I'm back, everybody scream! This is going to be weird so be warned, and I will switch between calling her 'Eva' and 'Molly'. Sorry for the inconsistency.
"This is our last chance. To qualify for the race on Oban, we must beat Toros." Don was pacing as he said this to Jordan and Eva, and including Rick. Stan and Koji were resting after last night's all-nighter. The rematch was that morning and there wasn't any time to test the new hyper drive. This last race was to be defined by fate and fate alone.
Eva and Jordan got in the Arrow and flew to the arena. They were checking controls and assessing the new and improved ship as a whole.
"How does she feel?" Koji asked from the control room in the pit. (He and Stan were woken up for this. Poor them.)
"The controls're a little stiff but I'll get used to it." Eva answered. She looked up and saw Toros and his trident ship coming. 'We have to win this'.
Aikka was restless, sitting next to his teacher. He'd been given his order and if Eva won…He wasn't sure he could. Kailua, on the flipside, was impatient for the race to go. She knew Stand Koji had fixed the Arrow, built a new one is more like it, but she did knew what Aikka's order were and prayed he didn't. She wanted Jordan, and Eva, to go to Oban with Aikka. But Toros was the problem.
They lined up, Jordan kissed the dog tag around his neck with a silent prayer to live through this, the stone dropped, and they were off. (Again, I shall go back to skipping the details of the race and just do the highlights) Eva gets control of the ship, going into hyper drive in the lead, Aikka's ecstatic, teacher's not happy, and Kailua is on the edge of her seat clapping. Toros activates the trident intending to slice them in half again, Molly dodges and Toros activates his incredibly fast hyper drive. Molly's desperate.
"Is there anyway to make this go faster?"
"Stan...?" Koji half asked.
"Out of the question! The turbo thrusters could break the hull."
"We don't have a choice. I'll assume full responsibility." Don said. "Eva, activate the turbo boosters."
Eva hit it, passes Toros again, get pretty far ahead and deactivates. Jordan has de ja vu, Toros shoots lasers at them, passes them just outside the canyon. Eva reactivates hyper drive and turbo booster, getting neck and neck with the Crog. Toros says she'll kill them both, Stan and Rick are telling her to stop, and she ignores said pleas. (Yay! Group suicide!) She wins and doesn't hit the wall, but Toros does. Aikka's glad she won but is angry because he holds her fate. He has to race Spirit and if he wins, Eva comes to Oban, if he loses Earth goes home. He's been ordered to lose.
Aikka came out on his beetle and looked at Molly, his Molly, and saw the expectant and hopeful look in her eyes, and looked away. 'Don't look at me like that Molly. It only makes it harder.' She was a little bit surprised but watched the race closely. In the beginning he didn't even seem to be trying, but his bug wanted to go faster, despite his master's protests.
"Easy G'adar. It's not our fight to win." The beetle still wanted to go faster. "I feel the same. We're hurting our friends and ourselves." He placed his hand on G'adar, muttered a prayer in Nourasian, and flew faster, much to the displeasure of Toros and the teacher. Aikka took out an arrow, again muttered in Nourasian, and shot, blinding Spirit causing to fall behind as Aikka won the race. Earth would now move on with Toros and Nourasia. Molly was happy and blushing, Jordan said he might hate Aikka less, said prince wasn't as happy. Toros was going to deal with him now.
"Eva!" She looked up and saw Kailua flying to her. She hugged Eva and Jordan at the same time. "Great job on making Oban! Toros deserved that trouncing."
"Thanks Kailua. You coming to Oban to watch?" Jordan asked.
"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it for the world." She answered enthusiastically, throwing her arms around his neck, causing him to blush.
"Hey Kailua, do you know where Aikka went?" Eva asked. Kailua grimaced and looked away, (Yes she's let go of Jordan at this point.)
"Uh, ya see, he was order by his father, the king, and Toros to lose that race. The fact that he won, well…" She trailed off looking very unhappy.
"Where is he?" Eva demanded
"He's headed back to his pit, about to get in a boat load of trouble."
"You mean like when Toros confronted him before!" Molly exclaimed.
"No. Even worse, but we can't do anything, Aikka forbids it, and he doesn't want you to get hurt." She winced when Eva yelled,
"Well, we'll just have to help him anyway!"
"Right and how do you plan to do that shorty?" Eva only came up to her shoulder. Eva glared at her, and she sighed. "Alright, one prince boyfriend alive, coming up."
