1.Story

Hot Drop

The craft cut through the air like a knife. Built light. Built for speed. Hurtling through the figure eight test track at velocities that would test the integrity of most anti gravity racers. The hull gently creaked through every straight and shuddered through the bends but it absorbed the stress as it was designed. Pitching and rolling fluently to every alteration in track gradient ensured a perfect translation of power to forward momentum.

With the completion of another successful craft trial she began winding the ship back. Only then did she feel the reverberation of the engine behind her once more, the gentle humming coming down as she pulled the throttle towards herself. Now gently coasting, guiding the craft into a hanger bay before coming to a stop over a resting stand

before mag locks secured the craft.

Shutting down the engine the glow of the screens died out with the last whine of the turbines. Closing her eyes for a moment leaning back into the headrest a smile crept across her face. The SunGod, Icarus’s new FX350 craft. To most it was a paper thin assembly wrapped around a deadly thruster, but to her? It was poetry in motion. Every swing and every jolt, hypnotic in harmony with herself.

Eye’s snapping open to the sound of a clang she looked out of the cockpit. Someone began taking the paneling off her craft to begin post test inspections. Twisting a handle the cockpit hissed and retracted as an engineer climbed a docked ladder. Going over the course she described every noteworthy motion of the craft during the test. Taking a satisfying number of points he clambered back down allowing her to disembark herself.

Sliding down the ladder she walked through the pit crew who asked for preference on modifying the craft or congratulated her skill in handling it. She danced between the team like a native before walking through the exiting corridors. In all honesty she wasn’t sure how she was managing it. This planet was still alien to her but for some reason the hanger and its team seemed like home. Yet there would always be a reminder somewhere that she was the outsider. If it wasn’t her short height, it was definitely the ocean. Staring through the window she froze at the wonder of such a body of water before being interrupted.

“Still marveling the view, Astra?”

Turning she saw the team leader walking briskly down the hall with a handful of binders. Smiling Astra gently nodded before moving towards him.

“Hey Dominic. You looked stacked, need a hand?” Shaking his head he slowed down as the two approached.

“Paperwork isn’t a pilot's job, at least it shouldn’t be. Besides, I'm not going to make you deal with the nightmare of immigration when you have a league to prepare for.” Unsure how to continue she nervously smiled again, leaning against the rail staring out the window. Slowing down as he passed Dominic froze for a moment before breaking the silence again.

“Ah screw it, I could use a break.” Putting the binders on the floor and leaning against the railing next to Astra he also took up the view, noticing her enchantment with the ocean in front of her with a chuckle.

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’ve never seen the seaside before.” Looking towards him sheepishly then away Astra pushed back from the railing.

“I… haven’t. Not since I arrived at least. We don’t have an ocean on Animus-3.”

“Ah sorry, that’s right Animus-3. Mining colony right?” Nodding, she looked back over the sea.

She’d been here for a while now but Earth was still alien compared to Animus-3. A planet of endless canyons and desert plains, not so hostile it couldn’t harbor life but it definitely challenged it. Salvation was found by miners striking into the waterways so that even once the corporations left the planet stripmined the people could

survive, thrive even. The underground citadels provided safe haven for most while others returned to the surface to harvest or hunt.

The corporations leaving was something of a blessing, leaving her home mostly unscathed from the great uprising. It became a sanctuary in the turmoil that was. Those who lived there banded together in an agrarian society. Little citadels underground, each marking a jewel of civilization. A planet where you could drive for days before running into another city. It was a place of peace and tranquility, scars buried deep under the surface.

“How are you finding Earth? Can imagine it’s a bit of a culture shock.” Dominic gestured towards the sea.

Earth was an entirely different environment. A counter image of where she came from. A place still bleeding from all the abuse it had undergone. She was still rattled from the state of the outskirts she saw on her flight in. Still shocked by how dangerous the ocean was in its acidity. She’d tried to go for a swim before staff ran towards her yelling wondering if she was mad for even contemplating it.

“It’s definitely something else. The team is nice though, so no complaints.” Holding her hands together on the railing she did her best to appear appeased, Dominic simply chuckled.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Do what?”

“Pretend that you're settling in. Animus-3 became something of a peaceful garden world from what I do know. Earth must be awful by comparison.”

Looking away Astra tried to dismiss the remark. Truth be told though she couldn’t understand the violence this world had endured. She’d seen what the corporations did to her own world, but this was their home. How they treated it, each other and those who lived here terrified, disgusted her even. But it was the way some people treated her in learning she was an ‘off-worlder’ that stunned her the most. Her world had prospered and thrived but others just considered her some naive miner who didn’t know better, that this was just the way things were, the way things ought to be.

“Do you know why I picked you up for lead pilot? Other than being a prodigy.” Breaking from her train of thought Astra turned her attention to Dominic who now looked over the ocean as she did.

“I picked you because you can show us all a better way to live. Not one you think is better but one you know. To show us a way forward, the Animus-3 way. And I’m not going to lie to you, there's a lot of idiots out there who think just because you grew up on another planet that makes you something less than them.” Her ears shrinking back Dominic turned his attention to her as he continued.

