer was
saying he wasn't out, but that was a very solid hit. The Variable Railgun
still had a few kinks, but she had to admit, when it worked, it worked. She
moved to fire again to finish the job, but nothing came out. It looked like
the gun had seized up from the non-standard ammunition. She sighed, hanging
her head. The transmission from Alto about the damage and calling the fight
there was definitely welcome as the young woman deflated a little, the
adrenaline leaving her body. "Honestly, if this were a real battle, I probably
would have retreated instead of taking that shot... and now I'm gonna be stuck
repairing this thing..." When it worked, it worked, but when it didn't...
She moves into formation with Alto as they head back to base. "Thanks,
but I've still got much further to go after seeing you in action. There's
definitely a lot more paint I'll have to clean up." Another thing she'd likely
be stuck doing, but she didn't say it with any particular distaste. The
Nadesico's engineering crew were all great, and there were a lot of Zentraedi
amongst them too, which was nice - they got to blast all the latest hits and
the classics while working. "I'm glad I'll be flying with someone like you,
though. I'll work hard to live up to that potential!"