The Coensus Plunder

It was time, all the other drivers were heading out. Aloi knew that ball of anxiety had to be buried away. He was on the system of Coensus orbiting Divitiae province; hesitation was death in every field. Aloi stood up and looked down at his helmet. His visor was down, so there was nothing more than a collar in his hand. Still, it carried a heavy weight, one Aloi had carried before. Every qualifying race, every semi-finale, all of them carried that same weight. Aloi needed to win, not by the race’s standards, not even by his own. No, today’s satisfaction would be decided by one man: Malcolm Baluster XV, the almost most successful Headchair of Malcolm Baluster Vehicles. Aloi would enter a machine named and designed after the man’s late brother to race against Malcolm Baluster’s biggest Appraisal Market competitor. On Coensus, the physical location of the Appraisal Market, this would be key. Every single crucial Appraiser would set the price for investors on units in Baluster Vehicles’ holdings. Somehow, Aloi had to both not get embarrassed by the Imperial Designer’s new pet project and finish ahead of the Carter-Dixon’s HR-3. Aloi had done it all in the qualifiers and semi-finales; there was nothing different today. There may have been a larger trophy, but Baluster XV’s approval was all that mattered. No one would be killed or anything dramatic along those lines. It was just that Aloi had come too far to see the man’s disappointed gaze. The only thing he knew was that small smirk used to hide a sore winner. If he hesitated on the track, it wouldn’t be his death-it would be the death of his pride.

An announcer’s voice came over the starting line, “Spectators, the three hundredth Coensus Plunder is nearly underway!” Plunder, such an appropriate word. Aloi needed to take this victory for Malcolm Baluster and no one else. Aloi put that hefty collar around his neck and went out of the garage into the rays of Divitiae. Beneath the clear blue sky were thousands of live spectators staring at the drivers. Just above Aloi was the elite gallery. There was no doubt Malcolm Baluster XV was sitting up there, waiting to see Aloi’s face.

Before that knot could tie around Aloi’s throat, his chief technician appeared beside him, “We’re good to go. It’s a full tank of hydrogen and we have the most efficient fuel cells with high-capacity exchange membranes. You have the best we’ve got. It’s your day.”

Aloi asked, “Are the rumors true?” The racer looked over at the chief technician and saw nostrils flare for a sigh. Lotte the Crucible, Aloi’s childhood hero, was sitting in the Carter-Dixon vehicle. He was every driver’s biggest challenge. To be a great, he had to be in your race. He wasn’t in any of Aloi’s qualifiers, or semi finales. He had to appear in his finale. That knot was crawling up his throat again. Only when Aloi saw his own vehicle did he feel comfort. The Galvin Ninety was a tribute to Galvin Baluster, who passed away only three years ago. It was sleek, powerful, streamlined, and handled perfectly. Aloi knew nothing like it. When he looked at the vehicle, Aloi saw three long, slender chrome teardrops streamlining to the back of the vehicle. The two horizontal ones had the wheels of the Galvin hidden from the air of the track. Aloi would get in the third one to take the Plunder. All three of them formed a sharp point at the front while converging into one slick compact droplet that would roll the salt filled air right off it. There would be one large set of fuel cells sitting right underneath Aloi knew that powered each of the four motors. He watched as the technicians rolled the Galvin out of the shadows of the elite gallery. Divitiae’s rays glistened across it, bringing nearly every eye to it. There was no doubt; the Galvin Ninety was a beautiful work of art, but Aloi had the responsibility of making it a masterpiece. One of the obstacles against him met his eye.

As he followed the Galvin onto the track, Aloi saw his Crucible. Lotte’s grey eyes were staring down at a holographic display when he glanced at Aloi for a single moment. That was enough to tell Aloi he was in for a tough competition. Lotte only raced for his own victory, which meant he had to humiliate his opponents. If the technicians were right, this race would be between Aloi and Lotte. Drafting, cut-offs, maybe a collision, all of it was in play. A close second would be difficult for Aloi to acquire, especially when he turned back and saw the Imperial Designer’s toy.

