John sat back on the couch in the dwarves' apartment, eating his burger while Greg turned the volume up on the television. On the screen were two people sitting behind a desk like sportscasters did back on Earth. The first one was a bck man with close-cropped dark hair and a goatee, wearing a tan suit in the same cut John had purchased. The other one, John, wasn't sure about. They appeared to be a half-human, half-snake woman, with pale skin, long bck hair, and red eyes. She was wearing an aquamarine tunic/dress with a plunging neckline, exposing her ample bosom to the cameras. Below the dress, you could see she had light blue scales, shimmering almost like John's disco ball armour, her body/tail coiled underneath her.

  "Good evening, everyone! I'm Darnell White." The man said, his deep voice reminding John of James Earl Jones'.

  "And I am Ananta DuForge. Welcome to the Ninety-Third Parrax Pod Racing regional qualifier." The woman said, her jazzy voice sounding familiar.

  Wait, she sounds exactly like the dockmaster did when I first arrived here in Infinite Frontiers!

  "We will be providing commentary for tonight's race. First off, let's take a look at the track." Darnell said, then the screen switched from the view in the studio to cameras that appeared to be just outside the station. "As you can see here, the starting line begins here at the station, makes a circuit around Parrax Three, then moves out to Eligan's Moon, then returns to the station. Each leg of the journey has something to test our racers' mettle, preparing them for the more taxing races ter on in the season."

  "That's right, Darnell. This year, the first challenge will be to travel around the pnet as fast as possible. The pilots will be searching for the sweet spot as they pass near the atmosphere. Failure to do so could see them lose speed in the atmosphere of the gas giant, or even gnce off the pnet’s atmosphere instead, sending their pods careening out of control, losing time as they get back on course." Ananta said as an overy was dispyed showing the problems that could occur for the pilots.

  "Next up will be the agility course constructed along the Grand Tritoch Trench on the surface of the moon. The racers will have to pass through a series of rings while avoiding falling debris and low-powered EMP shots. This year, the Sundance Elementary School won the draw to operate the weapons, so make sure you cheer our children on as they try to disrupt the racers." Darnell said, the camera now showing a canyon that made the Grand Canyon look like a crack in the pavement.

  The hell? They have kids firing weapons at the racers?

  "My niece will be one of this year's gunners. I am happy that she gets a chance to experience this. She keeps saying she wants to join the INP when she is old enough, so I hope this gives her a taste of what is to come!" Ananta said, csping her hands in front of her, causing her breasts to bounce almost as much as Shizuka's did. "Finally, on the return trip to the station, we have a special treat for you all tonight, as the mining guild captured a swarm of Void Leeches while mining in a nearby system.

  These power-sapping monsters will be unleashed along the track, mixed in with over 50000 asteroids, also courtesy of the mining guild. The racers will need to maneuver along that portion of the track, avoiding the obstacles and monsters as they make their way to the finish line, right here at the primary docks on the Third Ring."

  John blinked, then blinked again. He was having a hard time processing what he was hearing. "I thought you guys said this was a race? This seems more like, I don't know, suicide with extra steps."

  "It isn't for the faint of heart. There are fatalities every year during these events, but the payouts are massive, and no one is forcing the racers to do it. IDS are not even allowed to compete in it, just in case they were being coerced into doing it." Chris said beside him.

  "Still, it just seems." Barbaric was what he wanted to say, but even Niki wasn't batting an eye at the spectacle. "Excessive." He tried to picture a NASCAR race in this same format, then shook his head at the absurdity of that thought.

  School kids with paintball guns are peppering the racers, while they dodge cinder blocks, and hogs are loose on the track.

  "Shh. They are introducing the racers next." Greg said, not taking his eyes off the screen.

  "If you were with us earlier, you have already met tonight's racers during our interviews, but for those of you just tuning in, here is a brief overview of tonight's line-up," Ananta said, and the screen shifted again.

