Big Eyes, Small Mouth (BESM): Nexus Earth - Chapter 11.5.1 Osprey and Cowboy (FIN)

[Columbian]

45 minutes later, Francis reappeared in the launch bay, having changed into a flight suit. Nagareboshi remained at his side, but the lack of his armor was a new feeling. Well, the Zanpakuto pointed out it had been a tool, nothing more. He waited in the bay for Osprey, having decided his callsign as well. Given that he had a revolver as a Soul Slayer, a Western style cowgirl for his Zanpakuto spirit... Cowboy seemed appropriate, yes?

[Rebecca Baines]

Rebecca walks down from a technician on a catwalk, talking about the day's events and getting set up for the training run. As she walks down, he notices her black cloak, a symbol of her family, draped over her shoulders. Francis finds with her helmet off, the curls of her blond hair in the front is a interesting affectation for someone who is a test pilot and engineer. More like some sort of aristocracy.

When she steps in front of Francis, she looks over his flight suit."Well... for a first time wearer, you know your way around a Mark-IX Pilot Survival Suit. Done this before and not told me?" She says, smiling, knowing this might be a easy time. "Now, before we begin, I have to say... Sorry. I think I got a little carried away back at the simulator earlier. It's a problem of mine and that tends to get me in hot water pretty fast sometimes. I... hope you didn't take too much offense."

She drapes her cloak on a railing. "Now... about that callsign... I need something to call my RIO when you're not piloting the SeaTalon."

She straightens her custom flight suit, while unique among the other pilots, it has a well designed look, as if designed with care by a master craftsman... probably her handy-work.

[Columbian]

Francis smiled, as he'd encountered pilots before, albeit in the aeronautics field rather than outright space traveling mecha engineers. "I have some general familiarity... and the callsign is Cowboy. I think it fits for me."

--OOC: Francis' flight suit:

[Rebecca Baines]

"Cowboy... it does."

"Now, I'm sure the quartermaster famiarized you on the operation of the suit, so I won't go into too much detail." She says walking over to the SeaTalon on a side catwalk with Francis. "The SeaTalon is equipped with a Model 31 Rescue Pod. It allows the cockpit and passengers to be safely ejected from the body of the mecha. It has a fully sealed, self contained environment, and is equipped for many hazards. It has an airbag cushion system with parachutes for ground landings, fully seaworthy, and can operate in space for 2 weeks with full rations."

She turns to Francis. "Now, Your particular suit is the first with the integrated survival system. With helmet you should have practically unlimited breathable atmosphere at standard earth pressure. The suit also has an integrated parachute and flotation device for water landings." She says, pointing out the lanyards and buttons for the equipment. "Your medkit and patchkit are located on your left and right waist pouches. Those will definately be a help if needed."

"I see you also remembered the signal flares, and single-person raft in the back pouch... I guess you decided to bring everything given... basic default ditch kit. Okay... time to aquaint you with the cockpit controls now."

She opens the side hatch on the head of the SeaTalon and steps in. "Any questions so far, Francis?"

She coughs... "I mean, Cowboy."

[Columbian]

"No," Francis replied, quietly listening and soaking up the details. "Go on." He stepped through the hatch too.

[Rebecca Baines]

"Okay. I'll be taking you though the basics of control. SeaTalon uses a MK-1 interface... what 95% of all Satoshi mecha controls are based off of. Pretty good if you need to switch mecha." She sits in her cockpit seat. "Once you sit in the RIO position, the controls will take position where mine are."

She points to her left control. "This control is your movement control. Left and Right on the trackball on top of the stick move you in a left and right strafe., foreward and back speed you up or slow you down. By clicking it in you stop in position."

When she points to her right she clears her throat. "The right stick handles your looking. Left and Right allows you to look left and right. Up and Down naturally look up and down and clicking the center trackball centers your view. The control buttons allow you to switch targets. The thumb controls move you through weapons and the trigger fires all projectile weapons."

"When in melee combat the system uses a bio-feedback system, using your reflexive memory, the Mecha mimics what melee techniques you use."

She adjusts her flightsuit. "The orange switch on the left stick triggers the escape system, you verify your intent by moving your controls back."

"Any questions?" She says with a smile, with SeaTalon smiling in her avatar form on screen.

[Columbian]

"Only one I have, Osprey," Francis noted, "is this. When you fight in melee, you move your body and the SeaTalon responds? Or it downloads the data and you just move a stick?"

[Rebecca Baines]

"It downloads the data... More efficient at least for me than a motion-trace system since it uses it's own motivator sequencers to add to your own combat knowledge. That and the AMS interface is a far more efficient man-machine interface than what I've come across. I've only assigned that system to me for this flight. I seem to be immune to it's... deleterious side effects. For the most part." She says. "Since I've not really trained in basic hand-to-hand, I rely on the combat protocols pre-programmed in the motivator system."

She starts hitting glowing parts of her flat touch-screens that resemble buttons. "One more thing, when you want to fly or hover, double click on the trackball first on the left stick, and that will be used then to control your throttle and side-to-side motions, and the right stick is used like a standard aircraft. Remember that fact."

[Columbian]

"Duly noted, Osprey." Francis said, with a nod of patience. "Time for a spin?"

[Rebecca Baines]

She flips a secured switch on her console. "Alright. SeaTalon, switch all RIO duties to me and grant Cowboy flight control."

"Affirmative, Lieutenant." SeaTalon chirps as the flight controls move to Francis in a smooth motion and extra control panels swivel away from Francis to Rebecca.

"Alright, Cowboy... Taxi us to the launch gantry and let's get a move on. Fly out at 25% speed, then stop at 3 kilometers from the launch bay of the Nightingale."

