Chapter 8: New Atrea, Track 5

The interior of the N’Jip class Light Assault Carrier was nothing but cramped-like conditions. Its internal rear bay was large enough to house the six vehicles of the UWALVR races, race officials, and staff needed for the great race to continue. The ship was bizarre for many of the humans. It was capable of holding the smaller hover tanks of the T’rintar clan with ease. There were plant-like vines that grew in the crevices of the vessel. These little plants had small fruit that budded from them. Even Neo had to pluck one of them to admire it. The design of the Itrean vessels was nothing but provisional. This fruit had strong nutritional properties to them that could easily supply the crew’s needs in food shortages while even playing a minor role in providing oxygen in the absolute worse conditions. Everyone was sitting on large benches. Everybody, including the vehicles, was strapped in. The lack of gravity made things a bumpy ride if one wasn’t too careful.

It had been a week later. The victory at track three was quickly muddled by the defeat at track four on Aphadus. This was most expected as Aphadus’s fourth track was nothing but a curved maze of turns. Vala’rein that had scored first in the third race, was now back to fifth.

Regardless, Neo was still holding firm. Despite the loss, he was looking forward to this next one. It would be one of the most unique races because it would be the first sponsored UWALVR race that was not even a part of the UWA at all. It would be on an alien world.

Cordeina was fiddling with a couple of hypo stimulants in her hand. She had been carefully reading the contents that were written in both English and Itrean. She sat next to Neo as Vala’rein sat to his right. Serrein sat on the other side of the place with her arms folded up. Vala’rein’s wheel bike and Neo’s bandigara sat in the middle as the next pair of vehicles would be ahead of them. Overhead displays on both sides could be seen that displayed the outside environment. Neo went and took a bite out of the fruit and admired the taste.

“Mmm ... not bad,” he said.

“You like them?” Cordeina asked.

“Yeah ... they taste like some of the fruits grown on Cebravis.”

“They make a common wine from them,” Vala’rein remarked. “I believe you have tried Olrepop before?”

“Oh yeah, these are the things they make them from?”

She gave a quick brief nod as she took a deep breath. “Unfortunately, you get a chance to miss out on what’s on a Shal’rein carrier.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve only heard of it, but on the T’rintar’s Tiltra carriers, they are supposed to still have the aquatic vents inside. No fruit, but the fish that grow in them.”

“Oh, I know what you’re talking about,” Cordeina said with some happiness. “Those things are so good.”

Neo admired the scenery that was displayed outside from the ship’s camera footage. It had been ten minutes since the vessel had exited the gate array established from Fort Golconda on Aphadus. A jump of over 1500 light-years was seemingly nothing. The gate array of this new system was well spaced from the planet in a distant orbital array. The N’jip class Assault Carrier was considered one of the more common assault transports used by the T’rintar clan. It was small, measuring about 140 meters in length. It consisted of two large stern-mounted wings mounted to either side. The wings were a notable feature. On the bottom, it consisted of a sizeable underslung missile array system and four-engine arrays to keep the ship aloft above the ground. On the top sides of the wings were actual landing strips that led into the ship’s interior. In addition, there were side-mounted ports on the wings to launch planetary aircraft. Essentially, the vessel was a small light aircraft carrier with the firepower to raid upon other planets. CIWS gun batteries also lined the top and frontal sides of the craft. This thing was perfect for ferrying small vehicles.

“I can’t believe that the T’rintar decided to lend one of their vessels to carry us to their planet,” Neo remarked.

“Why not?” Vala’rein said. “They did this with Serrein, Gip’grenda, and myself when they brought me to Oshun.”

“Yeah, and with us, we had one of those blocky UWA civilian transports to ferry us to Aphadus. Not saying that the ride was bad, though. What I mean is that your military was just willing to send a military transport to take us to the capital.”

Vala’rein was trying to understand what he said. “Ah ... our military is vast. Our importance to have things protected is paramount. There is little division between the military or civilian realms for our people if I understand things correctly.”

“Oh, I think I remember you mentioning that before. You said that the civilians were taught how to fight in armies or that everybody knew how to fight.”

