by T. A. White
Beneath it all, excitement bubbled.
For some, this race was the culmination of years of hard work. For others, it was a chance to prove their worth to the powers that be. For Kira, it was simply a means to an end. Win or lose, it didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.
"Stay alert, Kira," Jin advised.
"Understood," Kira responded as she took a look around.
Several racers were between Kira and Raider. He had a relaxed stance as he watched the rest with a bored look.
When his gaze landed on her, she brushed her hand along her shoulder, showing him three fingers. It was an old hand sign meant to warn the other to keep a wary eye out because danger was close.
His expression didn't even flicker before he looked away again.
Kira continued her scan, noting Devon ahead and to her right. Skye, in a bright pink race suit, was next to him.
Unlike Kira and Raider, they'd elected to jockey for position in the front row. Not a bad plan unless another interfered with their start.
It was one of the reasons Kira preferred to stay at the rear of the pack where it wasn't as crowded—less opportunity for someone to sabotage her so early on.
Kira turned her attention to the rest, not immediately spotting the person she was looking for.
Someone jostled Kira’s shoulder, pulling her attention to them.
To her surprise, a racer in faded blue armor stood next to her. A helmet covered their head, hiding their features.
Even with the change in mask, Kira recognized the person. Moonbeam. The mysterious racer that no one seemed to know much about.
Kira didn’t have time to study her longer as a Haldeel appeared from the box next to the royal’s. His robes fluttered as he stepped off its edge, looking like some otherworldly being as he slowly descended.
The Haldeel regarded the racers with a placid expression, the sleeves of the robes draping artistically over his arms.
The Haldeel were a fan of showmanship, and never had that been more on display than now. He looked like a figure out of a fantasy. Impossible and dream like.
As if that wasn't enough, crimson petals began falling from the sky as if out of nowhere. Some of the racers reached out, trying to catch the soft-looking flowers only to have them dissolve into glittering sparks as soon as they touched them.
"Why are there so many theatrics for a semifinal?" Odin complained.
"I don't mind it," Kira said, absorbed in catching her own petal. "It's kind of nice."
"You've got to give it to them; they certainly know how to make a statement," Jin said.
The petals fell until they created a carpet of bright red along the starting lane. Only when the last petal had fallen did the Haldeel before them speak. "Today, you bring glory to yourself and those who support you. Go and show us what you're capable of."
Those Haldeel present among the racers whistled in approval.
Next to Devon, Skye punched her fist into the air, her expression determined. The humans and Haldeel were quick to follow suit until over a hundred racers had raised their voices in challenge.
The Haldeel official gestured and the racers quieted, crouching on their boards as an electric feeling filled the air.
The Haldeel raised his arms, and as if that movement had summoned them, the crimson petals rose too, swirling in the air.
At a sharp movement from the Haldeel, the front line of racers shot forward, the petals leading their way.
The race had begun.
"It's time, Kira," Jin said. "Conditions are clear. You are a go."
Directly in front of her, a racer bashed his board into another's, the sharp crunch of metal warning that neither was likely to continue in the race.
Kira eyed them "Exactly what criteria are you using to call that clear?"
"Aren't you the Phoenix? The mythical being who rises from her own ashes?" Odin teased. "So rise, little firebird. This should be nothing for you."
"Do a couple of stupid things in your youth, and you never hear the end of it," Kira muttered, stomping the heel of her back foot down.
The board roared to life, its rumble vibrating in her bones, bringing with it a sense of homecoming.
"Looking good across the board," Odin said. "No signs of stress. All systems are well within the green. You are clear for your run."
Kira started to shift her weight forward when movement on her left had her veering abruptly.
“What the hell? Did that racer just try to dethrone me?” Kira shouted.
Moonbeam’s board roared as she lifted off.
“She didn’t just try; she nearly succeeded,” Jin said. “That racer’s got skills.”
Kira cursed and followed.
In seconds, she cleared the snarl in front of her, weaving back and forth through the struggling bodies.
She passed under the Haldeel official, noting how his gaze seemed to follow her. Then she was free with no more time to worry about others.
Kira followed the efficient movements of the other racer.
"How far behind the lead am I?"
There was the sound of clicking. "Eighteen seconds."
Kira whistled. "They're booking it."
"Do you blame them with you on their tail?"
Not really.
"You've got company," Jin said in the next moment.
Kira looked over, finding Raider closing in on her port side. In front of her, Moonbeam slowed way down, nearly clipping the front of Kira’s board.
Kira dove right, swinging wide for the next obstacle.
“Damn it,” she cursed when Moonbeam and Raider followed.
“They’re trying to shut you down and hamper your movements,” Jin warned.
Unless Kira could create enough of a space around her during the ascent, she wouldn't be able to use the dead man’s plunge maneuver on her way down.
"We knew that was a risk." Kira leaned left, using the curve of the berm to pick up speed. The other two matched her, refusing to allow her to widen the distance.
