On 3/18/2019 at 2:46 PM, Tramp Graphics said:

Lei Mie grins, mischievously. "Sounds like fun," she gloats, gunning her engines.

Cormil smiles at Lei Mie's comment and checks his helmet one last time. The Nautolan and Zara, that's who I've got to watch, thinks Cormil to himself.

Glancing at the crowd still whooping with excitement, the nautolan turns back to beam at the racers. Raising both hands high he would shout out once again. "Alright, three, two, one, go!" With the final word he lets both hands drop and tucks them tight to his side.

With a roar of engines spraying sand out from behind, the racers take off. Wheeler is the first off the line, the speeder lurching forwards with a deep rumble as the engine stirs to life. She burns past the nautoloan, inches from his left, leaving Zara to pass on his right as they tear onto the course with Lie close on their heels.

Kriff is left in the dust by those on the bikes, the bulky landspeeder unable to match the acceleration of the bikes. It is the rodian that is perhaps the greatest surprise to the crowd.

With an almost flawless start his old speeder pulls ahead of the others by a good half length, though for how long it can hold this up for is another matter. He hunches low over the frame, reducing wind resistance as much as he can while remaining in control.

The torches guide the racers down a now path, leaving little to no room between them as they jostle for positions. The crowd with a cry of excitement scatter as they try to rush over the centre of the camp site to try and head them off at points around the course to continue watching the spectacle.

Hal watches as the racers take off the start line. Smiling he pulls out some of his recent stash. Taking the neutron pixie applicator he finds a seat by the make shift stage. Using he medical knowledge he finds the optimal spot for injection. He takes a deep breath and injects the drugs. He eases back and waits for the rush...

Takes two strain to activate master doctor. Does the stim application action taking four more strain. Increases his cunning for the duration of the scene by 1.

2eP+1eD: 1 success, 1 advantage [2eP=S/A, A] [1eD=Th]

Lei Mie guns her engines, rocketing off the starting line at 2/3 her swoop's top speed.

Cormil pushes the throttle forward as soon as the word "GO" is uttered. Not too much too fast, he thinks. Let the other make mistakes first.

Zara is off! She opens up putting Furiosa through her paces, jostling for rank with the other racers. Cormil in particular is off to an impressive start, and the Rodian on her other side is making the absolute best of his shabby ride.

Pleased that they are all leaving red-speeder-guy in the dust, she leans into the curve and heads for the first beacon.

Hal would feel someone bump into him as they rush around the site to try and get a better view of the race. The man would glance over his shoulder as he keep running, a large grin on his face. "You're missing it pal! Come on!"

Meanwhile the racers speed is rapidly increasing as they fight for the head of the group. Zara is just able to beat out Wheeler for the front spot by a few inches before there is the powerful roar of an engine behind them. The heft red speeder swings wide as Kriff accelerates. The landspeeder surges fowards, clipping the front of Cormil's bike as he goes. Kriff barely seems to notice as he uses his vehicles superior size he squeezes the rodian against the bonudary of the race circuit, forcing the young racer to slam his breaks on at the last minute to drop back and swing around onto the landspeeders inside. It's a nimble maneuver, and keeps the alien in contention, but as he drops back Wheeler is forced to swerve violently to avoid a collision.

Wheeler loses control with the speeder spinning off course to a halt, slamming roughly into the side of Lei's swoop. As the racer comes to a rest she punches the control panel of the bike in frustration before gunning the engine again and throwing herself back onto the course. As she ducks low over the speeders body it is clear that she is determined to get back into the race.

This leaves Zara, Kriff and the rodian dragging ahead of the race, but they still have a ways to go and it is all to play for. In the dark the torches show a sharp corner coming up as they reach the edge of the camp site. The battle for the racing line would be a tough one, especially with Kriff's tactics having been on display.

As the racers hit the sudden corner the bikes and speeder drift wide for hurtling into the corner, each looking to get as close to the apex as possible so that they can come out of the curve with the most speed. Kriff seemingly in his element grits his teeth as the large speeder almost drifts completely parallel to the corner. The young woman in the passenger seat clings onto the speeders side with a tight grip as she glances at the driver nervously. Despite his best efforts Kriff is forced onto the outside of the corner by Zara's manoeuvring, and together they block the rest of the pack behind them, barley giving an inch to pass by.

Wheeler and the Rodian are practically leaning against each other as they jostle for third place, the young alien showing surprising guts considering his nervous appearance on the start line.

The faces of the races quickly change from determination and concentration to very genuine shock as the mechanic burns through the inside of the group. Being the only one to actually accelerate into the corner, Cormil comes hurtling out in front of the group by almost a whole bike length.

Zara is so focused on keeping Kriff to the outside, that she entirely misses Cormil speeding through until it is too late! Oh no you don't!

Deftly recovering from the turn, she accelerates into the straightaway, determined to take back the lead.

As the bikes break into the straight, they can just about hear the scream of the crowd as they tear over the sand. Despite her best efforts, Wheeler is forced to watch as Zara slowly drags ahead of her. Having put so much strain on the the the bike to get back into the race, Wheeler can't afford to push it much further than she has.

As the race pack begins to string out, the toll on the Rodians bike can finally be seen as the old rusted machine rattles and shakes underneath him. It's likely that any further increase in speed would tear the whole thing apart. He is left alongside Kriff who is forced back by Zara's smart driving. Though she cannot hear it, he is cursing her name the whole way as he fights to get back into contention.

