[center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/b3RmLjE3OC5mMTk5MGEuUzJGcGN5QmFaVzVwZUEuMA/creattion-demo.regular.webp[/img][/center][hr]
[center][b]Kais Zenix @ASZenix[/b]:
[i]"Not the result I wanted, but that's racing. Props to the team for gluing the ship back together. Shame I couldn’t push it as much as we wanted.[/i]
[b]@MadBea[/b][i]: Hope you’re doing well, that was a rough one. Rest up, and see you back on the track soon.
#AlSaqrRacing #DeltaHyper #FormulaAG #LetsGO #Onwards #Revanche"[/i][/center]
[hr]
[center][h1][b]Sunday March 19th, 2094, 1400 GMT
Formula AG Championship: Round 2
South African AGP, Cape Town
[/b][/h1]

Through the shimmering heat that was the track at Cape Town, Kais held a steely gaze upon the starting lights.

[color=ff0000][b]5[/b][/color]. [color=ff0000][b]4[/b][/color]. [color=ff0000][b]3[/b][/color]. [color=ff0000][b]2[/b][/color]. [color=ff0000][b]1[/b][/color].

And [b]off[/b] they went.[/center]
Acceleration kicked Kais in his seat. Al-Saqr’s ships were a beast to fly. The mechanic wasn’t wrong. The ship really [i]was[/i] just one giant brick of repulsors going one way: forward and onward. The first few laps went by in a blur, straight and hard, up and down. What a track! Then Bea came up beside him for an overtake. Kais pushed his craft to hug close to Nora in front. It wasn’t a true overtake, but it would take up some space at least. Bea didn’t seem deterred. The readings on the sensors that had auto-focused on her started decreasing. Decreasing. Decreasing. Then, forcing his way through the corner: Jamie Hart.

Then [b][u][color=ed1c24]BEEPING[/color][/u][/b]! At least four different alarms forced themselves into his mind as the craft shook violently and lurched, as if pushed and sucked into a vortex, and with a heavy bang almost half of his experience turned to static for a few seconds. Kais breathed hard as he fought for balance, but that [i]fucking handling[/i]! Other ships flew by as he regained what wobbly speed he could. Then the red flag notification popped up in one of the higher parts of his mind, and only then did he stop to notice the carnage left behind. Busted mag parts scattered around the track. And half a Wiphala ship in tatters.

[b][color=f7941d]“Command, status! What the hell was that?”[/color][/b]

[b]“Unsure. The detectives are on the case, Kais. But the red flag’s out, return to the pits and we’ll have you checked out. Ward looks to be out, massive damage. How are you doing?”[/b]

[b][color=f7941d]“Still flying.”[/color][/b]

[hr]

The pit drones were already waiting for him. When the scans were completed, the mechanics immediately came in after them. 3D printers started whirring, and the disembarking steps were rolled out. The young mechanic from before climbed up to help detach Kais from his still-beeping coffin, from his helmet, and get him down. Farouk, his nametag said, now that Kais took a moment to look at it. Medical crew came up for check-ups, and were then brushed off as quickly as Kais could. He looked back to his craft, then to Farouk. [b][color=f7941d]“Give me the bad news, then go deal with it.”[/color][/b]

[b]“Wings are clipped, some deep scratches, and a few AG drive sections have been knocked offline. Replacement patches are being printed as we speak, and the damaged drive blocks are being switched out.”[/b]

[b][color=f7941d]“What about Ward? She didn’t give me an inch there. Reckless idiot.”[/color][/b]

[b]“The Queen Bee seems done for today. Nothing too serious-looking on the footage, but she’ll probably be stuck at medical for some time anyway, after a crash like that…”[/b]

[b][color=f7941d]“I’ll take it.”[/color][/b] Kais grumbled. He would've liked the rematch.

[b][color=bc8dbf]“I’m in a good position for a restart after the red flag, Kais, so I might be able to make some gains.”[/color][/b] Layla chimed in over the comms. [b][color=bc8dbf]“Safe to say what strategy we’re gonna go for now.”[/color][/b] She poked at him to lighten the mood.