Cordeina nodded her head. “It’s true. I was taught the basics of fighting, even if I’m not really good at shooting a gun. I wouldn’t make a good Shal’rein to some...”

“My shooting skills are not good either,” Vala’rein replied. “Besides ... there is something that I want to do when I have a child...”

“What is it?” he asked.

She pulled out her tilon and pulled the two strips apart. The display screen activated as she seemed focused on wanting to answer Neo’s question. Her fingers scrolled through pictures before she showed them to him.

On the picture was a gun. It seemed rather big, being a large rifle. It had to have been suitable that a Shal’rein could use. Neo knew little of the alien gun except that it was an assault rifle. It actually had two barrels to it, with one being a laser emitter and another one for firing caseless rounds. It had a sizeable scope on top, an elongated barrel, and a huge underslung magazine to it. Even the grips had indents for four fingers.

“A rifle?” Neo questioned.

“Father’s gun?” Cordeina asked. “Your father’s gun?”

Vala’rein nodded. “I want to pass it down to our first-born child,” she noted as she seemed relaxed. “The gun has a lot of service to it ... used during the Emphra War before he eventually got it and kept using it.”

“Isn’t it tradition for the gun to be buried with the Shal’rein that uses it?”

She shook her head. “Not these guns. Emphra weapons can’t be decommissioned or destroyed. Laws forbid it.”

“I wonder why?” Neo questioned.

“The Emphra ... but it was before our time. Father didn’t mind it, though. He purposely wanted to have the gun passed down to my children and the next. It was his way of honoring Shal’rein tradition.”

“I understand,” Neo remarked. “It’s the same thing with the bandigara. I’ve been told numerous times that I need to have the machine guns on it removed, but I just don’t have the heart to take them off. Even Serrein never bothered to remove the guns on her hoverbike.”

“Umm ... what do you mean?” Vala’rein asked.

“Some things can never be gotten rid of.”

“No, that isn’t what I mean,” she said as she rested the tilon on her lap. “You think that the guns on Serrein’s hoverbike are ... what are the words used ... cosmetic?”

“Well ... yeah. My guns are deactivated, and I don’t even have the ammo for them to fire it.”

“Neo, you do realize we have shooting competitions with our vehicles. Some of our races have us shooting targets as we race.”

“Shit, seriously?”

Vala’rein nodded her head with a smile. “All our vehicles can do it. I’m a better shooter than my sister can. She just likes keeping them on hers.”

“Wow ... races where you race and shoot at the same time. I hope you guys don’t accidentally gun each other down.”

She shook her head hard that the spiked hair of hers danced a little bit. “No, we don’t shoot each other ... even if the competitions get fierce at times. It’s against the rules.”

“But I never see the guns on your Likersha.”

“They do have them, and I still have the guns that can be mounted to it. Haven’t needed them since I’ve been on your races, though.”

Neo really wondered about the prospect. He could picture that his bike could easily be rigged to be in such races in the future. Vala’rein tilted her head a little bit as her shark-like eye gazed upon him.

“Perhaps I should start looking into getting into your races,” he said.

“You would have my endorsement, my mate,” she told him.

“Neo, I noticed that you haven’t received the second booster shot,” Cordeina noted as she looked at her hypo syringe.

“There is a second shot?” he asked.

“Yes,” the Shal’rein confirmed as she raised it to his arm. “I will need to double-check with the others as well.”

“I guess I can’t argue with that. I don’t want to get sick from going to one of your planets.”

Neo was in little position to disagree as he could feel the thin applicator pressed to his arm. The pressure applied to his wrist meant that the injection was made. It was quick and mostly painless. He was well aware of what was being done. The Itreans were well adapted to nature. Their immune systems were far better than what the humans ever had. This was due to multiple reasons. One crucial reason was the numerous worlds that they had in their possession. Each world that had life on it could easily have a strain of bacteria or virus that would more than easily destroy or cripple a human body with ease. In turn, it was even possible for the human body to carry its own diseases that would wipe out the eco structure of another world. Therefore, even great care had to be made with the UWA and its worlds. Thankfully, the immune systems of the Itreans also prevented them from being carriers of such diseases as well.

