Chapter 13
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The mail a few days later contained a letter. Not junk mail, credit card offers, notice of how much his bills were (though he paid them all online automatically), or offers for whatever thing people were trying to sell. It was an honest to God letter.
The handwritten addressee:
Keith Kogane
13 Lakeview Road, Apt 205
Orlando, FL 32839
And the return address:
Takashi Shirogane
690 Airmen Drive,
Fairfield, CA 94535
Keith was opening the envelope almost immediately. Was this the gift Shiro had said was in the mail? What spilled from the envelope was a piece of paper that, when unfolded, revealed itself to be a round trip ticket to Sacramento. Keith stared at the ticket for about ten seconds before he was booting up his computer and logging into tumblr.
He pulled up the chat he had going with Shiro and sent "What's the ticket for?" even though he knew Shiro probably wasn't online at the moment.
Then he left the tab open while he checked his e-mail, went through his dashboard, checked Lance's tumblr, verified his work schedule for the next week, and made dinner. Keith had been sitting on the couch with a book in his hands – The Rose Chateau by Rebecca Monaco – and a cat on her back in his lap for about twenty minutes when he heard the 'whoop' noise of the tumblr chat box.
Red gave an indignant mrroow when Keith jumped up from the couch and raced to his computer, the book falling helplessly to the couch cushions.
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PilotKogane + TheOppositeofAmnesia
PilotKogane
What's the ticket for?
TheOppositeofAmnesia
It finally arrived?
PilotKogane
Yes. But why a plane ticket?
TheOppositeofAmnesia
I want you to come see me in California.
PilotKogane
What for? The return trip is a week after the arrival. What are we gonna be doing?
TheOppositeofAmnesia
There's a race. A hovercycle race. It's professional.
PilotKogane
The NARA races?
TheOppositeofAmnesia
Yes. They'll be holding time trials in a month to determine the lineup for the next race.
PilotKogane
You have to be a member to participate. I'm not a NARA member, Shiro
TheOppositeofAmnesia
You can register and get accepted well before you get here. And I raced with NARA awhile back. I've already talked to them about this. They're all for letting you in, giving you a license. You'd be professional, Keith.
PilotKogane
I already race. I do street side racing competitions.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
Is this about the pilot license thing? Keith, trust me, it won't stop you. I've done all the research. The garrison banned you from a national service based on personal bias and breaking school rules. It was actually unlawful for them to place the ban in the first place. It's gone, Keith. The ban is off your record.
PilotKogane
You got rid of my ban?
TheOppositeofAmnesia
No, the U.S. military did.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
You can't be banned from becoming a pilot unless you're on a No Fly list or a Terrorist Watch list, and you're not. You've never crashed a plane, or any airborne vehicle. You've got no tickets on your record other than speeding tickets, which you've always paid quickly.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
From what you've told me, the incident involved an officer detailing an aerial vehicle that he said only the most experienced pilots could handle, you proved you could handle it, and an argument occurred. According to official records, you did not threaten the officer or anyone else, you didn't injure the officer or anyone else, and no equipment was damaged in the incident.
PilotKogane
I flew an experimental aircraft through a ten foot wide alley and then used evasive maneuvers while shooting blank practice ammunition at the officer class pilots during their aerial drill runs.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
And they shot actual ammunition at you but never hit you. That's incredible, Keith. That's amazing.
PilotKogane
Yeah well the higher ups didn't think it was so amazing when they had to fetch their plane from a field in Yeehaw Junction
TheOppositeofAmnesia
You set up an autopilot landing sequence for a location over an hour away then dropped yourself from the cockpit like a bomb, and landed directly in front of the officer that told you you couldn't accomplish what you did using a flight suit instead of your parachute.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
Stop seeing yourself through their eyes, Keith. They were small minded and angry that you proved them wrong.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
You're better than them. You're better than street side racing.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
Please come to California.
PilotKogane
I'll think about it.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
That's not a no, so I'll take it.
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Sunset at the beach was a dazzling sight, but Keith wasn't there for the view.
He held the plane drone Pidge had given him up to his bike and hit 'scan.' After the scan was complete and the light turned green, he let it fly off into the air. As promised, the drone flew around on its own, but kept the camera pointed at the hovercycle at all times. Keith gave it a wave before putting his helmet on and mounting the bike.
A wave of sand kicked up with the initial burst of mag power, but then was reduced to only a faint rolling of fine particles away from the vehicle. Keith looked off down the empty stretch of beach ahead of him, leaned down closer to the body of the bike, and took off. Above him, the drone kept up easily. It moved from his right side to his left, behind him, far ahead of him, and above him. Keith paid it little mind, instead focusing on the dunes and rolling waves of the beach. And thinking, he did a lot of thinking.
The ban against him was gone. He could take the pilot exam. Like Lance, Keith could become a licensed pilot. He could join the military or become a professional racer or a commercial pilot – though he shuddered to consider that last one. Options were opening up for him, because of Shiro.