“It’s strange. They make a surprisingly good team,” Kira observed as she shot over the rhythm section, trying to stay as close to the ground as possible.
Raider remained right on her tail, using her as a wind draft to conserve energy.
"Put space between you and them," Jin warned.
"Don't you think I'm trying?"
Raider wasn't like the other racers. He knew all her tricks—some he’d even taught her. This other racer was just as tenacious.
"I thought he forgave you last night," Jin grumbled.
"That doesn't mean he'll take it easy on me."
He wouldn't be Raider otherwise.
"Contact right. Break," Jin warned.
Kira flipped her board, shooting under the laser fire with barely any space to spare. The world spun, and Kira caught sight of Raider and Moonbeam doing the same.
Unfortunately, the racer behind them wasn’t as lucky and took a direct hit. His board flared, his altitude dropping.
Odin cackled. "Nicely done. Show them true terror."
"Yes, because that's our real purpose for being here," Jin said in a sarcastic voice.
"There's no reason we can't do two things at once," Odin pointed out.
Kira ignored them as she closed in on a piece of track that doubled in on itself, diving through a tunnel as the laser fire flashed almost in slow motion. She burst into the sunlight, heading immediately into the next section, the last one before the tower.
"Protect your rear flank. That Moonbeam looks like they’re about to dump you," Jin advised.
Kira reacted quickly, sliding out of the way, only for Raider to try to bump her board from the other side.
Kira shoved at his shoulder. He didn't go down, but then, she hadn't expected him to.
In retaliation, he grabbed her arm. Kira twisted it, slipping out of his grip.
The tower approached, along with the backs of the pack leaders. Skye and Devon jockeyed for first pla
ce, the young Haldeel muscling ahead of the Tuann for the first part of the ascent.
Kira hit her thrusters, shooting past Raider and the other racer. Wind whipped around her as she fixed her eyes on the beacon high above that marked the turnaround point.
By this time, the race had led them far outside the city, lakes and ponds spreading beneath as the course wound lazily between them.
Gravity pressed on Kira as she started her ascent, the board whining under the pressure.
A third of the way up, Odin’s voice came across the comms. "I'm picking up something strange. There are weird power fluctuations I can’t pinpoint."
"Alert Graydon and block all comms," Kira instructed.
She had no sooner said the words when a rocket launched from the city, screaming across the sky.
"Incoming," Jin shouted.
"Trajectory."
"It's heading for the lead racers."
The rocket’s altitude climbed as it shot toward Devon and Skye
Cursing, Kira hit her thrusters, trying to climb. Her board shot up but not fast enough. She already knew she was going to be too late.
Ki shot across the sky, striking the rocket, and nudging it to the left.
“Where did that come from?” Kira shouted.
“I don’t know,” Jin responded.
The rocket overshot, already in the process of turning when it hit the beacon and exploded.
Kira dodged the burning debris, her heart in her throat as the two hoverboards above collided.
Devon grabbed for the other racer and missed. His board, already damaged, tilted. Smoke trailed him as his board, unable to take the abrupt movement, started to spiral.
Devon and his board bumped into the updraft of the tower, launching in the opposite direction almost instantly.
Skye dropped like a rock, plummeting toward the ground.
"He's not going to be able to recover," Kira said, feeling a sense of creeping dread as she watched events unfold.
"There's an issue with the safety team," Jin said, sounding frantic. "They're having trouble getting off the ground.”
Damn it.
Kira cut acceleration. Gravity reclaimed her, pulling her toward the surface.
"You won't be able to save him,” Odin warned, understanding what she wanted to do. “You'll likely die in the process.”
Kira twisted, pointing the nose of her board toward the ground.
"Kira, what's more important than your goals?"
"Many things."
Starting with a war between the Haldeel and the Tuann. In that scenario, no one won.
If Devon died here, the future would be bleak. The Haldeel and the Tuann would expend themselves against each other, leaving the Tsavitee free to waltz in and destroy whatever remained afterward.
Then, there was the personal element to all this. The part she hadn't yet found the time to tell Jin about.
"Jin, there's a few things I need to tell you when this is over."
And she had no idea what his reaction would be.
To date, he'd shown zero interest in locating his biological family. Kira still didn't know if that was because he was ashamed to show them what he'd become or if he genuinely didn't care.
Either way, she could no longer put off telling him of her suspicions.
"It's a promise, Kira. You'll come through this safe and sound."
Kira couldn't help but feel warmth at his statement—as if by making that claim it would come true.
Kira plummeted, already working through the current problem. She needed more speed, and the only way to get it was through drastic measures.
"What's the plan?" Jin asked.
"First, open a line to Raider."
Jin was quiet. "Please tell me you're not thinking what I think you’re thinking."
Kira grinned into the wind. "I'm going to do exactly that."
"Do you know how dangerous that is?" Jin cried.
"Yup, that's why I need Raider."
A frustrated sound came from Odin. "Standby, I need a minute."
"I thought this would be child's play for you," Kira responded.