Vitalis Ingeni had an entire empire’s taxes to create that machine, and it showed. One single streamlined blood red arrowhead was pointing towards the sea of Coensus. Its wheel couldn’t even be seen, most likely hidden in the body of the machine as the sharp head rolled all the wind off it. The A.R.M.S.’ driver, Levis Velo, didn’t have a cabin to enter. It was just a single pod that connected the two axles of the arrow. Levis Velo wasn’t someone to underestimate, either. The man had a gift. Corners, turns, straightaways, he knew the best strategy for them all. He had studied that machine a thousand times before the race. Any weakness was noted, every strength became a strategy. Aloi didn’t have such a connection with the Galvin until the fourth qualifier. Yes, these two men, these two machines, were Aloi’s only obstacles to meeting Baluster’s standards.

A lower technician ran over, “We got the cabin ready for you!”

The man’s voice conquered the crowd’s enthusiasm enough for Aloi to prepare. He sent a prayer up to the Light before he walked over and climbed into the cabin of the Galvin Ninety. A thin sheet of glass came down over Aloi as he examined his surroundings. His Valencian Leather seat hugged his body while he brought up the holographic displays necessary for Plunder. One showed the diagnostics: temperature of the cathode, exchange rate of the proton membrane, electron flow, all of it. The second showed real time aerodynamics of the Galvin. Any shift in the wind, the Galvin’s gills and funnels would correct. His third was the audio display that watched the communication between Aloi and the chief technician. He had learned in the qualifier’s that his adrenaline would block out the technician’s voice. The visual display told him if he missed anything. Finally, Aloi had the Appraisal Market on full display. He still had time before he needed to prepare the actual vehicle, so he picked the two appraisals he needed. Carter-Dixon Hydrogen Motors and Malcolm Baluster Vehicles. As the race was underway, Aloi would get a real time view of where Lotte was in the race. If he fell behind, Carter-Dixon appraisal would trend down, if he gained, the appraisal would trend up, while Malcolm Baluster would stagger. Also, the appraisals were a check on Aloi’s behavior. Any lack of confidence in Aloi’s speech or body language would cause hesitation in the Appraisers, since a dozen small metal eyes were magnetically attached to the Galvin. The one-inch-wide eyes kept dilating their shutters as they adjusted to the clouds passing over Divitiae. Aloi looked over and saw Velo’s metal eyes focusing in on him. There may have been a few extra for Levis Velo, Aloi wasn’t sure.

His family has Third District blood. Aloi knew people from there were gorgeous. That’s why most served as concubines of some sort. Velo was a free man though. He had marketing contracts with dozens of aesthetic companies. Clothes, fragrances, jewelry, accessories, the man was even used in an older Luxurious Skin advert to show the power the ‘jeweled’ skin had over men. The man’s wavy black hair, dark olive skin, impressive shadow of hair across his jaw, it all made him a desire. Aloi realized he must have been staring at him too long, because the man turned and used his own jade-gold eyes to place that knot right back into Aloi’s throat with a primal stare. Before the rookie driver could even reply, Velo clicked something on his collar and wrapped his head in a red glass-plastic polymer.

Aloi listened as the announcer’s voice suddenly returned to his ears, “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for PLUNDER!” A roar from the crowd ripped the air apart. Divitiae’s golden rays were heating the cabin as Aloi prepared. He glanced down at his holographic displays. A timer was underway, ten seconds until the Plunder began. Aloi tapped the holographic display and started the fuel cells, only to hear the faint whisper of a purr. There was only a small exchange going between the membranes. The countdown reached six. At five, Aloi glanced at Velo again. Only a blood red mask gave a slight nod in response. Aloi wasn’t sure if respect was in it, or just a courtesy, but the knot in his throat was coming undone. When Aloi looked forward, two seconds remained. At the last second, the knot disappeared, and the race began.