“Vala’rein, I’m going to need to inject you with a hormone modifier as well,” Cordeina added.

“Why?” she questioned.

“It’s for taking care of a baby,” Cordeina said. Neo had a questioning look on his face as he looked at the scantily clad doctor. He could see a similar reaction on Vala’rein’s face.

“This better not be something that you’re experimenting on,” Vala’rein remarked as she held out her arm to her. “I was told that my body wouldn’t have any issues in having a child with our mate.”

“I swear to you that I’m not experimenting on you,” Cordeina replied with a smile on her face. She reached over and took a hypo syringe before injecting it into her arm. “I would never do that to my sister.”

Neo had some nagging feeling that he had with Cordeina. Within a couple of weeks of being with her, he knew her to be the type that would be scheming somewhat. Her somewhat nerdy side and disposition would shine through when she got into this position. She had to have been telling the truth, but even then, Vala’rein was correct. Weren’t the Itreans the type that barely needed injections? Perhaps it was best to let her do her thing. After all, she was a doctor, and she was well acquainted with reproduction among humans and Itreans. She wouldn’t be doing her job otherwise if she didn’t have some mild concern about it. She undid the straps on her seat as she stood up and carefully walked on the deck towards Serrein’s direction. The magnetic wrappings on her feet kept her anchored to the floor as she had a careful railing that she could grab ahold of if the vessel altered course.

Vala’rein’s hand reached over to grip onto Neo’s. He happily looked up at her.

“I look forward to having a child,” she said to him.

“I just wish it was you first that got pregnant,” he said.

“I know, my mate. I’m happy for my sister, though. Her pregnancy means that I can get pregnant too. I can picture our son or daughter racing on our vehicles. It would mean so much to me to see that happen.”

He gripped her hand. “I like that too. Things feel so different and for the better.”

“I was wanting to look into cribs that we could get for our offspring later this afternoon after we finish up the races. The T’rintar clan are offering a planet on New Atrea that we can live on together. It would be large enough for Cordeina and I.”

“Really? Let me guess ... beachfront property?”

She shook her head. “A mountain resort with a large indoor pool, as you humans might say. I just want my own winery. Cordeina supposedly found a place as well.”

Neo had seen enough of Vala’rein’s personality by now. At first impressions, she was rough and aggressive, but she was more calm and friendly. She was easily adaptable in these circumstances. To him, she was perfect in every way. She adjusted the spike collar that was around her neck.

Upon looking at the display, he could further remark upon the environment. The transport was slowly heading towards the planet of interest. In the extreme distance, there were entire formations of T’rintar clan warships. Battleships, dreadnoughts, and even a command superdreadnought were in orbit. Massive shipyards connected to the surface and orbital defense satellites littered the area. In these shipyards lay even more docked warships and freighters. There had to be thousands of ships to maybe even ten thousand, and all for a good reason. The sheer number of vessels made the UHN defense fleet of Oshun look like a complete and utter joke. There were more vessels here than the entirety of the UHN fleets of every UWA world combined. These alien fleets remained in a defensive formation, almost serving as a ready guard unit in case of an all-out invasion in the solar system.

“If you Itreans really wanted to conquer us, then you could...” Neo remarked. He shook his head. “I remember how much my time was spent on the UHN Tsunenagaga. It wasn’t the pride of the fleet, but it got the job done ... but this ... we’re nothing to you.”

Vala’rein focused on the image of the fleets as if they were a smattering of green dots orbiting the planet. “I don’t think we gain much by taking you. Besides, you humans tend to enjoy us quite well ... why conquer when you come to us instead?”

He tightened his grip on her hand. He couldn’t disagree with that argument. “And race and have babies?” he added.

After losing focus on the ships, one of the battleships that were in the patrol area had slowed down to the advancing assault carrier. The green cylindrical vessel had a similar look to the Tsunenagaga but was bigger and somewhat blockier. Unlike the Shal’rein battleships, the T’rintar warships did have minor differences. They only carried a single railgun on the dorsal and ventral sides. They didn’t have any of the fin-like arrays to them, and they had vertical missile launching arrays ahead of the railguns. They still had the distinct twin rotating centripetal rings near the rear section of the ships. There were retracted wing-like struts that protruded from the forward side-mounted engine thrusters. This battleship got close to the carrier as it activated a form of scanning beam.

