Kiera had an infestation of butterflies in her stomach as she waited for the race to begin. Jac’s idea of having her covered was using his old Zeta-3499 Mongoose. The mongoose was what the Glass Darner was based off of, a fast lightweight mecha without a lot of room for bells and whistles and virtually no armor. It had a terillium frame and used repulsers for flight. Its only weapon were electro-magnetic grapplers built into its hands, It could block plasma blasts and even use other mechs and metallic obstacles to throw or pull itself too. She spent the entire off week practicing for the race. It had a steep learning curve but between the IVN time she spent, reviewing Jac’s races both this season and previous, and the practice she felt that she could fly it.
Second place at Dalimar proved her right. She had a rough start but managed to rally mid race and got the hang of the mecha. The mountainous region that the track took them through with its rich ore deposits was a huge help. Kiera managed to catch up to the leaders on an open stretch and hooked onto Landry, pushing him backwards while propelling herself forwards. The maneuver threw him off enough that he started going backwards on the course until he realized his mistake. Margon took a close first, followed by Kiera at second and Rawlins at third. Landry still kept first place, the gap reduced to just eight points. Rawlins started a brawl in the pilot’s lounge after the race by loudly asking Kiera who she slept with to get the new mech and if she blew Landry to let him give her help during the course. The only one who wasn’t fined for the brawl was Phelps; he was too relieved that he’d finished the race.
The disaster at Kallabos rocked the standings. Considered the most difficult track in the Gladiatorial League, Jac went into full coach mode for both Kiera and Zax. What made Kallabos so difficult was the decreased oxygen and increased nitrogen in the air, especially through the polar fields the track ran through where temperatures dropped well below freezing and a lake of liquid nitrogen could spell doom for any pilot. The lake wasn’t on the course, but at the speeds that the would need to be going through the polar fields to avoid freezing a wrong move could lead to crashing into it; Jac had them both watch videos of it happening. The trick was to drop flight and drift around a glacier, then engage their skates until they crossed over a canyon where flight resumed. It was made worse by the fields being a battle stage.
At the start of the race Rawlins made another comment about Kiera whoring herself out for a win. Gillicuddy laughed and made a comment that it wasn’t that great. She ignored it, they were just trying to get into her head by being assholes. They should have just focused on the race. Landry was out for blood when they hit the polar battle ground. Gillicuddy was blown off his feet and one of his legs damaged. Rawlins ambushed Landry and their brawl sent them over the “dead man’s curve.” Rawlin’s mech ended up plunging into the nitrogen lake and Landry’s engines froze over.
Margon’s win put him in first place, Kiera’s second place shot her into third. Rawlins dropped from third to fifth, Peter Nolans jumped from eighth to sixth, and Phil Phelps came in ninth; his first race where he didn’t come in last. That honor went to Gillicuddy who limped over the finish line.
<<”That’s a pretty shabby looking Mercury, Rawhide,”>> Landry said. He was piloting one as well, but he wasn’t wrong.
<<”I didn’t have a whore to get me a better one,”>> Rawlins retorted. This guy must really like getting his ass kicked.
<<”Aren’t you tired of getting fined for being mean to Kiera and slandering her?”>> Phil asked, the first time the entire season he had spoken to any of them. Kiera didn’t even know that he knew her name.
<<”You’ve been the one reporting those to the Commissioner?”>> Rawlings roared, <<”You’re not finishing this race you little bastard! I’ll make sure of that!”>>
The light turned red and Kiera took off racing down the tracks. Bastille's course split down the middle with the left side curving in a wide twisting arc before whipping back and launching the mecha through an accelerator. It was the longer, safer path. The right path led through a canyon armed with modernized ballista. They target the racing mechas, creating a more hazardous and shorter obstacle. Kiera turned right with Landry, Margon, Fields, Rawlings, and surprisingly, Ethan Finks. An alert appeared on Kiera’s HUD approving this path for battle.
