{"data":{"id":16435,"title":"The Cup: Part One","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/16435-The-Cup-Part-One","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/16435","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/16435","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"The Cup","images":[{"id":22581,"name":"TheCup.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/zxk3dvpnjkztwr\/source\/TheCup.jpg","alt":"","size":453615,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2018-02-27T19:43:16+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/22581","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/22581\/similar"}],"images_count":1,"translations":{"en_EN":"Writer\u2019s Note: Part one of The Cup was published originally in Jump Point 1.8.\nHello everyone, and welcome once again to GSN Spectrum Broadcasting\u2019s continuing coverage of the Murray Cup Race. The MCR, or The Cup as it is more commonly known, is one of the finest sporting events in the UEE. Nearly 100 racers compete in the Classic Division\u2019s grueling 10-stage run, which winds its way through Ellis system\u2019s many wondrous planets and dual asteroid belts. Racers compete to determine who\u2019s the fastest and strongest, as they struggle to maintain the integrity of their racecraft amid some of the deadliest conditions in the Empire. This year\u2019s competition promises to be one of the toughest, as the top 25 share in a meet-and-greet with media and sponsors in GSN\u2019s sports atrium in orbit above Green. Though many come to race, only a few are considered real contenders, and those contenders are now awaiting their chance for glory and honor.\n\nThis year\u2019s darling is Ykonde Remisk, a Human who surprised everyone by winning both the Goss Invitational and the Cassini 500. He comes into the MCR with a real chance to be the first racer to win the Triple Crown in twelve years. Then there is Nyan\u0101l Mo\u2019tak Xu.oa, the finest Xi\u2019an racer in the history of the sport. If he prevails, he will be the first to ever win three MCRs in a row.\n\nZogat Guul, the old Tevarin warhorse, can\u2019t be counted out, either. This legend has won the MCR more than anyone else in its history, but fate and bad luck have prevented him from winning a major event in over five years. His second place finish at the Cassini 500, however, has brought his name back to prominence. Can he win it once more before he fades away?\n\nAnd finally, newcomer Hypatia Darring has turned heads by taking the pole position away from Remisk. She has never won a major racing event in her short career, but her consistent top ten showings for the last two years indicate that her pole position is no fluke. Can this youngster handle the enormous pressure placed upon her? Only time will tell . . .\n\nLet\u2019s throw it back to GSN reporter Mike Crenshaw, who is making his way through the reception as we speak. Who do you have for us now, Mike?\n\nHypatia Darring didn\u2019t even notice the reporter\u2019s question as she stared across the busy reception floor. The Tevarin looked lean and elegant amid a gaggle of reporters who crowded around him. Part of her felt like joining the crowd. I should feel the need to whip his ass, to blow past him on the final stage, to force his ship into an asteroid. That would be the feelings of a great racer, a great competitor, one focused and ready to win. But no. Try as she might, she could not feel that way toward this legend who stood only a few meters away. Much to her sorrow, she hadn\u2019t had a chance to speak with him when their paths could have crossed at Cassini. Now, she had to find the time. She fought the urge to walk across the room, push past the media hounds, invite him to dinner, and ask him to sign the worn, faded, dog-eared poster of him in his youth \u2014 standing proudly next to his silver M50 \u2014 still hanging on her hab wall.\n\nShe shook her head and blinked. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. Say again?\u201d\n\nMike Crenshaw cleared his throat. \u201cDo you think Admiral Darring is proud of his daughter?\u201d Darring clenched her teeth and forced a smile. \u201cOf course he is. Why wouldn\u2019t he be?\u201d\n\n\u201cHe has stated publicly, more than once, that he believes you are wasting your talents as a racer. That you should drop all this \u2018nonsense\u2019 \u2014 his word \u2014 and pursue a more fitting career in the UEE Navy.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy father has never been one to restrain his opinions,\u201d she said, taking tentative steps toward Guul. \u201cBut if you really want to know the answer to that question, you should ask him yourself.\u201d\n\nAnother reporter fought her way in. \u201cAlice Frannif, Terra Gazette . . . taking the pole position from Ykonde Remisk was a marvelous achievement. How did you do it?\u201d\n\nHer smile was genuine. \u201cLuck.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, come now, Hypatia,\u201d Crenshaw said, regaining the floor. \u201cAchieving a time one point five seconds off the record is hardly luck. How\u2019d you do it?\u201d\n\nShe chuckled. \u201cPatience, dedication, focus and an acute attention to detail. That, plus the fastest damned M50 on the circuit. All things I\u2019m sure my father would appreciate.\u201d\n\nThe reporters laughed and hastily transcribed notes. Darring made a few more steps toward Guul.\n\n\u201cMs. Darring,\u201d another reporter interceded, \u201chow do you intend on maintaining your \u2018luck,\u2019 as you put it, through the entire race? Ten stages, all timed, many with narrow, dangerous channels, especially through the asteroid belts. You\u2019ll be racing neck-and-neck with some of the finest racers in history. Being a relative newcomer, how do you intend on handling the pressure, maintaining your good start, and ultimately winning the cup?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s a natural!\u201d\n\nAll turned, including Darring, and found Mo\u2019tak Xu.oa, the Xi\u2019an, dressed in a bright purple jumpsuit, standing among a pool of sycophants who followed him to every event. Some of them were ex-GSN reporters, now under full employment by the Xu.oa house, captured by his fame, notoriety and wealth.\n\nDarring controlled her scowl as the stout Xi\u2019an stopped a few feet from her. \u201cShe\u2019s a natural,\u201d Mo\u2018tak repeated, to make sure the reporters could record his reply. He was shorter than Darring by a centimeter or two \u2014 which was still unusually tall for his race \u2014 but his cool, amber eyes scanned her face carefully His powerful jaw muscles pulled back in a tight approximation of a smile. \u201cShe\u2019ll win it by being the best racer on the circuit.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you really believe that?\u201d Crenshaw asked. \u201cShe\u2019s the best?\u201d\n\nMo\u2018tak nodded slowly, diplomatically, his eyes affixed on Darring. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have said it if I didn\u2019t.\u201d He blinked. \u201cHow are you, my dear? Rested from your trials at Cassini?\u201d\n\n\u201cRested enough,\u201d she replied, beneath her breath. The reporters leaned in to hear. \u201cBut you should know all about that.\u201d\n\nMo\u2018tak waved her off as if she were his lesser. \u201cThe dangers of the trade, my dear. I did what I had to do to gain advantage.\u201d\n\nDarring nodded. \u201cBut you didn\u2019t win, did you? Cutting me off in a move that, technically, was illegal, only gave you third place.\u201d\n\n\u201cStill, a better finish than you.\u201d Mo\u2018tak chuckled. His devotees did the same. \u201cThe Cassini is not all that important to me, my dear. The MCR is the crown jewel. You\u2019ll understand that in time . . . if you last long enough.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan we get a picture of the two of you side-by-side?\u201d a reporter piped up. The rest confirmed that desire with exaggerated nodding.\n\nMo\u2018tak turned to the crowd, preening for all to see. \u201cOf course you may have a picture,\u201d he said, offering his hand to Darring in goodwill. \u201cI\u2019m honored to be a part of this great tradition. The MCR is dear to my heart, and with such brilliant competition, like Hypatia Darring here, this year\u2019s race will be one to remember.\u201d\n\nHypatia took his hand cautiously. She wrapped her fingers around his broad palm. Forcing herself to relax, she turned toward the reporters to let them take their pictures and ask their questions.\n\nBut then Mo\u2018tak began to squeeze, and squeeze, and squeeze until she felt the small delicate bones in her hand giving beneath the pressure. She squeezed back against it, but that didn\u2019t provide much relief as Mo\u2018tak continued to grip. Don\u2019t cringe, she said to herself. Don\u2019t cry. Don\u2019t give him the satisfaction. But the pain spread up her arm, into her shoulder, through her neck. God, he\u2019s trying to break my hand. He\u2019s . . .\n\nHe released, and the pain subsided. She sighed and wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead with her other hand.\n\nCrenshaw was about to ask another question, but then someone spotted Ykonde Remisk, and they all scurried in his direction.\n\nAt her side, Mo\u2018tak chuckled. \u201cWe are only as important to them as our last quote.\u201d The Xi\u2019an turned to her again.\n\nThis time he didn\u2019t offer his hand. He winked. \u201c.athl\u2019\u0113\u2019kol to you, my zealous competitor. Safe travel. I\u2019ll see you down the line.\u201d\n\nMo\u2018tak disappeared into the doting arms of his fans. As he walked away, Darring caught the eye of a lean, surly-looking fellow who maintained a watchful position behind his employer. He nodded at her. She ignored him and imagined driving a knife into Mo\u2018tak\u2019s back.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t let him get to you.\u201d\n\nThe voice was soft and amiable. Darring turned to greet it.\n\nThere he stood, towering over her. In his shadow, she felt truly small, both in stature and in status. Zogat Guul radiated a kindness and a quiet experience that steadied her rage. She offered her sore hand humbly. He took it without complaint.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t let that pompous twit get under your skin. He\u2019s infamous for his mind games.\u201d With a quick grin, he snapped into formal posture, as if he were greeting an officer, thrusting his chest out though it was wrapped comfortably in a black-and-gold half-coat. \u201cMy name is Zogat \u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cI know who you are,\u201d Darring interrupted, embarrassed immediately by her rudeness. \u201cIt\u2019s an honor to meet you. It\u2019s a dream I\u2019ve had since I was a kid.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd I have been following your career with great interest.\u201d He took her by the arm and began to lead her toward a table filled with three large punch bowls and an assortment of seafood appetizers. They walked slowly. \u201cYou are rising steadily on the circuit. Your name is on the lips of many. Your fifth place showing at Cassini was quite impressive, especially for someone so young.