She checks the weather outside, as the Nightingale is on Humanitarian duty and is floating in the ocean near shore and the capitol. "Weather is overcast, slight wind from the north. Might feel some chop your first go-around. Don't worry if we touch water a few times. SeaTalon could use a good cleaning once in a while."

[Columbian]

"Roger that, Osprey." Francis acknowledged before putting his hands on the controls and setting the SeaTalon forward. With cautious but precise moves, SeaTalon slowly moved forward, and Francis took the mecha over to the launch bay. Then, so far, so good, he kicked up the engines and set out with a sudden boost of speed- which he then yanked back. The speed went from 0% to 40%, before Francis corrected it down to 30% and the SeaTalon bumped water a couple times before he appeared to get the hang of it.

By 2.5 kilometers out, a smooth straight 25% speed had been achieved an maintained, and once 2.8 kilometers were crossed on the distance trackers, Francis eased down the speed until the SeaTalon ground to a halt. Francis' gaze flickered over the readings and then back to Rebecca. "3.07 kilometers from the launch bay, Osprey."

[Rebecca Baines]

"Meh... a little drift... this isn't about precision, this is about understanding the concept. Good work." She says, activating waypoints that appear on the SeaTalon's HUD. "Now... fly to each waypoint as quickly and precicely as you can. We're heading over water for 200 kilometers to Eldora port. Then we'll practice landing on a barge I requested to be parked out .25 kilometers from shore."

She smiles as she sits back, watching the radar. "I'm your RIO, Skipper... roll out!"

[Columbian]

Francis took Rebecca at her words. The jolt from his speed boost was certain to take her aback, as he boosted to 70% speed. But this time, the icy control of shooting took hold, and Francis narrowed his eyes. It was a great deal like adjusting your gun hand when it got down too it. Dexterous motions of hand and minute adjustments, and despite his roaring pace, he was getting the turns reasonably well.

Then, when things might not have gotten crazier, Eldora port and the barge loomed. Francis finally began to slow down. "Preparing to land, Osprey. You copy?"

[Rebecca Baines]

Osprey starts laughing. "Oh yes... THAT is flying, Cowboy! So... feel like some special training after we land? I got some help from some of the fishermen in the area. They can deploy target balloons... my job is to maneuver while you do that thing you were talking to me about earlier... that jumping thing, you know? We should try to get our teamwork tightened up if we have to face those things."

"Just a question, do you concerve your momentum as you teleport or does each teleport stop your motion?"

[Columbian]

Francis smiled as he worked the controls to prepare SeaTalon to land. "We'd have to get the armor back for that... As for the teleportation, I'm linked to the systems when wearing the armor, and I can effectively adjust direction, momentum and velocity as needed. I could fall two miles and then teleport to the ground safely."

[Rebecca Baines]

"I see... would you be able to sit in that seat if you were wearing that armor you speak of?" She scratches her chin. "I was thinking we could do a combination of I fighting in my mecha and you teleporting back and forth pretty much using me as a chariot into battle. Just a thought..."

[Columbian]

"Of course it should." Francis commented. "And we should practice that, I like the way you think here." A wicked idea came to him. "Does the SeaTalon have enough fuel for a VERY speedy round trip back? I do need to pick up the armored suit if we're doing that."

[Rebecca Baines]

She nods. "Francis, this machine uses a zero-point reactor. If I fitted a FTL engine backpack to this mecha I could go back to Earth if I so wanted. So yes... this should be an easy trip."

She starts laying in a new course based on Francis' reequest and sends it to his navigation display. "I think that would be a proper landing spot."

She sits back, switching her radar to standard navigation mode. "Okay, dockside, we got a change of itenerary. No need for the fleet." She says over her coms to the docks.

"So... Ready?"

[Columbian]

Francis popped out of the SeaTalon and shortly later reappeared with the armor on over the flight suit and his helmet on. "All integrated and ready for training, Osprey." He pronounced, settling back down into a seat. "All the benefits of the armor, and the life support in place. You probably should take over the flight now."

[Rebecca Baines]

Osprey grins. "Forgot... you can teleport..." She hits a few buttons on her console and the control system returns to her position. "Okay... I got an idea... I just called back the fishing trawlers so I got another idea." She pulls up her map and scrolls to the northern arctic region. "There's a boatload of icebergs out there threatening shipping lines in the north seas. Up for some civic responsibility?" She says with a wink. "The commander of the SCRT-4 S&R team sent me some waypoints for a few problem bergs as well as the Royal Dalaraani Coast Guard. We can go all out and not worry about hurting anyone."

"Game?"

[Columbian]

"Game." Francis assured her with a grin that said he was raring for action too. "And the civic work can't hurt... my last spot of effort on that was repairing the communications network, and we know how useful THAT was." He paused for a moment, remembering shooting Dyandiel and the massacre of nobility outright. "My word, let's hope the upper classes don't get out of hand again."

[Rebecca Baines]

"If what you were fighting in the simulator earlier is what's coming... I doubt the Nobles will have time to squabble."

She activates the overboost system and slams into the throttle hard, riding the surface of the ocean letting the spray kick up well into the air behind her greenish blue thrust wake. "We should get there in about 10 minutes... shouldn't be that much trouble."

She takes a deep breath. In combat she'll have to solidly trust Francis. He'll have to earn that trust, and SeaTalon's as well.

"So... how was it... being at the controls?"

[Columbian]

"A little worrisome, actually." Francis commented, admitting his feelings on the subject. "It was really energetically fun... too much cutting loose. Honestly, I know how to fly these things now, but it does require a certain restraint, I think." A thought occurred to him and then he grinned. "I've earned my callsign alright."