For the next few days, Robin was always a bit on the edge. He expected the organization behind the Cetro to come for him, be it at work or even worse at home in the middle of the night.
Unfortunately he couldn’t always carry the gun with him, as the train stations and his living complex were under tight security and would find any weapon he had on his body in an instant. Instead, he primed the door of his apartment with many different gadgets that would ring any alarm possible if triggered - from the building's fire alarm to an automated call for Seka Security.
Only one week later could he calm down, after he got a message from an unknown sender informing him that ‘they’ve got his message’ and would take up his offer for a conversation ‘in a few weeks’. He had no idea why they took their time now, but who was he to complain? At least he felt a bit more safe from then on.
Robin used his time after work to make short trips to Seka’s outskirts. He flew complicated tracks among the endless greenhouses and pushed the Melody and himself to the limit. Training like a madman to prepare for the upcoming race, the preliminaries for the Apex Highspeed Cup came closer every day.
Sometimes Patience was with him and observed as copilot how he was doing. As she wasn’t an expert, she could only give so much advice, but every little bit could help.
The new vents in combination with the upgraded control unit did wonders and Robin also became more used to the augmented data his Interface provided. The ship held up well and performed much better than anyone could expect from a custom build.
He held all the cards needed to get his ticket to Ruca II, only the gap in skill between him and the professional racing pilots remained. Practice and training was the one thing that hopefully would help him to bridge this gap.
***
One week before the race started, on a 6th day, Robin was sitting with his back leaned against the Melody II in the middle of nowhere, surrounded only by endless rocky plains. He had nibbled on a small yellow fruit for some time already and his eyes remained shut as the Interface was showing him the application form for the Apex Cup.
“This weekend is the deadline for registration. If I do submit my data now, there is no turning back…” he took a long, deep breath and let it go slowly.
“Who am I kidding? The point of no return has long been passed. I made a decision after the encounter with the smugglers: This is my way forward, my ticket to get off this planet. I have a treasure in my head and this race is not about winning or losing, it's about succeeding. Not taking part isn’t an option anymore!”
He stopped hesitating and gave a mental confirmation to submit his application. Robin opened his eyes and felt the sun on his face. He enjoyed the moment for a bit and popped the fruit in his mouth.
“No turning back, only forwards! I’ll fucking win that race and go to Ruca II!”
He packed his things and checked the safety of the gun again, then he stored everything back in the ship.
In his breaks between the flight training, he sometimes shot at cups and other stuff to get more used to the weapon. He was pretty sure, one day he would be happy to have this practice, even though he feared the reason for that.
He flew back to Seka and arrived at Jim’s workshop when the sun was already long gone. Over the next few days he made sure to give the Melody the best maintenance he could, dismounting the field dampener rig and double checking every system. The rest of his time was used to mentally go through the Apex track of the first round and he sometimes even tested different approaches with the simulator. Robin didn’t use the simulator extensively however, as he could not find a ship that behaved comparable to the Melody and he didn’t want to risk developing bad habits.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Finally the day before the race arrived and Robin had to make his way towards the meeting point far outside of Seka. He got his trusty food-generator to work, grabbed a coffee and enjoyed the view of the rising sun over the city from his window high above the streets.
“I can do it…I will do it!” He promised himself once more and left for the workshop where the Melody II was already waiting for him.
***
After flying over the desolate plains far outside of the city for hours, Robin finally saw a camp in the distance. Dozens of different small ships were lined up in a wide semi-circle, with many tents set up behind them. In the middle, in front of all the racing ships, was a big interplanetary ship parked. It was painted in red and silver, the colors of Apex, and measured at least 80 meters in length and 40 meters in width.
When he came closer, Robin could see more details. The bulky ship had three stories and one big, rectangular thruster to each side at its rear. On its top was protruding a big dome made of a glass-like material, probably the bridge or a panorama deck. The monstrum’s landing gear carried its weight on five sturdy legs and to its side was a big open hatch, guiding people inside over a gangway.
“That should be a Nova, one of the few non-racing ships Apex produces! It’s more like a mobile base with a small hangar and lots of room for meetings and office work.” he exclaimed in excitement after recognizing the ship.
“Man, that’s a lot of people down there. Quite the festival, isn’t it?”
He opened the local comm channel and asked for permission to land. Moments later, the Melody II also lined up with all the other ships, helping the circle's completion one more step.
When Robin climbed out of the cockpit, he noticed that his entrance had caused a little commotion among the people around who tried to recognize the model of his ship. They probably wanted to check out the competition. A custom built ship wasn’t a regular sight at such events, as most pilots preferred specialized racing ships that were optimized by professionals.
Before anyone could bother him with questions, a loud voice disrupted the chattering.
“Please move into the Nova to finalize your registration. You will get your number and an assigned accommodation for the night. Also, there will be a final briefing for all participants in the evening. Please don’t miss that.” A young man in a red and silver suit said and walked along the ships. He used a little device that increased the volume of his voice, so everyone could hear him.
“We also want to remind you that you are not allowed to come closer than half a meter to any other racing ship than your own. There are surveillance drones active all the time and observe the area. Any transgression will lead to immediate disqualification and a lawsuit may follow up. Thank you for your attention.”
No one seemed to be overly surprised by the harsh regulations. There were many different G-Anomalies that could be used to tamper with a ship only by touching it and the participants had to be ensured that there would be no manipulations of their vessels.
Robin closed the canopy and took a look around.
There had to be at least 50 ships already and registration was still open for a few hours open yet and lots of competition. Only 25 would be able to pass the first round and get a ticket to Ruca II.
He recognized most of the ships and there was a surplus of Apex models, as they were specialized for racing. Many Jolts and Bungas in different versions, the latter being the same as Melody’s chassis.
As he made his way towards the gangway of the Nova, he saw a middle aged man who stood out. He also wore red and silver clothes, but his jumpsuit revealed him to be another pilot. He was swarmed by people who all wanted to get his attention. The man however kept a stoic, aloof face and moved straight for the Nova, not entertaining any conversations.
“Huh, that dude must be famous.” Robin mused lost in thoughts.
“WHAT? You don’t know Hopewing? What rock did you crawl out of?” a small woman came to his side and asked, honest bewilderment showed on her face.
“...” Robin just looked at her, not knowing how to answer.
Unaware of his reticence, she took his hand and shook it with way too much enthusiasm.
“Hi, I’m Happy!”
The woman reached only up to his shoulders, maybe 1,50m tall, had long silver hair and wore a white racing suit. Despite her youthful demeanor, he estimated she was in her early 30s like him.
“Ehh..Hi, I’m…mildly overwhelmed?” Robin tried to collect himself and stammered.
She stopped and looked at him, her head crooked. Robin also came to a halt and waited for Happy to assess him. When she finally came to a conclusion, she poked him with a finger a few times.
“You are a strange one, you know that?”