Save'ena - Administrative Leave - Leguna Raceway

Posted on Thursday 31 May 2018 @ 18:30 by 1st Lieutenant Cara O'Reilly MD & Commander Save'ena (Sav) Tillatix

Mission: Academy Days
Location: San Fransisco Leguna Raceway
Timeline: 0959 hours, September 30th, 2389 SD65414.99
2005 words - 4 OF Standard Post Measure

On:

Sav sat in the Stratos, as the hoverspeeder was named. It, she to Sav, was a finely tuned hoverspeeder with fail-safes and added protections for allowing amateur drivers to experience the thrill of racing. Ahead of her, she was waiting for the countdown marker to activate and let her loose on the track.

As she waited, she thought back to how she got here. First, she was on Administrative and Medical leave from the Academy until the inquest, in another week. The investigation was being wrapped up, and there were now two sets of evidence in the mix, one showing her side of the story, and one showing the Seniors side. Thrown into the mix was the girls backing up the Seniors, kind of, yet their interviews backed up Sav, even though it was too long a time for when bloodwork was drawn to check for the roofie that took them out. Fortunate for Sav, or unfortunate for Sav, her body had a higher healing ability and she came out of the roofie in 65% of the time, and, well, the rest of what happened is in evidence.

Sav had been feeling fidgety, anxious, and needing to get some stress relief in. Normally, back home, she would go to the starport and take a shuttle out flying, to go outbound among the asteroids and chase through the momentary openings between them. The guys let her anytime she wanted, even though they didn't know what she did, nor did she tell them. But, not here, not where she wasn't 'allowed' yet. She really needed to touch and be with a companion, to meld and fully feel herself and be alive.

Then, last week she found a flyer in the student hall about Amateur weekend at Laguna Raceway, and that would be the ticket, well, for her. The old Leguna Seca had been a small 2.28 mile track way back in the day, but with hoverspeeders and the racing circuit, had become three times the size. It still had its hairpin turns and slow down corners, with the top speed being 2:20.20 for the track, with most racers not even finishing 4:46.30.

Sav put it forth to Kachiko to get out and about and go to the race, and it was approved. She left a flyer on Rina's game deck when she took out at 0530 hours that morning. She was not sure if either were here, but, she hoped they were, but also, not? She wanted the support, but, did not really want them to see her really cut loose in the hoverspeeder... they might not understand. She glanced at the stands in hope, yet trepidation.

Rina hadn't wanted to go. The noise at these kind of events was too loud for her sensitive ears. But she wanted to support Sav so she borrowed a pair of noise suppressors from the cadet down the hall who liked to fire antique revolvers and shotguns at the Academy firing range and wrapped the small earbuds with cotton so that they fit snugly in her ear canals. She found a seat midway up the stands and wrapped herself in her tail to ward off the cold wind.

She looked back at the lights. The top red went off, and she dove into the vehicle, becoming one with her companion. As the lights switched to yellow, she sensed through the redundant systems as well as the crash protection systems. She joined into the various sensors as well as taking over the other systems. She was going to push Stratos to her limit for her own personal satisfaction as this was not an official time run. Nope, this run was to get to know the vehicle, and, besides, Sav only paid for this one run, not to be part of the timers who were there. In fact, as she was a first timer, very few were paying attention as they got snacks, chatted with other drivers, set up their seats for the later speed runners starting at Noon. This was all well and fine for Sav.

She dual sensed within her mind, her spatial awareness showing the track and the air space up to 15 meters above. That was the limit, and she was going to take full advantage of that limit. Her golden thread appeared, along with three silvers and many reds. That golden thread was the run she was after. And then, the yellow tinged green, and she glided forward at max velocity to curve to power for her car.

To anyone else paying attention, the light turned green the car shot off quickly, bearing slightly left while accelerating towards the first left hairpin curve. A couple of onlookers began recording on their padds as they just knew the newcomer was going to 'wreck', i.e. stall out as the safety mechanisms took over. However, what happened next was not what was expected. The car suddenly surged its back field while braking its front field. It flipped over while rolling, such that its backend suddenly was 342 degrees from where it was and the car showed sliding around the curve and was off at a high rate of speed once more past the hairpin, heading towards the semi-gentle right hand 90 degree turn.

The car's driver managed to somehow make the backend fish out and slide at a high rate around the curve, almost like driving a wheeled vehicle, but this was a hoverspeeder. the next gentle 75 degree right turn, then the gentle but bare right then left to create a 110 degree turn were handled with higher than normal speed aplomb, even though now the hoverspeeder was acting like a hoverspeeder. Turn six was another gentle 75 degree turn which the car did not slow down for and seemed to make it look easy once more going through.