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you. It would have been even more impressive had I won, if Mo\u2018tak hadn\u2019t forced me back.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou let him get too close,\u201d he said, with no malice or indictment in his tone. \u201cYou had the inside lane, but you slowed down to spar with him.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe pissed me off!\u201d\n\nGuul stopped, \u201cSuch behavior may be tolerated in the smaller, roundabout races like Cassini. But not here. Here, such raw emotion will get you expelled or killed. True, there are stages along the way where the racing will be tight, where you will have to maneuver for position. But speed matters the most here . . . speed and time. Remember, Hypatia Darring, the one most important fact about the Murray Cup: Speed is life.\u201d He tilted his head to side. \u201cSpeed is life . . . or death, if you are going in the wrong direction.\u201d\n\nShe laughed at that, letting the seriousness of his words trickle away. \u201cWe will speak no more of these things now,\u201d he said, resuming their course toward the food table. \u201cWe will have further opportunities to talk later, when the lamprey are not so thick and hungry.\u201d He ignored the wave of a reporter nearby. \u201cEvery word we speak here is interpreted and reinterpreted until, in the end, they will make us lovers in the eyes of the public.\u201d\n\nDarring forced a wry smile. \u201cSorry . . . you\u2019re not my type.\u201d\n\nGuul let out a hearty laugh. He shook his head. \u201cStory of my life.\u201d He quickened his pace toward the food. \u201cNow come, and treat me to a glass of the greatest gift Humans have bestowed upon the galaxy.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d Darring asked.\n\nGuul smacked his lips. \u201cLemonade.\u201d\n\n* * *\n\nMo\u2018tak crushed the thin shell of the jumbo shrimp in his mouth. He did not bother shucking it as a feeble Human might do. Blast this Human food anyway! What he wouldn\u2019t give to be back at the family complex, gorging to contentment on huge handfuls of fermented needlefish. Their gallbladders had a bile that was as sweet \u2014 no, sweeter \u2014 than anything a Human might concoct. Nothing on the table before him was actually enjoyable in his superior opinion, but he tolerated it as best he could, smiling humbly as he picked at this dish or that for the benefit of the media. Mo\u2018tak nodded at a Human reporter as she walked by.\n\nHumans had their uses.\n\nAnd so did the one that stood now in the center of the media frenzy. Why weren\u2019t the reporters surrounding him, asking him questions, begging him to divulge his secrets for winning the race, just as they had asked Darring? These damned Humans and their inferiority complex! So unwilling to recognize Xi\u2019an superiority. But Mo\u2018tak was the best racer that had ever climbed into a cockpit, and his perfectly modified 350r, with its purple hull and reinforced golden-striped wings would do what no other racer had ever done: win the MCR three consecutive times. Neither Remisk, nor Guul, nor Darring could claim such a feat. So, why weren\u2019t the GSN nya\u2022osen\u2019p.u surrounding him?\n\nBut perhaps that was best, he reconsidered, popping another shrimp in his mouth and sipping on a warm, frothless beer. Let Ykonde Remisk have his moment in the spotlight. Let the media have their favorites. For when they fall, when they fail to live up to the hype, Mo\u2018tak\u2019s victory will seem that much sweeter. Yes, let them bask . . . then let them fall. And I will see that they fall hard.\n\n\u201cIs everything in place?\u201d he whispered to an underling at his side.\n\n\u201cYes, sir. Your maintenance crews are dispersed through the Ellis system per your specifications and per the MCR guidelines.\u201d\n\nMo\u2018tak scratched his neck in frustration. \u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant.\u201d\n\nThe underling gulped and wiggled his head. \u201cYes, that matter we spoke of has been taken care of as well. But I would recommend against it, sir. The risk is too great, and besides, Mo\u2018tak does not need to rely on such things. He is the best racer on the circuit.\u201d\n\n\u201cI do not pay you to give me such advice or praise. I pay you to do what you\u2019re told. Now go, and make sure everything is ready as I have instructed.\u201d He put his beer down. \u201cAnd I will go and remind the \u2018favorite\u2019 of his obligation to me.\u201d\n\nThe underling nodded and ran off to do his duty. Mo\u2018tak sighed deeply, put on his happy face, and walked confidently toward the madness surrounding Ykonde Remisk.\n\n* * *\n\nShe loved her Origin M50 Turbo more than life. Banged up, scratched, red and white paint slopped on to cover a hull that needed an integrity sweep, but there had been no time for any of that after Cassini. Nor had she won enough credits yet for such repairs, not with having to pay for transport ships and her pit crew. But what of it? The power plant was sound, the thrusters new and top notch. In a pinch, she doubted that any racer, anywhere, could match it. Certainly, none of the other twenty-four challengers behind her \u2014 including Guul \u2014 could beat her in a straightaway. But the MCR had few straightaways. Hull integrity mattered.\n\nAs her crew chief rattled off the final systems check in her ear, Darring pulled up the map for the first stage. It appeared with a bright blink to display row after row of rings winding their way through low orbit above Ellis III. Darring studied the rings carefully, reminding herself which ones were large, which were small, where the cameras and timer buoys were located. All racers were required to stay within the \u201cinvisible\u201d lane running through the rings; if a racer strayed outside, he or she would lose time. This first stage was both timed and awarded extra credits to first, second and third place. Having the pole position, then, gave her an advantage. But for how long? Darring leaned over in her seat and studied the course carefully.\n\nIt was not unlike one stretch of the Goss Invitational, so she had ample experience with this kind of run. Her M50 was built for strenuous zigs and zags through tight spots. But how well would she fare later on, when the courses got more deadly, more strenuous?\n\nFrom Ellis III, the racers quantumed to Ellis IV where the so-called Seahorse Shuffle took place. Then on to Ellis V and the \u201cNoble Endeavour.\u201d After that, it was through the first of two asteroid belts, a course called The Sorrow Sea, where hulls of previous racers floated as obstacles. Then around the gas giant, Walleye, where ships could be easily ripped apart by one foolish move. A longer stage followed, across the outer asteroid belt (formerly Ellis XI) and finally to Ellis XII. Then the race turned back toward the heart of the system to finished at Ellis VIII. She had run this race before, but never as a true contender, and thus she had taken her time, flown each stage slow and steady, like a marathon runner, to learn all the ins and outs. This time, though, the pressure was on. She held the pole position, the top spot. Everything was different now.\n\nThe MCR starter\u2019s voice crackled over the comm link. \u201cRacers, prepare for launch.\u201d\n\nDarring closed the map, affirmed the standard agreement to MCR rules and regulations in unison with the other racers, strapped herself in, and gave a small prayer. She was not religious by any stretch, but figured it wouldn\u2019t hurt. The prayer calmed her nerves as the bay doors of the starting carrier opened to space.\n\nShe could see Ellis III through the door. It was beautiful, green, its orbit peppered with corvettes and pleasure craft of the well-to-do who had come out to view the race firsthand. There would be plenty of spectators along the way, a lot of media, and Darring had to just put them all out of her mind. She focused on Zogat Guul\u2019s words \u2014 Speed is life \u2014 and looked back through one of her cockpit panels to try to get a glimpse of the Tevarin\u2019s upgraded Hornet. But he was too far back. All she could see was Ykonde Remisk\u2019s M50, with its garish gold and blue trim. She noticed that he was too close to her; by rule, there was a specified distance that racers had to maintain prior to launch: the privilege of the pole position.\n\nShe gnashed her teeth and cursed beneath her breath. Someone was already violating rules.\n\n\u201cHypatia Darring . . . you may launch.\u201d\n\nShe didn\u2019t even wait for the spokesman to finish. Darring burst out the carrier bay door at top legal speed.\n\nThrough a narrow channel flanked by media and spectators, Darring flew the ceremonial lap. The rest of the racers followed behind, releasing one after another, but maintaining their specified positions within the line. Ahead of her, the pace craft sparkled with a flashing red light. Nervous energy spotted her brow with sweat. Her crew chief gave his final comments and instructions. She signed him off and focused on the course ahead of her.\n\nIn her ear, the MCR starter counted down \u2014 ten, nine, eight . . . Darring thrust to the left, trying to keep directly behind the pace craft. Ykonde Remisk was right on her six, the nose of his racer dangerously close. Back off! Darring mouthed silently, wanting to flip on her comm link and tune to his frequency. It wasn\u2019t strictly against MCR rules to speak to other racers, but officials discouraged it, fearing that frequent conversation during the race could produce distractions that would lead to crashes and injuries. Besides, there was enough chatter going on between racers and their crews. Still, Darring wanted to open a channel and scream into Remisk\u2019s ear, Get off my back!\n\nFive . . . four . . . three . . .\n\nNow, all the racers tightened as the pacer made the last turn to set them up toward the first rings. Darring gunned it a little herself, closing in on the pacer. She put herself now just a little to the right of it, to keep Remisk from rushing past her at the last minute. Darring\u2019s heart raced, her hands shook on her joystick. She tried concentrating on the small object that grew and grew in her viewport: The first ring, its rotating lights swirling around its virtual frame, signaling the beginning . . .\n\nTwo . . . one . . .\n\nThe red lights on the pacer flashed green, and it fell to the left quickly, breaking formation.\n\nDarring pressed herself into her seat, gunned her thrusters, and blew through the first ring.\n\n* * *\n\nThe flashing lights of the rings caused her eyes to ache.\n\nThey flew by her quickly and she was concentrating on them too much, too worried about her time, her position in the line. She had fallen to third place by count of the last timing ring. It had been her fault, too, worrying so much about conserving fuel, letting some pilot with a overclocked Avenger take the inside lane. Her crew chief yelled at her for it; she ignored him. The little shit was right, of course, but he was an old academy friend of her father\u2019s, and she was in no mood to listen to him yell at her. Besides, she could overtake an Avenger at any time.