  "First up, our reigning champion, the dark elf, Serena Hodia. She is a twelve-time winner of the Parrax regionals. She has made it all the way to the Emperor's Cup twice, pcing in the top ten both times." Darnell said, a table showing highlights of her career was shown on the screen.

  "That's right, Darnell, she is the one to beat this evening. She is piloting a heavily modified SV2 swoop, and I tell ya, it's a helluva machine." Ananta said, pying off Darnell's setup. John thought they had a good rapport.

  "I hate that damn craft. Oh, it's all fancy and fast, but I swear no one considered maintenance when designing it." Chris growled quietly next to him. "Did ya know, I have to literally rip the cockpit out of it to get at the coont system? Eight hours of work just to get access to the valve to top up the coont."

  "That seems like a really shotty design," John said. He had no idea what it took to work on spaceships, but if he needed to pull the cab off his truck just to get access to the radiator, he wouldn't own that truck for very long.

  "Don't even get me started on the amount of work required if something was actually wrong." She continued, but was interrupted by another empty beer can flying past her.

  "Shhh, enough of yer bellyaching. I'm watching this." Greg said. Chris stuck her tongue out at him, but he ignored her.

  "Hrmph!"

  The announcers started listing racers, and it took a long time. Fifty pilots were competing in this death race, with only the top ten earning a spot in the actual regionals in two weeks.

  Are they doing all this just for the preliminaries? This is insane.

  "Finally, for tonight's crowd favorite. Little Annie Syr?mer, a local girl." Darnell said, bringing up the long odds racers. The sounds of crowds cheering echoed through the speakers.

  I thought they were in a studio?

  Niki sat up then, staring at the Television. "Hmm..."

  "Yes, she is the long shot tonight, but this is both her and her pod's first race. She built the pod herself, ciming it's the fastest ever built." Ananta said, then showed a picture of the pod. It looked eerily simir to one of the pods in his vehicle bay.

  Oh, shit. Do I have racing pods on board the Phoenix Hawk?

  "Does she have a name for it?" Darnell asked.

  "Ahh... The Pod."

  "Maybe she didn't name it yet."

  "Possibly... or maybe, since it's the fastest, the emphasis is on the, The... so it's THE Pod, the pod of all pods?

  "Aww... isn't that precious. Well, the racers are all making their way to the starting gates. We will be back after the commercial break for the start of the ninety-third Parrax Regional Qualifier." Darnell said, closing their segment.

  "I think I know her," Niki said, looking at the picture of the young woman on the screen.

  "Who? Annie?" John asked, looking down at Niki.

  "Yeah. She was transferred to my css in the final year of High School. She was a bit shy, but super smart. I didn't know she would be into pod racing."

  "Were you friends?" He asked her.

  "Not really. She didn't really have any friends that I know of, and I was always too busy with work after my parents died to maintain the few friends I had, let alone make new ones." She said, sounding sad. John petted her hair a bit, causing her to snap out of her mencholy.

  "Well, I hope she does well. Pod racing isn't something most humans can pull off. Ya need really sharp reflexes considering the speeds involved." Greg said to her. He stood up and moved to the kitchen.

  "I noticed most of the racers were elven or cat people. I assume they have the best reflexes?" John asked.

  "Yeah. They are the only ones who can pod race without augments. Ya see a lot of richer noble human children do it as well, deeper in the empire, but out here, it's not common." Greg replied. He was rummaging around the fridge and pulling out a bunch more beers.

  "Hopefully, she will be okay," John said. He noticed Niki was shaking beside him. He looked down at her, and she was ughing quietly. "What is so funny?"

  "Cat people? We are Neko's, Master, not cat people." She said, still giggling. "Cat people are in fantasy stories, and look closer to an animal than a person. Us Neko's look like humans, but have a cat tail and ears."

  "I guess I learn something new every day. Like when I learned that you purr when I pet your head." John said, then started petting Niki's head.

