Name: Rashidi Akinyemi

Delyria is a strange planet. Positioned far too close to its dying star with constant solar flares regularly bathing the landscape in brilliant colors. It was in this precarious but magical place that Rashidi Akinyemi was born. His family and most other Delyrians were merchants. The planet's conditions were as harsh as they were beautiful, so his people made do with an entrepreneur's spirit. He regularly flew with his parents, buying and selling from one wealthy planet to another. He always returned home after enough money was made to secure the goods they needed to survive.

The local fauna was not the only thing damaged by the near sun's unending onslaught. His young parents had aged beyond their years, and neither could handle the trip when supplies ran low. Rashidi could not stay and watch them starve before sickness got to them, so he ventured out alone with the hopes of a blessed run that would set him up to make their last years a comfortable one, and allow him the luxury of spending those years with them. He set in the only item of value owned by the family, a powerful spacecraft christened The Astro.

A year later, he was hardly ahead of where he started. The gods seemed against him as every trade he made turned out against him. He needed to return home soon, as his parents' supplies were indeed nearly finished. However, he'd hardly made enough to bring anything back with him. He would have to sell The Astro quickly, and he would have enough to book passage home and serve his duty to the ones who raised him. He wondered what he would do after they were gone. Without a ship, a merchant one was not. He would have to leave the only place he could call home and take whatever work society could provide for an outsider.

Before his somber thoughts could get any darker, he was interrupted by a transmission. “Urgent request for immediate transportation of two individuals, to be taken to Laruta, on behalf of the speaker of the Collective. Payment will be...”

Rashidi couldn’t hear the rest of the transmission over the sounds of The Astro coming to life as his hands slid effortlessly across the controls. He knew any payment made by the collective would change his life, especially for a job that must be important to have sent out such a broad transmission. He felt a moment of guilt for even considering selling The Astro, which was immediately replaced by an all-consuming drive to be the first to reach the targets. He was sure he wasn’t the only one to have heard this transmission.

Nearby, a young girl, who had been shining her leather boots moments ago, was already on the move. She piloted The Gracious Western, a light ship that was in flight before The Astro had finished turning on. She pressed max acceleration four times for good luck, knowing one press would do the trick, and took the lead, but not for long. She heard it before she saw it; the Astro passed by, its engines rattling, seemingly haven taken off before warming up.

Rashidi could still see the Gracious Western in his rear cameras when his radar informed him another ship with the registry code 0D99E9 was ahead of him. He pushed his speed a little too hard for the warming engines, but it was enough. He passed the vessel. It seemed like it passed him again immediately, but on closer look, it was the Gracious Western caught up with him.

They still had hours to go, and Rashidi knew if he paced himself, he could overtake them in the last miles. He put his ship on autopilot and leaned back for a cat nap to give him that edge he’d need. While he was napping, a pilot who flew so creatively he was called the artist, Baiwei, overtook him silently. He awoke to the sound of another unknown vessel when his computer blinked the registry number 6795E6. Who were these unfamiliar pilots flying ships he’d never heard of? Were they working together?

His thoughts were cut short when the pilot of the Gracious Western let out a yeehaw over the public intercom airwaves overtaking him again. Another voice, seemingly having also just awoken, could be heard laughing over the intercom as he saw the F.O.G.O. shoot fresh bursts of energy as it rocketed ahead of him. The unknown vessel 0D99E9 was right beside him, catching up, before being passed again only seconds later.

His console flashed B73675 signaling another new ship’s registry, and he recognized the Feline Moon from a position ahead of them all. Rashidi cracked his knuckles and leaned in. A being of pure focus, he maneuvered in advance of the group, sensing obstacles ahead. None of the others saw the approaching mountain range in time and had to brake to avoid crashing into it as The Astro slid around them. The unknown 0D99E9 was first to recover and caught up with Rashidi, before yet another registry number lit up his console, 4AAA6A, a ship he knew called Beast Mode driven by a madman.

Rashidi dropped into a trance, putting his engines passing 1.0 full capacity. It wasn’t enough and was passed twice again, his competitors driving at 1.5 and even higher. Half the ships in the race had blown their engines or ran out of gas, but Beast Mode would not give up. Rashidi knew that this was the moment his life would change or end. He pushed the engine to a 2.0, shaking his ship so hard it seemed it split apart. A crack began to form in the console, and a fire burst in one of the compartments above him. Just before he blacked out, he killed the engine and engaged the emergency brake.

He woke up many seconds later to a transmission from outside, “Thank you for your speedy arrival, my bodyguard and I are ready to board.”