After the thrill of our impressive finishes in every class last season had faded, I found myself spending a lot of time thinking about participating in more races. I finally came to a decision earlier this week that I would race as often as possible, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to go for the title in a single class or participate based on the team's needs in any given race. I wrestled with the temptation of personal glory briefly, then settled on racing for the team rather than my own aggrandizement.
I went down to Aunia to survey the small fleet held over from my predecessor's tenure. The Hangman's Noose had carried me through Races 10-12 last season as a matter of necessity, yet something gnawed at my conscience to leave these relics in peace this time around. These ships had their place in the team's history along with their original captain. Perhaps my vanity has gotten the best of me, but I'd like to write my own chapter in that history with my own pen.
Because I was unsure which class I'd enter for Race 1, I commissioned three ships: an Ares, an Enyo, and a Federation Navy Comet. I spent hours with team engineers trying to balance warp speed, agility, and sub-warp speed. We considered the defensive implication of utilizing dual propulsion, and we tried to fit as much firepower as possible to respond to competitors that prefer guns to engines. As the ground crew set about making the modifications, I returned home to Fricoure and took a tour of the Victory.
In the shipboard racing museum, I listened to Kendar Zek's holographic image talk about the Neophyte, the only rookie-ship to ever enter a race. The ship predates the team by one season, but I think it reflects a part of the Venture spirit that is sometimes lost in the daily corporate routine. I'd love to do something daring, even crazy, like flying a rookie-ship for a race. Perhaps I'll have occasion this season to cast off restraint and fly like I just don't give a damn about winning or losing.
The night before the race, I went out in the Watcher on a sight-seeing tour. I had seven pilots on the roster, including myself. I knew Esna would be absent. I was relatively certain that Takashi and Saikoyu would show up. I would have liked to field two pilots per class, and although I thought it was highly probable that Neon would be at the starting line, I couldn't afford to play wingman in another class when I needed to be sure we had a frigate entry. After docking up, I jump-cloned over to Aunia and finished race prep on the Phantom, my Navy Comet, then set a course for The Bleak Lands. I finally caught some sleep around 07:30.
I woke up around 12:50. Gyra would be along shortly to announce the precise starting location. Of course, prior to leaving Aunia, I had asked a locator to find Gyra for me, assuming she was already docked at the starting line. This paid off nicely, as I didn't have to travel immediately before the race. I took a leisurely stroll down to the hangar, met with a few sports reporters who all asked the usual questions, then started going over my pre-flight checklist. A fellow named Metrius had joined the league chatter and was looking for a team, so I managed to do some last-minute recruiting prior to the race, too.
Bringing a new pilot up to speed on team operations that the veterans know by heart is challenging in itself. Doing it with about 30 minutes until go time is outright nerve-wracking. In the rush to get through all the important information, I forgot to register the team for the race. Saikoyu reminded me, and I quickly sent the relevant information and fees to Gyra. At this point, I also realized that we were holding the start for Quintrala to come out of retirement and get to the starting line. I recall thinking that this would certainly be a race to remember.
The beginning of the race was a blur. A blob of fourteen racers took off toward Huola, where we found three waypoints at the first stop. There had been some off-season debate about front-loading multi-waypoints to break up warp trains, and it seems Gyra followed that plan. Fortunately for us, we weren't relying on a warp train anyway, so this didn't really gum up our plans. The next stop in Amamake, however, definitely did.
Five waypoints in one location. Five waypionts and one hostile Hurricane, that is. My shields took a serious knock, and the autocannons were relentless. I completely forgot that I had ECM drones to deploy, and in the chaos, I chose to bug out rather than lose the ship. Others weren't so lucky. Quintrala lost her famous Executioner, A Wing and a Prayer, and the bogeys managed to destroy her capsule, too. After tagging four of the five waypoints, Saikoyu's ship was lost, too.
Fortunately, Takashi had made it through the fray. Knowing that Gyra would set a 5-minute timer and declare the waypoint optional if it remained camped, those of us that had scattered at Amamake elected to get back on course and head for the next waypoint. In the unlikely event that Amamake did not become optional, we'd simply have to backtrack. We burned hard for Arzad, where another four waypoints were waiting. Oyonata had the final three, and then we proceeded without incident to the finish line in Gammel.
Neon and I were running fairly close to each other on the back stretch; I held a marginal lead. I had some unexpected engine trouble as I entered Gammel, however, and he was able to overtake me at the end. Of course, this works out for the best because I plan to switch classes as needed this season, so my teammates who are dedicated to their classes need the individual points more than I do. Had this affected our team standings, though, I might've had to fire a mechanic after the race.
Saikoyu had procured a replacement ship and would have to limp to the finish for lack of a microwarp drive. I was really hoping she'd still pull off a win. I thought Lyn Farel was also racing in the same class, so I watched for her at the finish line. As it turned out, Saikoyu was in a class all her own, as she said after the race. I'm really proud of her for going the distance despite the setback. I've offered to cover the replacement cost for her ship and fittings.
We put five racers on the track for Race 1. Every one of us finished on the podium. Barring any penalties in the official results, we swept first place in every class, and we took all three of the top spots in the frigate class. Quite literally, I couldn't have hoped for a better finish. The challenge, of course, is to keep the momentum going. After the race, I learned that Elsebeth Rhiannon will be returning to the sport with one of this season's new teams. We'll have to stay on top of our game to compete with one of our own.
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