driftfleet | April System Mingle

Entry tags:

April System Mingle

Who: Everyone!
Broadcast: Possibly!
Action: April System
When: Month of April!

[Welcome to the Belt, a huge asteroid belt that's been terraformed for life. Here you can explore the different asteroids, become a rock star, race on some ATVs, enjoy not being underwater.

In other words, it's a mingle! Get in everyone!

> System Info ]

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_{[ Kirk looked back when his HUD noted another vehicle tailing him.
Given the speed and the fact it was a solitary rider, he didn't necessarily
think it was someone out to cause him harm, and he wasn't in one of the
more dangerous areas besides. So, a fellow rider just out to enjoy
themselves. He was sure there had been something below when he had made the
jump. Most likely this guy.}

_{He smirked inside his helmet, letting one hand off the throttle just
long enough to cock his hand back at Keith and curl his fingers inward in
the 'bring it on' gesture. He then turned around and gunned his own engine,
blasting over the sands. ]}

[Oh... it was on. That gesture was pretty universal, and Keith knew exactly what it meant. Never one to back down from a challenge, he hit his own throttle, easily keeping up. He might regret racing over unfamiliar terrain later, but, for now, he followed his instincts, and wasn't having any trouble at all.]

_{[ Kirk laughed inside his helmet as they raced, leave sand clouds in
their wake. He seemed to keep ahead of the other just enough, and given the
speed and his own lack of complete knowledge of the terrain he kept away
from to many challenging jumps or turns. Eventually, though, he raised his
hands in the universal sign for stopping and slowed, then halted. He
touched the side of the helmet, HUD dimming and sliding up. ]}

You're quite the rider.

[Keith opened his own visor as well.]

Same to you.

[He'd been impressed. Usually, he could catch someone with no problem. Though, this wasn't exactly space, and having the wheels on the ground made for a much different ride than a hoverbike, so getting used to the feel had taken a bit. Give him a second run, and he could probably win, if not tie.]

You do this stuff back home?

_{[ He chuckled and leaned back on his bike in a relaxed posture, hands
bracing on the rear of the seat. ]}

Used to. I loved my motorcycle before I joined up with Star Fleet. But can't exactly rationalize that on a cargo manifest, so I had to give it up. What about you? You're no slouch yourself.

I have a hoverbike back home. It's a different feel when you've actually got contact with the ground, but the concept is close enough.

[Something the guy said, though, had gotten Keith's attention.]

Star Fleet?

Oh, you have hover bike's too? Yeah, I kind of miss them - the ride was a lot smoother, for sure, and you could pull some neater tricks, but these guys are a little more challenging, which I can appreciate.

_{[ He patted the bike and beamed before chuckling. ]}

Yeah, Star Fleet. It's an organization in my home world dedicated to scientific exploration and humanitarian efforts in space in parts both known and unknown under the jurisdiction of the United Federation of Planets.

[Keith nodded.]

I had one. It was a good bike.

[He kind of missed it sometimes, especially when the Castle landed on planets.]

Oh, yeah? That sounds like the Garrison... just... with more planets. People on Earth aren't really completely aware of aliens, yet.

[Not as a whole, anyway. Which made his own situation a little weird, but he wasn't going to get into that.]

Well, they probably will be soon enough. We are definitely not alone out there.

_{[ He chuckled and undid his helmet, pulling it off and running a hand
through blonde hair. ]}

Garrison though - that sounds a bit aggressive.

Oh... a few of us already know that. And we're pretty sure the Garrison does, too. They just haven't made it public knowledge.

[Keith's darker tone suggested he wasn't thrilled with the Garrison and their coverups.]

Maybe. It kind of sprung out of what used to be NASA, which was sort of a mix between civilians and military. It's still pretty similar. There have been scientific exploration missions and stuff, but we're also trained and equipped to be able to defend ourselves if things get hostile.

Sounds similar to Star Fleet. We get military training to defend ourselves and Federation space, but we're not a military outfit. Least wise I try and make a point of not acting that way on my end. Not a good way to make a good first impression - usually.

_{[ He held out his hand to Keith. ]}

Jim Kirk, captain U.S.S. Enterprise, and now captain of the Tourist.

Yeah. [Allura was definitely all about diplomacy first, something Keith had to get used to. Being more of a fighter pilot himself, he tended to be a little more wary and defensive just from his nature and training alone. Others in the Garrison were more science-minded and about the exploration aspect.]

I'm Keith. [He reached out to shake hands back.] Paladin of Voltron and now pilot of the Huntress. [He smirked a little.] Should I call you 'captain'? [Keith clearly didn't seem to rely on rank, even if he had a mildly military background. His tone was a little teasing towards Kirk.]

Paladin of Voltron sure does sound fancy.

And you can if you want. I won't say no, but you can just call me Jim too.

_{[ He flashed him a grin, taking the teasing and rolling with it. He'd
give it back soon enough. ]}

Full name's for when I'm in trouble.

That's what Allura calls us. I never really thought about it beyond that.

[He shrugged a little. Keith didn't exactly have attachments to the idea of the Garrison or rank, so he was fine just calling him Jim. He also tended to forget to explain that Voltron wasn't exactly a part of the Garrison, either, mainly because he didn't like to admit that he'd been kicked out before graduating. It wasn't something he was proud of, even if he wasn't all that upset about it, either.]

Jim, it is, then.

So, you self-taught on riding?

More or less. It was cheaper than a car when I was sixteen and I could afford it with my part time jobs. Kept it all the way up until I joined up and went to the Academy. Some guy in the ship yard has it now, I think.

Though I did find a classic on our last mission. Which I then crashed during a rescue.

_{[ Oops. He might sound a bit contrite about that. Maybe. ]}

Oh, man. A classic, huh? That kind of sucks to have to make that call. Was the rescue at least successful?

[It had to be worth it, right?]

_{[ His smile is a touch tighter, just that hint of sadness and guilt
layered behind it. ]}

Yeah, the plan worked. Girl had one last good ride at the end - which was kind of a miracle since she'd been sitting there for something like one hundred years.

[Keith could understand that. One last good ride was better than nothing, and it had been for a rescue that ended up successful, so there was that, at least. The quip about the age, though, made Keith wonder what Kirk would think of him flying around space in a robotic Lion and a Castle that were over ten thousand years old each and had spent almost all of that time sitting dormant.]

That's good, at least. Better than it getting wrecked for something stupid.

[Like racing across an unknown rocky area at break-neck speeds...]

_{[ Probably stare for quite a bit, and then start asking a lot of
questions. He won't necessarily disbelieve him but - yeah, that would
require questions. A lot of them. He's already heard a bit about it,
actually, from Shiro, just not quite in that context. He chuckles at that
statement, looking around them and back behind, their tire tracks trailing
away into the distance. ]}

Like, say, a race back to the trail head?

[Keith smirked.]

Is that a challenge?

[Please say yes.]

_{[ His own smirk grew, flipping the HUD down and activating it. ]}

Absolutely. Try not to fall behind!

_{[ It would be super awkward if he lost a younger member of the fleet
out on one of these jaunts. ]}

[Oh... it was on.]

I should be telling you that!

[He flipped his own visor down and cranked the engine on his ATV. The tires spun, kicking dirt behind him as he slid the vehicle around in a circle to face back the way they had come from, and then he took off.]

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April System Mingle

Re: Adrenaline

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