\n\nThe real focus of her recovery had to be Ykonde Remisk.\n\nThe smarmy son of a bitch had forced her against the left wall of the tunnel they were speeding through. Her wing had actually broken the virtual plane, and the voice of the MCR caller came over her comm . . . \u201cTen seconds added to your time.\u201d Damn! Remisk\u2019s press was not strictly against the rules since his ship had not touched hers, but it was certainly dirty pool and against the spirit of the competition. She had no way out of the pick-and-roll either; it was as if he and the Avenger pilot were in cahoots. That wouldn\u2019t surprise her in the least.\n\nShe refocused and thrust her M50 forward, dipping beneath the Avenger and slipping past it on the low. It tried muscling her back, pointing its right wing down to mask her view, but Darring anticipated the move, shifted in kind, and kept her position and composure. Meanwhile, the Avenger pilot had lost his focus on the lane ahead of him, and failed to notice the ring closing fast and to the left. Darring hit her thrusters hard and shifted left, at the last minute moving out of the Avenger\u2019s path. Darring took the turn and ring perfectly; the Avenger saw it too late, tried to adjust, and clipped the ring with its left wing. It broke the invisible plane of the tunnel and then overcompensated into a spin through the void.\n\nEat that!\n\nShe hoped that somewhere behind her, Guul was cheering. She could almost hear his resonant voice singing her praises. She liked the thought, but the most pressing concern now was right in front of her.\n\nRemisk had been pushing his craft at full speed the entire course. How was that possible? she wondered. Sure, he had customized his M50 like all the rest, removing everything extraneous for extra fuel and cooling equipment, but he must be running on fumes by now after boosting like that. There was no other explanation. He would have to burn out soon, and the sooner the better.\n\nShe ignored the three other racers pressing hard at her six. She took the next ring and the next, letting the strong inertia pull and propel her craft forward. That was the best way to avoid overheating, she had learned racing around Saturn. Release thrust on the turns, and let your craft drift at top speed into the vector. Then you had enough thrust to pick up the few seconds you might have lost on drift. This racing gig was a game of milliseconds, and each one counted.\n\nShe moved up behind Remisk, taking advantage of the last straightaway before the final turns through the ultimate three rings. There was not much time left, and she had to make her move now.\n\nShe tried shifting up and over his craft. He moved to block her. She shifted down; he moved again, in perfect unison, their ships equal size. She shifted left, right, and each time Remisk moved to counter. How is he doing this?\n\nHe was a great racer. There was no doubt of that. He was strong, athletic and cool-headed. Remisk had not gotten where he was on the circuit without being smart and precise. But his moves, his instincts were almost supernatural, as if his senses were enhanced. But that was impossible.\n\nEvery racer went through a rigorous medical exam to ensure that no drugs had been introduced before the race, and further testing would be conducted along the way to ensure none had been taken after the first stage. Remisk was just that good.\n\nThen I have to be better.\n\nShe pushed her engine to its limit, exceeding safe levels, much to the ire of her crew chief. He implored her to back off, take second or third place, don\u2019t risk blowing your ship so soon for so little reward. Little reward, my ass!\n\nShe had taken the pole position, and she was going to let everyone know that it was not some fluke, that Hypatia Darring was here to stay. She wouldn\u2019t give her fath\u2013 the media \u2014 grist for their mill.\n\nShe barrel rolled, letting the rotation of her M50 spiral her forward like a screw. Remisk, fearing that he would be clipped himself, shifted ever so slightly to his left, and Darring pounced. She pulled alongside him, letting her craft settle. She punched her thrusters again, feeling them wail their discontent through her arms and hands. Her stick was shaking, her heat warnings blaring. She could feel it all through her body, and there was, in all the galaxy, no feeling like it. It was something her father had forgotten. He was a good fighter pilot himself, or at least he was in his youth. But he had spent too much of his life in slow giants like destroyers, cruisers and battleships. He had forgotten what it was like to feel flesh tingle as strong g-forces threatened to rip your skin from its bones. Guul understood it. Remisk most certainly did. And even that sorry son of a bitch Mo\u2018tak understood the ecstatic feeling of sheer speed.\n\nShe pulled ahead. She took the next ring flawlessly, shifting against inertia and rolling through the next ring, which appeared immediately after the last. The final ring loomed large in the distance. Her crew chief, his attitude suddenly changed, barked \u201cGo! Go!\u201d into her ear. She smiled. She\u2019d made the right decision. She most definitely deserved to be here racing among the greats.\n\nRemisk pulled up above her, obviously giving her first place. She kept her course forward and strong, letting her warning systems holler. She giggled like a child, accepting praise from her chief. The flashing lights of the last ring did not make her weak or sick this time. She welcomed them happily.\n\nThen a shadow came up over her, darkening her cockpit. It was Remisk, his M50 finding new life and overtaking her ship. In her joy, Darring had not realized that her thumb had lightened its pressure on her throttle, and she had slowed just slightly. Slowed enough for Remisk to swing his craft up and over her hull and plant itself, with its main thrusters, right in front of her cockpit. Darring tried keeping her speed and course, but Remisk kicked his boost and threw a gout of yellow fire across her cockpit windows.\n\nDarring rolled left. It was a serious mistake. She tried regaining her position, pressed her thumb deeply into the throttle, but it was too late. Ykonde Remisk passed through the final ring in first place. The Avenger and one other racer took second and third, while Darring, her ship rolling uncontrollably through the last ring, barely finished fourth.\n\nTO BE CONTINUED\u2026","de_DE":"Anmerkung des Autors: Teil eins des Cups wurde urspr\u00fcnglich in Jump Point 1.8 ver\u00f6ffentlicht.\nHallo zusammen und nochmals herzlich willkommen bei der kontinuierlichen Berichterstattung von GSN Spectrum Broadcasting \u00fcber das Murray Cup Race. Der MCR, oder The Cup, wie er allgemein bekannt ist, ist eines der besten Sportereignisse in der UEE. Fast 100 Rennfahrer treten am zerm\u00fcrbenden 10-stufigen Lauf der Classic Division an, der sich durch die vielen wundersamen Planeten und Doppel-Asteroideng\u00fcrtel des Ellis-Systems schl\u00e4ngelt. Rennfahrer konkurrieren, um zu bestimmen, wer der Schnellste und St\u00e4rkste ist, w\u00e4hrend sie darum k\u00e4mpfen, die Integrit\u00e4t ihres Rennfahrzeugs unter einigen der t\u00f6dlichsten Bedingungen im Imperium zu erhalten. Der diesj\u00e4hrige Wettbewerb verspricht einer der h\u00e4rtesten zu werden, da die Top 25 bei einem Treffen mit Medien und Sponsoren im GSN-Sportatrium im Orbit \u00fcber Green vertreten sind. Obwohl viele zum Rennen kommen, gelten nur wenige als echte Teilnehmer, und diese Teilnehmer warten nun auf ihre Chance auf Ruhm und Ehre.\n\nDer diesj\u00e4hrige Liebling ist Ykonde Remisk, ein Mensch, der alle \u00fcberrascht hat, indem er sowohl den Goss Invitational als auch den Cassini 500 gewonnen hat. Er kommt in die MCR mit einer echten Chance, der erste Rennfahrer zu sein, der seit zw\u00f6lf Jahren die Triple Crown gewinnt. Dann gibt es Nyan\u0101l Mo'tak Xu.oa, den besten Xi'an-Rennfahrer in der Geschichte des Sports. Wenn er siegt, wird er der erste sein, der je drei MCRs in Folge gewinnt.\n\nZogat Guul, das alte Schlachtross von Tevarin, kann auch nicht ausgez\u00e4hlt werden. Diese Legende hat die MCR mehr als jeder andere in ihrer Geschichte gewonnen, aber Schicksal und Ungl\u00fcck haben ihn daran gehindert, seit \u00fcber f\u00fcnf Jahren ein Gro\u00dfereignis zu gewinnen. Sein zweiter Platz bei der Cassini 500 hat seinen Namen jedoch wieder in den Vordergrund ger\u00fcckt. Kann er es noch einmal gewinnen, bevor er verblasst?\n\nUnd schlie\u00dflich hat die Newcomerin Hypatia Darring den Kopf verdreht, indem sie Remisk die Pole-Position weggenommen hat. Sie hat in ihrer kurzen Karriere noch nie ein gro\u00dfes Rennereignis gewonnen, aber ihre konstanten Top-Ten-Platzierungen der letzten zwei Jahre zeigen, dass ihre Pole-Position kein Zufall ist. Kann dieser Junge mit dem enormen Druck umgehen, der auf ihn ausge\u00fcbt wird? Nur die Zeit wird es zeigen .....\n\nLassen Sie uns es zur\u00fcck zu GSN Reporter Mike Crenshaw werfen, der seinen Weg durch den Empfang macht, w\u00e4hrend wir sprechen. Wen hast du jetzt f\u00fcr uns, Mike?\n\nHypatia Darring bemerkte nicht einmal die Frage der Reporterin, als sie \u00fcber die belebte Empfangshalle starrte. Der Tevarin sah schlank und elegant aus, inmitten einer Schar von Reportern, die sich um ihn scharten. Ein Teil von ihr hatte Lust, sich der Menge anzuschlie\u00dfen. Ich sollte das Bed\u00fcrfnis versp\u00fcren, seinen Arsch zu schlagen, auf der letzten Stufe an ihm vorbeizuziehen, sein Schiff in einen Asteroiden zu zwingen. Das w\u00e4ren die Gef\u00fchle eines gro\u00dfen Rennfahrers, eines gro\u00dfen Konkurrenten, eines fokussierten und siegesbereiten Menschen. Aber nein. So sehr sie auch versuchte, sie konnte sich dieser Legende nicht so nahe f\u00fchlen, die nur wenige Meter entfernt stand. Zu ihrem Leidwesen hatte sie keine Gelegenheit gehabt, mit ihm zu sprechen, als sich ihre Wege bei Cassini h\u00e4tten kreuzen k\u00f6nnen. Jetzt musste sie die Zeit finden. Sie bek\u00e4mpfte den Drang, durch den Raum zu gehen, an den Medienhunden vorbeizugehen, ihn zum Abendessen einzuladen und ihn zu bitten, das abgenutzte, verblasste, hundeohrige Poster von ihm in seiner Jugend zu signieren - stolz neben seinem silbernen M50 stehend - das noch an ihrer Gewohnheitswand h\u00e4ngt.\n\nSie sch\u00fcttelte den Kopf und blinzelte. \"Es tut mir leid. Wiederholen Sie das?\"\n\nMike Crenshaw r\u00e4usperte sich. \"Glaubst du, Admiral Darring ist stolz auf seine Tochter?\" Darring presste ihre Z\u00e4hne zusammen und zwang ein L\u00e4cheln. \"Nat\u00fcrlich ist er das. Warum sollte er nicht?\"\n\n\"Er hat mehr als einmal \u00f6ffentlich erkl\u00e4rt, dass er glaubt, dass du deine Talente als Rennfahrer verschwendest. Dass du diesen ganzen \"Unsinn\" - sein Wort - aufgeben und eine passendere Karriere in der UEE Navy verfolgen solltest.\"\n\n\"Mein Vater war noch nie einer, der seine Meinungen einschr\u00e4nkte\", sagte sie und unternahm zaghafte Schritte in Richtung Guul. \"Aber wenn du wirklich die Antwort auf diese Frage wissen willst, solltest du ihn selbst fragen.\"\n\nEine andere Reporterin k\u00e4mpfte sich hinein. \" Alice Frannif, Terra Gazette. .... die Pole-Position von Ykonde Remisk einzunehmen, war eine wunderbare Leistung. Wie hast du das gemacht?