"As pleased as I am about your faith in me, I'm not a magician. Miracles take time."
Kira glanced in the direction of the two racers, one falling straight down while the other arced across the sky. Time was the exact thing they didn't have.
"Patching you through now."
There was a brief pause before Raider's voice came over the line. "Is there a reason you're playing chicken with me?"
"There is."
A gusty sigh sounded in her ear. "Fine."
"I'll take Devon; you catch the girl."
"Try not to die," he advised. "I don't feel like dealing with the whining from the rest of your House if you screw this up."
Kira sneered. If either of them screwed this maneuver up, chances were, it wouldn't be her.
Twenty feet. Ten.
Raider flipped so the underside of his board faced her, Kira doing the same on her end.
Seconds before impact, Kira hit the thrust as hard as she could, praying she’d done the calculations right.
The Curs had discovered, quite by accident, that when two antigrav fields came into contact they could create an almost magnet-like effect. The only catch was you had to be exerting the exact same amount of force, otherwise one antigrav field would overwhelm the other and catastrophically repel the weaker field.
With anyone else, Kira would hesitate to undertake this course of action. Raider was the only one, other than her, crazy enough to even make the attempt.
The antigrav fields met, clinging together. Even with her inertia dampening shields at maximum, she felt the jolt in every bone in her body.
Her quads and knees buckled, threatening to give out. Kira flooded the muscles with ki, strengthening them the slightest bit. Enough so that she didn't destroy her legs.
"Here. We. Go," Raider snarled, wrenching them sideways and aiming Kira in the direction of Devon.
He stomped on his thrust, sending their balance out of whack. Like a cannonball fired from a cannon, the polarity reversed, firing Kira at Devon.
The board under her feet flexed, bits of its exterior breaking off as the forces of gravity threatened to snap it in half.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Raider recover. Seconds later, he shot toward Skye.
"Your trajectory is good," Jin said. "Prepare for collision in ten. Nine. Eight."
Kira braced. This was going to be rough.
"Four. Three. Good luck, Kira," Jin said. "Brace, brace, brace."
EIGHTEEN
"FIND ME THE location of that attack," the za na ri na ordered, looking at the master of her guard.
Unlike other Haldeel, this man wore clothing appropriate for a warrior. His garment fit closely to his upper torso, faithfully outlining his chest before stopping at his shoulders. It left his forearms and biceps seemingly bare, exposing the violet markings set against skin as black as ink.
At his waist, the garment fell in a series of panels that resembled a skirt. Only unlike normal skirts, the slits in the bottom half would allow his lower prehensile appendages complete freedom of movement.
Such a consideration would enable him to use those appendages as a weapon against an enemy.
It was lucky for the rest of the galaxy that not many Haldeel chose the warrior’s path, preferring disciplines linked to intelligence instead. Those who did were exceptional even by Tuann standards.
Their prehensile appendages could grow back, giving them a considerable advantage. Couple that with their tendency to wind their appendages around the limbs of their opponent to immobilize them, and they were a headache to fight.
"Security has been dispatched to the origin of the attack," the Haldeel Master of the Guard informed the royal. "In addition, I've instructed the remainder of our force to spread into the surrounding city to lock down potential conspirators. Anti-ballistic systems have gone online and will shoo
t down any further attacks."
There was no explanation of how a rocket had managed to slip past their defense system in the first place. This incident would tarnish the perfect reputation of the Haldeel.
Above, the two lead racers managed to veer to avoid the rocket, crashing into each other instead. The resulting uproar from the crowd nearly drowned out the za na ri na's next statement.
"Deploy our recovery forces."
The Master of the Guard's expression tensed. Seconds later, he glided forward, bending to whisper in the royal's ear.
"What?" she asked, sounding shocked.
One racer fell, their body limp in a way that signaled unconsciousness. The other spun into the updraft of the tower, hitting it before careening wildly in the opposite direction.
The oshota standing behind Yukina took a step forward.
The atmosphere around him warped.
Graydon moved quickly to intercept, putting his hand up to stop the other man. "If you go there now, you will create an incident."
Whether he successfully saved Devon or not, it wouldn't matter. There would be consequences.
The rules under which the Tuann had to abide while on Haldeel territory were very strict. Intervening without permission would be considered a violation.
That wasn't the only danger. The man's simple presence here would cause an uproar even Graydon and Yukina would struggle to contain.
Yukina stood in a graceful movement, her robes settling around her. "Little storm is right, Torvald."
The oshota turned his head slightly, a flash of gold shimmering in his eyes before disappearing again.
"You know what I will do if he dies."
"I do," Graydon responded.
The man before him had already lost one child. If he lost another, the universe would be bathed in blood.
"Then I will wait—for now."
The atmosphere around the man settled. The warping of before was gone, as if it had never been.
"What is the child doing?" Yukina asked, sounding puzzled.
Graydon looked up to see Kira speeding toward another racer in what looked like a headlong collision.
He blinked, expanding the scene. He recognized the racer Kira was charging. Raider.