Aloi was perfect off the start, but as usual, the Imperial Designer’s machine was quick to separate from the pack. The Galvin Ninety, though, had its own distance from the pack. Only problem was, once Aloi rounded the first left corner, the Carter-Dixon kept close by. Lotte and Aloi were racing on a road parallel to the Council Seat, so they had a fifteen mile stretch before re-entering the city. Aloi could see, in his right peripheral, all the luxury vessels holding scantly clothed men and women that cheered with childish excitement. The ocean behind seemed filled with diamonds, but all that had to be ignored. Aloi checked his Appraisal display, Carter-Dixon was climbing. Lotte the Crucible would appear anytime. The next turn was a left back into the city. Aloi learned in the qualifiers that the Carter-Dixon team wanted to control the inside, so their vehicles were obviously built for corners. He needed to control the inside as they sped across the ocean. Aloi’s right peripheral had the Carter-Dixon vehicle coming into view slowly. It was streamlined, but Aloi couldn’t help noticing the design was close to the Galvin’s. The three drops were more cohesively put together, and that was all. It would all be about the two drivers’ skill. Aloi just needed to keep controlling the inside. That was the only reason Lotte was where he was. He wanted Aloi to try to push him from the center of the road so he could slip into the inside. Since their speeds were too close, there was no need for Aloi to push Lotte out of the center because the Carter-Dixon couldn’t pass him. Eventually, the rival vehicle disappeared behind the Galvin as Velo rounded the far corner ahead.

Aloi asked, “Did Lotte top out?”

The chief technician replied, “No, that was just before his fuel cell would’ve started overheating.” That was a frustrating fact, but Aloi had to keep his composure. Too many eyes were on him, and he still had plenty of time. He could focus on the fact he controlled the inside. With that control, Aloi turned back into the massive city of glass. Winding turns and hard curves removed Velo from any equations. Lotte had plenty of opportunities to retake the lead, Aloi couldn’t afford putting his mind anywhere else.

The chief technician’s voice came into Aloi’s ear, “Lotte just changed his aero, he’s increasing his ground effect.” Aloi mirrored the move and let the scales at the bottom of the Galvin control the air going beneath. He had tighter control of the corners, but he realized too late it was a trap. That ground effect control took power from the fuel cell, enough that it limited Aloi’s exchange rate before overheating. In order to keep composure, Aloi let his blood boil as Lotte took advantage of that differential. The Carter-Dixon flew past the Galvin and took control of the inside during a hard right corner. Lotte held the lead. Aloi had to plan immediately.

“What’s his performance on straightaways?”

The technician was silent for a moment, then came back, “Split stream him as you increase your pressure differential and that should be enough for the wide turn after the straight.” Aloi held a straight line on the Carter-Dixon as they rounded another corner onto a new straightaway. No ocean this time, only walls of glass towers piercing far past the clouds. Still, thousands of people left their usual routine to watch the two men speed down the street. If they were on a floor low enough, they’d watch it all in person. The rest watched the projection on a glass panel. More of the small eyes were following a magnet rail along the track as Aloi started putting his plan into effect. He had to wait for the perfect timing to take the lead, or otherwise there’d be a rough transition into the next corner. Like a perfect slingshot, Aloi pushed his fuel cells to the very edge of his overheating range and slipped out of Lotte’s draft. When he took the front, he immediately started his turn on the inside.

A voice came through, “He’s changed his dynamics. He’s looking to pass you in this turn series!” Another flush of adrenaline came as Aloi moved for his transitions. There were enough slight curves in this winding road that Aloi had to shuffle control of each inside that came. Aloi saw the Flora Garden coming in fast with its first curve. The Galvin needed to start covering the right inside and shuffle back and forth until they reached the next portion. It would be impossible to check the appraisals at this time, so Aloi only had his instinct. Lotte would only wait for that perfect window. Aloi had to be flawless here. He couldn’t take a bait from the Carter-Dixon or otherwise the Galvin would struggle on the second and final lap. Aloi controlled the first shuffle, and the second. At the third, the technician returned, “He’s going for it!” That was impossible. Aloi controlled each inside and his opponent’s fuel cell couldn’t handle an outside pass safely. Immediately after that thought, Aloi pushed his petal down to the floor. Lotte’s Carter-Dixon could handle a hit, the Galvin was questionable on that. Aloi watched the cathode temperature climb towards the red zone as he zig-zagged through the Flora Garden.

