Disclaimer: I don't own Oban: Star Racers (unfortunately), but I do own most of the aliens that will be introduced further along and Trent, Eva's friend.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! And many thanks to the advice, as well! I'll try and accommodate every suggestion I can! Oh, and, if I have any grammatical mistakes, feel free to post it in a review or PM me about it. I'm not aware of all the rules, since I just began writing recently. Also, regarding pairings, I've been hearing a ton of Aikka/Eva, but I'm refusing to give anything away. Eva's leaving Earth's orbit this chapter, so you'll find out soon enough. As promised, Eva's friends have a little more role in this chapter, and you'll be seeing Trent throughout the rest of the fic. R&R /pllleeeeaaaasssseeeee/to let me know what you think of the chapter!
Doxeh: That's okay, Hayley. If it weren't for you, this story wouldn't be up here in the first place At least you review (which I am really thankful for ;3)
Jordan's Gal: Thanks for the review! The paragraph error was just another case of me not realizing I'm making a grammatical blunder.I really want to thank you for that observation, because actually, I was not aware of that rule. I'll do my best to start new paragraphs when people talk!
RomanticAngel: Wow! What a review! Heh, I just graduated eighth grade on Wednesday (which is why I haven't updated in so long) so I suppose it could be said I was in high school now ;) Thanks for then encouragement on the chapters; I wasn't sure if it got boring reading an extremely long chapter, and I will most defiantly try to make my paragraphs shorter, if just for the sake of the reading eye. The Wheel aren't exactly your normal everyday typical race. They've never been defiled by greed or corruption because…well, you'll find out soon enough. And don't worry, I liked your review! It was hardly a waste of my time!
Aikka's girl: Thanks for your input! I'll make my paragraph's shorter (I know how, also, because of the new rule Jordan's Gal enlightened me to)
Without further ado, here's the next chapter!
The journey begins: Set Sail in the Ship of New Beginnings!
"You're leaving? Right before break?" Marissa demanded, shutting her locker door with more force then necessary. Her expression had taken on of an annoyed fury, and her voice was dripping with distaste.
"I know," Eva started, "And I'm really sorry, but—"
"Whatever, it doesn't really matter. Lets just go grab some lunch or something." Marissa cut her off, but Eva could tell that she was ticked off at her. The last bell for the morning had just rung. Eva and Marissa were coming out of Honors English, which they took together. During class, Eva had sent Marissa a small note telling her that she was leaving for a week in one day's time. Marissa spent half the time sending Eva shocked expressions and quiet "Ugh!"s, and the other half sulking. After the period had ended, she had rushed out of class, not bothering to wait for Eva. Eva tried apologizing, but Marissa wouldn't hear it. Eva found it very frustrating that her friend couldn't try to sympathize. But inwardly, Eva knew that if it had been Marissa leaving before Saturday, then she would have been ticked off at her as well. Regardless, Eva had to go; it wasn't as if it was her choice anymore. Earth couldn't withdraw their place in the races, and even if they could, the President would probably never allow it.
It was understandable for Marissa to be this upset, although Eva did not think that, given the justification of being a "Diplomatic Ambassador," (as her father called it) it was entirely fair. Marissa liked to pretend that she was upset at Eva for leaving right before break, when they had made plans, but Eva knew the truth. The coming Saturday—two days after Eva would already be on Wheel, it was Marissa's sixteenth birthday, and she was having what was supposed to be the party of the year. Marissa came from a very wealthy family, being the daughter of Senator Harold Ramone. Unlike her older brother Erik, Marissa was never really a material girl. In fact, the only big or expensive things she bought were so that she, Eva, and Trent could have fun with them—the heck with everyone else. All she could talk about for a month was how awesome it would be having Trent and Eva be at the party with her. And now, Eva was going to miss it, and maybe Trent would as well. Of course Marissa would be mad at them. However, Eva couldn't ask the transport to wait for her, and she already felt bad enough about missing Marissa's sweet sixteen. She didn't have to give her grief about it. Eva followed Marissa into the school cafeteria. Marissa flipped her sandy brown shoulder-length hair over her head and tied it in a high pony-tail, just as she always did before eating anything. Every time she ate with her hair loose, food would always manage to get caught in it.