\"\n\nIhr L\u00e4cheln war echt. \" Gl\u00fcck.\"\n\n\"Oh, komm schon, Hypatia\", sagte Crenshaw und gewann den Boden zur\u00fcck. \"Eine Zeit einen Punkt f\u00fcnf Sekunden hinter dem Rekord zu erreichen, bringt kaum Gl\u00fcck. Wie hast du das gemacht?\"\n\nSie kicherte. \"Geduld, Hingabe, Konzentration und eine ausgepr\u00e4gte Liebe zum Detail. Das und die schnellste verdammte M50 auf der Strecke. Alles, was mein Vater sicher zu sch\u00e4tzen wei\u00df.\"\n\nDie Reporter lachten und transkribierten hastig Notizen. Darring machte noch ein paar Schritte in Richtung Guul.\n\n\"Frau Darring\", sagte eine andere Reporterin, \"wie gedenkst du, dein Gl\u00fcck, wie du es ausdr\u00fcckst, w\u00e4hrend der gesamten Rasse zu bewahren? Zehn Stufen, alle getaktet, viele mit engen, gef\u00e4hrlichen Kan\u00e4len, besonders durch die Asteroideng\u00fcrtel. Du wirst Kopf an Kopf mit einigen der besten Rennfahrer der Geschichte fahren. Wie willst du als relativer Newcomer mit dem Druck umgehen, deinen guten Start beibehalten und letztendlich den Cup gewinnen?\"\n\n\"Sie ist ein Naturtalent!\"\n\nAlle drehten sich um, einschlie\u00dflich Darring, und fanden Mo'tak Xu.oa, den Xi'an, der in einem leuchtend violetten Overall gekleidet war und inmitten eines Pools von Schmeichlern stand, die ihm zu jedem Ereignis folgten. Einige von ihnen waren ehemalige GSN-Reporter, die jetzt vom Xu.oa-Haus unter Vollbesch\u00e4ftigung standen, gefangen von seinem Ruhm, seiner Bekanntheit und seinem Reichtum.\n\nDarring kontrollierte ihren finsteren Blick, als der st\u00e4mmige Xi'an ein paar Meter von ihr entfernt stoppte. \"Sie ist ein Naturtalent\", wiederholte Mo'tak, um sicherzustellen, dass die Reporter seine Antwort aufnehmen konnten. Er war um ein oder zwei Zentimeter k\u00fcrzer als Darring - was f\u00fcr seine Rasse immer noch ungew\u00f6hnlich gro\u00df war - aber seine k\u00fchlen, bernsteinfarbenen Augen scannten ihr Gesicht sorgf\u00e4ltig ab. Seine kr\u00e4ftigen Kiefermuskeln zogen sich in einer engen Ann\u00e4herung an ein L\u00e4cheln zur\u00fcck. \"Sie wird es gewinnen, indem sie die beste Rennfahrerin auf der Rennstrecke ist.\"\n\n\"Glaubst du das wirklich?\" fragte Crenshaw. \"Sie ist die Beste?\"\n\nMo'tak nickte langsam, diplomatisch, seine Augen auf Darring gerichtet. \"Ich h\u00e4tte es nicht gesagt, wenn ich es nicht getan h\u00e4tte.\" Er blinzelte. \"Wie geht es dir, meine Liebe? Ausgeruht von deinen Versuchen bei Cassini?\"\n\n\"Ausgeruht genug\", antwortete sie, unter ihrem Atem. Die Reporter lehnten sich an, um zu h\u00f6ren. \"Aber du solltest alles dar\u00fcber wissen.\"\n\nMo'tak winkte sie ab, als w\u00e4re sie seine Kleine. \"Die Gefahren des Handels, meine Liebe. Ich habe getan, was ich tun musste, um einen Vorteil zu erlangen.\"\n\nDarring nickte. \"Aber du hast nicht gewonnen, oder? Mich in einem Zug zu unterbrechen, der technisch gesehen illegal war, brachte dir nur den dritten Platz.\"\n\n\"Trotzdem, ein besseres Ende als du.\" Mo'tak kicherte. Seine Anh\u00e4nger taten dasselbe. \"Der Cassini ist mir nicht so wichtig, meine Liebe. Die MCR ist das Kronjuwel. Das wirst du mit der Zeit verstehen.... wenn du lange genug durchh\u00e4ltst.\"\n\n\"K\u00f6nnen wir ein Bild von euch beiden Seite an Seite machen?\", sagte ein Reporter. Der Rest best\u00e4tigte diesen Wunsch mit \u00fcbertriebenem Nicken.\n\nMo'tak wandte sich an die Menge und schaute sich um, damit alle es sehen konnten. \"Nat\u00fcrlich hast du vielleicht ein Bild\", sagte er und bot Darring aus Kulanz seine Hand an. \"Ich f\u00fchle mich geehrt, Teil dieser gro\u00dfen Tradition zu sein. Die MCR liegt mir sehr am Herzen, und mit einem so brillanten Wettbewerb wie Hypatia Darring hier, wird das diesj\u00e4hrige Rennen ein unvergessliches Erlebnis sein.\"\n\nHypatia nahm seine Hand vorsichtig. Sie wickelte ihre Finger um seine breite Handfl\u00e4che. Sie zwang sich zur Entspannung und wandte sich den Reportern zu, damit sie ihre Fotos machen und ihre Fragen stellen konnten.\n\nAber dann begann Mo'tak zu dr\u00fccken, und zu dr\u00fccken, und zu dr\u00fccken, und zu dr\u00fccken, bis sie sp\u00fcrte, wie die kleinen zarten Knochen in ihrer Hand unter dem Druck nachgaben. Sie dr\u00fcckte sich wieder dagegen, aber das brachte nicht viel Erleichterung, als Mo'tak weitergriff. Nicht zusammenzucken, sagte sie zu sich selbst. Nicht weinen. Gib ihm nicht die Befriedigung. Aber der Schmerz spreizte ihren Arm, in ihre Schulter, durch ihren Hals. Gott, er versucht, mir die Hand zu brechen. Er ist.......\n\nEr lie\u00df los, und der Schmerz lie\u00df nach. Sie seufzte und wischte sich mit der anderen Hand eine Schwei\u00dfperle von der Stirn.\n\nCrenshaw wollte gerade eine weitere Frage stellen, aber dann entdeckte jemand Ykonde Remisk, und sie alle rannten in seine Richtung.\n\nAn ihrer Seite kicherte Mo'tak. \"Wir sind f\u00fcr sie nur so wichtig wie unser letztes Angebot.\" Der Xi'an wandte sich wieder an sie.\n\nDiesmal hat er seine Hand nicht angeboten. Er zwinkerte. \".athl'\u0113'kol an dich, meinen eifrigen Konkurrenten. Sicheres Reisen. Ich sehe dich dann auf der ganzen Linie.\"\n\nMo'tak verschwand in den dummen Armen seiner Fans. Als er wegging, fiel Darring einem schlanken, m\u00fcrrisch aussehenden Mann auf, der eine wachsame Position hinter seinem Arbeitgeber einnahm. Er nickte ihr zu. Sie ignorierte ihn und stellte sich vor, wie sie ein Messer in Mo'taks R\u00fccken trieb.\n\n\"Lass dich nicht von ihm anmachen.\"\n\nDie Stimme war weich und freundlich. Darring drehte sich um, um es zu begr\u00fc\u00dfen.\n\nDa stand er und \u00fcberragte sie. In seinem Schatten f\u00fchlte sie sich wirklich klein, sowohl in ihrer Statur als auch im Status. Zogat Guul strahlte eine Freundlichkeit und eine ruhige Erfahrung aus, die ihre Wut beruhigte. Sie bot ihre wunde Hand dem\u00fctig an. Er nahm es ohne Beanstandung.\n\n\"Lass nicht zu, dass dir dieser aufgeblasene Trottel unter die Haut geht. Er ist ber\u00fcchtigt f\u00fcr seine Gedankenspiele.\" Mit einem schnellen Grinsen schnappte er sich in eine formale Haltung, als ob er einen Offizier begr\u00fc\u00dfen w\u00fcrde, und stie\u00df seine Brust heraus, obwohl sie bequem in einen schwarz-goldenen Halbmantel geh\u00fcllt war. \"Mein Name ist Zogat -\"\n\n\"Ich wei\u00df, wer du bist\", unterbrach Darring, sofort verlegen von ihrer Grobheit. \"Es ist mir eine Ehre, Sie kennenzulernen. Es ist ein Traum, den ich seit meiner Kindheit hatte.\"\n\n\"Und ich habe deine Karriere mit gro\u00dfem Interesse verfolgt.\" Er nahm sie am Arm und fing an, sie zu einem Tisch zu f\u00fchren, der mit drei gro\u00dfen Punschschalen und einer Auswahl an Meeresfr\u00fcchtevorspeisen gef\u00fcllt war. Sie gingen langsam. \"Du steigst stetig auf dem Kurs. Dein Name ist auf den Lippen vieler. Dein f\u00fcnfter Platz bei Cassini war ziemlich beeindruckend, besonders f\u00fcr jemanden, der so jung ist.\"\n\n\"Danke. Es w\u00e4re noch beeindruckender gewesen, wenn ich gewonnen h\u00e4tte, wenn Mo'tak mich nicht zur\u00fcckgedr\u00e4ngt h\u00e4tte.\"\n\n\"Du hast ihn zu nahe kommen lassen\", sagte er, ohne Bosheit oder Anklage in seinem Ton. \"Du hattest die Innenbahn, aber du bist langsamer geworden, um mit ihm zu k\u00e4mpfen.\"\n\n\"Er hat mich w\u00fctend gemacht!\"\n\nGuul stoppte: \"Ein solches Verhalten kann in den kleineren, umliegenden Rennen wie Cassini toleriert werden. Aber nicht hier. Hier werden Sie durch solche rohen Emotionen vertrieben oder get\u00f6tet. Es stimmt, es gibt Etappen auf dem Weg dorthin, wo das Rennen eng wird, wo man um die Position man\u00f6vrieren muss. Aber Geschwindigkeit ist hier am wichtigsten. .... Geschwindigkeit und Zeit. Denke daran, Hypatia Darring, die wichtigste Tatsache \u00fcber den Murray Cup: Geschwindigkeit ist das Leben.\" Er neigte seinen Kopf zur Seite. \"Geschwindigkeit ist Leben... oder Tod, wenn man in die falsche Richtung geht.\"\n\nSie lachte dar\u00fcber und lie\u00df die Ernsthaftigkeit seiner Worte durchsickern. \"Wir werden jetzt nicht mehr \u00fcber diese Dinge sprechen\", sagte er und nahm ihren Weg zum Esstisch wieder auf. \"Wir werden weitere Gelegenheiten haben, sp\u00e4ter zu reden, wenn die Neunaugen nicht so dick und hungrig sind.\" Er ignorierte die Welle eines Reportern in der N\u00e4he. \"Jedes Wort, das wir hier sprechen, wird interpretiert und neu interpretiert, bis es uns am Ende in den Augen der \u00d6ffentlichkeit zu einem Liebhaber macht.\"\n\nDarring erzwang ein schiefes L\u00e4cheln. \"Sorry. ...du bist nicht mein Typ.\"\n\nGuul lie\u00df ein herzliches Lachen aus. Er sch\u00fcttelte den Kopf. \"Die Geschichte meines Lebens.\" Er beschleunigte sein Tempo in Richtung Essen. \"Jetzt komm und schenke mir ein Glas mit dem gr\u00f6\u00dften Geschenk, das die Menschen der Galaxie gemacht haben.\"\n\n\"Was ist das?\" fragte Darring.\n\nGuul schlug auf die Lippen. \" Limonade.\"\n\n* * *\n\nMo'tak zerquetschte die d\u00fcnne Schale der Jumbo-Garnele in seinem Mund. Er k\u00fcmmerte sich nicht darum, es zu sch\u00e4len, wie es ein schwacher Mensch tun k\u00f6nnte. Verflucht sei diese menschliche Nahrung trotzdem! Was w\u00fcrde er nicht geben, um im Familienkomplex zu sein und sich mit einer gro\u00dfen Handvoll fermentierter Nadelfische zufrieden zu geben. Ihre Gallenblasen hatten eine Galle, die so s\u00fc\u00df - nein, s\u00fc\u00dfer - war wie alles, was ein Mensch aushecken konnte. Nichts auf dem Tisch vor ihm war seiner Meinung nach wirklich angenehm, aber er tolerierte es so gut er konnte, und l\u00e4chelte dem\u00fctig, wie er es auf diesem oder jenem Gericht zum Wohle der Medien gew\u00e4hlt hatte. Mo'tak nickte einer menschlichen Reporterin zu, als sie vorbeikam.\n\nDie Menschen hatten ihren Nutzen.\n\nUnd das tat auch derjenige, der jetzt im Zentrum des Medienrausches stand. Warum waren die Reporter um ihn herum, stellten ihm Fragen, flehten ihn an, seine Geheimnisse f\u00fcr den Sieg im Rennen zu enth\u00fcllen, genau wie sie Darring gebeten hatten? Diese verdammten Menschen und ihr Minderwertigkeitskomplex! So unwillig, Xi'an \u00dcberlegenheit zu erkennen. Aber Mo'tak war der beste Rennfahrer, der je in ein Cockpit gestiegen war, und sein perfekt modifizierter 350r mit seinem violetten Rumpf und verst\u00e4rkten, goldbesetzten Fl\u00fcgeln w\u00fcrde das tun, was kein anderer Rennfahrer je getan hatte: den MCR dreimal in Folge gewinnen. Weder Remisk, noch Guul, noch Darring konnten eine solche Leistung beanspruchen. Also, warum waren die GSN nya-osen'p.u. nicht um ihn herum?\n\nAber vielleicht war das das Beste, \u00fcberlegte er, knallte sich eine weitere Garnele in den Mund und nippte an einem warmen, schaumfreien Bier. Lassen Sie Ykonde Remisk seinen Moment im Rampenlicht haben. Lassen Sie die Medien ihre Favoriten haben. Denn wenn sie fallen, wenn sie dem Hype nicht gerecht werden, wird Mo'taks Sieg umso s\u00fc\u00dfer erscheinen. Ja, lass sie sich sonnen.... dann lass sie fallen. Und ich werde daf\u00fcr sorgen, dass sie hart fallen.\n\n\"Ist alles in Ordnung?\" fl\u00fcsterte er einem Untergebenen an seiner Seite zu.\n\n\"Ja, Sir. Ihre Wartungsteams sind gem\u00e4\u00df Ihren Spezifikationen und den MCR-Richtlinien \u00fcber das Ellis-System verteilt.\"\n\nMo'tak kratzte sich frustriert am Hals. \"Das ist nicht das, was ich meinte.