He yelled, “Is he overheating?”

The technician returned, “Yep, but he’s pushing it!”

Aloi replied, “Shit!” The technicians at Carter-Dixon believed the Galvin’s fuel cells would lose to theirs. Aloi had no choice. “How many lithium charges do I have?”

The technician quickly replied, “Two safe ones, repeating, two safe ones!” Aloi used his left peripheral as his left hand flicked through the diagnostics display and found the necessary switch. Since there were no rules against it, the Malcolm Baluster technicians added in a small lithium pack with enough power for two guaranteed electrolysis processes. The water created by the fuel cells would be funneled back in to cool them so Aloi could push the Galvin into the red zone. The electrolysis would make it, so no fuel was lost in that portion of the race. Aloi almost went to push it, but an opportunity appeared in his mind. He took a massive risk and strained his right peripheral to see the appraisal display. In one glance, Aloi saw that after a small rise in appraisal, there was a sudden plateau. Everyone watching just heard Aloi say ‘lithium charges’ and no appraisers wanted to revoke or add more speculation to their appraisals. Most likely, no one had ever heard of the technology and wanted to see what it did, except Lotte. The other racers couldn’t hear each other’s connections. There was a trap here.

Aloi yelled, “How close is he to overheating?”

The technician replied, “He has been, unless he has something, it’ll go into failure, but you need to get out of there!” Aloi started slowing down slightly so Lotte would keep wanting to push him away.

Aloi asked, “How about now?”

“He is about to reach his heat capacity. You need to get out of there in case of a crash!” Aloi ignored him and waited for the moment he felt it in his blood. Hopefully, that prayer to the Light would come in. One moment after another, he didn’t feel it, but suddenly his blood was diluting more adrenaline. He pushed down the petal and flicked the lithium charge as he pushed the fuel cells to the red zone. Aloi wouldn’t know if his trap worked until he was free of the Flora Garden. Until then, Aloi would remain flawless in this race portion. He shuffled and shuffled, controlling the inside of every corner, and finally broke out of the Garden. Aloi had a straightaway in the city streets, so he quickly checked the appraisals. Carter-Dixon appraisal had a sudden crash. Lotte was still somewhere in those Flora Garden cussing a storm as Aloi forced him to compete with the common pack of racers.

The chief technician asked hesitantly, “Did the charge work?”

Aloi chuckled out, “Perfectly,” so he could hear the small cheers of his technician crew come through the speaker. As their minor celebration was underway, Aloi noticed something. Malcolm Baluster Vehicles' appraisal was climbing.

He ordered the chief technician, “Check the Market!”

The chief technician came back. “What?”

Aloi repeated, “Check the Appraisal Market!” The chief technician mumbled as he got to his wrist display.

There was a brief pause, suddenly a command was yelled to the lower technicians, “Get the Imperial vehicle’s diagnostics!” More silence was over the speaker. Something big was underway. Aloi kept driving toward another bend when suddenly the chief technician yelled through the speaker, “Something happened with Velo, he’s in recovery! Get your ass on him now!” Aloi stomped on the petal until he reached the edge of the red zone and barreled around the corner. There, halfway down the new straightaway, was the red arrowhead of A.R.M.S., designed by Imperial Designer Vitalis Ingeni. Aloi was quick to close the gap as Velo regained his speed. He glanced left and saw the red helmet stare back at him. A finger came up to wag at Aloi like he was a child. In response, Aloi brought up his middle and watched Velo throw his head back in laughter as the two equals raced for the end of the first lap. After dipping down into a tunnel, the two racers appeared back on the surface, rounded a corner, and flew past the finish line of the first lap.