  "Ahh! *Purr* Stop that! It's embarrassing!" She said, ducking down and covering her head with her hands. John just chuckled and let her be.

  "Well, if she makes it into the top ten tonight, she will be in the regionals in two weeks. It is only the top three there that move on to the Sector races, but if she manages it, she could do quite well for herself." Greg said, returning with a pile of drinks for everyone.

  "So doing well tonight will be very important for her then?" He asked, forcing his hand not scratch Niki's ears again. He probably should have asked if she minded the contact. Master or not, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

  "Yeah. Out here, it's not so bad, but in the rger popution centers, it can get really competitive even this early in the season. It's not unheard of fer sabotage to occur, or even assassination attempts on the racers." Greg continued, sitting back down.

  "Damn... Why? What would be worth getting targeted for an assassination?" He replied.

  "It's mainly rich nobles who race, sponsor, and run the show, so the payouts are quite extravagant. Winning the regional is worth ten million GSC alone. The Sector races usually run around fifty million each, and the Emperor's Cup is usually around two hundred million."

  "That's crazy. I could buy a small fleet for that amount of money."

  "Between the money and the prestige, there is always someone who wants to race. Not to mention most pilots are adrenaline junkies... some would probably race fer free." Greg said, then turned back to the television.

  "I think I'd rather go shoot some pirates. It sounds safer." John replied, then took another drink. The beers were starting to feel warm in his belly now, and he was getting a happy little buzz going.

  "Speaking of, are you pnning to go back out soon?" Ash asked, speaking up for the first time since the show started.

  "Katrina doesn't need me for a week, but I might take Niki out in a day or two for some practical training, but nothing is set in stone." He replied.

  "Well, if you do go out, I would like to tag along. I’d like to see how your ship works. That is, if you don't mind, anyway." She said. She sounded eager to join them.

  "Sure. I'm fine solo, but a combat carrier is meant to have support craft." He replied. He ughed a little bit inside, Tanya's prediction coming true already.

  "Count us in too!" Tanya chimed in.

  "If you want. Seriously, I am not pnning anything crazy. I am under an INP exclusivity contract, remember."

  "It's fine. We could just comb the region looking for pirates, or take a jaunt out to the edge of the sor system to see if any Javarians are roaming around. Or we could just practice unching and nding our ships in yer bays." Tanya said.

  "Actually, that might be a good idea. I want to practice unching and recovering ships in a combat environment." He said, liking the idea of him and Niki training before they found real combat. He would contact Katrina and see if her former wing of pilots were avaible for training.

  "Yep. Even if we don't find any pirates, it will be a win-win." Tanya replied, a smile forming on her face.

  I think she just wants to hang out. Not that I am against it.

  “Except for me. I get stuck back here, trying to fix whatever she breaks tonight." Chris grumbled, watching the television.

  "Oh, it's starting. Save the shop talk fer ter." Greg said.

  They all focused on the television, the training pn moving to the back of John's mind.

  "And we are back, and are moments away from the start of the regional qualifiers. The competitors are looking fierce on the cockpit cams, all of them eager to get this show on the road." Darnell said, with a colge of cockpit cameras covering most of the screen.

  "That they do, Darnell, that they do. While Ms. Serena is the favorite to win tonight, that is by no means guaranteed, because." Ananta replied, then the pair of them started to alternate the next few words quite loudly.

  "This" "Is" "Pod Racing!"

  "They always do that," Tanya murmured beside him, though it was loud enough for Greg to hear.

  "It's their gimmick." He replied.

  "The starting cannons are ready to go," Darnell said, and after a few moments, a rge firework detonated in front of the racers. "And they're off!"

  John leaned forward in his seat. Something deep down inside him was eagerly wanting to watch these racers attempt this deadly course. He didn't want to see them die, but he was getting an adrenaline rush just thinking about them attempting the course.

  It's like a train wreck, you just can't look away.