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NRX-009/AF-002 Valient
Model number: NRX-009/AF-002
The Old Earth Federation developed a large range of variations on its standard mobile suit, the Daughtress, for use in different combat situations. Though an admirable machine in its own right, a fairly simplistic and clunky frame limited the maximum capability of the unit in spite of what might be mounted to it. To address the inherent limits of the Daughtress, an improved mobile suit was developed for general purpose engagements: the NRX-009 Valient. The Valient was Old Earth Federation's most advanced mass-produced mobile suit, being both a high performance unit that can operate on both Earth and in space. With a totally new frame and systems arrangement, the Valient's resemblance to the Daughtress is extremely vague, only sharing the latter's large, insect-like eyes and elongated head shape. Its sleek, streamlined body belies its high mobility, and many aspects of the Valient's shape are more appropriate for an aircraft than a mobile suit. For terrestrial operations, the Valinet's legs and tail binder are outfitted with a brace of jet engines for high speed flight. Similar to the much newer Earth Sphere Alliance's Aries series, the Valient's feet and legs fold away in flight to minimize drag, though the Valient's durable though lightweight construction enables it to fight on its feet perfectly well. Constructed with high-quality neo-titanium alloy, it is better protected than the older Daughtress in spite of its high mobility and lighter weight. By replacing its jet engines for rockets and attitude control verniers, the Valient can be reconfigured for use in space and other zero-gravity combat conditions, making it a genuine all-environment mobile suit. After the rise of the Atlantic Federation, small numbers of Valients were discovered along with the much more common Daughtress series, and were likewise pressed into service by the fledgling confederacy. Valients in Atlantic Federation service were re-designated AF-002 and painted in the Federation's standard red-on-blue/gray scheme, where they proved to be extremely popular with pilots in both terrestrial and space environments. This popularity has outlived the Federation itself, and that government's breakdown into a number of smaller states in UC 221 has done little to blunt the Valient's usage - some observers have even noted that Valients in the hands of renegade operators have held their own against infinitely newer Earth Union GN-Xs in certain situations. Though backwards-compatible with most standard Daughtress hand-carried armaments, including its 90mm machine gun and bazooka, the Valient was the first general-purpose mobile suit fielded by the Old Earth Federation to be equipped with a beam rifle as standard issue. Missile launchers were integrated in the Valient's arms, furthering its likeness to a fighter aircraft, and two beam sabers are provided for hand-to-hand combat. As a unique gimmick, the Valient's beam sabers can be ignited while still in their racks, allowing them to be used (albiet somewhat cumbersomely) while keeping the Valient's hands free.
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