"I said I was sorry." Eva insisted. "And it's not like I can just say 'Mr. President, I've changed my mind. I can't go because of my best friend's sweet sixteen.' What do you think he's going to say to that?"
Marissa sighed, and they took their places in line. "I know," she muttered in a grudging acceptance, "But my party is going to totally reek without you there. What am I supposed to tell people?"
Eva had contemplated this herself. "Well, since it's break and all, the story is that I've gone to Haiti for vacation with my new racing coach, ex-pilot Rick Thunderbolt." Eva shrugged. The first thing Eva had done when she had gotten home was call Rick, Stan, and Koji. They were, after all, the three extra people that she was bringing, besides Trent. Rick had agreed to go with her immediately, but Stan and Koji had to think about it for a while. After all, Miguel was close to retiring, and they didn't want to leave him. However, Stan had mentioned that there was a new star-racer they were working on, and they could probably finish it by tomorrow. Koji's voice got all excited then, as he explained to Eva the new ship they were creating. "We learned so much from those Scrubs back on Oban," he had told her "We had to try some of their methods for ourselves. This new race could be a perfect time to try this baby out!" So, basically, Stan and Koji convinced themselves to come. They called back not even ten minutes later and announced that they were in.
"Haiti? Instead of my birthday party?" Marissa said skeptically. "To get tutored by a racing coach? You're not even old enough for the big leagues until next year." Eva waved that aside. It had been too long since she had last been behind the wheel of a star racer, and she didn't like to think about it. "Look, this is really important. Speaking of which, where's Trent? I really need to find him."
Marissa rolled her eyes. "Why? Because he's coming with you?" Her voice was encased in sarcasm. Eva bit her lip, though, and Marissa's look of bored sarcasm changed almost immediately to a shocked anger. "You're kidding? You're taking him with you? You're leaving me totally alone?"
Eva shrugged apologetically. She felt bad about missing Marissa's party, but Trent was the only one she could have. Jordan wasn't around anymore…and no way was she letting the President choose for her. Besides, Trent was the best gunner she knew now a days. He was just like any other sixteen-year-old male, except more rambunctious and had an obsession with shooting things. So he was perfect for the job. Marissa stared at Eva for a couple of more minutes, then walked away from her in silence. Eva sighed; she knew better than to follow her. When Marissa got into one of her moods, it was best to let her cool off before trying to talk to her. Eva's eyes wandered around the cafeteria, looking for Trent.
She found him by the pudding line. How expected. Shaking her head, she walked up behind him and gave him a sharp tug. He turned around, and grinned when he saw her. His spiked mop of black hair, dyed blue at the tip, was standing perfectly upright, as usual, and he had the regular laid-back look. "Hey, E. What's up?" He asked, noticing her serious expression. She pulled him aside, and repeated what the President had told her about the race, the cover-up story, and her need for a gunner. Trent's eyes lit up. "Are you serious? You expect me to miss out on something like this? I'm in all the way!" His voice sounded excited, and he had a broad grin on his face. "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow." Eva said "Six O'clock. The transport receives us at four in the afternoon." Trent nodded, mentally making a note of this in his mind.
Slowly, his eyebrows furrowed in realization. "Wait…we're leaving tomorrow? For a week? Doesn't that mean that we'd be missing Rissa's—"
"Yea, I know. It sucks." Eva said huskily. Was he going to give her grief about this now? It wasn't her choice when the race was.
Trent frowned, but he didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. "How's she taking it?" He finally asked.
Eva sighed "As well as I would." Trent's expression clouded, his deep grey-blue eyes taking on a glazed look. Eva began to worry he might not come.
"I really need you there." She said finally.
He nodded. "Yea, and I'm coming. I'm just trying to think. You know, she really wants us to be there. It just sucks." He shook his head. "Well, there's nothing we can do, right? Maybe we'll get her something awesome while we're up there—Wheel is a trading planet, after all. That'll cheer her up."