Landry immediately transformed and swung at Margon; the only way he was winning the season was if he beat Margon by ten points, possible but unlikely without taking Margon out. The centurion parried the blow and shoulder checked Landry out of his way, continuing down the path. Landry was struck by a ballista bolt and knocked to the ground. It gave Kiera an idea. She was really tired of Rawlins comments. She waited until she received a target notification and then turned, activating her magnet clamps. Rawlings was pulled towards her, and at the last moment before they collided she reversed the polarity and turned. The blast rocked his mecha, one of the arms blown off.
Seconds later rapid blasts of fire and near incoherent screaming came from Fink’s mecha as he finished what Kiera started with impunity. He’d been one of the ones that joined the fight against Rawlins. He was a little unhinged and this only proved it. Kiera turned away and kept running. Fields was just ahead of her and there were only three points between them. If he beat her by a single place he’d take third due to her DNF at Oceanis; he didn’t have any. Those didn’t hurt the final total, other than giving no points, but if two pilots tied for a place the number of DNFs were compared.
She passed them on the flight stage to the first battle stage, the mongoose once more showcasing its impressive speed. Landry and Margon were in full combat mode, attacking each other while they ran down the track. Kiera kept an eye on fiends attacks with his plasma blaster as she raced after them. The next flight area began just as she reached them. More ballista popped up from hidden rocks, firing randomly for their hazard. Their power output was much greater than the first ones; even a single hit would be enough to knock Kiera out of the race; she did not want to end her first season not finishing the race.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Her caution let Fields get ahead of her, but once through the hazard she was on his heels. The second battle stage began and he dropped quickly, giving up the lead for positioning. Kiera booked it, once again coming up on the dueling leaders. First place would mean a slot in the majors which meant more prestige and more money. Kiera didn’t care about that, she just wanted to beat Fields. She flew past them into first place and into the last stage of the race. The no holds bar hazard stage that would lead to the last track. Kiera tried to keep her cool, dodging around the ballista and the walls that raised and lowered ahead of her. A pair of accelerators were at the end of the stage.
A spear hit her back just as she reached the accelerator and hurtled through one and then the other uncontrolled. Margon didn’t want to end his season with anything less than a complete win. First place in the final race and cinching the victory. Kiera hit the track bouncing and tumbling along it, warning lights flashed on her HUD. Her engines were out, the legs on her mongoose were damaged, the right knee joint shattered, the leg falling off. Kiera would have to crawl if she wanted to finish, and with how tight the race was she was likely going to lose to Fields.
No, she wasn’t going to just give up. Margon flew over her and grabbed his spear, pulling it from her back. Kiera used her magnetic grips and held onto it letting him pull her along. Landry came soaring after them, going too fast to avoid them. He didn’t seem to care. His raptor collided with them pushing all three mechs down the track. Kiera grabbed Margon’s face and pulled herself more on top of him, letting go of the spear. Landry half-transformed, getting an arm out and striking her, and then Margon, trying to dislodge them.
They were quickly coming up on the finish line. Kiera pulled herself forward and increased the magnetic pull sealing herself into Margon. He started to fall from Landry, the transformation continuing and pushing them to the ground. Kiera hit the reverse on the polarity. Her mech was launched off of the other two and flew forward. She crashed into the track, dislodging the left arm and tumbled along the track. She came to a stop, her stomach threatening to dump its absent contents; she had been too nervous to eat breakfast. Jac was saying something to her, shouting something but she couldn’t understand him; he was talking too fast. She took off her helmet and heaved into it, coughing afterwards. Maybe it would have been better to eat breakfast.
She dropped the helmet and flopped back against the seat. The wrecker would be here in a bit. Fourth place as the youngest rookie the Gladiatorial Circuit had ever had wasn’t bad. It was better than she thought she’d do at the beginning of the season. The capsule opened and she saw Tango Fields standing over her, he offered her a hand. Kiera unbuckled her harness and let him help her out of the broken mecha.
“My brother is going to be so mad at me for breaking his mongoose,” Kiera said, “Guess you beat me. Good season, Tiller.”
