The Short Read: Space Race Championship

Chapter 1 – New Competitors

“And it’s that season again where we get hyped for the biggest event of the year. The official host of the season is back, so for the next four months of this year you will have me – Pyra Summers – talking you over the Championship and the rumours, stats, and official news that makes itself known. And since I’m back on the airwaves, you can be sure that first piece of news you all look forward to will be coming sometime this week.” Pyra Summers of Radio Racer [15/2-0085]

Two spacecraft waited together at the starting line within the cruiser’s hangar bay. The improvised line was nothing more than two mini cruisers parked either side of the two ‘craft.

The first ‘craft was a Galaxy model – designation Y/26t. Oblong in shape, it had a rear rectangular section that fit around the control cabin’s viewshield – which was also oblong in shape. The other ‘craft was a Rotablade – designation G/0ld5n. A rectangular shape with rounded corners, it had a tubular rotating blade set either side that were as long as the ‘craft itself. These were auto-defence weaponry emplacements, but were disabled for the moment. This ‘craft also had an oblong shaped viewshield.

The two mini cruisers flashed their lights, and the pilots of the ‘craft lifted them up and shot out of the hangar.

There was a lot of clutter that the two racers dodged around – the pilot of the Rotablade doing better than that of the Galaxy. Numerous lights marked the way for the racers, and as the ‘craft sped past the lights changed colour.

The Rotablade was in danger of smashing straight into the hulk of a damaged mini cruiser, but a quick drop was all that was needed to avoid it. There was the issue of more debris beyond it, but the Rotablade smashed through all of it without a care in the world.

When the Galaxy hit this point, it rose above instead of going below, and seemed content to stay above most of the debris. It was forced back into the debris field when one of the sections of a cruiser floated into its path. It tried to dodge around the debris instead of going through it, which caused it to lose some speed.

The distance between the two ‘craft had increased. The Rotablade was now within the outer limits of an asteroid field, effortlessly flying through them. After passing a few more, it was out of the field and hugging the plating of a cruiser as it travelled down the length of it.

The next light indicated the start of a structure that the racers needed to travel through. It was large, looking as though it was a cruiser in the process of being built. Or at least had been, as it looked abandoned considering the angle of it.

The Rotablade flew straight in, being completely aware of the girders that made up the structure. Despite that awareness, it didn’t stop the ‘craft from clipping one of them. The pilot was quick to react and saved it from colliding into a second.

The Galaxy had now opened up in speed, having hit the asteroid field. It made it through without hitting any, but there had been a few close calls. Then it was flying the length of the cruiser. The Galaxy had made sure to keep a larger gap between the two than the Rotablade had. When it reached the structure, it slowed down to enter, and kept that speed while traversing through.

The Rotablade was almost back to the starting cruiser, following the last few lights that created a winding path back to the hangar it had first started at. It was still paying no mind to the debris scattered around, and was able to bank and turn hard to avoid larger obstacles quickly. It slowed down to enter the hangar at the same time the Galaxy exited the structure of the abandoned cruiser.

It took about a minute more for the Galaxy to follow the path and enter the cruiser to land as well.

When both had landed, a results screen appeared with the time both had taken to complete the course.

“And it’s a victory for the current champion!” a voice rang out.

The screens of light dispersed, revealing two boys sitting on chairs with a controller in hand.

“Will the current champion be beaten sometime soon?” the other of the two stated. “Tune in next time when we race in about… Five minutes?”

“The current champion will not be beaten,” Tom Hughs said. “Not if the competition refuse to push their ‘craft to the max.”

“I just don’t feel I can react fast enough,” Lee Johnson responded.

“If you are used to the controls and the way something feels, you should be able to react no matter what speed you’re going.”

“And I always try.” Lee looked around the room, picturing the race that had just happened. Then he looked back further to the last time he had pushed to near the max.

It hadn’t ended well for him.