With the second lap underway, Aloi spoke to the chief technician, “He seems to be at my speed.”

He told Aloi, “Our theories are one of his fuel cells failed or all his membranes are running at half capacity. All that matters is he’s on your level now. He can’t repair whatever it is, so it’s just you and him.” That knot was tying itself again. Everything was on him again. The standard he knew from Malcolm Baluster XV was most certainly gone. Aloi had to win this race; there was nothing else that mattered. They rounded that first left corner and Aloi was, for the last time, on that fifteen-mile straightaway with Velo. The scantily dressed people on their luxury vessels jumped with excitement as the two racers passed. Velo’s arrow kept control of the inside as they sped for the left turn back into Coensus’ Council Seat. Aloi needed to know how damaged the vehicle was, so he attempted the same move Lotte made and tried passing on the outside, hoping Velo would push him off. Velo gave the same response Aloi did and kept control of the corner. The Imperial Designer must have liked the corners as well. Aloi didn’t waste any more time and brought himself back behind the arrow for the slipstream. He rounded the second left with Velo, and they went around the various hard corners of the city as the spectators stared in awe. Aloi didn’t need to trick Velo, he was a good racer. The only plan remaining was standard; try to pass on the final stretch. They finished the hard corners and reached the city’s straightaway.

Aloi asked his chief technician, “What’s his aero?”

The man came back, “He’s keeping a lot on a pressure differential, he’s waiting for your pass.” Trying a perfect slingshot was pointless so Aloi kept himself aligned with Velo as they sped through the straightaway and rounded that corner. They entered the Flora Garden, and the two racers kept a perfect dance as they shuffled with one another for the ever-changing inside. Both passed where Aloi lost Lotte and shot back into the city onto the straightaway.

Aloi asked promptly, “What’s he looking like?”

The chief technician replied, “Everything’s still the same, you nearly overheat, he nearly overheats.” Aloi only had that straightaway after the tunnel. There, the inside didn’t matter, there was only speed. This final lithium charge would allow Aloi to win that last rush. They rounded the corner where Aloi first saw Velo and rapidly approached the tunnel. Aloi felt his stomach drop as they plunged into the tunnel. In there were these bright, gorgeous white lights lining the tunnel wall that strobed the inside of Aloi’s cabin as he stayed behind the arrow. Once the strobing ended and they were in the provincial rays of Divitiae, Aloi would move for that win.

The chief technician’s voice suddenly threw that away, “Aloi, something’s going in his diagnostics. We have an exponential shift in numbers. His complex is predicting the fuel cells will return.”

Aloi asked quickly, “Before the race ends?”

The chief technician replied, “Unsure,” and left Aloi alone on the road. More strobes filled his cabin before, finally, he felt the rays kiss his skin. After a hundred feet, they’d be on the straightaway for the ribbon. Quickly, the two vehicles burned that distance away and they could see the single laser running across the track. First to break the connection wins. Aloi turned his wheel slightly and pressed his pedal to the floor. As he did this, Aloi saw bursts of speed suddenly inch Velo slightly forward. Aloi couldn’t even use his lithium charge. He flicked the diagnostic quickly to the cooling system and started cooling as his fuel cells started getting into the red zone. The Galvin automatically pulled back its gills towards the front and unleashed giant plumes of steam as he pushed the machine to its breaking point. There were only two hundred feet left before the ribbon. He could see he was starting to pass, and just as he saw Velo’s helmet, they crossed the ribbon.

Aloi yelled into his helmet, “Did I win?”

The chief technician’s voice was strange, “Uh… I don’t know.” Aloi followed race protocol and spun around on a privately sectored road and shot down to his garage. He got out of the cabin as technicians started preparing the Galvin for storage. Aloi ran up to the garage’s personal tower and got behind the chief technician.