Eva's expression lit up. "That's it! We'll get her something really awesome—something else nobody on Earth has!"
"Right. So I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then. I should probably go help Rissa out." He shuffled away. Trent was the only one Marissa would listen to when she was angry; this was because she's had a massive crush on him since the third grade, as Eva found out. Not that he had figured that out, of course. Eva was left alone, thinking about tomorrow, when she would be leaving Earth—and right before her best friend's party and her and her father's 1-year anniversary, too.
Tomorrow came faster than Eva expected. Since today was the start of her Thanksgiving Break, she had no school. She had Don Wei had packed a few of her things into a duffel bag, and went out for lunch. Rick had phoned to say that he had picked up Stan and Koji, and that they would meet them at the Transport's designated pick-up area; which, oddly, enough, as Eva had found out, was at a docking port a few cities away. She and her father left the house at around one to pick Trent up, since it was an hour's drive away from Rohard, the town where they needed to be. He came out of the house with a rather annoyed expression. As soon as he got into the car, Eva exploded into laugher. He was wearing a loose fitting red T-Shirt and orange Hawaiian printed Trunks. "What is that?" Eva managed to gasp in between laughter spasms. He rolled his eyes. "My mom wanted me to dress appropriately for Haiti." He said grudgingly. Eva was still chuckling, when she looked over her own attire. She wore faded jeans, with a black T-Shirt. Nothing special, really. Don Wei, who had been smiling to himself in the rearview mirror, cleared his throat. "Now, now. You can't expect Mrs. Thomas to know that Trent won't really be going to Haiti." He said soberly. Trent's voice took over for the rest of the car ride. He had countless questions for Eva about Oban. He had never fully believed that she had done all the things that she had explained, so he had never asked for full detail. Even yesterday, he questioned whether it was really happening. But now that he was here, in the car, on the way to an alien Race Festival, he couldn't stop asking questions. The whole car ride to Rohard, Eva had to listen to "Were there any cool looking aliens there? Did any of them look close to human? How many did you meet? Did you all speak the same language? How did the aliens know English? Is it like interplanetary or something? I still can't believe I'm meeting Rick Thunderbolt. Is he as cool as they say he is?" Of course, he kept on asking a new question in the middle of Eva answering his old one, so he never really did get any answers besides that yes, Rick was much cooler than the tabloids described him.
They arrived at Rohard's Port thirty minutes before the appointed time. It was, as Don Wei had said countless times, better to be safe than sorry. Eva looked at the extra time as a means to catch up with Rick, Stan, and Koji about how things have been going. While it's true that Eva did her best to keep in contact with Rick, the fact was he was often traveling, or tutoring another young racer, now that he had become a professional coach. However, on a slightly brighter note, she had been able to keep in touch with Stan and Koji, and they visited each other often. That was part of the reason why Eva was so shocked to hear that they had been working on a new project; for they had never mentioned it to her, nor had she seen them work on it. Maybe it was too recent, then…?
Well, whatever the reason, Eva was just glad she would be able to get back into the cockpit of a star racer. It's been way too long, she thought. She had been unable to race for almost one year. She couldn't wait to see what beauty Stan and Koji had whipped up. Her heart beat faster and faster as she felt the car stop to a halt. From the back, she could hear Trent grinning. "This is so awesome." He said, for about the umpteenth time.
Rick, Stan, and Koji were waiting for them by the water. Behind them was a huge truck, with what could contain nothing other than Eva's new Racer. As she watched her friends, all together, just like on Oban, anticipation caused adrenaline to pump through her veins, and she wasted no time tackling Rick into a bear hug. "Rick!:" She shouted, her voice bright and elated with happiness. "It's so great to see you again!"
