Riders of the Sky (Part 2)
Posted on Wed Sep 20th, 2023 @ 4:58am by Commodore Tohru Honda & Captain Maho Takahashi & Captain Shimakaze Zh'gero & Commander Keisuke Takahashi 'K.T.' & Commander Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke & Takeshi Nakazato 'Zack'
1,441 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
The Fast & The Fleet
Timeline: After 'Riders of the Sky (Part 1)'
Previously, on Star Trek: Myogi:
Though his move had appeared amateur, it was all part of Hatsuzuki's plan to gather intel on his opponent, and he quickly fell back in line to make his feint seem convincing:
"Good, that's all I need to know:" Hatsuzuki muttered. "He'll never see my counterattack coming! Doriyah!"
Hatsuzuki shifted into a higher gear and fire shot from the FC's exhaust as the cars entered the switchback and left the line of sight of Mio and Minna.
"An overtake attempt from the outside?" Minna asked. "Surely, someone who lost to a holographic duplicate of the White Comet of Akagi would know better."
"I think you underestimate his conviction." Mio responded. "That looked like a feint to me. If he had genuinely tried for it, he might have crashed. Instead, he just briefly moved over into a different part of his opponent's field of vision to see how they would react. It's a common trick in shuttle racing. Perhaps ground car racing really isn't all that different after all.."
And now, the continuation:
At the turnaround point, formerly the goal, Takeshi and Teruzuki were among those gathered to see what would happen. The sound of the two rotary engines and the squealing tires had grown steadily closer, and now, the glow of headlights appeared from around the final corner.
"This is the turnaround point! I have a visual!" The lookout radioed down to Tohru. "The FD is out in front, but- Hold on! What's this?"
As the two cars approached the turnaround, the FC broke the line, drawing alongside the FD as the cone rocketed up.
"It's gonna be a drag race!"
The two cars were neck and neck, and both drivers went to the brakes simultaneously to begin their pivot around the cone. However, it was Hatsuzuki who started the pivot first, and as such, he was able to claim the tighter pivot line than Keisuke, and all Keisuke could do was grimace as he was forced to go wider, allowing Hatsuzuki to overtake him and start off down the hill first.
"I... I don't believe what I just saw!" The stunned lookout reported. "The FC just overtook the FD!"
Takeshi lowered his head and smirked.
Not bad for a driver of a piece of crap rotary: He thought.
"Hah! Nobody expects an FC to move like that, especially not against its younger brother!" Hatsuzuki commented. "But fortunately for them, I am a man who is full of surprises! And now that I have the lead, I can race and win this my own way!"
Keisuke and Hatsuzuki hadn't been on the downhill long when Hatsuzuki started chucking the FC around the corners at full tilt.
"So, you want to play the drift game now, huh?" Keisuke asked aloud. "Well, I'm more than happy to engage you on that front!"
Keisuke kicked in his clutch and downshifted, guiding the FD into a drift behind the FC.
As the cars made their way back towards Mio and Minna's position, the squealing of tires had become much greater. As the headlights appeared up the switchback, the answer soon became clear as the two RX-7s tandem drifted past the command staff of the Akina, leaving both Mio and Minna speechless at what they had just witnessed.
"It's drift-on-drift!" The lookout reported. "These guys are nuts!"
Hatsuzuki must have the lead by now. Shimakaze thought. His flamboyance is starting to shine through. Just remember, Hatsuzuki, not to waste your tires' grip: Keisuke Takahashi is a master of saving his tires even while running at full tilt, and you'll need all the grip you can get to stave him off...
"People don't give a mixed uphill/downhill run the credit it deserves!" Hatsuzuki thought. "By the time you reach the turnaround at the top of the hill, your tires are starting to run low on grip, so a little more inertia and power is all that's needed to pull of a drift at this point in the battle."
Hatsuzuki heel-toe downshifted and slid around the next corner.
