Episode 33

Zeo Genesis Travelogues

Greetings, star-nomads! You can call me Trev. (You can also call me Trevallion Franklin-Ridgeway III, but I’d rather you didn’t). I’ve left behind my shallow executive existence to explore the Hundred Suns, to re-connect with insignificant voiders just like you. These are my travels. You’re welcome.

“Rex Clavin’s been my traveling companion for a few weeks now, but also, I dare say, a good friend. Admittedly, it’s functionally less than that. He’s been cabin-bound a good length, humongously hungover, but if that’s what Rex wants, that’s what Rex gets. I’ve brought him sightseeing, my way of righting the universal wrongs he’s endured. He’s been addicted to the latest S-Racing game, so I’ve brought him to the real deal. Was a dab hand at space racing myself. As the navigator—the brains of the operation, naturally.”

“These ships look way bigger than what we used to bomb around circuits in. Everywhere has its idiosyncrasies, I suppose. Oh, here comes Rex with the tickets.”

“That’s shluggy. Rex’s favourite S-Racer, Madeline Hadron, can’t compete. He tells me she’s a risk-taking daredevil, the main draw whenever she flies. Her teammate, however, has suffered a sudden kwimzococcus bout and Maddy can’t fly without a…navigator… Rex! An idea!”

“Amazing where the Franklin-Ridgeway name gets you, especially when people don’t know it’s disowned you. You should try it sometime.”

“Maddy was predictably impressed with my co-piloting credentials, hence I’m adjacent to her in her racer. Managed to read them at blinding speed in her eagerness to compete, too!”

“Ready…steady…GO!”

“Have to plot the first checkpoint on-the-fly, wasn’t time to do so beforehand. Where first, Maddy?”

“Come again?”

“Come again?”

“Come again?”

“Come again?”

“You accidentally said ‘slip-point.’ No, that’s a passageway between heliospheres. Yes, I know what it means; ‘S-Racing’ means ‘space racing.’ No, not ‘slip racing.’”

“It is here? Remain calm, one moment.”

“Rex, come in, Rex, there’s been a terrible error, we’re both going to die. Oh, you can help with calculations?”

“See, I told you Mads, totally fine.”

“…”

“Stars love you, Rex, I think we’ve plotted everything over a mere three days! I don’t know when I’ll see you again but I really intend to. Enjoy the ship, friend; don’t go telling any Phibs how you got it!”

“…”

“Screaming toward the finish now! Four slips, three weeks, all down to this. Destination: Little Aether. Imagine that! Despite previous incarceration, I’m glad to see it.”

“With a cheeky rerouting of absolutely everything to the engines, we can still take third... YES! Serious relaxation, here I come!”

  • TransHelio Sport Magazine profile: Madeline “Madwoman” Hadron
  • Sport: S-Racing (slip racing, not to be confused with space racing) (Pilot)
  • Age: 46
  • Wins: 19
    • Magellan Sprints: 10
    • Red Route “Pain Points”: 3
    • Six Slip Specials: 6
  • 2nd and 3rd Placements:
    • Magellan Sprints: 7 Second Places and 9 Third Places
    • Red Route “Pain Points”: 5 Second Places and 1 Third Place
  • Crashes: 46
  • Trivia:
    • Madeline Hadron got her “Madwoman” nickname from her reckless and daring piloting style. In every single race she’s competed in, Madeline’s either finished on the podium or crashed, never having achieved a placement of 4th or lower.
    • Despite the cost of keeping her in a functioning vessel, Nikola Corp. Racing has never parted ways with Hadron. The Madwoman’s antics always ensure eyes and cameras are on her craft...and therefore their sponsor’s stickers.
    • The “Madwoman of S-Racing” has crashed once for every one her years alive—a sporting record! And even more of a feat considering the vast openness of space!

These journals were recorded via Tymphony Aural Augmetics… TAA: Listen Up!