There was a dune just big enough to get some good air on and Keith used it, made a full flip in the air, and actually kept himself airborne using burst of mag power while he did turns and spins, before finally allowing his hovercycle to land near the ground again.
But with the notice on his record at the garrison, could Keith rejoin the air force? Could he become a fighter pilot? Lance was a pilot. What did Lance want to fly? Could they join the same force?
Keith leaned to the side and drove diagonally toward the oncoming waves. Just before the spot where the white crests crashed into the sand, Keith corrected his path and continued forward. The pulse of his bike made a spray of water droplets erupt behind him like the tail of some great bird.
And Shiro wanted Keith in California for the NARA races. Professional hoverbike races. If he made it, he'd ride in televised races, with endorsements from companies. He might even get a fan base. But did he want to join NARA? Did he want to do professional racing? It would be much more structured than the street side hover races he was used to, but it would pay infinitely better and would come with benefits.
A sudden flip into reverse had Keith going backwards through the spray of water, and a larger crashing wave sent more beads of water around him. For an instant, it was almost like biking in the rain, or like he was in a dome made of water. Then Keith was simply power driving in reverse, the spray of water in front of his face rather than behind him. He turned and left the water line, still in reverse.
If he could take the pilot exam and get his license, he could become a professional racer. If he became a professional racer, his reputation would improve. If his reputation improved, he could apply to the military again. If he got into the military again, he could do better than any of his instructors had ever dreamed and show them how wrong of them it was to kick him out. He'd get revenge by way of his success.
In the rearview mirror he saw the dune approaching. Keith spun 180 degrees just before he went up the side of a dune. As soon as he reached the top, Keith hit the brakes, stopping his bike in the reedy grass just beyond. Sand burst up around him briefly, and then everything was still.
Waves continued to crash, relatively quietly, to his left. The sun was nearly completely set. The lights of hotels and stores were in the distance. Keith removed is helmet and felt the breeze that was gently moving the plants and sand around him.
Keith would go to California. The races there would be his first step. His first success in a long line of successes to come.
He retrieved the remote for the drone and hit the 'Return' button. Within a minute, the plane landed in the grass and sand beside him. Keith folded up the wings, strapped it in place on his bike, and began the long ride home in the falling dusk.
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P1dg3N4t10n [reblogged] PilotKogane
[Video of a red and white bike and rider going along a beach at high speed from the air. Cut to from the side, facing the land, trees and small plants whooshing by. Panning shot from one side, up, to the other, as the bike launches off a sand dune and flies, flipping, turning, spinning, the rider's legs leaving the bike entirely at points. Front view, looking like a shot from a chase scene in a movie. Side view, facing the water, with a trail of water spray. Sudden but seamless reverse, a wave crashes exactly then, cascading water droplets all around the bike. View from above as the bike speeds backward, the 180 spin just before rushing up a dune. Sudden stop, wind blowing the tall grass nearby and waves crashing just to the side, the rider and bike motionless but vigil.]
PilotKogane
Decided to give P1dg3N4t10n's drone a try this weekend. Edited together my favorite shots. I didn't expect it to be so HQ but this is really amazing. Thanks again for the drone, Pidge.
savethefood_savetheworld
That shot with the water falling around you? The sun catches the water droplets and it's like you're riding through a shower of diamonds! The quality of these shots is out of this world!
PilotKogane
#I feel like I just watched a commercial for something I didn't know I needed until now
Not sure what kind of product this would be selling other than the hovercycle, but thanks, I guess. And you can give all props to Pidge for the quality.
P1dg3N5t10n
Of course it's HQ. I designed it. But holy cow, dude! That's some awesome riding!
Source: PilotKogane #damn I'm good #hovercycle #everyone watch my friend go boss mode on a beach #incredible
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PilotKogane + SIRLancelot3000
SIRLancelot3000
I disagree
PilotKogane
Not surprising
PilotKogane
What do you disagree with now?
SIRLancelot3000
That shot of the water falling around you and your bike. It's not diamonds.
PilotKogane
Ok. I know that.
SIRLancelot3000
The sun was almost completely set so the sky was mostly dark behind you in the shot. The water had just enough sparkle.
SIRLancelot3000
What I'm saying is the water droplets weren't diamonds. They were stars.
SIRLancelot3000
It looked like you were flying through space
PilotKogane
That's actually really good, Lance.
SIRLancelot3000
I wanna be an astronaut.
PilotKogane
You want to fly through space
SIRLancelot3000
Yeah.
SIRLancelot3000
Do you have a favorite constellation?
PilotKogane
Not really. I like Orion, because no matter where I am I can always find him.
SIRLancelot3000
I like Lynx
PilotKogane
Lynx? I've never heard of it.
SIRLancelot3000
It was charted in the 17th century. It's pretty new. But its based in ancient myths
SIRLancelot3000
This guy Lynceus could see in the dark and through walls and stuff. One time, his brother was about to be ambushed and he died using his sight to save his brother's life.
PilotKogane
That's cool. Sad but cool.