“Who won?”

The man simply pointed to a point over the track as he said, “They told us to wait for ten minutes.” Aloi looked and in the first-place category, it said “Levis Aloi.” That wasn’t even a name that could exist. The racer sat stunned before he went back to his crate in the garage and waited.

That knot was tight in his throat. Whatever happened was enough for all the officials to be present in one room. Aloi never heard of anything like this before. He glanced around his garage. Technicians whispered to one another, some even pointing to him as they spoke. Aloi wondered if using the lithium charge had disqualified the Galvin Ninety. That made little sense, though. They sent the rules of the race to the Solicitor General’s office before designing the vehicle. Perhaps Aloi’s middle finger was crass enough for disqualification.

Before he could go any farther, the chief technician returned, “Well… um… you tied.”

Aloi chuckled, “You’re hilarious,” and heard a strange response.

“Most jokes are the funniest when they’re true.”

Aloi started arguing, “That’s not possible, there had to be a millisecond differential or something.”

The technician shook his head, “They checked to the last decimal. You both broke the ribbon at the same time.”

Aloi stood stunned, then asked, “Is that possible?” The technician nodded.

“At some point of time during a pass, the vehicles are in the same spot at the same moment. You both crossed at that moment.”

 After processing what was said, and realizing what was said, Aloi started laughing with pure joy before he said in awe, “I won the Coensus Plunder.” The technician repeated, “You won the Coensus Plunder!” and Aloi felt the crushing strength of the man’s hug. Suddenly, all the other technicians in the garage roared, one making sure to pop a cork of bubbly to celebrate. It was a glorious day for the young racer. He had won it all; the prize, the glory, the fame, the respect of Malcolm Baluster XV.

A man appeared behind the celebrating pack of men.. “They need you at the podium.”

Aloi was still laughing as he said, “Of course I’m needed at the podium. Haha! I’m needed at the podium!” Making all the other men with him applaud.

The crowds roared for Aloi as he walked up to the first-place pedestal. There waiting was Levis Velo. Aloi was unsure of what to do with him. His face didn’t seem bitter like the one on Lotte, but the man had been famous for quiet sometime. There was no doubt he could act for the audience. Aloi would just have to endure the awkward pain as he stood beside him. He stepped up to the podium and, as Levis turned, a bright smiled stretched across his face. The man’s powerful hand quickly snatched Aloi’s and pulled him in.

“You, my friend, are a fast bastard!”

Aloi figured out the man’s personality and replied accordingly, “Kind of the point, isn’t it?”

Levis gave three mighty chuckles before he said back, “It is, it is, and you certainly achieved that.”

An announcer’s voice came over the podium, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the winners of the three hundredth Coensus Plunder! In third place, Karlos Lach with the Beggar!” The crowd gave a light roar in applause before the announcer went to Lotte, “In second place, the one and only Lotte the Crucible with the Carter-Dixon HR-3!” Aloi looked passed Levis and saw a clenched jaw as he waved to the roaring crowd. His ‘Crucible’ title was another loss away from being forgotten, but Aloi couldn’t care less about that. As Divitiae’s beautiful rays kissed his skin and metal eyes floated around the stage, Aloi heard the announcer say, “For the first time, in its history, there is a tie for the Plunder. In first place, ladies and gentlemen, let me present our winners, Levis Velo and Aloi of the Cendorian kingdom. Ladies and gentlemen, let me present our winners, the Deposed and the Malcolm Baluster Galvin Ninety!” A powerful enough roar came from the audience that Aloi could feel it pressing against his ears while confetti fluttered down. Velo’s strong grip grabbed onto Aloi’s shoulder as they smiled for the recording eyes, dilating to absorb the light pouring in. Suddenly, Velo lightly shoved Aloi away as four women strutted onto the stage. In Velo’s fashion, the racer grabbed two of them by their hips and pulled them in. Here Aloi noticed they were wearing scantly made oceanwear, which caused his cheeks to glow bright red when they started pressing themselves against him. And, of course, the recording eyes started dilating their shutters even more to capture that bright red as Aloi awkwardly chuckled. The life of a champion was starting to make Aloi uncomfortable, but the announcer’s voice came over the stage, “Now it’s time to find your champions in the rest of the Coensus Plunder as more inventions, complexes, and vehicles are put on display. May the Light be with you all, and let’s give a thank you to our racers!” Crewmen quickly appeared, ushering the men into the service tunnels that connected the Council Seat as the people roared for the winners.