"Also, Keisuke Takahashi is known for his ability to overtake in crazy ways." Hatsuzuki commented. "So, it's better to close as much overtaking gaps as possible on the downhill section."
You're lucky that I'm a proponent of fighting drift with drift. Keisuke thought as he followed Hatsuzuki in another tandem drift. It just so happens that drifting is my specialty!
At the bottom, a debate was beginning to circulate on who was going to win now that both cars were in a drift-on-drift free-for-all:
"Keisuke's ability to save his tires even while going at full tilt is something of a freak of nature!"
"But, then again, Hatsuzuki is at his fastest when he's going sideways!"
Come on, babe; don't let these fuckers tie us a third time! Maho thought.
As the corners wound on, it became apparent that Hatsuzuki was starting to understeer as he drifted, and as a result, he was having to recover from drifts prematurely.
"I've raced good and hard, and the understeer at this late stage is what I have to show for it!" Hatsuzuki said. "But, that doesn't mean I'm out of the question just yet!"
Keisuke had started to notice the understeer about halfway down the course, but as the goal began to get closer and closer, the understeer became greater and greater, and with it, passing opportunities began to arise.
However, Keisuke felt that successfully overtaking was off the table until they began to approach the final sets of corners, at which point a plan clicked into place in Keisuke's head.
Got it! Keisuke thought. It's risky, but I should be able to take him on a right hander a couple corners before the finish line!
The corner in question had a long straightaway leading up to it, and Keisuke pulled alongside the FC to position himself on the outside when the road bent.
"What the-?" Hatsuzuki gasped.
As the straightaway became the right hander, Keisuke maneuvered across Hatsuzuki's drift path. Though Hatsuzuki tried his best to avoid a collision, that corner the understeer got particularly bad, and the FC and FD made body contact.
The contact knocked Keisuke loose, and his left rear quarter panel smacked the guardrail, but Keisuke was able to save his overtake, completing it successfully as he drifted into the final switchback leading to the goal.
As the two cars came out of the final corner, Hatsuzuki tried for one last full throttle push, but Keisuke still retained the lead by half a car length as the two RX-7's blew past Tohru.
"Winner: Keisuke Takahashi! Score: NightKids - 6, SpeedStars - 4!" Tohru declared.
After crossing the line, both drivers went hard on their brakes and slowed down at the turnaround point, at which point Keisuke drove back to the line in front of Hatsuzuki. As he approached, he lowered his window and triumphantly raised his fist out of it.
As the NightKids members and fans cheered for Keisuke's victory, Maho was among the first to approach Keisuke's car as it pulled to a stop and the lights and engine shut off.
As Keisuke unbuckled his seatbelts and got out, his wife pulled him into an embrace.
"You did it, babe!" Maho said, kissing him. "You totally showed that Andorian what for, and I don't have to disown you now!"
"Were you ever going to?" Keisuke asked. "Besides, I really think this should go into a second round: I only won by like half a car length."
"Other races have been won by far closer margins than this one." Hatsuzuki commented, stepping from his car. "I must decline taking this into a second round. We might be able to reset my equipment because it's a simulation, but the only way to reset my fatigue is for me to get some sleep. Anyway, sorry about that contact we made. That was purely because of the understeer, and I didn't intend anything malicious."
"Apology accepted." Keisuke said, turning to Maho. "Now, let's just hope Commander Misono can further our lead..."
Posting by
Commodore Tohru Honda
Task Force Jomo Commanding Officer
Captain Maho Takahashi
Commanding Officer
USS Myogi
Captain Shimakaze Zh'gero
Commanding Officer
USS Haruna
Commander Keisuke Takahashi
Second Officer
USS Myogi
Commander Hatsuzuki Th'gero
Second Officer
USS Haruna
Commander Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke
Commanding Officer
USS Akina
Commander Mio Sakamoto
Executive Officer
USS Akina
Takeshi Nakazato
Disgraced Starfleet Officer
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