Race

Posted on Tue Mar 7th, 2023 @ 6:01pm by Lieutenant JG Jenna Jade & Ensign Raven Windancer
Edited on on Tue Mar 7th, 2023 @ 8:01pm

Mission: Trade And Tribulations

Raven was super stoked to get into a race again! As Raven checked a map of the racetrack, Octavia and Reyac walked over.

"Ah, and how it the Ice Queen this morning?" Octavia asked, taking a sip of the goblet Reyac handed her.

"Eager to fly the course to check for any 'additives'," Raven used quotations around the word 'additives' to emphasize that she knew there could be traps/cheats that only those who had run it before would know. Octavia roared with laughter, slapping Raven on the back hard enough to knock the wind out of her as well as knock her several steps forward.

"You gotta remember I'm not as tough as I look, Octavia," Raven chuckled when she got her breath back.

"By the Great Mountain, I forgot that for a moment! Reyca, accompany our racer so that others will know that I back her and will leave her alone," Octavia, lay her hand on Reyca's shoulder for a moment before nodding to both and leaving.

Just as Raven was getting ready to leave with Reyca, Raven caught sight of Jenna, and waved.

Jenna's uniform had been clean when they'd arrived. The key words were 'had been'. Now, it was almost downright filthy, lubricants staining part of the gold fabric and no doubt significant parts of the black. Now as she came over, she wiped hands on her pants and sighed, "She's as good as Ah can get her, Raven, but Ah wanna tell you somethin'." She gave a very significant look to Reyca, advising her to 'get lost' for a few minutes.

Reyca got the message, bowed her head respectfully, and walked away.

Jenna lowered her voice so as not to be overheard, "Ah was able to increase the power on that engine by about three percent, but there's a risk when you go to full power. Ah'd advise no more than ninety-three percent power to start with. There's a fifteen percent chance that you'll burn the engine out after five minutes of full power and if you pop it into overdrive, it'll last about ten minutes before it's guaranteed to blow, with a rising chance of about ten percent every minute or so. But she'll move for ya', that's for sure."

"Uuuu! Seriously!? Well...Octavia never said she wanted me to WIN the race, just be in it. Wonder what she's got up her sleeve? Wanna bet she's paying someone to beat me?" Raven snickered as she bent down and picked up a rock, tossed it a few times to test its weight, then skipped it across a nearby stream.

"Oh, she gave you a perfectly workable craft, likely competitive with what they've got goin', but Ah've got no intention of the 'Ice Queen' comin' in second in her debut race on Trarim. Sure, it means you've gotta take a couple chances, but this is also mah own debut." Jenna swiped a stray lock of hair away from her face, "Besides, they didn't know that the fuel injectors had some buildup. And their afterburner fuel had some impurities in it that would have reduced the power of them. You're gonna be good to go."

Raven had to snicker at how Jenna said her racing name. "This is one of the reasons I'm glad you came, Jenna. You know how to keep a girl's feet on the ground! Now then, let's show these homeboys what a dark horse Ice Queen can do!" Raven clapped Jenna on the back, happy to have a kindred spirit as her companion.

"There's some interestin' stuff that Ah found while workin' on that craft, too." Jenna mentioned and smiled, "Go get yourself settled into that cockpit and Ah'll go see Octavia about somethin'. Just.." A sly smile crossed Jenna's face, "Make sure to come in first, hun? Cross the line first and all this'll be worth it!"

"Oh? That so, eh? I'll be eagerly awaiting those revelations! Let's go win this Turkey!" Raven snickered as she gave Jenna a high-five and headed for the shuttle. Reyca reappeared and joined Raven as she entered the shuttle.

Jenna gave the high-five, but flushed slightly about it, it wasn't really... Proper. Then she was off over to Octavia, gesturing towards Raven and asking a question. Then another. Then a broad smile crossed her face and a handshake. She half-turned and flashed a thumbs up at Raven.

Raven returned the sign, started up the shuttle, and headed for the track, took a cruisatory sweep...shuttering a little at the underwater part only because of the spooky creatures that swam the waters, and had just enough time to get to the starting line.

The floating starting light counted down, and they were off! The other competitors were MEAN, but Raven was clever...which could beat mean hands down!

"Let's see what surprises Jenna found in this puppy," Raven grinned.

They had come to the water portion of the race, so Raven switched on the submersible mode, encasing them both in a steel tube. Raven turned on the radar and started her run.

"CREEPERS! THAT thing wasn't here last time!" Raven put the sub into a spin as a HUGE monster of a creature nearly chomped down on the sub, sending Raven's adrenaline through the roof!

"That THING is always only released during the race," Reyca said as if it was an everyday occurrence. Raven just gave her 'the look' and kept piloting. [Sheesh! These guys are just straight up NUTS!] Raven thought.

"Ok...Jenna'd better have put a good gizmo in here!" Raven closed one eye and pushed a button. There was a quiet zapping sound...and then the thing roared as it swam off into the murk!

"Whewy! That was close! Anyway...let's win this turkey!" Raven yelled as she gunned the throttle.

The rest of the race flew by, hairpin turns, straightaways that pushed the vehicle to the limit. It took some doing...and a few VERY close calls, but Raven won by a nose!

"WOO HOO!" Raven howled, almost knocking Reyca out of her seat in her attempt to give her a high five.

*****************
Back in the pits
*****************

Jenna smirked as Raven hit the accelerator at just the right mark and started a mental count: She'd been telling the truth when she'd told Raven that there was a chance that the whole thing would give out, but everything held together. As the racers came to the final straightaway, Jenna whispered to herself, "Now." And it was almost as if there had been a mental connection to her friend as Raven had maxed out the throttle and edged out an electric blue racer for the victory. "Yes!!" She hissed as she punched the air in triumph, then turned to Octavia, "All right, Tavi," She used the nickname she'd made up on the spot, "Now, where are my winnings? Ah'm sure that the tricorder would have been worth a helluva lot, and you can bet that Ah'll be spending a lot of that here on Trarim, perhaps with you even!"

Raven flew the shuttle to the winner's circle, landed, and walked with Reyca to receive a crown made of solid Fluorite, a three stranded necklace of Garnets, Agates, and Star Sapphires, and a HUGE trophy! Raven wa...well...stumbled over to Jenna and Octavia with Reyca in tow.

"We did it! Looky here, Jenna!" Raven hooted in triumph.

"Ah can see!" Jenna grinned, her own hands tucking something into her tool bag, "Hopefully you get to keep those and have somewhere to put them in your quarters! If we can get your name out and about, we could make you into a real star out here! IF the Captain doesn't kill us for doin' this sorta thing here, there and everywhere, that is."

"Oh don't worry, Jenna, I've got just the place for these beauties! That would be sweet! I can see it now: the return of The Ice Queen! Oh...er...yeah...THAT would be pretty bad if we got into trouble with the Captain," Raven chuckled in that nervous way kids do when they get caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"By the Great Mountain, Raven! You are indeed as great a racer as Riptide said you were! And, Reyca my friend, you represented us as magnificently as always!" Octavia praised as she almost slapped Raven on the back...THANKFULLY remembering to stop and 'softly' patted her shoulder instead.

"And you, Jenna, are not only quite a shrewd businesswoman, but also quite the mechanic!" Octavia smiled in admiration.

"Come, you may store those in my tent until after the festivities!" Octavia lead the way back to her tent, where Raven dropped off all but the crown (which she secured to her head with a special cement her first pit crew had helped her create) and the foursome headed off to celebrate!