[b][color=f7941d]“Fine. I’ll keep the others at bay. Might still make some gains on the straights, though, even with a scratched-up ship, so don’t think you’ll be safe from me just yet.”[/color][/b]

[b][color=bc8dbf]“That’s better. I was getting worried there for a second.”[/color][/b]

[b][color=f7941d]“Make it count, Layla. Hart’s ass better hurt after this race…”[/color][/b]

Farouk came back around as the pilots entered their ships again. He reported on the maintenance as he double-checked Kais’ safeties: [b]“Patches are applied, pulse blocks should be good to go, but we weren’t able to integrate the sensors as well as you like in this short a time. Might stagger a bit on the left. And the sensor readings might feel a bit raw, but this is all we can do for now! Sorry, uh… sir!”[/b] The young mechanic said, almost hesitantly.

[b][color=f7941d]“Chin up! We’re not done with this race yet, it’ll hold!”[/color][/b]

[hr]
[center][h3]🔴 Delta Hyper Live - Cape Town | HyperDriveCrew Commentary[/h3][/center]
[indent][indent]
[[i]Welcome to live chat! Remember to follow our community guidelines[/i]]
[[b]HyperForMore[/b]]: [i]Layla got luckyyyy with that restart after the red flag. You reckon Nora feels the heat yet?[/i]
[[b]YallaFanNotABot[/b]]: [i]Layla is *so* flying under the radar right now. I’d put some good money on her, if I had some.[/i]
[[b]RadNad74[/b]]: [i]Yeah she's cool[/i] 😊
[[b]ZenixRising[/b]]: [i]Messy overtake? More like JAMIE CAN’T HANDLE THE PRESSURE!![/i]
[[b]ZenixRising[/b]]: [i]Kais would've been top 3 by now without all that [[u]Naughty Word![/u]]. Boxing match, anyone?[/i]
[[b]TIE_Fighter[/b]]: [i]Yeah, we’re not going to forget this one. But Zenix must focus.[/i]
[[b]ZenixFanatix[/b]]: [i]Bro, Kais is a monster. Man’s pure hate-driving now. Glorious.[/i]
[[b]QueenBeaForever[/b]]: [i]He needs to calm down already.[/i]
[[b]QueenBeaForever[/b]]: [i]Bea didn’t deserve that! im crying[/i]
[[b]TT_0785[/b]]: [i]ikr, that’s what Al-Saqr calls their S-game? Crash a racer that comes too close for comfort? Does the S stand for shit?[/i]
[[b]RadNad74[/b]]: [i]It was an accident, calm down. And they’re pushing back well enough.[/i]
[[b]TT_0785[/b]]: [i]Oh please. Remember what position Ulrich was in when he crashed last time? And now Bea? Coincidence?[/i]
[[b]RadNad74[/b]]: [i]Commentators said it was an air pocket by Jamie or something. I don’t know, I’m not a physicist.[/i]
[[b]TT_0785[/b]]: [i]They also say never let a good accident go to waste. I bet he’s been waiting for this moment.[/i]
[[b]TT_0785[/b]]: [i]They don’t call him the Meteor for nothing.[/i]
[[b]UsahDrrrei[/b]]: [i]Whatever, man, nobody got hurt. Just enjoy the chaos.[/i]
[[b]RadNad74[/b]]: [i]Also, don’t come to a fan stream if you’re just gonna shit on stuff.[/i]
[[b][s]TT_0785[/s][/b]]: [i][User was banned for this comment][/i]
[/indent][/indent]
[hr]
[center][color=gold][h3]At the Interview[/h3][/color][/center]
[quote][b]Kais, you must be feeling a lot right now! An excellent recovery drive, but you must be gutted about not being able to press more positions throughout the race following your contact with Ward?[/b][/quote]
[b][color=f7941d]"Gutted? I'm pissed!"[/color][/b] Kais said, throwing up his hand. [b][color=f7941d]"We had the speed, and a clean shot for the top, and then we lost out because of someone else’s sloppy moves. Sloppy, and reckless. Dive-bombing like that. Unbelievable."[/color][/b] He shook his head as he looked off-camera, to whom would be any viewer's guess. But one could certainly guess with a reasonable degree of accuracy. [b][color=f7941d]"We made the most of it, Layla got in some good gains. And I'm not just gonna be backing down after a stunt like that. I fought every lap to recover and keep those positions. Fought my own damn damaged craft. And next time, I'm gonna fight just as hard. They're gonna have to [i]keep[/i] scrapping me to keep us down. And Beatrix, hope you're well. That's it."[/color][/b]

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