The game was a tie-in to the most popular event of the world they lived. One which happened once every five years. As it turned out, this was the year in which the next was to happen. Lee hadn’t mentioned anything about it yet, but the news had confirmed the selection of the entrants for this year had happened. Within a week, those names would be revealed, and the hype for the event would begin fully.

“So, are we getting to a new race?” Tom asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Lee replied. “But wouldn’t it be great to be entered into the event for real?”

“As much fun as it would be, what chance do we stand without a spacecraft of our own?”

“We could get one easily.”

“Nah… I couldn’t see myself entering one. I’d be the youngest with the least amount of skill.”

“Age is no proof of skill. You manage yourself great in the game, and you have the knowledge of flying that is sure to help. We have our pilot licences. It wouldn’t be too much trouble to enter.”

“Doing good in a game does not translate to doing good in reality, even with the knowledge we have. And we already missed the application date, even if we have the licences.”

Somehow the more obvious reasoning for the questioning had bypassed Tom. That was fine by Lee.

He wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise, after all.

As the next game was set up and the light screens that projected the game returned, Lee thought a bit more about the event. Both he and Tom were sixteen, so only remembered the last time it had happened. In fact, it was that year that the two had met.

Competitors could be anyone, so long as they were not affiliated with any company involved with the event. The mix of people from last year had been interesting, with some obviously being new to the whole idea of flying. The first event was always the same, and tested the full range of a pilot’s skill. The other events all had something to do with the central theme of racing, with the final race being a long one.

The excitement around the event was always strong before, during, and after – lasting almost the entire year. And this year was sure to be an even better event than the last time, owing to the fact several new developments had been made in space-faring technology over the last few years.

The two hadn’t made much talk about it yet, but Lee knew the day was coming up. The day they’d be caught up in the excitement and be talking about the Space Race Championship.

Casey Hughs lay on the king-size bed, looking up at the ceiling lost within her thoughts as a slow tune played. As ever, her thoughts were beyond the planet and out into the vast galaxy – wondering how her husband was faring.

Her husband – along with Kerry Johnson’s – were members of the Craftile Armed Forces. The two had been in training for five years, and advanced to the positions they were in after three more. A year and a half back, a mission of great importance had come up. The two had been drafted into the crew for it, and they had set out. A year and a half had passed, and no word had come back.

She had no idea what the mission was, but she knew it had involved heading to the next system over, as the cruisers that had been assigned the mission had been fitted with enormous power banks that had been charged to capacity before they had set off. Everything the force used would have to be charged through those power banks, as the solar collectors would no longer be linked to the solar gatherer to receive a recharge themselves.

The one thing she did know was that he would be working with forces from Suati. The first explorers who had come to this system had learnt quite a lot from the people of Suati – once they had managed adequate communication with them. They had given the explorers the moon that had been Rotor 1, its planet having been destroyed by a powerful laser weapon from the next system over. The Suati had won that war, but it seemed another had broken out again, and they had called on the humans to help them.

She had enjoyed the years she had spent with her husband, but when he had first enlisted with the force, she had been cautious and worried. The worry had never left, even though it was just training and guard duty. She’d worked herself up into a frenzy when he had told her he was off on a mission outside of this system, but knew she couldn’t stay mad at him. It was his dream, after all.

But still she worried.

The pace of the tune sped up before slowing down again. It came to a stop and a new tune played. This one had a jazzy beat to it.

Casey reached over and turned the music player off. She then sat up and looked at the time. Feeling it would be better to distract herself from her thoughts, she slid off the bed to her feet and headed to the kitchen – cutting through the storage room instead of following the corridor round to the proper entrance.

She knew Lee had come earlier, and he and Tom were probably still within the games room. She moved around the kitchen, preparing a meal for three, but still her thoughts lay with her husband, and what sort of action he was currently in.

This is an edited extract from the book Space Race Championship  by Christopher Searle (RiverRun, Foreshore Publishing London £9.50).