“What are they doing?” Neo asked.

“Scanning us, making sure that we aren’t carrying anything that could bring harm to Atrea,” Vala’rein answered.

The scanning lasted for less than a minute. It was carefully cataloging and evaluating every square inch of the hull. The T’rintar had to be careful, and it was expected that they would check one of their own ships. Once the battleship finished up its scan, its engines activated as it inched forward and away. Neo’s gaze then focused on the single most prominent object in space that he could see in the display. The world of New Atrea was one that he barely knew for now.

“I’ve must have gone further than any human being has gone before,” Neo said. “Over 1500 light-years.”

“I was only on this planet a few times in my racing career,” Vala’rein said. “Atrea is good for a capital world, but nothing truly amazing.”

“Well, apparently, it will have to be the substitute since the Aksren clan took Cipra. Two good racetracks down the drain, and they were virtual straightaways too. So this beginning year is really one big experiment. A whole new racetrack that isn’t even a part of the UWA.”

“Iosy’lokra,” is a good place. It is Gip’grenda’s home.”

“Really ... you mean home planet or the racetrack?”

“Both. It will be personal for her to win first.”

Neo could see it as he looked over to Gip’grenda. The Yutilian racer seemed to have her reptilian eyes closed much of the time. She never said much verbally, but he could see that to her, she had to win this upcoming race.

The planet of New Atrea was one that was located in a K-type star system. It was supposedly called Kepler 283c long ago by humanity, but to the T’rintar clan, this was one of their main administration worlds. It didn’t appear to be much from orbit as the carrier continued to get closer and closer. Coming from the angle of the starlight, it was easy to see the multiple continents that lined the center equator. However, as he could see the specifications of the world, he learned of how big it was. It was twice the size of Earth, being a super-Earth in sheer mass. The landmass that could be seen showed shades of green and yellow. Oceans surrounded the area and had a faint tinge of purple to them from the light. It was located in the star’s habitable zone and was teeming with life. Mountains lined the many sections of the globe.

“You feel ready to walk on this world?” she asked him.

“What do you mean?” he asked in return.

“The gravity.”

“Oh ... that’s right ... I forgot ... this world has a higher gravity to it.”

Vala’rein nodded. “We will need to look over your vehicle to make sure that it can handle the higher stresses of gravity that will be pressed to it.”

“It should handle it alright ... Meifen and Oluchi I can’t account for, though.”

“I know Gip’grenda. She will pull out her best parts for this. She is going to modify her hoverbike as she learned long ago.”

“What is it with her history anyway?”

Vala’rein let go of his hand as she crossed her arms. “It’s best just to ask her instead of me having to explain it.”

Neo could see that there was a hint of animosity with the Yutilian race but not hatred. Vala’rein wasn’t the type to display this negative aspect to her towards others. She was correct, though. He did need to get a chance to talk to this racer eventually.

“Why are you needing to give me a shot!?” an echoing voice called out ahead of Neo. It was the voice of Serrein. Upon looking at her, he could see that Cordeina was standing next to her. A hypo syringe was tucked in her hand. While it was challenging to hear the conversation due to the range, Serrein’s voice was loud enough to be picked up.

“I need to give you a vitamin shot,” Cordeina said.

“A shot for that? That’s a fucking lie. I’m Itrean. I don’t need to worry about no fucking cold. I’ve been on this world before.”

“Serrein, just take the shot,” Vala’rein told her sister. “Your sister isn’t trying to poison you.”

“Half-sister,” she corrected her. She almost waved the syringe away. “What are you trying to do?”

“You’ve been on Oshun and Aphadus too long,” Cordeina told her. “I’m just trying to give you a simple shot. It’ll take less than a second.”

“A vitamin shot? Something doesn’t make sense.”

Even Neo was really wondering about this too. It just sounded strange, and it almost sounded like Cordeina might have been lying to her. What was she trying to accomplish? Neo seemed focused on Serrein and the doctor rather closely. She had to have been doing it for a profound reason.