\"\n\nDer Untergebene schluckte und wackelte mit dem Kopf. \"Ja, die Angelegenheit, von der wir sprachen, wurde ebenfalls behandelt. Aber ich w\u00fcrde davon abraten, Sir. Das Risiko ist zu gro\u00df, und au\u00dferdem muss sich Mo'tak nicht auf solche Dinge verlassen. Er ist der beste Rennfahrer auf der Rennstrecke.\"\n\n\"Ich bezahle dich nicht, mir einen solchen Rat oder ein solches Lob zu geben. Ich bezahle dich, damit du tust, was man dir sagt. Jetzt geh und stelle sicher, dass alles bereit ist, wie ich es dir befohlen habe.\" Er stellte sein Bier ab. \"Und ich werde gehen und den \"Favoriten\" an seine Verpflichtung mir gegen\u00fcber erinnern.\"\n\nDer Untergebene nickte und rannte weg, um seine Pflicht zu erf\u00fcllen. Mo'tak seufzte tief, legte sein gl\u00fcckliches Gesicht auf und ging selbstbewusst auf den Wahnsinn um Ykonde Remisk zu.\n\n* * *\n\nSie liebte ihre Origin M50 Turbo mehr als das Leben. Ersch\u00fcttert, zerkratzt, rote und wei\u00dfe Farbe aufgetragen, um einen Rumpf zu bedecken, der einen Integrit\u00e4tsfeger brauchte, aber nach Cassini hatte es keine Zeit f\u00fcr so etwas gegeben. Auch f\u00fcr solche Reparaturen hatte sie noch nicht genug Kredite gewonnen, nicht zuletzt, weil sie f\u00fcr Transportschiffe und ihre Boxencrew bezahlen musste. Aber was ist schon dabei? Das Kraftwerk war solide, die Triebwerke neu und erstklassig. In einer Prise bezweifelte sie, dass jeder Rennfahrer, egal wo, damit mithalten konnte. Sicherlich konnte keiner der anderen 24 Herausforderer hinter ihr - einschlie\u00dflich Guul - sie auf Anhieb schlagen. Aber die MCR hatte nur wenige auf Anhieb. Die Integrit\u00e4t des Rumpfes war entscheidend.\n\nAls ihr Crew Chief den finalen Systemcheck im Ohr rasselte, zog Darring die Karte f\u00fcr die erste Stufe hoch. Es erschien mit einem hellen Blinzeln, um Reihe f\u00fcr Reihe von Ringen anzuzeigen, die sich durch die niedrige Umlaufbahn \u00fcber Ellis III winden. Darring studierte die Ringe sorgf\u00e4ltig und erinnerte sich daran, welche gro\u00df, welche klein waren, wo sich die Kameras und Zeitbojen befanden. Alle Rennfahrer mussten sich innerhalb der \"unsichtbaren\" Fahrspur bewegen, die durch die Ringe f\u00fchrt; wenn ein Rennfahrer nach drau\u00dfen wanderte, verlor er oder sie Zeit. Diese erste Etappe wurde sowohl zeitlich geplant als auch mit zus\u00e4tzlichen Credits f\u00fcr den ersten, zweiten und dritten Platz versehen. Die Pole-Position gab ihr dann einen Vorteil. Aber f\u00fcr wie lange? Darring lehnte sich auf ihrem Platz hin\u00fcber und studierte den Kurs sorgf\u00e4ltig.\n\nEs war nicht anders als ein Abschnitt des Goss Invitational, also hatte sie viel Erfahrung mit dieser Art von Lauf. Ihre M50 wurde f\u00fcr anstrengende Z\u00fcge und Zacks durch enge Stellen gebaut. Aber wie gut w\u00fcrde es ihr sp\u00e4ter gehen, wenn die Kurse t\u00f6dlicher und anstrengender wurden?\n\nVon Ellis III, die Rennfahrer quantumed zu Ellis IV, wo der sogenannte Seahorse Shuffle stattfand. Dann weiter zu Ellis V. und dem \"Noble Endeavour\". Danach ging es durch den ersten von zwei Asteroideng\u00fcrteln, einen Kurs namens The Sorrow Sea, wo R\u00fcmpfe fr\u00fcherer Rennfahrer als Hindernisse schwebten. Dann um den Gasriesen Walleye herum, wo die Schiffe durch einen einzigen t\u00f6richten Zug leicht auseinander gerissen werden k\u00f6nnten. Es folgte eine l\u00e4ngere Etappe, \u00fcber den \u00e4u\u00dferen Asteroideng\u00fcrtel (ehemals Ellis XI) und schlie\u00dflich bis Ellis XII. Dann wandte sich das Rennen wieder dem Herzen des Systems zu und endete bei Ellis VIII. Sie war dieses Rennen schon einmal gelaufen, aber nie als echte Kandidatin, und so hatte sie sich die Zeit genommen, jede Etappe langsam und ruhig zu fliegen, wie ein Marathonl\u00e4ufer, um alle Ins und Outs zu lernen. Diesmal jedoch war der Druck gro\u00df. Sie hielt die Pole-Position, den ersten Platz. Jetzt war alles anders.\n\nDie Stimme des MCR-Starters knisterte \u00fcber die Kommunikationsverbindung. \"Racers, bereiten Sie sich auf den Start vor.\"\n\nDarring schloss die Karte, best\u00e4tigte die Standardvereinbarung zu den Regeln und Vorschriften des MCR im Einklang mit den anderen Rennfahrern, schnallte sich an und betete ein kleines Gebet. Sie war bei weitem nicht religi\u00f6s, aber sie dachte, es w\u00fcrde nicht schaden. Das Gebet beruhigte ihre Nerven, als sich die Buchtst\u00fcren des Starters zum Weltraum \u00f6ffneten.\n\nSie konnte Ellis III. durch die T\u00fcr sehen. Es war wundersch\u00f6n, gr\u00fcn, seine Umlaufbahn gespickt mit Korvetten und Vergn\u00fcgungsschiffen der Wohlhabenden, die gekommen waren, um das Rennen aus erster Hand zu sehen. Auf dem Weg dorthin gab es viele Zuschauer, viele Medien, und Darring musste sie einfach alle aus dem Kopf bekommen. Sie konzentrierte sich auf Zogat Guuls Worte - Speed is life - und blickte durch eines ihrer Cockpitpanels zur\u00fcck, um einen Blick auf die aufger\u00fcstete Hornet des Tevarin zu werfen. Aber er war zu weit zur\u00fcck. Alles, was sie sehen konnte, war Ykonde Remisks M50 mit seinen grellen Gold- und Blaut\u00f6nen. Sie bemerkte, dass er ihr zu nahe stand; in der Regel gab es eine bestimmte Distanz, die die Rennfahrer vor dem Start einhalten mussten: das Privileg der Pole-Position.\n\nSie knirschte mit den Z\u00e4hnen und fluchte unter ihrem Atem. Jemand hat bereits gegen die Regeln versto\u00dfen.\n\n\"Hypatia Darring... du kannst es starten.\"\n\nSie wartete nicht einmal darauf, dass der Sprecher fertig war. Darring brach mit H\u00f6chstgeschwindigkeit aus der T\u00fcr des Tr\u00e4gerfachs.\n\nDurch einen schmalen Kanal, der von Medien und Zuschauern flankiert wurde, flog Darring die feierliche Runde. Der Rest der Rennfahrer folgte hinterher, lie\u00df einen nach dem anderen los, behielt aber seine vorgegebenen Positionen innerhalb der Linie. Vor ihr funkelte das Schnellboot mit einem blinkenden roten Licht. Nerv\u00f6se Energie entdeckte ihre Stirn mit Schwei\u00df. Ihr Crewchef gab seine letzten Kommentare und Anweisungen. Sie unterschrieb ihn und konzentrierte sich auf den vor ihr liegenden Kurs.\n\nIn ihrem Ohr z\u00e4hlte der MCR-Starter herunter - zehn, neun, acht ...... Darring stie\u00df nach links und versuchte, direkt hinter dem Tempofahrzeug zu bleiben. Ykonde Remisk war direkt hinter ihr her, die Nase seines Rennfahrers war gef\u00e4hrlich nah. Geht zur\u00fcck! Darring sprach leise und wollte auf ihrer Kommunikationsverbindung bl\u00e4ttern und sich auf seine Frequenz einstellen. Es war nicht unbedingt gegen die MCR-Regeln, mit anderen Rennfahrern zu sprechen, aber die Beamten rieten davon ab, da sie bef\u00fcrchteten, dass h\u00e4ufige Gespr\u00e4che w\u00e4hrend des Rennens Ablenkungen hervorrufen k\u00f6nnten, die zu Unf\u00e4llen und Verletzungen f\u00fchren w\u00fcrden. Au\u00dferdem gab es genug Gerede zwischen den Rennfahrern und ihren Crews. Dennoch wollte Darring einen Kanal \u00f6ffnen und Remisk ins Ohr schreien: Runter von meinem R\u00fccken!\n\nF\u00fcnf... vier... drei... drei.... drei......\n\nNun zogen sich alle Rennfahrer zusammen, als der Schrittmacher die letzte Kurve machte, um sie auf die ersten Ringe einzustellen. Darring hat es selbst ein wenig erschossen und n\u00e4hert sich dem Schrittmacher. Sie stellte sich nun nur noch ein wenig rechts davon, um Remisk davon abzuhalten, in letzter Minute an ihr vorbeizuhetzen. Darrings Herz raste, ihre H\u00e4nde zitterten auf ihrem Joystick. Sie versuchte, sich auf das kleine Objekt zu konzentrieren, das in ihrem Ansichtsfenster wuchs und wuchs: Der erste Ring, dessen rotierende Lichter um seinen virtuellen Rahmen wirbeln und den Beginn signalisieren.....\n\nZwei.... eins.... eins..... zwei.... eins..... zwei..... zwei..... eins.\n\nDie roten Lichter am Schrittmacher blinkten gr\u00fcn, und er fiel schnell nach links und brach die Formation.\n\nDarring dr\u00fcckte sich in ihren Sitz, schoss mit ihren Triebwerken und blies durch den ersten Ring.\n\n* * *\n\nDie blinkenden Lichter der Ringe lie\u00dfen ihre Augen schmerzen.\n\nSie flogen schnell an ihr vorbei und sie konzentrierte sich zu sehr auf sie, zu sehr um ihre Zeit, ihre Position in der Linie. Sie war durch die Z\u00e4hlung des letzten Zeitmessers auf den dritten Platz gefallen. Es war auch ihre Schuld gewesen, weil sie sich so sehr um den Treibstoffverbrauch sorgte und einen Piloten mit einem \u00fcbertakteten Avenger die Innenspur nehmen lie\u00df. Ihr Crewchef schrie sie deswegen an; sie ignorierte ihn. Der kleine Schei\u00dfer hatte nat\u00fcrlich Recht, aber er war ein alter Akademiefreund ihres Vaters, und sie war nicht in der Stimmung, ihm zuzuh\u00f6ren, wie er sie anschrie. Au\u00dferdem konnte sie jederzeit einen Avenger \u00fcberholen.\n\nDer eigentliche Schwerpunkt ihrer Genesung musste Ykonde Remisk sein.\n\nDer schmutzige Hurensohn hatte sie gegen die linke Wand des Tunnels gedr\u00fcckt, durch den sie rasten. Ihr Fl\u00fcgel hatte tats\u00e4chlich die virtuelle Ebene gebrochen, und die Stimme des MCR-Rufers kam \u00fcber ihr Kommando...... \"Zehn Sekunden zus\u00e4tzlich zu deiner Zeit.\" Verdammt! Remisks Presse war nicht strikt regelwidrig, da sein Schiff ihres nicht ber\u00fchrt hatte, aber es war sicherlich ein schmutziger Pool und gegen den Geist des Wettbewerbs. Sie hatte auch keinen Ausweg aus dem Pick-and-Roll; es war, als ob er und der Avenger-Pilot unter einer Decke stecken w\u00fcrden. Das w\u00fcrde sie nicht im Geringsten \u00fcberraschen.\n\nSie konzentrierte sich neu und stie\u00df ihre M50 nach vorne, tauchte unter den R\u00e4cher und rutschte auf dem Boden daran vorbei. Es versuchte, ihren R\u00fccken zu muskul\u00f6s zu machen, indem es seinen rechten Fl\u00fcgel nach unten zeigte, um ihre Sicht zu verdecken, aber Darring nahm den Zug vorweg, bewegte sich in gleicher Weise und behielt ihre Position und Gelassenheit. Unterdessen hatte der Avenger-Pilot den Fokus auf die vor ihm liegende Spur verloren und konnte nicht bemerken, dass sich der Ring schnell und nach links schloss. Darring traf ihre Triebwerke hart und schob sich nach links, in letzter Minute verlie\u00df sie den Weg des R\u00e4chers. Darring nahm die Drehung vor und klingelte perfekt; der R\u00e4cher sah ihn zu sp\u00e4t, versuchte, sich anzupassen, und klippte den Ring mit seinem linken Fl\u00fcgel. Er durchbrach die unsichtbare Ebene des Tunnels und \u00fcberkompensierte dann zu einem Spin durch den Hohlraum.\n\nIss das!\n\nSie hoffte, dass Guul irgendwo hinter ihr jubelte. Sie konnte fast seine resonante Stimme h\u00f6ren, die ihr Lob sang. Sie mochte den Gedanken, aber die dr\u00e4ngendste Sorge war jetzt direkt vor ihr.\n\nRemisk hatte sein Schiff w\u00e4hrend der gesamten Strecke mit voller Geschwindigkeit getrieben. Wie war das m\u00f6glich? fragte sie sich. Sicher, er hatte seinen M50 wie alle anderen angepasst und alles entfernt, was f\u00fcr zus\u00e4tzlichen Kraftstoff und K\u00fchlger\u00e4te unwichtig war, aber er muss jetzt schon mit den D\u00e4mpfen laufen, nachdem er so hochgefahren ist. Es gab keine andere Erkl\u00e4rung. Er m\u00fcsste bald ausbrennen, und je fr\u00fcher, desto besser.