Turn 7 was a 10 degree right which went into a sharp 85 degree left and then into a sharp 85 degree right. This time the hoverspeeder slowed down some, but then shifted to the side and rolled to bring full hover to bare at a 45 from down zero, and then shifted to the other side while lightly turning, and the hoverspeeder was through turns 7, 8, and 8A will only a little loss of speed. The car speed up, then slowed down and performed another roll and shift to get through the gentler but sharp at 115 degree turn 9. Turn 10 was another sharp 80 right, but this time the car shifted and skidded through, already accelerating away be the time it left the curve. There was one final curve, a very sharp 115 degree curve with slow shift speed to get through it. However, the car performed a quick slowdown, back end lifting once more as it performed an end over with a roll, the car almost upon its side next to the race track as it shed and then gained speed. It was through the turn as it accelerated across the finish line. While it was not to be a speed run, a Clock guy had turned on the clock to shame the 'amateur' driver, only to discover the clock said 1:42:82.

The Car shifted sideways and killed its speed quickly, then drove into the pits and parked back into its designated pit area. It was only then that the time was registering with those about as well as the couple who filmed the race were sending it out onto the planetary network home amateur video sites. Multiple people descended into the pit to find out about the driver, but the driver was gone. The guidance module inside showed the route, the speeds, and that everything was in manual, but not everything that was done. This was deliberate so that people couldn't pre-program cars computers to help them in their speed runs.

Sav exited the souvenir shop with a small speed-run souvenir patch. She went up into the Premier Pit row seats to find a place and to watch more of the Amateurs. When the professionals came out, she would leave.

Rina jumped up as the crowd descended on the parked car in its designated parking area in the pit looking for the driver who broke the tracks best record. She looked around for Sav but couldn't see her car. The crowd behind her pushed her down the steps to the track then dispersed, leaving her standing alone and looking around for her friend.

Sav snorted in humor to herself as she saw the crowds about her vehicle. She knew that might happen, especially as the idiot at the timer had started it on her run, even though he was not supposed to as hers was a 'fun' lap and not a 'timed' lap. Then, she saw what looked like a familiar face in the crowd, and as they dispersed, she discovered it was a friendly face. She stood up and ran to the fence at the front of the premier seats, then waved and called out, "RINA! M'KATERINA! UP HERE! MAIN PREMIER SEATS!"

Rina waved and found her way up to her friend.

Sav had moved over to meet Rina on the stairs coming up to the seats. She gladly went into a hug with Rina, churr-laughing in happiness that her roommate came to the track. She picked her up, then jerked as she felt a twinged tearing inside. She put Rina down, ignoring the pain, and gave her a brushing kiss across her lips. Now she spewed out, "You came you came you came you came. Thank you. Ready to watch more Amateurs race?"

"I said I would," Rina laughed. "Sure. I'll stay until the noise starts to give me a headache then I will have to leave."

Sav burst out into giggles, saying, "Yeah, some of the idiots put sound boxes onto their vehicles. Hovercars don't make too much noise, fortunately." She sat down and patted the space beside her, grinning up at Rina, the invitation obvious.

Rina sat down next to her friend.

Sav shifted to be against Rina, the contact making her feel very happy. She snorted in humor at seeing people still searching around the car in the pit that broke the speed run time. She pointed it out and said, "As soon as that car parked, the driver skedaddled. I guess he, or she, just didn't want the attention. Those people still cannot believe someone would not try to hog the limelight.. and now their going to miss the next amateur track lap."

Feeling Sav's closeness took Rina's mind off the ringing in her sensitive ears from the loud noise of the race.

In front of them, a sky blue hovercar based on a model similar to the car known as the Mach V, only no wheels, of course. Sav burst into giggles, "They're going to find that car wants to go straight and not handle curves very well. A Steeple wing spoiler with groove side vents work much better for both straight and curves." She looked sideways at Rina, "Do you do any hovercar or shuttle sports?"

Rina was so mesmerized by Sav's enthusiasm that it took her a few seconds to register that Sav had asked her a question. The skin under the fur on her cheeks blushed and she simply shook her head.

Sav mistook the blush and no words as embarrasment by Rina for not being into any of those. She gave her friend a hug, then a light nip at her throat. She moved her muzzle up to Rina's ear to nuzzle, then whisper, "It's okay, not many are into those types of sports. Tell you what, after this time run, we'll head off to the city for a coffee and sightseeing, and, anywhere you want to go is fine with me."

"How about back to our room?" Rina asked, softly, knowing that Sav didn't hear her because a racer with an extra loud motor roared by at the same moment. She smiled anyway.

OFF:

Cadet Save'ena Amilia Tillatix
Apollonia Sponsored Cadet
San Fransisco StarFleet Academy

Cadet M'Katerina
First Year Student
San Fransisco StarFleet Academy