With Aikka:
Aikka and his teacher walked back in absolute silence. He knew he was in for it: he hadn't gotten rid of Molly when ordered, and he won the race he was order to lose, letting the Earth team advance. At the pit he saw Toros waiting for them.
"Well prince, care to explain yourself this time?" Toros asked sardonically.
"I could not lose that race in good conscience." Aikka stated plainly and calmly. Toros' eyes widened and he grabbed the Nourasian's arm in a bruising grip.
"You planet, position, and quite possibly your very life hang in the balance and you're worried about you conscience and a worthless Earth girl!" His grip tightened on Aikka's arm, causing him to wince; he could fell his bone starting to crack under the larger male's hold.
"She's not worthless!" We are honorable people and yet you seek to dishonor my people. I won't stand for it!"
"Very well, you won't stand at all!" Before Aikka could react, Toros swung him over his head, and flung him away. He hit a tree branch, partly bending back over it, hearing his vertebrae pop and snap, knocking the wind out of him. He fell with a very undignified thump and struggled to get to his knees and breathe again. Toros loomed over hi, and lifted the prince with ease to throw him again.
Major contusions and bruises covered him now. His sword was useless thanks to the Crog's armor; his teacher made absolutely no move to help him, and on top of that, Toros was coming to loom over him again. The Crog reached down when he suddenly stopped and looked up; a large shadow fell over them and Kailua came hurtling down, crashing into Toros, knocking him down and away from Aikka, and successfully bruising her shoulder. Molly and Jordan were right behind, helping the prince up.
"Are you alright?" Molly asked, the seeing the bruises on him, "Stupid question, of course not. What happened?" Before he could answer Kailua backed up to them.
"I hate to break up the reunion but we got bigger problems right now. Bull head's getting up." She scowled and growled in her throat in annoyance. The prince was injured and in need of a hospital, Molly, Jordan and herself were half as tall as him with no armor, and they had no weapons except a steel spear that he would no doubt be ready for. Wonderful. "Neash Keit."1.
Suddenly Kailua jumped into the air, and landed a spinning kick to his abdomen, bringing forth a grunt. She was about to fly off when he grabbed her ankle. She struggled, flapping her wings and pulling with all her might, but he wouldn't let her go. Jordan appeared out of nowhere and rammed into him, elbow first. He released her to make a grab at Jordan but Kailua pulled him back. See this was a lost fight she did a big no-no in her book.
"Let's get outta here, come on!" She put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. Izzy and G'adar flew to them, Izzy grabbing Molly and Aikka since he wan in no position to get up on the beetle, and Kailua picked up Jordan and flew to the top of the beetle. They took off with Toros left on the ground. They headed for Kailua's pit, off the other side of the lake.
"So what did happen?" Jordan asked Aikka as they got off the animals.
"I disobeyed my orders to get rid of Molly and lose the race. He was trying to discipline me to my proper place." He winced a put a hand to his ribs; Molly looked at him concerned.
"You need a doctor."
"And he's in no shape to go, but don't worry, we have a healer here for obvious reasons." Kailua offered and went to go find her healer. While she was gone Aikka looked a Jordan quizzically.
"I don't understand. I thought you disapproved of me?" Aikka asked the gunner, who looked away.
"I'm sorry. I honestly thought you were loyal to the Crogs and would hurt Molly if ordered to. Now I see I was wrong. I apologize for my behavior."
Aikka smile at him. "All is forgiven." He looked up to see Kailua and another Kelamian, this time male, behind her.
"This is Kim, my healer. I've explained everything to him."
Kim came forward and motioned the prince to follow him. "He's mute, Aikka; born that way unfortunately. Go with him, he won't hurt you, much." He glared at her before following the small old man to a back room to have his ribs bandaged and ointment put on his wounds.
When he was done, Kim let Aikka go back to the main room and sit next to Molly, who immediately moved closer and wrapped a hand in his.
"Ya know, with Toros so livid at you, I don't really think you can go back to your pit." Kailua said. "Especially since your fencing teacher will no doubt tell the Crogs where you are. Why don't you stay here? They're plenty of room and the Earth pit is close by," The comment made Aikka and Molly blush, "And G'adar has enough room even with Izzy here."
"Thank you. You're most kind."
That's it. (1) German for 'not good.' Sorry if I spelled it wrong those who know German, but I ca barley spell English let alone another language. Hope you likey!