Aloi realized the two women at his side were part of his prize and wasn’t sure how to say he wasn’t that kind of winner.

Luckily, Velo was Velo and asked. “Are you taking those fine women?”

Aloi, keeping his relief to himself, replied, “No, they are fine, but I have enough prizes for the day.”

Velo stated, “More for me!” before bellowing out a laugh. Quickly, Velo’s long lean arms were filled with fine women as he said, “Let me tell you the story of how the Coensus Plunder,” and left Aloi alone, until he heard an army of feet clomping up behind him. That army was something Aloi feared and respected. A small team of business experts were escorting Malcolm Baluster XV. He was dressed for the warm weather. A luxurious white dress shirt had its magnetic seam down so his defined chest could be shown off a little while his short blonde hair was slicked back. His brown skin glowed while his brown eyes locked in on Aloi. When his right hand reached over, Aloi learned the man was tall, nearly a full foot taller than him, but racers usually had a shorter stature, so Baluster XV was average.

Aloi grasped it and felt that powerful shake as the man said, “I have to say thank you, Aloi. You gave the world a good final memory for my brother. It means everything.”

Aloi had back a few tears as he said, “Thank you for the opportunity, sir.”

Baluster smiled and said, “Good answer,” and proceeded with the new duties of a champion, “So you have five hundred thousand Cendorian currency, if you want to make that more come to my office. Technicians will want a debrief either tomorrow morning or afternoon. You’ll have images to take, people to meet, contracts to make. I take thirteen percent of all your marketing deals, so I’ll leave you with my Advert Chief. Thanks again, Aloi.” Just as quickly as he arrived, Malcolm Baluster XV left. Aloi watched his power walk down the concrete halls. The man’s legs commanded the respect of everyone in the hall. It was strange; the man himself wasn’t impressive, yet he looked like power itself. Aloi would have to forget that since the man gave him a task. The racer turned back around to Baluster’s Advert Chief, only to find another Baluster. Maria Baluster, Malcolm’s sister, his beautiful sister. She had her blonde hair cut to a medium length, so its long waves just touched her shoulders while her brown eyes stared at Aloi. Her pronounced cheeks blushed as she giggled awkwardly with Aloi. Deep dimples marked the end points of Maria’s smile while her full, but modest, lips framed her white teeth perfectly. Aloi knew she was like her brother and kept healthy, defined. When he gave a quick glance, though, she wasn’t defined, she was sculpted. Her long, gorgeous nose brought everything together and let Aloi know he was absolutely plummeting into love.

They kept awkwardly giggling for a few more seconds before Aloi made his first move.

“So, what’s your advert campaign for the Plunder champion?”

Maria replied coyly, “Your face will definitely sell anything it's next to. Your body can make any attire look perfect and your skills make you a trusted expert. I’d show you off to anyone.”

Aloi let her know his intentions quickly with the simple question of, “How about you start now?” Maria smiled and blushed again. Aloi’s message was received well. She nodded and saw Aloi stand ready for her arm to be linked with his. Maria linked his left arm with hers and they walked towards the glistening sea, crashing against the blocky marble-salt coast.

After a few steps, she asked, hoping to comfort him, “So, are you going to tell me the story of how you won the Coensus Plunder?”

Aloi smiled, then replied, “I think your story will be more interesting.” Again, she blushed. Aloi, a great champion, had the prize of this woman’s smile forever. There wasn’t any doubt about that.