“Cordeina is just trying to make sure that you’re alright,” Neo told Serrein.

“Dah...” Serrein gave a disgruntled look at Cordeina for a little bit. “Fine ... Itrea’s Embrace, just fucking do it.”

Serrein leaned forward as her elbows rested upon her knees. Cordeina took the syringe and tapped it to the mohawked Shal’rein’s wrist. It was done remarkably quickly. The fact that Serrein barely acknowledged the shot was something that appeased the doctor. Neo’s attention was still aimed at the doctor’s face. He could see a mild sense of gratitude as if she had accomplished something important. For what, he didn’t know.

“Ugh...” Neo said to himself as he struggled to move around on the sandy shores near the starting line. “I’m glad the augmented leg is taking this fine.”

It had been a couple of hours since the transport had landed. It was perched in the beachfront not far from the starting line of the track. The assault carrier’s rear door had opened up onto the sands to allow the vehicles and staff to be departed.

The gravity wasn’t that bad for a world twice Earth’s size. It was only an additional 30%, but there was still some adjustment for those that just arrived. It felt like lead weights had been attached to everyone’s legs. The Itreans, of course, we’re used to it. It was a natural form of instinct as their bodies automatically attuned to it. As a result, they naturally moved at a slower pace, but only by so much.

“Now I know how the Martians feel when they come to Oshun,” Neo said. He started to walk around slowly. He had a prime view of the environment from his location, and it was a rather beautiful scene.

New Atrea was a place of balance. On the one hand, with the exception of areas allocated to major cities, administration, and industry, there were many other areas set to nature itself. Apparently, the Itreans had a profound respect for the planet’s environment. In fact, supposedly, as violent as the clans were, they did their best to ensure that the ecosystems of a world were left intact. It was promising as he imagined the fact that the Itreans were in the process of restoring the ecosystem of Earth. If this world was tens of thousands of years since it was established, then the T’rintar clan was on the right path.

From what Neo gathered, the Itreans spread themselves outward on a world when they settled down. New Atrea was a naturally giant planet, and it allowed the population to do so. While it did create isolation in many areas, it allowed the largest chances for those groups to come up with their own methods of adaptability.

The environment of this world was pristine. New Atrea supposedly consisted of many mountainous regions. Technically, these mountains weren’t as tall as Earth’s, but the planet made up for it by having a lot more. This location was situated at a narrow inlet of water that connected to a rather large lake. That lake would wrap around the mountains as the water would naturally bleed off from the rivers to distant oceans. The water and environment carried that faint hazy orange hue due to the type of star, but it seemed to only add to the scene more.

The life that filled the area consisted of large amounts of plant life. The trees were not like what Neo saw on Aphadus. Here, there was plenty of sunlight, and the vegetation made full use of it. These trees had fat stalks to them with multiple umbrella-like leaf protrusions that jutted from their tops. They had a somewhat greenish orange hue color to them. Other plants consisted of green fungus that grew along with the bark. With this spot naturally having water to them, there were forms of phragmites that grew along portions of the shore. On the top of the stems were bulbous-looking protrusions where the flowers supposedly bloomed. There was also a form of mycorrhiza that was in an ever state of growing progress. Protruding fungi grew on the barks of the trees with half-circles at the base of the stems. These tops were so large that you could almost crawl on them. Other wide-open tubular plants grew near these trees, where insects would enter and leave them.

The sounds of the area were mixed between the commotion of staff members, Itreans, and machinery that we’re getting the location set up. Other sounds came from the forest. There was light echoing harmonic howl that could be heard from these forests. It was a calling out as the animals here would regularly communicate with one another. Neo and the other humans had already been advised to avoid walking into the thickets. However, it would have been challenging to do so anyway. Some areas had so many plants growing that it made things challenging to traverse into. Instead, the forested area had a fully laden path to it. This inlet location had the main road where Itrean vehicles could enter towards a storage area and audience benches. A few small prefabricated buildings sat near the starting line with basic workshops for working on the vehicles.