Rick laughed lightly, and embraced her for a moment before letting her go. "Whoa, there, Little Mouse. It's nice to see you too." He hadn't changed much since last year. His hair was still long, he had those same sunglasses on, and he still had that same, cool look on his face. The only thing really different about him was his attire, in fact. He wore a blue T-Shirt and black pants. Nothing too fancy, but still every bit Rick-ish. Eva peeled herself off of him in order to grin at Stan and Koji. Stan and Koji hadn't changed at all really. Koji still had that flustered, modest look that Eva loved about him, and Stan was just as fervent looking as ever. Koji's hair was a little longer, and it was tied back in a ponytail, but other than that, they were very much the same. Koji wore a baggy T-shirt under his pale grey overalls, and Koji wore a white wifebeater under his dark brown overalls. Both of them were stained with oil, as usual. Eva waved at them, and they grinned back. For a moment, it all felt so…real, to Eva. Like they were back the way they were…back on Oban. Only one person missing, she thought sadly, too bad he can never come back. Thinking of Jordan reminded Eva that she had not yet introduced their newest member. "Oh, guys!" She said, as Stan and Koji sauntered over to where they were. "We got a new gunner! His name is Trent, he's my friend from school. He may not be a Jordan, but he's really good."
Rick looked over at Eva with his mouth slightly upturned, and when he spoke, his voice had an air of amusement in it. "This wouldn't be him, would it?" He asked, jabbing his figure at what was, indeed Trent beside him. Except that Trent's eyes had gone all big, and his jaw hung open. He tried to speak, but the only sound that came out of his mouth was rather girl-like, in Eva's opinion.
Eva tried to stifle a laugh. "Rick, meet Trent, your #1 fan." She winked at him. Trent composed himself, but was still gaping at Rick.
"I can't believe I'm actually meeting Rick Thunderbolt." He said, his voice excited and shocked at the same time. "You're, like, famous. Like, a racing legend."
Although Eva couldn't see behind Rick's glasses, she was sure that he threw her a wink. "And you would be…?"
"Trent! Trent Thomas! I'm gonna be the gunner on this here expedition." He said, drawing himself up to full height. "I'm the best in my division." He added. Eva rolled her eyes, and grabbed his hand. "You can try to impress Rick later, Trent." Her eyes were drawn back to the large cargo truck about ten feet away. "Is it in there?" She asked Stan.
He nodded. "She's a real beauty, too. The best one yet, I'd say."
Koji nodded vigorously as well, and added in apologetically. "Sorry we didn't tell you about it sooner. It was supposed to be a surprise for your seventeenth birthday, but it was almost done, anyway." Eva grinned. How like Stan and Koji to fix her up the best star racer around for when she was finally old enough to do some real damage. As if reading her mind, Koji added "Just do us a favor, and try not to knock it up so badly this race?" Eva had to laugh at the pleading tone of voice he spoke in.
"Me?" She asked in a feigned surprise. "How can you even say something like that. Trent, who was beside her, nudged her on the arm. "When do we get to see it in action?" Stan answered the question for Eva.
"Well, we probably shouldn't take it out now, but you can see it as soon as the transport brings us to Wheel." Stan chuckled "What a name for a planet." He added.
Koji shrugged. "I took some time to research the planet last night." He informed the others seriously. "It turns out that this planet is huge. I mean, it's known all over the galaxy. It sells anything, anytime, and it's super-quick. It's inhabited by a race of robots that call themselves the Wheel, after the name of their planet. Nobody knows how they get their quick deliveries to all the different parts of the galaxy, but they control the most exports in the region. Even some of the parts that made the Windbreaker were ordered and delivered by them. It's how technologies and cultural goods are exported."
Trent raised an eyebrow. "Windbreaker? That's what it's called? That's a pretty sweet name."
Koji grinned modestly. "Stan was the one who thought of it." Stan gave his friend a sharp pat on the back "We both thought of it." He corrected. Eva looked back at Rick, who was in deep conversation with Don Wei. Once again, she couldn't help but feel an enveloping happiness and excitement.
They were interrupted by a huge gust of wind. Koji and Stan ran to the truck and grabbed the wiring holding down the Windbreaker. Eva shielded her eyes, and grabbed Trent's arm for support. "What is that?" He asked, over the growing roar. Eva could barely hear him over the noise, and her eyes were starting to tear. She heard a gasp somewhere near her, and opened her eyes. She could feel her jaw dropping, and her eyes widening. What she saw before her was like nothing she had ever seen before.