“But we’ll show them through the joy of racing what unity can bring, and you’ll be at the forefront to decide how that happens.” Picking up his binders he stuttered while standing up. “Oh, also you have your first interview tomorrow evening. Exciting.”

“What?” Astra stepped back from the rail. “I haven’t even made my first public race, how am I going into an interview?”

“Yeah look it's pretty rough, I know, but some idiot decided to sign us into an exclusive first scoop before the league, and they insisted on having you. You’ll get a hefty credit bonus for going on, not going to leave you high and dry. Just be mindful of the host Mr Torres. He can be a bit of a gotcha bastard.” Stumbling forward Astra followed after Dominic.

“But I’m not ready! I don’t know what to say or how to even fit in yet!” Looking over his shoulder Dominic smiled.

“Don’t try to fit in. If they call you out for where you're from, show them you're proud of who you are. If they give you shit, give it right back.” Astra paused as Dominic turned once more. “No need to be the shy girl, you’re an AG pilot racing for what she believes in. Be proud of that.”

Nodding, she took his words to heart. Maybe she could show this world a better way. She wasn’t sure how she’d go during a live interview but she knew she’d do her best at the very least. Meeting Dominic’s gaze once more she watched him lean slightly to look past her while smiling more broadly.

“Well I’m sure they’ll help. Looks like your parent’s shuttle arrived a little early.” Looking back Astra found her parents slowly walking down the long corridor. Rushing to greet them the worry left her, at least for now. She was going to make a difference on this planet.

And she was going to do it her way.



2.Recruitment letter
To: Lead pilot ‘Astra’
Cc: Pit Team; Operations Support;
From: Conner Burns
Subject: Introducing our FX350 racer, Sungod

Welcome to Icaras Astra! We haven’t been properly introduced. Conner Burns. Director of Operations. This whole team began in quite a rush, formed in 9 months would you believe. Such haste came at a price unfortunately. The F7200 league was something of a disaster for us I must admit. Celebrations were had for just making it to the finish line! The early 2100’s were quite a mess.

However, that was then, and this is now.

Our FX350 Sungod is ready to take back its place in the spotlight. Be aware our ultralight racer still lacks shielding leaving it fragile as glass but they’ll have to catch you first if they want to take advantage of that. Our craft outpaces even those of Piranha so I doubt you’ll find yourself wanting. Test results alone have seen the larger teams looking upon us as a serious contender this time around.

Keep in mind our funding comes mainly from individual investors, so performance is key! If you can manage it as well, nail those FEISAR ships. The crowd loves a good explosion and you’ll win some personal points with me if you manage to drop them. Call it a history of grievance but it’ll drive our team forward either way.

As you’ve probably gathered, we embrace the purity of the race, the rush of the speed, the roar of the engines. I hope the fans don’t blink as you blast by because they’ll miss you if they do. With you in the cockpit I trust you’ll show the world we’re the underdog that’ll rise to the top of the grid.

So go out there and give the crowd a reason to cheer and the other teams something to malaise about. I’ve high hopes for you lass, you and our team.

Go find victory in speed.

Conner Burns

Icarus Director of Operations

1.Story

Lead Time

Rising up out of the pits underneath the track the platform carried the ship onto the grid. Sitting behind the start line the engine hummed gently, ready to fire the ship forward. The starting lights buzzed to life. The bar counting the numbers down. Throttle hand readying the engines. 3.. 2.. 1.. Go. An explosion of force from the thrusters. A perfect back charge.

Into the first corner charging without hesitation. Drifting through the air with delightful grace. Hard on the switchback jolting the craft around. The sound of the hull groaning through the second corner. It could take it. It always could. The AG Systems craft held the racing pedigree of centuries of experience distilled into pure application. A marvel of engineering. Nothing would fail. Nothing would fall short. The ship guided by her resolve would carry her to the podium every time.

Suddenly a scraping, sparks, fire. Collision. Hull status lighting up. Right wing damage on the third corner. This was fine, it was recoverable. Fourth corner. Too fast. Ripping air brakes up trying to drift the craft away from danger the nose collided first. More warnings. 60% integrity reported. Big hit. The craft sat idle as she inspected the readouts and damage done. With a growl the headset lifted up her forehead before she scowled at the simulator cockpit.

“Fuck…”

Reading through the simulation results on the screen in front of her she looked to what led to her mistake. She was nailing the course earlier but now she was making mistakes earlier and earlier in the track. Seeing nothing out of the obvious in the statistics on the screen her hand went for the headset again while resetting the simulation only to be stopped by a voice.

“You’re not going to beat this morning's score.”

Looking to her side the team lead returned her same tired expression. Turning back she continued to reset the simulation.

“I should be getting better. I’m just making the same mistake, then more mistakes. More dumb shit and-”

“Because you’ve been at this for about fifteen hours.” He handed over a bottle as she took a moment looking at the simulation screen ready to be initiated again. With a sigh she gripped the bottle and slowly drank, finding relief in the cool water. Closing her eyes for a moment and opening them squinting, she caught the time and her reflection in the dashboard. Was it really that late? Did she really look that tired?