Zara and Cormil form the centre of the pack behind Wheeler, all currently fighting for second place. Ahead of the racers, the ominous ring of flame is rapidly approaching. The narrow ramp can be seen leading to the fire, but it's only wide enough for one racer. It will be a difficult fight to see who gets to risk the fires, and those who have to bottle it and knock back their speed.

Cormil's head rings as he floors the engine. I can do this, he thinks. I can do this. Zara might just think I'm a mechanic, but I'll show her I can race too.

Zara outmaneuvers the red speeder again, pushing inexorably ahead, but again she underestimates the determination of their young mechanic. Kid might make a racer, yet!

Lei Mie pulls up on the throttle a bit to make it through the ring of fire.

Zara keeps her lead and hits the ramp first, flying through the fire-ring and the finish, Wheeler right behind. Slowing and circling back around, she removes her helmet and stands on her pegs, fists raised high. "Woo-hoo!!!"

Cormil thinks, I've got this, I've got... Zara is getting really. He shouts, "Great bantha poodoo! Zara!" as he slams on the breaks to avoid getting rammed by Zara on the ramp.

As Cormil is force to break Wheeler comes blasting past as she rushes through the burning ring. The bike lands hard enough that the underside actually digs into the sand for a moment before crossing the line a couple of seconds behind Zara. It may not sound like much, but in a race like this, it was a world apart from first and second. The racer leans over the handlebars of her speeder as she drifts to a halt, panting heavily from the effort. She looks exhausted but her expression is still hidden by the helmet.

Zara receives a heroes welcome as she crosses the line. She quickly finds herself swamped by supporters all cheering and slapping her on the back as they celebrate the spectacular win. A drink is shoved into her hand by someone she loses sight of, while the nautolan from before pushes his way through the crowd toward her. With a wide grin he would pass her the credit stick with her winnings. "Good run there, you earnt this". Kriff and the rodian racer cross the line a little after the others. Despite a valiant effort, the rodian crosses the line last, his bike just about to give out. He mates are quick to grab him to celebrate though with a few jokes and a lot of laughter. He seems a little put out but not too upset all things considered.

Not everyone is so happy however. Kriff crosses the line and brings his landspeeder to a violent halt, spraying sand everywhere. He leaps out almost before the vehicle stops, leaving his passenger with a worried look on her face. He shoves his way roughly through the crowd as he makes a beeline for Zara, a look of fury on his face. "What was that? You trying to kill me?" he would shout as he reaches her. The man would square up to her, only an inch or so away as he grinds his teeth. "If you're gonna race you better learn how to drive first so you don't almost run everyone off the course!". The crowd backs away a little to form a ring around the two. You could cut the tension with a knife as the racers face each other.

Lei Mie pulls up after crossing the finish line. Seeing the altercation brewing, she slinks up to Kriff, pheromones on overdrive.

"Hey, sugar," she says. "I'm sure she didn't mean anything. Why don't you and I go someplace, have a drink, and a good time." Running her finger down his chest, she adds, seductively, "I'll make you forget all about her."

Zara tenses as the man rages in her face. She is about to headbutt the insufferable tool, when the Zeltron's familiar presence soothes her primal response. She cannot hold her tongue, however...

"There you go, sport. You'll still walk away a loser, but you don't have to go home a virgin."

Krydil watches as Kriff approaches and starts to berate Zara, going on about how she almost killed him on the track. However as Krydil saw it he was the one driving recklessly and should be apologizing to Zara. He closes in to Zara standing behind her arms crossed making it fully apparent the he was gonna stand by his friend.

Cormil sees what's about to start and thinks to himself, This is the best part on this rock and Zara's about to start a furball. Great. Just great.

Let out a shout of fury, Kriff pushes Lie violently out of the way as he rushes at the racer. Swinging for Zara's face with a curled up fist, Zara is able to just block the blow in time. The attack pushes her back into the crowd, knocking an onlooker over. Though it had not been a damaging attack, Zara was a little dazed, perhaps by the fact that Kriff had actually lashed out so aggressively. This quickly started a series of other scuffles around the two racers, and before two long the drunk youths were engaged in an all out fight. Some were using this as an opportunity to settle old grudge, the others were simply enjoying the thrill of violence.

Kriff Combat Check: 2eP+1eA+2eD 1 failure, 2 advantage

Advantage spent to pass setback dice to Zara.

The punk lashes out with a fist, quicker than Zara had expected. She blocks, but loses her balance momentarily in doing so.

Feinting with her own fist, she swings the helmet in her other hand and it strikes, right upside her assailant's head. Though it connects with a satisfying thwack, it is but a glancing blow, and she's not sure if the head or the helm is worse for the wear.

Kriff again tries to wail on Zara but this time instead of being surprised by his quick action Krydil catches the man's fist. "Shouldn't have done that." He says with a big grin on his face as he brings in his right fist equipped with his brass knuckles smashing down on the shorter man's nose. "Mess with my crew you mess with me!"

After Kriff pushes her out of the way, starting the brawl, Lei Mie looks for the cutest guy involved, grabs him by the collar, with both hands and plants a deep, passionate kiss right on the lips, before disappearing into the crowd and out of the fight, leaving him gobsmacked.

As Lei Mie melds with the crowd, she notices CorSec speeders approaching, with flashing lights on.

"Headsup!" she yells. "CORESC's comin'!!!!" Get to your bikes and let's blow!!!!!" At that, she makes a dash for her own bike.