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The RX-10 Albatross is one of the protagonists in the 1998 Shoot 'Em Up R-Type Delta. It is a unique prototype R-Craft that splits away from the main series of fighters created by a collaboration project involving the Space Corps' Air Force branch alongside the McGwire Co. Ltd. aircraft (civilian) manufacturer. The craft is built with mirror coating, [presumably] giving it an overall boost in defense compared to normal R-Crafts.
History[]
Around the time the R-9A2 Delta was being developed by the Space Corps' main branch, the Air Force began developing plans to create a similar fighter with unique weapon and defensive capabilities. To achieve this, the Air Force reached a deal with McGwire Co. Ltd., a company that specialized in aircraft manufacturing, and created a unique craft that differed from the characteristics of the normal R-Crafts. In spite of the fact that though McGwire Co. Ltd. never had an experience in building warbirds, Space Corps and McGwire Co. Ltd. nevertheless managed to successfully create a R-Fighter.
The new craft, dubbed the RX-10 Albatross (due to its longer wingspan compared to other R Series), was still in its experimental stage: nothing about this fighter was yet to be tested when it was suddenly put into service following the Moritz-G being manipulated by the Bydo Empire to invade the Earth. Because most of Space Corps' main force was deployed to farther regions of Solar System (farther than Jupiter) to check Bydo as far away from Earth, no one anticipated Bydo suddenly showing themselves and wreaking havoc upon Earth. Lacking time, quantities of R Series and their pilots, RX-10 urgently joined alongside the other experimental crafts the R-9A2 Delta, the R-13A Cerberus and scrambled in an attempt to stop the Bydo invasion of Earth.
The three experimental crafts manage to track down the Bydo Core in an alternate dimension and destroy it, but in doing so causes a chain reaction that threatens to destroy the dimension as a result. The Rx-10 Albatross, alongside the R-9A2 Delta manage to escape just in time, but the resulting explosion traps the R-13A Cerberus in the dimension, leading to the fate of the doomed craft to be presumably destroyed until its real fate is revealed nineteen years later. In R-Type Final Albatross' successor craft RX-12, would later venture into Bydo Forest, encounter Cerberus, would put the unfortunate fallen hero out of further disgrace.
Following the successful mission, the RX-10 Albatross's design is further improved to create more powerful successor crafts. Subsequently, an archive titled 'Craft Battle File No.6: A Lone Giant Bird That Embodies Evolution RX-10 Albatross' published by Granzella (successor to Irem) released some astonishing and outrageous facts about the Albatross. When Albatross was made, McGwire Co. Ltd. never thought the possibility of its fighter would actually see action. Albatross' main wings were long due to maintain the balance of its Tentacle Force and because of that critical scenario such as able to make a sudden turn or movement of the fighter was not on builders' minds. Even more shockingly, the pilot of this experimental craft was a rookie whose first combat experience was the event in R-Type Delta. That's not all: because Albatross was hastily deployed, it didn't even have a time to coat the craft with anti-Bydo tinting (done to considerably slow down Bydo's infestation of R Fighters). It was nothing short of a miracle that this craft made it back to Earth, uncorrupted and in one piece.
Weapons[]
Although an R-Craft, the Rx-10 Albatross breaks away from the traditional technologies used by the standard crafts at the time. It is armed with very unique technology whose uses prove to be more strategic compared to its normal counterparts.
- Vulcan Cannon - a standard, rapid-fire capable cannon that can eliminate most small Bydos easily.
- Shock Wave Cannon - a unique wave cannon variant that is initially invisible when fired, upon impacting an enemy Bydo, it causes an explosion that destroys smaller Bydos inside-out and deals large damage against larger Bydos and bosses, however it lacks the penetration ability of the normal wave cannon.
- Tentacle Force - a unique force device that consists of two tentacle-shaped rods engulfing a Bydo embryo. The rods will change position dependent on the Albatross's movement; it contracts when the craft travels backwards and expands when it travels forward, providing better frontal protection in this phase. While separated from the craft, the force will revert a compact form and attempt to deal contact damage using its tentacles within range of attacking Bydos. It will also fire a single Vulcan shot in the direction it is facing. When connected to the Albatross, it also allows the craft to fire a powerful laser. Depending on the color of the crystal the Albatross obtains, the weapon will be one of the following:
- Sting Ray (Red) - fires a powerful, continuous beam that contracts or expands dependent on the Albatross's movement.
- Hound Ray (Blue) - fires a pair of blue lasers from the ends of the tentacles, traveling forwards when the Force is closed, and at an angle when the Force is open. Upon impacting an enemy Bydo, the lasers will lock on to the enemy and continue to fire upon them automatically until the enemy is either destroyed or out of range.
- Snail Ray (Yellow) - fires a pair of tentacle-like beams from the ends of the Force's tentacles. These beams can be manipulated by the movement of the Albatross.
- Delta Weapon: Negative Corridor - - a unique weapon developed for the RX-10 Albatross, it allows the Albatross toto charge up a dosage gauge that when full and activated, will create a space-time distortion effect that absorbs all enemies in the area for a small period of time.
- Chain Reaction Missiles - fires a single missile that will travel downwards at an arc, before exploding. The resulting explosion will travel along the surface, damaging or destroying anything within its path.
- Round Bit Devices - the Round Bits act as a small, shield-like device that absorbs weaker enemy fire. They are indestructible so long as the Albatross is not destroyed, but do not provide any firepower.
- Speed Up - when the Delta obtains a crystal with an "S" on it, it will increase is its overall speed by one unit for a maximum of five. One must be careful not to obtain too many, it will make the Albatross harder to control.
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