It was a massive ship, made completely out of solid gold. It had what looked like Lapis Lazuli and jade linings, along with other gems and crests that Eva had never seen before. The deck was wooden, but Eva could see the metal outline of what had to be the rooms where people were staying. "This is the transport?" She couldn't believe it. This was huge, this was amazing.
Besides her, Trent whistled. "You never said that the transport would look anything like this." He marveled.
Eva shook her head "I didn't know." She said honestly. All of the team members were struck with awe at the sight before them.
Just then, part of the top of the ship's hull disappeared, and instead a long, bronze walkway began to descend from where it once stood. Don was the first to snap back to reality. "Rick!" He ordered. "Get in the truck! We'll need to drive it up in order to get the Star Racer safely aboard. Stan, Koji, you had better go with him." His voice was business-like, as usual. As Stan, Koji, and Rick went to do as they were instructed, Don pulled Eva aside from Trent. "Eva," he began, but paused, realizing that any good-bye speech he had planned had flew out of his head and evaded his memory. In the end, he settled for enveloping her in a monster hug. "Be careful." He said forcefully, as if it would be set in stone then. Eva smiled at him.
"I will." She said, and, giving him a quick peck on the cheek, she trotted over back to where Trent was. A tall, robotic silhouette had taken a place down the walkway, and was now approaching the new Earth Team.
"Greetings," He said, although his voice was hardly robotic. "Welcome, Earth Team, to the races that may industrialize your planet for years to come. My name is Honig. Please, state your name, your team members, and follow me." His big robotic eyes blinked and he fell silent, waiting for them. Eva realized that she should probably say something.
"Oh! Well, uh, I'm Eva Wei, and this is Trent. We're both on the Earth Team. The other three members are in that truck over there, and that's where our star racer is..." At the mention of their star racer, Honig's eyes burst back to life. "Of course. Allow me to help you with your ship. You and your other teammate can board the ship now."
Trent grinned. "Thanks, man!" He flashed Eva a smile . They both grabbed their bags and started to climb up the walkway when they heard one of the most loud, obnoxious noises that they could ever hear. Even Honig turned to see what had made the noise. However, Eva and Trent already knew. After all, how many times now had they tried to convince Marissa to change the honk on her rocket scooter? About a billion. But she refused, saying it was too "unique to smolder." Whatever that meant. Eva blinked. Had she ridden all the way here from home?
"Wait!" She shouted breathlessly, throwing her scooter's hatch down, causing it to halt abruptly. She hastily got off and threw her helmet on the ground. She rushed over to where Eva and Trent were and wasted drew both of them into the tightest hug she could muster. "I'm really, really sorry and I didn't mean to get all mad the other day." She was talking fast, as if she knew they were about to leave. "I know you guys really want to be there, and I just didn't want you to leave thinking I'm mad at you. Because I'm not."
Trent grinned, and Eva felt immensely relieved. She was happy Marissa had forgiven her for missing her Sweet Sixteen. Now she could race with a clear conscience, if anything. Eva hugged her friend back. "Don't worry," She said, cooing slightly. "We'll get you the most awesome present ever."
Marissa grinned. "I know you will. Win for me, will you?" She and Eva slapped hands—a dumb ritual, really, but one that they practiced before every big promise that took place between them. Trent placed a hand on her shoulder, and Marissa's face turned a flushed shade of pink.
"Don't worry, Rissa." He promised, "We'll make it up to you." Before he could say any more, Honig's voice could be heard.
"Excuse me," he said apologetically, "but only members of the Earth Team are allowed to board the ship, and it's high time we began moving again." Marissa nodded, threw her friends one last wave, and sprinted back to her scooter. Slowly, the walkway began to retract itself, and Eva could feel herself being lifted farther and farther from her friends, her family, and Earth.
