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Noctis
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Ersa93Delta Hyper
Aurora broke into a pause between Han’s sentences. "Well, we will need to cut you off there I'm afraid Hyeon-Ae, but it sounds like you have kept extremely busy over the off-season. A woman of many talents, and no doubt AG racing will be one we'll be keeping our eye keenly on!”
Hyeon-Ae smiled politely in return, bowing her head both to Aurora and to the camera. “Please cheer for me, if it would not trouble you too much.” She offered softly towards the cameras as Aurora finished speaking. Practiced and elegant, the image of what a refined Korean woman should be like. It was easy to latch onto; she seemed almost like she was a character out of a net-drama, rather than a person with flaws. Just smiling her polite, soft smile that gave no actual insight into her as a person, yet still welcomed onlookers.
She remained sitting until the cameras were off.
Sunday March 5th, 2094
Auckland, New Zealand_-_Aotearoa
Race Day
1700 NZST
Eyes closed, Hyeon-Ae stood on the small stepping stool clad in her entire gear sans helmet, merely taking in the din and chaos of final prep as people milled around the vehicle and got everything in order. Chattering in English, shouting in Korean. The engineering team was a more well-oiled machine than the ship itself, and working with them in preparation for today had slowly opened her eyes to how they lived and breathed on the performance of this rocket with gravity manipulation. Not every mechanic was like the soulless salary-thieves at Ji Motors, doing the bare minimum as long as someone was looking over their shoulder. No, they moved like a family - or a colony of ants, and they treated her like a part of the whole rather than an annoying boss. It was a strange, but pleasant sensation. People who didn't look at you like a celebrity or a meal ticket.
A mild frown knitted on her features, she climbed into the machine and gave the mechanics a last glance before putting on the wired earset, and then lowering the pressure-lock helmet to let the clamps initiate. “Comms check.” She mouthed while waiting for everything to come online.
“Test the stick so you’re unhappy now rather than during the race.” The radio crackles back; Zhou Yijin, a Chinese national who clawed his way through Zygon on merit to snatch a lead role in the engineering team. Also one of the few on the team so far who didn't walk on eggshells around her.
Her scoff came through on the radio, then silence while she tested it. “It's much better. You spoil me, seonbae.”
“You're going to have to compensate for the shaking in the chicanes.” Zhou shot back, though a bit more friendly in tone.
“Sorry to break in,” the Team Principal cut in. “Get ready for synchronization, Hyeon-Ae ssi. Remember that Wedgewood and Hornfleur will try to challenge you on corners.”
Hyeon-Ae relaxed as much as was possible and exhaled in her little metal pod. Bleak and featureless beyond panels, cables, safety features. She felt the cabling at the back of her neck spool up, then came the slight whirr as it connected her to a new universe of metal and speed.
It was freeing in a way - a feeling of being bigger than yourself, connected to the world. Understanding your surroundings faster than any human should ever be able to. But it was also unpleasant. The artificial extension of her body, the cold and alien tingle through her spine when it completed that first setup; it brought back dark memories of people in lab coats, painful tests strapped to a table, being trapped in a vat with a tube down her throat. But it was worth it for the freedom that followed.
“Connection confirmed,” Zhou sounded off. “Good luck out there.”
Hyeon-Ae didn't respond. She was running the track through her mind. Preparing for the countdown. The others didn't matter until they were off the starting grid. What mattered was getting the optimal start.
Countdown.
Start.
The Renaissance
“Hart trading with Hornfleur. Point two behind.” the radio crackles, public communication for real-time watchers.
“He’s trying to earn his salary. I'm running a seven point surplus. I can hold.” Hyeon-Ae responded with a confident tone. The soft woman from interviews and TV spots had been abandoned in the paddock.
The whipping zooms of engines running hard and shooting past Auckland’s features at breakneck speed brought out the real woman. The confident hyena; the sardonic thinker. The gleaming colors of Zygon's livery twisting, turning and rolling to keep three veterans at bay. There was a twisted delight there, deep in the connection of the neural interface, where woman and machine intermingled. A desire of machine to outperform other machines, or the delight of a competitive addict being challenged and winning.
Whether it was Hart, Hornfleur, or Wedgewood, Hyeon-Ae stood her ground, spinning and boosting around the track like an implacable machine, eking out a performance from the ship that left her just above an energy surplus or just below a deficit - razor-thin margins and few big risks, instead keeping solid boosts to gain whenever possible. Makara and especially Al-Nadir were out of range - the one shot at fourth she almost had she never really pushed for, choosing instead to solidify her hold over infuriating Hart behind her.
Hornfleur overtook her in a corner and immediately lost the position in a straight following her minimal leeching and subsequent boost. Wedgewood rubbed shields and traded back and forth for a whole lap. The entire race was a battle, but the ship didn't waver. Quick, confident decisions. Emotionless. Unfazed. Inhuman.
She shot across the finish line with a near second lead over Hart, using up the last stores of energy allotted without having ran a real deficit for prolonged times during the race.
Post Race, Interview
"Amazing result Han, 5th Place in your first race! How did it feel to hold off the veteran ships behind you?" Aurora beamed at her. Hyeon-Ae had somehow been forced to shuffle to the front of the line, and was still coming off of the high of adrenaline from the race. Even so, she spoke with a giddy confidence that blended humility and media training.
“Thank you! And yes, it was exciting. Dorian is a very skilled driver, I look forward to meeting on the track again. I only wish to keep this momentum; to show the fans that Zygon is ready to rise.”
Han Hyeon-Ae @HHA:Zygon: Korea on the rise! What was your favorite moment from today's race? Tag your answer with #ZygonPower to enter the meet-up raffle!
