I've decided that all part titles from 2.0 onwards be based on album titles. Part 2.0 was based on David Bowie's "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" and Skrillex's "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites". I could make a little game of it, where you'd guess the album the title's based on, and I'd give the answer in the following part.
I don't know, what do you guys think of that?
We now return to your regularly scheduled program...
[Part 3.1] Rage Valley
<22091017>
Tuesday, October 17th, 2209
Gibraltar
08:25:09
BREAKING NEWS
"The Anti-Gravity Race Commission has approved of a new race track created along the Perth shoreline in Western Australia. Constructed by the RidgeTech Corporation, "Omega Harbour" is the longest track ever approved by the Race Commission, reaching a total length of 12479m. Omega Harbour is designed for endurance, containing a balance of speed and technical sections and is notable for its "Death Spiral" corner, a 900° right turn. This track will be the location of the final race in the 2209 season of the FX400."
"Wait, so that's what they were building?!" Brandon Smith exclaimed, "Also, who the hell is this RidgeTech Corporation?"
"No idea," said Gareth Ardos, second pilot for Angelus, "But I hear that everyone will be getting an update to the simulator at the end of the month, so we can practice and eventually qualify on the new track."
"That leaves us a month for us to get used it. At least everyone's in the same situation. But something's not right. I've never heard of this RidgeTech Corporation before they started work on 'Project OMEGA'. I don't know, maybe I'm just being paranoid, but... oh, never mind."
"No, it's not just you, I have a gut feeling that there's something sinister about that Corporation, I just don't know what. Either way, I can't afford to think about that, we need to prepare for the race tonight."
"Yes, we do. Fort Gale White, Night run. Quite the technical circuit, but nothing we can't handle. Let's go."
Fort Gale, Gibraltar
19:25:20
There were less than 5 minutes until the race started, Angelus knew this nervous feeling all too well, but it would eventually pass. The final preparations had been made to both the team and their ship, and the latter was ready to take its place at the starting grid. The qualifying race had put Angelus in 2nd position, behind Wyvern, who had taken pole position by 0.02 seconds, with Crinale bringing the rear of the top 3.
"ARGH! I'm so sorry! I knew I could have done so much better!" Tarah Andrews apologized.
"It's fine. It could have been a lot worse, be glad we are in the top 5," Brandon said, "It's not a time to worry, you need to focus on doing your best."
"Yes, thank you. Will do, boss!"
"Fantastic! Let's go."
As soon as the countdown screen lit up, a familiar engine sound filled the air. It was Crinale, their second pilot had a habit of flooring the engine as soon as the countdown screen turned on. As the engine was originally Angelus', it sounded similar to their KA-AGR1 racing craft, but Crinale's F0-RG7 sounded a bit more aggressive, with a noticeable grunt added to the sound. The countdown started, at 19:29:57.
"3, 2, 1-"
BANG!
Wait, what? The countdown usually says GO, not make a loud explosion-like noise.
The source of the noise was quite obvious. Crinale's ship suddenly belched black smoke, its engine stalled, the purple neons illuminating the #2 ship flickered off and then, finally, gravity took over, making the ship crash to the ground. The countdown stopped, seemingly milliseconds before the GO signal. This was because Crinale was on the grid, yet they had been 'eliminated' before the race began.
A few minutes later, Crinale brought out their #1 ship, and the race was ready to begin proper.
"3, 2, 1... GO"
Immediately after the race started, Team Angelus knew that this would not be any regular race. Crinale seemed to have taken on a more aggressive racing style than usual, which of course meant bad news for their #1 target, Angelus. Brandon did not speak to Tarah about it, as she was experienced enough that she would have spotted the problem the second she saw Crinale. Also, Brandon felt like she needed to be more focused than ever, and talking to her would break that concentration.
The race started with Angelus barely making any ground over Wyvern, as they had around the same thrust power. However, due to Angelus' higher top speed, it slowly pulled closer to the repurposed jet fighter. The second corner, an outward banked right hander threw the ships into the air, due to the immense speed of Phantom class. Both Angelus and Wyvern took this advantage and performed a barrel roll. However, due to Angelus' advanced boost module, it pulled ahead upon landing, though not by much.