"Where's the truck?" She asked suddenly, realizing that it wasn't on the retracting walkway with them. Honig smiled; or at least that's what it looked like he was doing. The metal corners of his mouth were titled crookedly upwards. "They have placed your ship in the cargo hold, below the deck. They will be in your quarters shortly." Eva looked once more at the retreating Earth below her, and thought that she heard Marissa scream, "Have fun in Haiti!" But she was so far up by now, she couldn't be sure. Once they were on the ship, Eva could really see what an amazing vessel it was. Although the deck was made out of nothing but wood, Eva felt that it's quality was much better than a normal wooden deck's. The deck was bare, which made Eva realize just how big it was. However, before she could comment, Honig spoke. "Welcome, Pilot of Earth. Eva, did you say it was?" Eva nodded, and Honig pointed a long, metallic finger to the metal part of the ship which Eva guessed were the rooms. "Terribly sorry for your inconvenience, but since Wheel is a long time away, and we still have more stops to make, the ship will be docking at the Wheel International Port tomorrow. There is a celebratory opening ball tonight to honor the contestants that will be held on the deck. Please, until then, feel free to rest in your cabins. They are right in there. The cabin with the Earth symbol is yours. I will inform your teammates, after they have completed signing in your ship and official members."
Trent nodded in thanks, grabbed Eva's hand, and marched her away towards the rooms. "Something about those guys doesn't feel right," he said, his voice kind of squeamish.
Eva raised an eyebrow "What do you mean?" She had felt really comfortable around Honig, actually.
Trent shrugged "It's nothing, really it's just…I don't know. Koji said that they were a race of robots. I guess that when he spoke…it just didn't seem very robotic. I mean, his voice wasn't computerized or anything…it must be nothing. Forget it."
Now that Eva thought about it, when she had spoken to Honig she hadn't really thought about any of that stuff. She felt like she was talking to another person. A real, non-robotic person. "Okay, well, that could be because of the advanced computerization and stuff." She shrugged. "Oh, here's our door." There, before them, was a bronze door with the symbol of Earth engraved into it. "Well, here we go." Eva placed a hand on the door. As if on cue, the door slid open and Eva and Trent walked inside.
The room was completely bare. There was nothing in it. It was just a vast, open, metallic space. There were three connecting rooms, but none of them had doors, or even any furnishings in them. "Well," Trent said in a bored tone of voice, "They sure know how to treat their guests with luxury." Before Eva could respond, however, the ground underneath them shifted slightly.
"Wha--?" Eva started, but stopped at what happened next. The floor opened up, and two beds appeared on either side of the room. The walls changed color from a dull bronze to a bright red on the side Eva was standing on, and a deep blue on Trent's side. They both watched, as, in awe, the room continued to personalize itself to each of their liking.
By the time the room had finished furnishing itself, both Trent and Eva were speechless.
"Well," Trent repeated, although this time with a totally different meaning, "They sure know how to treat their guests with luxury."
Eva blinked in response. What else was there to these guys that she didn't know? And what other surprises would she be graced with? As if an answer to her question, a voice that didn't sound robotic in the least bit sounded throughout the room, and Eva was sure, throughout the whole ship.
"Greetings, skilled contestants! I am the navigator of this ship, Dellinious. Let me give you an idea how things are going to work. We have three more stops to make, and then the Pre-Opening Ball will be held in honor of those planets that wished to participate in the Races of Wheel. Please, in the meantime, make yourselves comfortable. Thank you."
Trent dropped his duffel bag and flopped onto his bed. It was springier than he expected it to be. "Well, you heard the man." He said, "We might as well get comfy." Eva smiled and nodded, but as she looked around the room for a speaker, she found that there wasn't one at all.
A/N: Well, there we go! 9 whole pages! Sorry if this chapter seems monotonously long. This chapter was originally supposed to be split into two different ones, but to be honest, I want Trent and Eva to get off of Earth already so the really interesting things can start happening! I hoped you liked it, despite it's length? Remember what I said in the prelude about picking out little tidbits of information from the chapters to help you understand the mystery later on? Heads up, this is one of 'em. Well, R&R to let me know what you think or to make any suggestions!