\n\nSie ignorierte die drei anderen Rennfahrer, die hart auf ihre sechs dr\u00fcckten. Sie nahm den n\u00e4chsten Ring und den n\u00e4chsten, lie\u00df die starke Tr\u00e4gheit ziehen und ihr Schiff vorw\u00e4rts treiben. Das war der beste Weg, um \u00dcberhitzung zu vermeiden, sie hatte gelernt, um den Saturn herumzufahren. Lasse den Schub in den Kurven los und lasse dein Schiff mit H\u00f6chstgeschwindigkeit in den Vektor driften. Dann hattest du genug Schub, um die wenigen Sekunden aufzunehmen, die du beim Driften verloren haben k\u00f6nntest. Dieser Renngig war ein Spiel von Millisekunden, und jeder einzelne z\u00e4hlte.\n\nSie r\u00fcckte hinter Remisk auf und nutzte die letzte Stra\u00dfe, bevor das Finale durch die letzten drei Ringe f\u00fchrte. Es blieb nicht mehr viel Zeit, und sie musste sich jetzt bewegen.\n\nSie versuchte, sich auf und \u00fcber sein Schiff zu bewegen. Er bewegte sich, um sie zu blockieren. Sie schob sich nach unten; er bewegte sich wieder, in perfekter \u00dcbereinstimmung, ihre Schiffe waren gleich gro\u00df. Sie bewegte sich nach links, rechts und jedes Mal, wenn Remisk zum Schalter wechselte. Wie macht er das?\n\nEr war ein gro\u00dfartiger Rennfahrer. Daran bestand kein Zweifel. Er war stark, athletisch und k\u00fchl. Remisk war nicht dort angekommen, wo er auf der Strecke war, ohne klug und pr\u00e4zise zu sein. Aber seine Bewegungen, seine Instinkte waren fast \u00fcbernat\u00fcrlich, als ob seine Sinne verbessert w\u00fcrden. Aber das war unm\u00f6glich.\n\nJeder Rennfahrer durchlief eine strenge medizinische Untersuchung, um sicherzustellen, dass vor dem Rennen keine Medikamente eingef\u00fchrt wurden, und weitere Tests wurden auf dem Weg dorthin durchgef\u00fchrt, um sicherzustellen, dass nach der ersten Etappe keine eingenommen wurden. Remisk war einfach so gut.\n\nDann muss es mir besser gehen.\n\nSie dr\u00fcckte ihren Motor bis an seine Grenzen und \u00fcberschritt sichere Werte, ganz zum Leidwesen ihres Crewchefs. Er flehte sie an, sich zur\u00fcckzuziehen, den zweiten oder dritten Platz einzunehmen, riskiere nicht, dein Schiff so schnell f\u00fcr so wenig Belohnung zu sprengen. Kleine Belohnung, von wegen!\n\nSie hatte die Pole Position eingenommen, und sie wollte allen mitteilen, dass es kein Zufall war, dass Hypatia Darring hier war, um zu bleiben. Sie wollte ihr nicht das Leben geben - die Medien - Mahlgut f\u00fcr ihre Fr\u00e4se.\n\nSie rollte den Lauf und lie\u00df sich durch die Drehung ihrer M50 wie eine Schraube nach vorne drehen. Remisk, aus Angst, dass er selbst geschnitten w\u00fcrde, bewegte sich ganz leicht nach links, und Darring st\u00fcrzte sich. Sie zog an seiner Seite und lie\u00df ihr Schiff ruhen. Sie schlug ihre Triebwerke wieder und sp\u00fcrte, wie sie ihre Unzufriedenheit durch ihre Arme und H\u00e4nde beklagten. Ihr Stock zitterte, ihre Hitzewarnungen blitzten. Sie konnte es durch ihren ganzen K\u00f6rper sp\u00fcren, und es gab in der ganzen Galaxie kein Gef\u00fchl daf\u00fcr. Es war etwas, das ihr Vater vergessen hatte. Er war selbst ein guter Kampfpilot, oder zumindest war er in seiner Jugend. Aber er hatte zu viel von seinem Leben in langsamen Riesen wie Zerst\u00f6rern, Kreuzern und Schlachtschiffen verbracht. Er hatte vergessen, wie es war, Fleisch zu prickeln, als starke G-Kr\u00e4fte drohten, deine Haut von den Knochen zu rei\u00dfen. Guul verstand es. Remisk hat es sicherlich getan. Und selbst dieser traurige Hurensohn Mo'tak verstand das ekstatische Gef\u00fchl der Geschwindigkeit.\n\nSie fuhr voraus. Sie nahm den n\u00e4chsten Ring einwandfrei, bewegte sich gegen die Tr\u00e4gheit und rollte durch den n\u00e4chsten Ring, der unmittelbar nach dem letzten erschien. Der letzte Ring war in der Ferne gro\u00df. Ihr Crewchef, seine Einstellung \u00e4nderte sich pl\u00f6tzlich, bellte \"Los! Los! Los!\" in ihr Ohr. Sie l\u00e4chelte. Sie hatte die richtige Entscheidung getroffen. Sie hat es definitiv verdient, hier unter den Gro\u00dfen zu sein.\n\nRemisk zog sich \u00fcber sie hoch und gab ihr offensichtlich den ersten Platz. Sie hielt ihren Kurs vorw\u00e4rts und stark und lie\u00df ihre Warnsysteme schreien. Sie kicherte wie ein Kind und nahm das Lob ihres Chefs an. Die Blinklichter des letzten Rings machten sie diesmal nicht schwach oder krank. Sie begr\u00fc\u00dfte sie fr\u00f6hlich.\n\nDann kam ein Schatten \u00fcber sie und verdunkelte ihr Cockpit. Es war Remisk, seine M50, die neues Leben fand und ihr Schiff \u00fcberholte. In ihrer Freude hatte Darring nicht bemerkt, dass ihr Daumen den Druck auf ihr Gaspedal verringert hatte, und sie hatte sich nur leicht verlangsamt. Verlangsamt genug, damit Remisk sein Schiff nach oben und \u00fcber ihren Rumpf schwenken und sich mit seinen Haupttriebwerken direkt vor ihrem Cockpit platzieren kann. Darring versuchte, ihre Geschwindigkeit und ihren Kurs beizubehalten, aber Remisk trat seinen Schub und warf eine Gicht aus gelbem Feuer \u00fcber ihre Cockpitfenster.\n\nDarring rollte nach links. Es war ein schwerer Fehler. Sie versuchte, ihre Position wiederzufinden, dr\u00fcckte ihren Daumen tief in das Gaspedal, aber es war zu sp\u00e4t. Ykonde Remisk durchlief den letzten Ring auf Platz eins. Der R\u00e4cher und ein anderer Rennfahrer belegten die Pl\u00e4tze zwei und drei, w\u00e4hrend Darring, ihr Schiff, das unkontrolliert durch den letzten Ring rollte, kaum Vierter wurde.\n\nWIRD FORTGESETZT......","zh_CN":"Writer\u2019s Note: Part one of The Cup was published originally in Jump Point 1.8.\nHello everyone, and welcome once again to GSN Spectrum Broadcasting\u2019s continuing coverage of the Murray Cup Race. The MCR, or The Cup as it is more commonly known, is one of the finest sporting events in the UEE. Nearly 100 racers compete in the Classic Division\u2019s grueling 10-stage run, which winds its way through Ellis system\u2019s many wondrous planets and dual asteroid belts. Racers compete to determine who\u2019s the fastest and strongest, as they struggle to maintain the integrity of their racecraft amid some of the deadliest conditions in the Empire. This year\u2019s competition promises to be one of the toughest, as the top 25 share in a meet-and-greet with media and sponsors in GSN\u2019s sports atrium in orbit above Green. Though many come to race, only a few are considered real contenders, and those contenders are now awaiting their chance for glory and honor.\n\nThis year\u2019s darling is Ykonde Remisk, a Human who surprised everyone by winning both the Goss Invitational and the Cassini 500. He comes into the MCR with a real chance to be the first racer to win the Triple Crown in twelve years. Then there is Nyan\u0101l Mo\u2019tak Xu.oa, the finest Xi\u2019an racer in the history of the sport. If he prevails, he will be the first to ever win three MCRs in a row.\n\nZogat Guul, the old Tevarin warhorse, can\u2019t be counted out, either. This legend has won the MCR more than anyone else in its history, but fate and bad luck have prevented him from winning a major event in over five years. His second place finish at the Cassini 500, however, has brought his name back to prominence. Can he win it once more before he fades away?\n\nAnd finally, newcomer Hypatia Darring has turned heads by taking the pole position away from Remisk. She has never won a major racing event in her short career, but her consistent top ten showings for the last two years indicate that her pole position is no fluke. Can this youngster handle the enormous pressure placed upon her? Only time will tell . . .\n\nLet\u2019s throw it back to GSN reporter Mike Crenshaw, who is making his way through the reception as we speak. Who do you have for us now, Mike?\n\nHypatia Darring didn\u2019t even notice the reporter\u2019s question as she stared across the busy reception floor. The Tevarin looked lean and elegant amid a gaggle of reporters who crowded around him. Part of her felt like joining the crowd. I should feel the need to whip his ass, to blow past him on the final stage, to force his ship into an asteroid. That would be the feelings of a great racer, a great competitor, one focused and ready to win. But no. Try as she might, she could not feel that way toward this legend who stood only a few meters away. Much to her sorrow, she hadn\u2019t had a chance to speak with him when their paths could have crossed at Cassini. Now, she had to find the time. She fought the urge to walk across the room, push past the media hounds, invite him to dinner, and ask him to sign the worn, faded, dog-eared poster of him in his youth \u2014 standing proudly next to his silver M50 \u2014 still hanging on her hab wall.\n\nShe shook her head and blinked. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. Say again?\u201d\n\nMike Crenshaw cleared his throat. \u201cDo you think Admiral Darring is proud of his daughter?\u201d Darring clenched her teeth and forced a smile. \u201cOf course he is. Why wouldn\u2019t he be?\u201d\n\n\u201cHe has stated publicly, more than once, that he believes you are wasting your talents as a racer. That you should drop all this \u2018nonsense\u2019 \u2014 his word \u2014 and pursue a more fitting career in the UEE Navy.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy father has never been one to restrain his opinions,\u201d she said, taking tentative steps toward Guul. \u201cBut if you really want to know the answer to that question, you should ask him yourself.\u201d\n\nAnother reporter fought her way in. \u201cAlice Frannif, Terra Gazette . . . taking the pole position from Ykonde Remisk was a marvelous achievement. How did you do it?\u201d\n\nHer smile was genuine. \u201cLuck.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, come now, Hypatia,\u201d Crenshaw said, regaining the floor. \u201cAchieving a time one point five seconds off the record is hardly luck. How\u2019d you do it?\u201d\n\nShe chuckled. \u201cPatience, dedication, focus and an acute attention to detail. That, plus the fastest damned M50 on the circuit. All things I\u2019m sure my father would appreciate.\u201d\n\nThe reporters laughed and hastily transcribed notes. Darring made a few more steps toward Guul.\n\n\u201cMs. Darring,\u201d another reporter interceded, \u201chow do you intend on maintaining your \u2018luck,\u2019 as you put it, through the entire race? Ten stages, all timed, many with narrow, dangerous channels, especially through the asteroid belts. You\u2019ll be racing neck-and-neck with some of the finest racers in history. Being a relative newcomer, how do you intend on handling the pressure, maintaining your good start, and ultimately winning the cup?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s a natural!\u201d\n\nAll turned, including Darring, and found Mo\u2019tak Xu.oa, the Xi\u2019an, dressed in a bright purple jumpsuit, standing among a pool of sycophants who followed him to every event. Some of them were ex-GSN reporters, now under full employment by the Xu.oa house, captured by his fame, notoriety and wealth.\n\nDarring controlled her scowl as the stout Xi\u2019an stopped a few feet from her. \u201cShe\u2019s a natural,\u201d Mo\u2018tak repeated, to make sure the reporters could record his reply. He was shorter than Darring by a centimeter or two \u2014 which was still unusually tall for his race \u2014 but his cool, amber eyes scanned her face carefully His powerful jaw muscles pulled back in a tight approximation of a smile. \u201cShe\u2019ll win it by being the best racer on the circuit.