Neo had essentially been standing on the racetrack. It was the Itreans’ goal to cause as little disturbance to nature as possible. The carved-out areas had their own form of pavement, although the material used was almost black and rubbery to it. It curved towards the beachfront, where the dirt and sand took over. This almost straight-line road wrapped around that led to the far distant Yutilian village. It was difficult to see it from the range, but there was activity. The native Yutilians here were attuned to the environment. Some had various metal fishing poles that harvested the local marine life, nets to pick up various things. A few native women had metal poles that gently tapped the turtle-like animals that lazily presided along the sand. These creatures would scoot to the waters. The hard shells on them did have spike-like protrusions that could prove hazardous to vehicles. Upon clearing the tracks, a set of small speakers mounted at the edges of the forested areas would emit a very faint hum to it. Neo had no idea what these speakers were doing, but the sound was just barely detectable by human hearing.

“Wow ... so the natives are making sure that the track is clear for us,” he said.

“You are not like the other two human racers,” a voice from behind him called out. It took Neo by surprise. He turned his head to look upon the short-statured Yutilian racer that was competing in the race for today.

“Gip’grenda, I was hoping to have a chance to talk to you,” he told her. “I heard that this was your home.”

She did a quick nod. “My village, my home,” she said with a couple of clicks in her voice.

“Wow, you grew up here. It’s pretty.”

“Atrea has been the home for Yutilians for a long time. We call this village ‘Zo’t’za’ and the mountain region ‘Iosy’lokra.’”

“Are all places like this?”

She shook her head. “No ... some places are bigger ... some places are smaller. Zo’t’za is small. Many of the Yutilians prefer to live in the larger cities, but many still prefer this too.”

“I come from a place that’s nothing but city. It’s ... weird to see a place that’s so full of life.”

“It was an adjustment for ... for me,” she stammered in English. She stepped ahead of him as she remarked upon the scene. Her hand was placed on her small chest. “Metal buildings, metal structures everywhere.”

“How did you end up becoming a racer?”

Her feathery tail wagged a little bit as she turned to smile at him. “Why did you become a racer?” she responded back to him.

“I grew up in the city. I had access to motorcycles. I took them apart and enjoyed it. Before I knew it, I was doing street racing and competing against the others.”

She seemed satisfied with the answer as she bent towards him while keeping her gaze situated towards him. “This place is a racetrack. They had been racing here for hundreds of your years. My family had helped create the track since it brought some business to the village. Yes, we wanted to live a simple life, but they...” she paused as she was trying to remember her English. “Also enjoy bringing that ... knowledge. I grew up watching the races when it happened. I enjoyed it very much. Somebody brought a hoverbike to here and let me learn how to use when I was ... little.” There were a couple of clicks in her voice. “When they didn’t race here, I would race the track again many times. I helped maintain the track and the path.”

“Sounds like you really know the layout of this track.”

She gave a quick nod. “My home. Much stress to win. It would embarrass me and my family if it didn’t.”

“I’m sure you’ll do great.”

She took her hands and wrapped them around her small racing uniform. “I want everyone to try their best.”

Neo was amazed by this little Yutilian. She was the best of the best of the T’rintar clan and came from this quaint little place. The village didn’t appear to be significant, but it was hard to see it from this angle. He could at least see a distant hut. It seemed to be rather primitive looking in construction.

“When we finish up this race, I ... invite the racers to come and eat with my family and friends,” she said. “I know the food here, and I can cook ... good.”

“That’s a generous offer.”

“I don’t know if the other racers would accept. I know they are different. Meifen especially seems to be...” she didn’t have a word for it as she completely stopped.

“I know what you’re talking about,” he said with a sigh. “A bitch ... snooty ... full of herself.”

“An Aksren,” she answered with a chuckle. She made a series of clicks and began to hackle a little bit before she recomposed herself. Neo didn’t have much else to respond to it.

He took a deep breath as he could smell the fresh air. He looked at the mountains in the distance. It seemed to be endless. On one of the far distant mountains was what looked like a railgun emplacement built into the side. The giant barrel, or at least what he assumed to be large, had bird-like creatures that danced around it. It seemed that the gun hadn’t been fired for years as the trees and plants were threatening to overwhelm it.