Fields titled his head, “What do you mean? You won.”
Kiera blinked, “What do you mean?”
“Oh, wait until you see the replay, Solace.”
-[]-
“Ooh, that’s Sol for Rapid Pulse tumbling through the acceleration rings onto the speedway, looks like her season is done folks. She came out of nowhere with a slow start and quickly became a fan favorite. The last few races she’s had great success with an old Z-99. Margon is taking no prisoners. He’s through the rings, pulls the spear from Sol’s back, but what’s this? Sol may be down but she’s not out! She’s hanging on folks! Down one leg but showing some great tenacity! Landry’s through the rings he’s out for blood folks! After a disastrous showing two weeks ago the season’s King lost his place. Dropping Margon here is the only way to regain his crown and he’s not slowing down!
“Landry’s going for the kill! He’s collided with Sol and Margon and he’s still not not slowing down! Look at Sol! She’s crawling her way out onto Margon! Landry starts to transform, he wants his passengers off as he closes in on the finish line, what is going on with this final! Sol keeps going, Margon’s just along for the ride, that collision with Landry’s nose knocked his power out! One hundred meters until the finish line! Landry’s continuing to transform, Sol has latched herself onto Margon like a leech, she won’t be dislodged from him, but they’re both about to be dislodged from Landry! Wait, Sol…Sol has launched herself forward! I cannot believe this! Landry’s flaring his jets, but he’s pushing Sol along the track and she’s over the finish line! Margon’s pod fires, it pushes his mech forward! Emergency power kicks on and they cross the finish line! I cannot believe what just happened!”
All three mechs were totaled. Since Margon’s mecha had power when it crossed the finish line the judges panel awarded him second place and Landry third. Jac and Emily ran to the track, her brother didn’t seem to care at all that his mongoose was completely destroyed and swung her around still talking too fast for her to be able to understand him. Tears rolled down Emily’s smiling face; she had cried when she was happy since she was two. Kiera was so happy with the results she hugged Landry, Margon, and Fields. All three of them were caught off guard but returned the hug. Only Margon received a trophy, but Kiera was happier with the medal and the picture of the three of them on the podium.
The best part of the race was Tamarial, Chalice and her parents attending in person. It was a surprise when they came down to the track with Jac and Emily; he’d failed to tell her he’d invited them and she was eternally grateful. Knowing her father was in the stands watching her race would have made her too nervous to perform well.
Zax finished his rookie year in the Gladiatorial Majors with a perfect season. Each of the races in the second half of the season were close due to his competitors making adjustments to deal with his speed, but the asteroid fields were a much different style of hazardous racing and gave him the edge needed to keep ahead. Jac didn’t have the same luck. Midway through the season he broke his leg in a particularly nasty crash that took out ninety percent of the competition. He’d only recently gotten out of his cast. His substitute didn’t hold Jac’s lead for long and they ended the season in fifth place.
The afterparty was the wildest thing that Kiera had seen. Pilots liked to drink and the highlights of the season for all three divisions were played on the screens, and drinking games were played while watching them. The games included: drink when you crash, drink when you win a race, drink when your team crashes, drink when your team crashes, and drink when the standings changed. Kiera didn’t participate, but Zax did. Wisely he chose the “drink when your team crashes across all races.” He ended up only drinking twice to boos from his competitors.
-[]-
“It’s been almost a year since you came to train with me,” Jac said, finding Kiera sitting by herself in the lounge later that evening, “What are your thoughts?”
“That you are a fantastic trainer and coach and that I don’t think I can ever repay you for everything that you’ve done for me,” Kiera said.
Jac chuckled, “Just looking out for my little sister. You don’t owe me anything, I’ve had a blast with having my little sisters hanging out with me. We’ve got another year to go, you still want to continue your training? It only gets harder from here.”
“Absolutely, I’m looking forward to finding out what other trouble you’re going to get me into,” Kiera said with a grin, “I’m also looking forward to next season.”
“Me too, Kara,” Jac said, throwing his arm around her, “Me too.”