“I need to get better at this Morine. Shouldn’t be making errors like this.” The team lead chuckled.

“Again you aren’t going to beat the times you had this morning. I guarantee any other team is going to struggle to keep up with that Meta.” Rolling her eyes she went on.

“Crashing into walls and bouncing in between them? We have a legacy to rebuild. We won’t get a second chance at this-”

“Look.” Raising his hand Morine scrolled through the results earlier in the day. “You did exceptionally well early in the day. Then look at the results as we go through the afternoon.”

Steadily milliseconds started to add together. Times growing in value. Eventually whole seconds were adding to rapidly degrading times until Did Not Finish results began to roll by. Landing at the bottom, Morine pushed his point.

“You haven’t taken a break. I’m surprised you can still find the controls. It’s only a simulator but it feels real. That's an incredible amount of G-force you’ve sustained through the day.” Looking at him thinking about his words for a moment Meta returned to the simulator keyboard preparing the cockpit again.

“Doesn’t matter. I should be able to finish at the very least. I can do better-” The simulator screen shut down as Morine held the input cable in his hand.

“Stop. Breathe.” A frustrated glance between them Meta relented. Slumping back into the cockpit chair she took a deep breath. Closing her eyes for a moment she found them surprisingly heavy to open again. Looking through the darkness now the artificial glow was gone she could see the stars through the windows of the workshop rolling over the horizon. For a moment the world fell away before Morine interrupted the silence.

“Need to get some air?”

Walking out onto the roof they looked over towards the mountains. Below them the compound consisted of state of the art buildings and half finished construction. Beyond that the ecological recovery reserve was beginning to flourish. A technological estate in the middle of a blooming forest finally establishing its roots. A rare reminder of what the old world once was. Taking the fresh air into her lungs she looked over to the megacity off the horizon. It’s glow a beacon of what the corporations and government managed to achieve.

Leaning against the railing she took it all in grounding herself once more. Tomorrow would be another day of trials in the simulator. Another chance to improve before the real thing. Another moment to make the reestablishment of her team mean something. They were the fore-bearers of Anti Gravity technology and she wasn’t about to let them down.

“Feeling better?” Nodding she leant to the side looking back at him.

“Yeah, good to be out of the seat for a little bit.”

“So why are you throwing your guts at the wall trying to shave down an already impressive time?”

She sighed into the night, the condensation dancing out in front of her. It wasn’t a question she really wanted to get into. There were alot of reasons and she was too tired and frustrated to try to explain it all now. Instead she let her eyes fall back over the forest ahead.

“Something to prove I guess.” She stated, Morine chuckled.

“Like everyone else here then.” Meta returned the gesture.

“Yeah. We’re all here for some reason aren’t we?”

“We’re all dedicated to something here. That’s what drives us. Makes us something of a family.”

Nodding, she let herself smile. She’d always appreciate the shared respect they had in their reasons for being here. They all contributed to the team in their own ways from whatever drove them and so long as they performed it didn’t matter what those reasons were. Together they advanced the team. It held them together. That’s what mattered. Looking back to Morine she made one last request for the night.

“One more run?”

Morine sighed, raising a single finger.

“One, one, more run.”

The cockpit buzzed to life. The glow returned to the workshop while Morine watched the screens. The headset slid down over her eyes. Back up the elevator onto the grid. The starting lights lit up once more. Hand ready on the throttle. 3.. 2.. 1.. Go. Thrusters burst to life. A perfect back charge.

Back on track.



2.Recruitment letter

To: Lead Pilot ‘Meta’
Cc: Engineer Crew; Pit Crew; Race Support
From: AG Sys Race captain
Subject: The return of our legacy

Hello Meta.

It gives me great pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. It’s been far too long since AG Systems has taken to the track in such stride and with you guiding our craft, I believe we can return this team to its former glory as our founder Pierre Belmondo envisioned. We are the original pioneers into Anti Gravity racing and we have a legacy to reinstate.

That's where we come in. Between the efforts of our engineers, researchers and support staff we’ve managed to create a craft worthy of our reputation. Though lacking slightly in speed it cuts through the air as a scalpel, with thrusters capable of catapulting it forward to boot. We didn’t compromise on armor either so you’ll find yourself well protected. With your confidence in throwing yourself at the track we’re sure you’ll make this ship dance with the grace of a knife. Intimidating yet entrancing as it flashes the light with each precise maneuver.

I won’t lie, there’s a lot on the line for us here. We’ll only get one chance at proving who we are and not just a remnant desperately trying not to burn out. The damage G-Tech did to our name in the F9000 League is well remembered and it’s going to take a tournament win to dispel that.

We have old rivals to defeat. FEISAR, Auricom, Qirex, Piranha, but we’re sure you’re more than up to the task. Blast past them and show the crowds we’re here to take back our mantle as champions. That we’re ready to revive the racing team that made us who we are.

We’re counting on you. Go out there and show them what pure racing pedigree is.

AG Systems

The Founders of Anti Gravity Racing