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you really believe that?\u201d Crenshaw asked. \u201cShe\u2019s the best?\u201d\n\nMo\u2018tak nodded slowly, diplomatically, his eyes affixed on Darring. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have said it if I didn\u2019t.\u201d He blinked. \u201cHow are you, my dear? Rested from your trials at Cassini?\u201d\n\n\u201cRested enough,\u201d she replied, beneath her breath. The reporters leaned in to hear. \u201cBut you should know all about that.\u201d\n\nMo\u2018tak waved her off as if she were his lesser. \u201cThe dangers of the trade, my dear. I did what I had to do to gain advantage.\u201d\n\nDarring nodded. \u201cBut you didn\u2019t win, did you? Cutting me off in a move that, technically, was illegal, only gave you third place.\u201d\n\n\u201cStill, a better finish than you.\u201d Mo\u2018tak chuckled. His devotees did the same. \u201cThe Cassini is not all that important to me, my dear. The MCR is the crown jewel. You\u2019ll understand that in time . . . if you last long enough.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan we get a picture of the two of you side-by-side?\u201d a reporter piped up. The rest confirmed that desire with exaggerated nodding.\n\nMo\u2018tak turned to the crowd, preening for all to see. \u201cOf course you may have a picture,\u201d he said, offering his hand to Darring in goodwill. \u201cI\u2019m honored to be a part of this great tradition. The MCR is dear to my heart, and with such brilliant competition, like Hypatia Darring here, this year\u2019s race will be one to remember.\u201d\n\nHypatia took his hand cautiously. She wrapped her fingers around his broad palm. Forcing herself to relax, she turned toward the reporters to let them take their pictures and ask their questions.\n\nBut then Mo\u2018tak began to squeeze, and squeeze, and squeeze until she felt the small delicate bones in her hand giving beneath the pressure. She squeezed back against it, but that didn\u2019t provide much relief as Mo\u2018tak continued to grip. Don\u2019t cringe, she said to herself. Don\u2019t cry. Don\u2019t give him the satisfaction. But the pain spread up her arm, into her shoulder, through her neck. God, he\u2019s trying to break my hand. He\u2019s . . .\n\nHe released, and the pain subsided. She sighed and wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead with her other hand.\n\nCrenshaw was about to ask another question, but then someone spotted Ykonde Remisk, and they all scurried in his direction.\n\nAt her side, Mo\u2018tak chuckled. \u201cWe are only as important to them as our last quote.\u201d The Xi\u2019an turned to her again.\n\nThis time he didn\u2019t offer his hand. He winked. \u201c.athl\u2019\u0113\u2019kol to you, my zealous competitor. Safe travel. I\u2019ll see you down the line.\u201d\n\nMo\u2018tak disappeared into the doting arms of his fans. As he walked away, Darring caught the eye of a lean, surly-looking fellow who maintained a watchful position behind his employer. He nodded at her. She ignored him and imagined driving a knife into Mo\u2018tak\u2019s back.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t let him get to you.\u201d\n\nThe voice was soft and amiable. Darring turned to greet it.\n\nThere he stood, towering over her. In his shadow, she felt truly small, both in stature and in status. Zogat Guul radiated a kindness and a quiet experience that steadied her rage. She offered her sore hand humbly. He took it without complaint.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t let that pompous twit get under your skin. He\u2019s infamous for his mind games.\u201d With a quick grin, he snapped into formal posture, as if he were greeting an officer, thrusting his chest out though it was wrapped comfortably in a black-and-gold half-coat. \u201cMy name is Zogat \u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cI know who you are,\u201d Darring interrupted, embarrassed immediately by her rudeness. \u201cIt\u2019s an honor to meet you. It\u2019s a dream I\u2019ve had since I was a kid.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd I have been following your career with great interest.\u201d He took her by the arm and began to lead her toward a table filled with three large punch bowls and an assortment of seafood appetizers. They walked slowly. \u201cYou are rising steadily on the circuit. Your name is on the lips of many. Your fifth place showing at Cassini was quite impressive, especially for someone so young.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you. It would have been even more impressive had I won, if Mo\u2018tak hadn\u2019t forced me back.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou let him get too close,\u201d he said, with no malice or indictment in his tone. \u201cYou had the inside lane, but you slowed down to spar with him.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe pissed me off!\u201d\n\nGuul stopped, \u201cSuch behavior may be tolerated in the smaller, roundabout races like Cassini. But not here. Here, such raw emotion will get you expelled or killed. True, there are stages along the way where the racing will be tight, where you will have to maneuver for position. But speed matters the most here . . . speed and time. Remember, Hypatia Darring, the one most important fact about the Murray Cup: Speed is life.\u201d He tilted his head to side. \u201cSpeed is life . . . or death, if you are going in the wrong direction.\u201d\n\nShe laughed at that, letting the seriousness of his words trickle away. \u201cWe will speak no more of these things now,\u201d he said, resuming their course toward the food table. \u201cWe will have further opportunities to talk later, when the lamprey are not so thick and hungry.\u201d He ignored the wave of a reporter nearby. \u201cEvery word we speak here is interpreted and reinterpreted until, in the end, they will make us lovers in the eyes of the public.\u201d\n\nDarring forced a wry smile. \u201cSorry . . . you\u2019re not my type.\u201d\n\nGuul let out a hearty laugh. He shook his head. \u201cStory of my life.\u201d He quickened his pace toward the food. \u201cNow come, and treat me to a glass of the greatest gift Humans have bestowed upon the galaxy.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d Darring asked.\n\nGuul smacked his lips. \u201cLemonade.\u201d\n\n* * *\n\nMo\u2018tak crushed the thin shell of the jumbo shrimp in his mouth. He did not bother shucking it as a feeble Human might do. Blast this Human food anyway! What he wouldn\u2019t give to be back at the family complex, gorging to contentment on huge handfuls of fermented needlefish. Their gallbladders had a bile that was as sweet \u2014 no, sweeter \u2014 than anything a Human might concoct. Nothing on the table before him was actually enjoyable in his superior opinion, but he tolerated it as best he could, smiling humbly as he picked at this dish or that for the benefit of the media. Mo\u2018tak nodded at a Human reporter as she walked by.\n\nHumans had their uses.\n\nAnd so did the one that stood now in the center of the media frenzy. Why weren\u2019t the reporters surrounding him, asking him questions, begging him to divulge his secrets for winning the race, just as they had asked Darring? These damned Humans and their inferiority complex! So unwilling to recognize Xi\u2019an superiority. But Mo\u2018tak was the best racer that had ever climbed into a cockpit, and his perfectly modified 350r, with its purple hull and reinforced golden-striped wings would do what no other racer had ever done: win the MCR three consecutive times. Neither Remisk, nor Guul, nor Darring could claim such a feat. So, why weren\u2019t the GSN nya\u2022osen\u2019p.u surrounding him?\n\nBut perhaps that was best, he reconsidered, popping another shrimp in his mouth and sipping on a warm, frothless beer. Let Ykonde Remisk have his moment in the spotlight. Let the media have their favorites. For when they fall, when they fail to live up to the hype, Mo\u2018tak\u2019s victory will seem that much sweeter. Yes, let them bask . . . then let them fall. And I will see that they fall hard.\n\n\u201cIs everything in place?\u201d he whispered to an underling at his side.\n\n\u201cYes, sir. Your maintenance crews are dispersed through the Ellis system per your specifications and per the MCR guidelines.\u201d\n\nMo\u2018tak scratched his neck in frustration. \u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant.\u201d\n\nThe underling gulped and wiggled his head. \u201cYes, that matter we spoke of has been taken care of as well. But I would recommend against it, sir. The risk is too great, and besides, Mo\u2018tak does not need to rely on such things. He is the best racer on the circuit.\u201d\n\n\u201cI do not pay you to give me such advice or praise. I pay you to do what you\u2019re told. Now go, and make sure everything is ready as I have instructed.\u201d He put his beer down. \u201cAnd I will go and remind the \u2018favorite\u2019 of his obligation to me.\u201d\n\nThe underling nodded and ran off to do his duty. Mo\u2018tak sighed deeply, put on his happy face, and walked confidently toward the madness surrounding Ykonde Remisk.\n\n* * *\n\nShe loved her Origin M50 Turbo more than life. Banged up, scratched, red and white paint slopped on to cover a hull that needed an integrity sweep, but there had been no time for any of that after Cassini. Nor had she won enough credits yet for such repairs, not with having to pay for transport ships and her pit crew. But what of it? The power plant was sound, the thrusters new and top notch. In a pinch, she doubted that any racer, anywhere, could match it. Certainly, none of the other twenty-four challengers behind her \u2014 including Guul \u2014 could beat her in a straightaway. But the MCR had few straightaways. Hull integrity mattered.\n\nAs her crew chief rattled off the final systems check in her ear, Darring pulled up the map for the first stage. It appeared with a bright blink to display row after row of rings winding their way through low orbit above Ellis III. Darring studied the rings carefully, reminding herself which ones were large, which were small, where the cameras and timer buoys were located. All racers were required to stay within the \u201cinvisible\u201d lane running through the rings; if a racer strayed outside, he or she would lose time. This first stage was both timed and awarded extra credits to first, second and third place. Having the pole position, then, gave her an advantage. But for how long? Darring leaned over in her seat and studied the course carefully.\n\nIt was not unlike one stretch of the Goss Invitational, so she had ample experience with this kind of run. Her M50 was built for strenuous zigs and zags through tight spots. But how well would she fare later on, when the courses got more deadly, more strenuous?\n\nFrom Ellis III, the racers quantumed to Ellis IV where the so-called Seahorse Shuffle took place. Then on to Ellis V and the \u201cNoble Endeavour.