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[center][img]https://emmawillettsprints.com/cdn/shop/products/lake-coleridge-rakaia-river_grande.jpg?v=1621393305[/img][/center]

[center][h1][b]Mana Park, Lake Coleridge, South Island, New Zealand[/b][/h1][/center]

[b]Soundtrack:
[/b]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYkatXjfekQ]NOISY- ALLIGATOR[/url]

The scene opens with a panoramic view of Lake Coleridge as the black bars widen on the scene out from close to a cinematic shot as the drone flies in closer and closer through the hill and hurtles through yet smooth and elegantly, set against the breath-taking backdrop of New Zealand’s lush, rolling hills and crystal-clear blue skies. It's almost like something from Top Gear, as it rolls in, and the small, plucky little complex comes into view, and the craft outside of it. The camera zooms in to Harrison "Firehawk" Makara, suited up and ready, his helmet gleaming under the sunlight. His sharp features and piercing green eyes convey a mix of focus and excitement. The intricate indigenous designs on his suit catch the light with the green spots on stripe of white and yellow clash, adding a vibrant touch to his already striking appearance, the glow in his eyes, and the ruffle in his hair, walking down the tarmac.

As the camera moves closer, Harrison's voice, rich with an Australian accent, begins to narrate, catching the eye of the drone. He's a showman. Of course he is, the voice holding on the outside as he steps up, disembodied when you hear it, walking over to Southern Cross's craft for this little media appearance.

"Welcome to Mana Park. Our little testing run. Let me show you what it's really like to pilot one of these beauties round this place."

The camera transitions to inside the cockpit of his anti-gravity ship, the patterned Indigenous design of his suit like Pointillism, yet much, much older in its origin. The cockpit is minimalist yet sophisticated, with AR-enabled displays and joystick at the ready. You don't need much when you're literally hooked into the craft, after all. The gentle thrum of the craft’s systems builds, filling the air with a pulsating rhythm, as Harrison clambers the canopy, surrounded by a couple of crew, the craft already in position as he shuts the canopy and locks in, the eight-point harness hugging tight.

"Straps on, systems good....yep, all good. All clear, Matty." Harrison’s voice says with a hint of a smile to the camera, mounted up. There's so many catching 360 angles, you almost could be spoilt- but well, an AI figures out which one you want to be watching on notice. 

"If you've never seen this before....this is going to be wild, yeah?"

The ship lifts off effortlessly, the ground dropping away as the powerful electromagnets engage, and the whine gets even louder. The sensation of weightlessness is immediate, almost dreamlike, as the craft hovers just above the track. Harrison’s grip on the joystick tightens, his eyes scanning the heads-up display.

"Feel that? It's like floating on air," he explains. "But we won't keep it that chill for long, yeah?"

A countdown appears on the display that Harrison trundles the "Waka" into on a mock up grid, and as it reaches zero, the ship launches forward with a burst of speed. The acceleration is instantaneous, pressing Harrison back into his seat. The landscape blurs as the ship streaks along the track, into the straight.

"500kph in a heartbeat...still makes you bloody feel it! And that isn't all she can do!" Harrison's voice continues, a mix of awe and exhilaration. "Let's take her into Turn One and show you how much she sticks through the corners."

The ship approaches a sharp corner, and Harrison instinctively pulls the joystick, engaging the craft’s advanced thrust vectoring. The ship hugs the turn, the G-forces pressing against his body. Yet, thanks to the neural link and the ship’s sophisticated AI, Harrison feels in perfect sync with his machine.

"It's like bouncing on the waves," he says. "Every movement, every adjustment, it’s all about feeling the flow. You and the ship become one, and it kicks! Honestly, it's like driving a car on teflon but it boots you out of the corners even faster, like this!"

As the ship straightens out through the hard bank, Harrison and the craft surges forward again, the thrust vectoring meaning that one side turns literally faster on throttle than the other, and he just has to think it. The speed is intoxicating, the scenery flashing by in a kaleidoscope of colours, the camera cutting back to the wider massive glacier delta, and forests, as well as the teal-blue lake in the horizon, mountains in the horizon, and in the middle of it, a ship running over ground at an insane speed, a dust trail from the edges of the tarmac spewing gravel everywhere, not that it matters, but 500kph does that to anything like it. The craft's stability systems keep it steady, but Harrison’s skilled hands and quick reflexes make every second count.

"Handling these ships is like surfing on pure energy," he narrates, the joy evident in his voice. "You ride the edge, always pushing, always looking for that perfect line." The corners sway, and racing line comes through easy, the ship's low stability still countered by just how hard Harrison can tilt the craft through, and his skill at hand. He's not really even pushing, given he's narrating a lap. Which makes this even more insane.

A series of loops and inverted sections appear on the horizon alongside the lake, small and woven into the cliffside, with MAG strips effectively binding the ship with a gentle clatter that feels like the downforce just got turned up even harder, yet barely affecting speed. Harrison approaches with a determined grin. The ship transitions smoothly onto the magnetic induction grabstrips, allowing it to climb and dive effortlessly. The world turns upside down and then rights itself, the ship never losing stability, Harrison's reflexes keeping him hot on the change of angle.

"This is where it gets real!" Harrison says. "Running inverted does make you sick first time, but you kinda get used to it. No loss of grip either!" Harrison commented, a sly smile even beneath his oxygen-breathing setup, as it corks back out, and pivots underneath the loop, away from the lake shore and towards the braided delta, and then, the small warehouse and testing facility's start.

The final straight looms ahead back down to Mana Park's origin, and Harrison activates the ELS. The craft glows with a blue streak as it taps into the energy passthroughs, boosting its speed even further. The sensation is electric, a surge of power that sends the ship rocketing forward.

"600kph and still climbing," Harrison shouts, the thrill unmistakable. "Not bad eh!" With a subtle turn, the system deactivates, and a hard turn banks the ship around, flinging hard, a deep breath and then exhale helping to push him physically, and mentally through a tight chicane slowing the craft from half of the speed of sound to a more manageable 200kph on an insanely twitchy complex.

The ship crosses the finish line, and Harrison gradually brings it to a stop on a cooldown lap which almost feels like it sucks the power out, then bringing it into the pit, canopy open again. The craft settles back onto the track, the pulsating hum subsiding. Harrison removes his helmet, his face flushed with exhilaration, exhaling out.

"That's a taste of what we do here." he says, smiling broadly. "It's not just about the speed or the tech, it's just that....well, nothing beats the speed and cornering ability. That's what makes Anti-Grav so good!"

And with that last word, the camera pulls back as the drone flies back and upward, capturing the serene landscape once more like we started, with Harrison and his ship standing next to that small warehouse and the large background. The bars coming in again from the cinematic cut, taking one last look at Southern Cross's craft, and the scene behind it.

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