Fast Cars and Intergalactic Speed Dating

Epilogue: In the Dust

There was no such thing as night on Las-Kendarr. There was day, and there was the gloaming as the world revolved into the cool embrace of a second, dying sun, a small, distant, ancient star.

Richard gazed at the horizon, watching the second sunrise calmly. It had been a lovely day, not too hot. Distantly, he could hear the sounds of the crowd, people milling about, shouting, and conversing as they prepared for the spectacle in store.

He turned back to the arena, taking in the sight of the stands sweeping up on either side of a long paved strip. Some of the spectators assembled in their seats were wearing bold colors that proclaimed their allegiance to one competitor or another.

Something came to rest on Richard's left shoulder. He turned his head. Soft hair brushed his cheek as he looked down at Kavita, who slid her arms around his middle from behind.

"Going to be a full house," he said.

"Looks like it," she replied. She smiled, tightening her grasp, and he rested his hands on hers at his waist as he looked back at the milling crowd. "Have you met the Alastrian racer yet?"

"What?" Richard frowned. "No, I don't think so. Which one are they?"

"He's over there." Kavita nodded toward a distant figure. At first glance, Richard took it to be a bush of some kind: it was a green shape, dense and rather...well, rather leafy.

"...The...? The green guy?"

"Yep. That's him." Kavita's tone was light, conveying amusement at Richard's reaction without making the alien person into a joke. "He's a riot. Your translator's working again, right?"

"Yeah." Richard should have seen this coming. "You were right. It just needed a software upgrade."

"Oh? Come again?"

"You were right, Kav."

"I told you," she said in a singsong tone, squeezing his middle in a tighter hug.

"But I tried, and it didn't work the first time." This was a well-worn argument between them, familiar and harmless. "Anyway, it's working now, so I'll introduce myself before we start."

"Just be careful; everyone says he's very competitive."

"Oh? Has he raced before?"

"Took gold in the Tarsecc 16."

"You're kidding." Richard sighed. "Alright, well, he's going to be disappointed tonight."

"I know." Kavita leaned in, playfully nuzzling Richard's jaw and then kissing his cheek. "I'm going to leave him in my dust."

"You?" Richard turned slightly as Kavita loosened her grasp on his waist and backed away. It was then that he noticed she was dressed in a podracer's jumpsuit.

He froze, staring at her in shock. She looked incredible.

But, wait—she was wearing a podracer's jumpsuit?

"Now, wait just a minute," he said. "You can't be serious!"

Kavita laughed. There was a helmet hanging from a strap at her belt; she unclipped it now and raised it above her head as if it were a trophy before lowering it ceremoniously onto her head. "Oh, I'm serious. As serious as Garth with his solar-powered sundials."

The sundials were indeed an absurd reality. Garth, founder and CEO of RiGarTek Innovations, had sold millions of gnome and pink flamingoes. The more conservative designs had launched a year later and had been met with steady interest from both consumers and businesses, so Richard's tech was now powering dentist's offices, schools, and courthouses across the United States in addition to homes. They had already launched operations in South America and Europe. Garth insisted that the "philosophical conundrum" of a sundial that generated solar power would be an instant success.

Richard did what he could to consult with his business partner from afar, but "Earth operations," as he and Kavita called the work back home, were only a part of his focus these days. After all, business had never been his dream.

His dream had been the science. The revolution. And for that, he had plenty of work here on Las-Kendarr, doing research and expanding his solar innovations using new materials.

"What's wrong?" Kavita asked, giving Richard a once-over that did interesting things to his insides. "Are you scared?"

"What? No, I—have you ever even raced before?" Richard demanded.

"Don't be silly. I drive a pod all the time. Don't worry. I won't lord it over you when I win."

Flustered, Richard stared at her. There was indeed a strange feeling tugging at his heart, throwing all of his focus and his emotions off-kilter, but he was certain it wasn't fear. He didn't realize he was grinning at his wife until he'd started laughing, too.

"I'm not worried," he said. "I'm just picturing how you'll look when I leave you in my dust. You're so pretty when you get frustrated."

Kavita waved her hand at him dismissively and turned on her heel, striding away. "Talk, talk, talk!" she called over her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll still love you even when you're a loser!"

Richard shook his head, watching the woman of his dreams stride away toward a battered racepod. Somehow, the most thrilling and dangerous experience of his life had given him everything he'd wanted most: purpose and success, yes, but also a partner who shared his love of the stars and now, even this—a taste for the race.

How could he have gotten so lucky?

You'd better get your game face on, or lucky is not how you're going to be feeling. If you don't win against her, you'll never hear the end of it.

Richard narrowed his eyes and smiled, cracking his knuckles.

Time to fly.