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[center][youtube]https://youtu.be/6rL4em-Xv5o[/youtube][/center]
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In collaberation with: [@Abstract Proxy]
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Clearing hundreds of kilometers was not an easy task, less of one for those within a mech slow enough to be caught by a child throwing a beach ball. However, for Alleycat and Desperado, they were in mechs fast enough to clear swaths of the area in moments. Desperado called out to Alleycat for simple idle chatter, they had plenty of travel left and little to do. Talking and chattering were fun, yet they were both people of action and a simple question sparked an entire event that would probably go down in Espian history.

[center][color=gold]"Wanna race?"[/color][/center]

“Do you even need to ask?” Ziska replied, managing a smile despite the strips of fabric she had wrapped over her newly split brow. Speed was their best defense from any pursuit. A reason to push herself through the night was what she needed. And having survived yet another encounter with the Firewitch, Ziska simply felt like rolling the dice again. 

The roaring of thunder could be heard from miles away, yet the night sky was clear. Leaving 2 Espian guards confused, [color=orange]"Did you hear that?"[/color].

[color=lightblue]"Yeah, what do you think it is?"[/color] The taller of the 2 guards seemed to almost look at their compatriot with confusion as they began to look around as what seemed to be a cloud off in the distance seemed to be forming.

[color=orange]"Maybe it's one of those Green Knights. I heard they have devolved into psychos after being forced from our cities"[/color]. The other guard grabbed a pair of binoculars and began to look in the distance of the cloud.

[color=lightblue]"I think I see something in the smoke"[/color]. The man began to squint and try to see into the night, yet all he could see was the cloud growing.

[color=orange]"What the fu-"[/color] The guard was about to speak, but it was already too late, a mech was hurdling at them at speeds unheard of. The only warning they had was that thunderous sound, all of which was too late as they saw a battlemech’s foot falling onto them, turning the men into paste.

[color=gold]”Did you hear that?”[/color] Desperado pinged off to the [i]Raven[/i], as he thought he heard the sounds of metal being crushed and flattened.

Cackling and laughing resounded the cockpits of the 2 mechs moving at full speed. They knew their destination, the only problem is that between them and their home base is a few hundred kilometers of tunnels, a few enemy bases, and plenty of open fields that are most likely being monitored by aerial support. Nothing much to 2 of the best pilots the Green Knights have ever seen.

Upon entering the tunnels, the [i]Raven[/i] with its lower profile used its full speed to its advantage as it made short work of the 50-kilometer tunnel. Yet the [i]Phoenix Hawk[/i] was not allowing itself to be beaten. Desperado called out to the [i]Raven[/i] as it began to pull ahead, [color=gold]”No you don't!”[/color]. Using its hand actuators and arms to keep itself upright, the Battlemech seemed to almost tip forward and nearly fall over, yet this allowed itself to move through the tunnels more easily and keep up in speed enough to not lose sight of the [i]Raven[/i].

The exit of the tunnel opened up into a large area, filled with jutting rocks, steep slopes, and many places to fall. The [i]Raven[/i] exited first, cutting over a rock formation without slipping as Ziska shifted her controls at the last second to keep the Raven moving without any loss of speed. The [i]Phoenix Hawk[/i] decided to take the dangerous route, using many of the skills learned within the Gladiator Games on Solaris IIV, the [i]Phoenix Hawk[/i] launched itself out of the tunnel like a bat out of hell. The [i]Phoenix Hawk[/i] used its boosters before leaving the tunnel to send it out like a bullet. Desperado called out to the [i]Raven[/i], [color=gold]”Let’s see which bird can fly the fastest!”[/color]. Right before landing, the [i]Phoenix Hawk[/i] adjusted its arc mid-air to allow it to aim its booster down at the face of the slope, softening its landing and allowing the [i]Phoenix Hawk[/i] to slide for moments before it began to run again, gaining upon the [i]Raven[/i] that was once taking a substantial lead.

The [i]Raven[/i] seemed to almost take offense to this showmanship as once it landed it began to use its forward momentum, leaping and bounding off of rocks like an only modestly earthbound bird while the [i]Phoenix Hawk[/i] seemed to treat this area like a snowboarding slope, constantly launching itself in small bursts and using it’s already generated momentum to continue down the rocky slope. The two mechs consistently pulled the lead from each other, using much different forms of speed to keep up with the other down this constant slope. Once they made contact with grassland again, they began their sprint once more, neck and neck once more as the thunderous roar of Mechs moving at their top speeds filled the air. The night gave them cover from direct sight, yet it did not stop those on the ground to feel what seemed to be a small earthquake approaching.

The local comms net broke out into panicked cries as unprepared Espian Guard soldiers tried to figure out what was going on. Left in the dark as comms came crashing down under the burning chrome of the Raven’s souped up Electronic Warfare system. Garbled reports began to ring out as confusion set in. The unlucky had less than a minute to react before they found themselves silenced as a dark cloud of dust swept over them.

Accompanied by thunder and what felt like sudden earthquakes, the dark cloud stayed only briefly, splitting into two, and then vanishing into the night like some mystical force. Fearful guards suspected a major attack and false reports began to fly out over the restored comms, some far beyond any possible range for the pair of Green Knights to have been involved. Madness took hold over some of the less experienced soldiers as combat with a lance of BattleMechs seemed imminent.

In the center of this cloud were two cackling madmen who seemed to have no care for the direness of their situation. They seemed to let everything go and enjoyed the moment, there was no war to them, there was no Crimson Fist, there were no feelings of being stranded, there was only the wish to win this simple race. As when the sun rose all they could see was their new home, it wasn’t much, but it was home. In this simple race, of two pilots each of whom are able enough to face down any opposition, they found themselves unable to determine a winner. Leaving themselves in a draw.

“Tie then,” Ziska huffed, seeing the [I]Phoenix Hawk[/i] pull into the junkyard at neck to neck with her [I]Raven[/i].

Desperado let out a laugh as the race finally ended, [color=gold]"A tie again. One of us is gonna win one of these days"[/color]. The [i]Phoenix Hawk[/i] gave a thumbs up to the [i]Raven[/i] as they entered their new home, the [i]Junkyard[/i].