Suddenly, there was a flash of purple light to Angelus' rear. Wyvern had been hit with a Plasma, though they were not eliminated. Sure enough, when Tarah looked behind her, there was the unmistakeable sight of a black craft resembling that of Angelus', with deep yellow neons running around it.
"Huh, they seem more aggressive, better watch out." She thought. She ran over a weapon pickup, obtaining the Angelus Laser Cannon. She absorbed it, restoring the remaining shield energy lost to the initial barrel roll. Crinale weren't that far behind, picking up a set of rockets, which they promptly fired. Tarah strategically sideshifted out of the way of them, with two rockets shooting past either side of the craft.
As they passed out of the first tunnel and over the drop in the track, Tarah performed another barrel roll, hoping to lose Crinale. However, they barrel rolled too, so she didn't get as far away from them as she hoped. The only thing the audience saw were two glowing objects, one azure, one deep yellow.
As they entered the second tunnel, Crinale tried to make their move. They pulled alongside Angelus and sideshifted into them, attempting to run them into the wall, however, they were out of the second tunnel, entering the third, where a left hairpin impeded their progress. They pulled open their airbrakes to slow down, but Tarah continued at full speed. She sideshifted to the right, then opened her left airbrake, turning left sharply at the same time. The featherweight ship swung around the hairpin at an alarming rate, but had cleared the walls perfectly. Crinale soon came into view, their airbrakes open. The speed was too high for the heavy craft, however, and it ended up grinding into the right wall. An aggressive sideshift pulled them away from the wall and into a weapon pickup. They fired it.
"Missiles." the onboard computer warned. Upon hearing this, Tarah immediately activated the weapon she picked up: A shield, which promptly disintegrated the missiles. As she rounded the corner, Crinale attempted once more to run the sleek white ship off the track. It was then that Tarah performed a gutsy move. As Crinale were getting ready for another sideshift into her, she opened her airbrakes fully, slowing the craft down and bring it behind Crinale, just as they initiated the sideshift, which caused them to careen into the wall. Tarah took this chance and slipped by them, flowing through the chicane series, around the final corner and on the home straight for the second lap.
This vicious rivalry between Angelus and Crinale continued throughout the race, as it usually was in other races, but this time it seemed Crinale really had it out for Angelus, taking any and all chances to violently eliminate them. This continued until the very last lap...
At the beginning of the second corner of the final lap, Crinale took a unique racing line, not one that would be faster, but one that would lead them to force their ship to collide with Angelus', who was already in the air, preparing for a barrel roll. Just as Tarah executed it, Crinale smashed their ship into the side of Angelus', causing the barrel roll to fail. They then followed that up with an up-close missile hit, ensuring that all 3 missiles would have a direct hit.
"Energy Critical." exclaimed the computer, as a warning tone sounded. Tarah picked up a Turbo, thought for a moment, then used it, wanting to get as far away from Crinale as possible. She ran over another weapon pickup and absorbed it without a seconds hesitation, restoring her shield energy up to 47%. Crinale were still being relentless in their goals of Angelus' elimination, but Tarah persisted, right until the moment she cracked.
Upon entering the final tunnel, getting smashed by Crinale's ship at the hairpin and hearing "Energy Critical" for the second time, Tarah could no longer keep her cool, and finally snapped. The odds seemed to be in her favour, as she had picked up a Plasma before the chicane series. At that exact moment, she decided she was going to end it all, right there. She forced the airbrakes on completely, just as she had done the first lap, but she let Crinale pass. Then, with a yell which signified that she had had enough, charged the Plasma...
BOOM.
"......Contender Eliminated."
That sound emitting from the computer was the best sound she had heard all race. She opened the thrust all the way, accelerating around the final corner, past the eliminated Crinale ship, which no longer emitted yellow light from its neons. She did not let up from the thrust until the azure lit ship screamed past the finish line at top speed, where the computer spoke for the final time that night:
"First place."
That was the first time Angelus had come first in a race. Usually, they would rank high, but at most, 2nd place. Upon seeing that they had won, they were somewhat joyous, but not as much as they wanted to be. The elimination by Angelus was a bit of a buzzkill. But they had won nonetheless, and were through to the final round, held at Omega Harbour.
I created an image of Omega Harbour, now in 3 flavours: Angelus Blue, Crinale Yellow, and Crinale's alternate skin Purple!
OmegaHarbourA.pngOmegaHarbourC.pngOmegaHarbourP.png