SIRLancelot3000
Yeah. Another myth is about how all these sons of one dude were told to marry all these daughters of another dude – the dudes were brothers but hated each other. All the daughters kill all the sons the night of the marriages except one.
SIRLancelot3000
The two escaped, the son living in the mountains and the daughter in the nearest city and they talked to each other using lamplight so her dad wouldn't find out and finish the job. Lynx comes from a word meaning 'lamp' or 'light.' When the daughter's father died the son's father became king and the two were reunited.
PilotKogane
So one myth is sad and the other is romantic.
SIRLancelot3000
It's one of the dimmest constellations too, so you have to know where to look.
SIRLancelot3000
And then there's Leo Minor! It's right next to Leo, obvs. It was charted in the 1600s too by the same guy as Lynx. Dude had a thing for cats I guess.
SIRLancelot3000
This other dude, named Proctor, renamed it Leaena because he realized writing all these long ass names made marking star charts almost impossible. That would've made it a female named lion constellation and it would've matched Leo, which would've been totally cool since its -right next to- Leo, but no one really liked the name at the time or something cause it's still Leo Minor.
PilotKogane
Tragedy
SIRLancelot3000
It IS!
SIRLancelot3000
I tell everyone it's Leaena anyway. If enough people do something, it's bound to get into other people's heads and then BOOM. She's Leaena.
PilotKogane
So what I'm gathering is that you like the cat themed constellations
SIRLancelot3000
Hm. Yeah. I guess I do.
PilotKogane
For the record, I like The Lioness better than The Little Lion too.
SIRLancelot3000
Holy shti
SIRLancelot3000
You know that Leaena means 'Lioness' in Latin?
SIRLancelot3000
Marry me
PilotKogane
Sorry to disappoint but I just used Google
SIRLancelot3000
Marriage proposal retracted dude. Way to break a guy's heart.
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PilotKogane [reblogged] sci-universe
[Five pictures of five different galaxies]
sci-universe
Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies
Here are some fun and unusual galaxies from the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, a catalog produced by Halton Arp. A total of 338 galaxies are presented in the atlas, which was originally published in 1966.
1. IC 883 (Arp 193), remnant of two galaxies' merger
2. Arp 147, an interacting pair of ring galaxies
3. Giant elliptical galaxy NGC 1316
4. Interacting pair of galaxies: Arp 238 (UGC 8335)
5. Merging galaxy pair named NGC 520 (Arp 157)
Source: sci-universe #space #galaxies #silly boy with a stick
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PilotKogane [reblogged] sciencefriday
[Picture of Susan Finley, a glamour shot, smiling at the camera]
[Picture of Margaret Hamilton lying down, working inside the Command Module of Apollo 11, smiling at the camera]
Meet the all-female team of coders that brought us Apollo 11.
In 1969, the world watched as Neil Armstrong marked his historic achievement with the words, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." His now-famous transmission was heard around the globe thanks to NASA's Deep Space Network, which made communication from outer space possible.
That network was built by a woman named Susan Finley. She was part of an all-female team of coders whose work was integral to the success of the Apollo 11 mission. Science writer Nathalia Holt brings us their stories in her book, Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us from Missiles to the Moon to Mars.
Listen to their story here.
[Images via NASA]
Source: sciencefriday #space #history #This-is-Altea #women
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SIRLancelot3000
[GIF of Conan O'Brien jolting as if in fright then stepping backward, hands coming up to cover his face, looking shocked and afraid]
WAIT A MINUTE
[GIF of Dean Winchester stuttering, looking confused and upset about being confused, reads "WHAT- -UH- -EXCUSE ME- -WHAT?"]
[GIF of Spencer Shay saying 'What' and his pants fall down, reads "WHAT?!"]
Ohmygod Ohmygawd Oh My FREAKING GOD
[GIF of Jane Nichols from 27 Dresses looking disappointed, reads "I feel like I found out my favorite love song was written about a sandwich."]
#no way nowaynowaynoWAY #youvegottabekidding me #holy shit #how many times did I watch it and I just now
savethefood_savetheworld said: Dude, what happened? Spare the snack food. Spare the couch. Talk to me.
TheOppositeofAmnesia said: I hope everything's okay
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tbc...
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End Notes:
Posts were from sci-universe on tumblr at /post/139199953531/atlas-of-peculiar-galaxies-here-are-some-fun-and and from sciencefriday on tumblr at post/148009310825/meet-the-all-female-team-of-coders-that-brought-us
The NARA races and company are based on the WERA races and company in real life. However, as I don't know too much about how WERA works (except that they race all over the US and you have to be a member to get more info and to race), I've created the fictional North America Racing Association in its place.
Keith's address is based in an actual apartment complex called Lakeview Pointe, but any actual apartment at the address is unaffiliated with either myself or this story. I chose a road in the complex and picked a random number and apartment designation.
Shiro's address is the address for the Travis Air Force Base in California. Like Keith's address, it has no affiliation with either myself or this story.
And yes, there is actually a place in Florida named Yeehaw Junction. I did not make that up.