\u201d After that, it was through the first of two asteroid belts, a course called The Sorrow Sea, where hulls of previous racers floated as obstacles. Then around the gas giant, Walleye, where ships could be easily ripped apart by one foolish move. A longer stage followed, across the outer asteroid belt (formerly Ellis XI) and finally to Ellis XII. Then the race turned back toward the heart of the system to finished at Ellis VIII. She had run this race before, but never as a true contender, and thus she had taken her time, flown each stage slow and steady, like a marathon runner, to learn all the ins and outs. This time, though, the pressure was on. She held the pole position, the top spot. Everything was different now.\n\nThe MCR starter\u2019s voice crackled over the comm link. \u201cRacers, prepare for launch.\u201d\n\nDarring closed the map, affirmed the standard agreement to MCR rules and regulations in unison with the other racers, strapped herself in, and gave a small prayer. She was not religious by any stretch, but figured it wouldn\u2019t hurt. The prayer calmed her nerves as the bay doors of the starting carrier opened to space.\n\nShe could see Ellis III through the door. It was beautiful, green, its orbit peppered with corvettes and pleasure craft of the well-to-do who had come out to view the race firsthand. There would be plenty of spectators along the way, a lot of media, and Darring had to just put them all out of her mind. She focused on Zogat Guul\u2019s words \u2014 Speed is life \u2014 and looked back through one of her cockpit panels to try to get a glimpse of the Tevarin\u2019s upgraded Hornet. But he was too far back. All she could see was Ykonde Remisk\u2019s M50, with its garish gold and blue trim. She noticed that he was too close to her; by rule, there was a specified distance that racers had to maintain prior to launch: the privilege of the pole position.\n\nShe gnashed her teeth and cursed beneath her breath. Someone was already violating rules.\n\n\u201cHypatia Darring . . . you may launch.\u201d\n\nShe didn\u2019t even wait for the spokesman to finish. Darring burst out the carrier bay door at top legal speed.\n\nThrough a narrow channel flanked by media and spectators, Darring flew the ceremonial lap. The rest of the racers followed behind, releasing one after another, but maintaining their specified positions within the line. Ahead of her, the pace craft sparkled with a flashing red light. Nervous energy spotted her brow with sweat. Her crew chief gave his final comments and instructions. She signed him off and focused on the course ahead of her.\n\nIn her ear, the MCR starter counted down \u2014 ten, nine, eight . . . Darring thrust to the left, trying to keep directly behind the pace craft. Ykonde Remisk was right on her six, the nose of his racer dangerously close. Back off! Darring mouthed silently, wanting to flip on her comm link and tune to his frequency. It wasn\u2019t strictly against MCR rules to speak to other racers, but officials discouraged it, fearing that frequent conversation during the race could produce distractions that would lead to crashes and injuries. Besides, there was enough chatter going on between racers and their crews. Still, Darring wanted to open a channel and scream into Remisk\u2019s ear, Get off my back!\n\nFive . . . four . . . three . . .\n\nNow, all the racers tightened as the pacer made the last turn to set them up toward the first rings. Darring gunned it a little herself, closing in on the pacer. She put herself now just a little to the right of it, to keep Remisk from rushing past her at the last minute. Darring\u2019s heart raced, her hands shook on her joystick. She tried concentrating on the small object that grew and grew in her viewport: The first ring, its rotating lights swirling around its virtual frame, signaling the beginning . . .\n\nTwo . . . one . . .\n\nThe red lights on the pacer flashed green, and it fell to the left quickly, breaking formation.\n\nDarring pressed herself into her seat, gunned her thrusters, and blew through the first ring.\n\n* * *\n\nThe flashing lights of the rings caused her eyes to ache.\n\nThey flew by her quickly and she was concentrating on them too much, too worried about her time, her position in the line. She had fallen to third place by count of the last timing ring. It had been her fault, too, worrying so much about conserving fuel, letting some pilot with a overclocked Avenger take the inside lane. Her crew chief yelled at her for it; she ignored him. The little shit was right, of course, but he was an old academy friend of her father\u2019s, and she was in no mood to listen to him yell at her. Besides, she could overtake an Avenger at any time.\n\nThe real focus of her recovery had to be Ykonde Remisk.\n\nThe smarmy son of a bitch had forced her against the left wall of the tunnel they were speeding through. Her wing had actually broken the virtual plane, and the voice of the MCR caller came over her comm . . . \u201cTen seconds added to your time.\u201d Damn! Remisk\u2019s press was not strictly against the rules since his ship had not touched hers, but it was certainly dirty pool and against the spirit of the competition. She had no way out of the pick-and-roll either; it was as if he and the Avenger pilot were in cahoots. That wouldn\u2019t surprise her in the least.\n\nShe refocused and thrust her M50 forward, dipping beneath the Avenger and slipping past it on the low. It tried muscling her back, pointing its right wing down to mask her view, but Darring anticipated the move, shifted in kind, and kept her position and composure. Meanwhile, the Avenger pilot had lost his focus on the lane ahead of him, and failed to notice the ring closing fast and to the left. Darring hit her thrusters hard and shifted left, at the last minute moving out of the Avenger\u2019s path. Darring took the turn and ring perfectly; the Avenger saw it too late, tried to adjust, and clipped the ring with its left wing. It broke the invisible plane of the tunnel and then overcompensated into a spin through the void.\n\nEat that!\n\nShe hoped that somewhere behind her, Guul was cheering. She could almost hear his resonant voice singing her praises. She liked the thought, but the most pressing concern now was right in front of her.\n\nRemisk had been pushing his craft at full speed the entire course. How was that possible? she wondered. Sure, he had customized his M50 like all the rest, removing everything extraneous for extra fuel and cooling equipment, but he must be running on fumes by now after boosting like that. There was no other explanation. He would have to burn out soon, and the sooner the better.\n\nShe ignored the three other racers pressing hard at her six. She took the next ring and the next, letting the strong inertia pull and propel her craft forward. That was the best way to avoid overheating, she had learned racing around Saturn. Release thrust on the turns, and let your craft drift at top speed into the vector. Then you had enough thrust to pick up the few seconds you might have lost on drift. This racing gig was a game of milliseconds, and each one counted.\n\nShe moved up behind Remisk, taking advantage of the last straightaway before the final turns through the ultimate three rings. There was not much time left, and she had to make her move now.\n\nShe tried shifting up and over his craft. He moved to block her. She shifted down; he moved again, in perfect unison, their ships equal size. She shifted left, right, and each time Remisk moved to counter. How is he doing this?\n\nHe was a great racer. There was no doubt of that. He was strong, athletic and cool-headed. Remisk had not gotten where he was on the circuit without being smart and precise. But his moves, his instincts were almost supernatural, as if his senses were enhanced. But that was impossible.\n\nEvery racer went through a rigorous medical exam to ensure that no drugs had been introduced before the race, and further testing would be conducted along the way to ensure none had been taken after the first stage. Remisk was just that good.\n\nThen I have to be better.\n\nShe pushed her engine to its limit, exceeding safe levels, much to the ire of her crew chief. He implored her to back off, take second or third place, don\u2019t risk blowing your ship so soon for so little reward. Little reward, my ass!\n\nShe had taken the pole position, and she was going to let everyone know that it was not some fluke, that Hypatia Darring was here to stay. She wouldn\u2019t give her fath\u2013 the media \u2014 grist for their mill.\n\nShe barrel rolled, letting the rotation of her M50 spiral her forward like a screw. Remisk, fearing that he would be clipped himself, shifted ever so slightly to his left, and Darring pounced. She pulled alongside him, letting her craft settle. She punched her thrusters again, feeling them wail their discontent through her arms and hands. Her stick was shaking, her heat warnings blaring. She could feel it all through her body, and there was, in all the galaxy, no feeling like it. It was something her father had forgotten. He was a good fighter pilot himself, or at least he was in his youth. But he had spent too much of his life in slow giants like destroyers, cruisers and battleships. He had forgotten what it was like to feel flesh tingle as strong g-forces threatened to rip your skin from its bones. Guul understood it. Remisk most certainly did. And even that sorry son of a bitch Mo\u2018tak understood the ecstatic feeling of sheer speed.\n\nShe pulled ahead. She took the next ring flawlessly, shifting against inertia and rolling through the next ring, which appeared immediately after the last. The final ring loomed large in the distance. Her crew chief, his attitude suddenly changed, barked \u201cGo! Go!\u201d into her ear. She smiled. She\u2019d made the right decision. She most definitely deserved to be here racing among the greats.\n\nRemisk pulled up above her, obviously giving her first place. She kept her course forward and strong, letting her warning systems holler. She giggled like a child, accepting praise from her chief. The flashing lights of the last ring did not make her weak or sick this time. She welcomed them happily.\n\nThen a shadow came up over her, darkening her cockpit. It was Remisk, his M50 finding new life and overtaking her ship. In her joy, Darring had not realized that her thumb had lightened its pressure on her throttle, and she had slowed just slightly. Slowed enough for Remisk to swing his craft up and over her hull and plant itself, with its main thrusters, right in front of her cockpit. Darring tried keeping her speed and course, but Remisk kicked his boost and threw a gout of yellow fire across her cockpit windows.\n\nDarring rolled left. It was a serious mistake. She tried regaining her position, pressed her thumb deeply into the throttle, but it was too late. Ykonde Remisk passed through the final ring in first place. The Avenger and one other racer took second and third, while Darring, her ship rolling uncontrollably through the last ring, barely finished fourth.\n\nTO BE CONTINUED\u2026"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":20,"created_at":"2018-02-28T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"8 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-07 23:27:54","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":16434,"next_id":16437}}