Aaaand it's gone - BYO2023 - Writer

"Mom! You're embarassing me in front of everyone, stop trying to coach me in this moment!"
"That's understandable, I just want you to be safe my precious."
"It's 2038, not 2008."

Indeed it was.

A lot has changed after the global war in 2030. The old structures fell when the people began to rise up against the elites. A quantum leap, not only in technology and interstellar space travel, but also in humans consciousness.

"This is not one of your cars, go with the time."
"I know and now shut up for a second or two, so I can initiate the reactor boot up sequence... shields up... I still say you are all spoiled brats for not taking the G-forces. Back in my day.."
"WILL YOU STOP IT? I gave you the rights to name the ship and you said you will stop it."
"I am your mother, I will never stop caring and annoying you."

The woman approaching her 50s fumbled with the holographic display. Everything changed in 2031 when the hidden cache of technology was discovered, the elites forced to give up their grip on the throat of humanity. World hunger was not something of concern anymore, the medical advancements were mind blowing.

Humanity overcame it's self imposed ties. Wars were a thing of the past. Work was a thing of the past. In fact, life became very boring, people wanted to feel alive. Extreme sports became one of the tools to make that happen, while at the same time, providing a valve to vent humans natural competitiveness.

"I took the freedom to do some modifications to the plasma focusing mechanism, since we are in outlaw class anyways. The rules said we can bring our own. The car is all yours now."
"It's not a car mom, stop saying that. It doesn't even have wheels and you can do all this remotely, go to the protection shelter!!"
"The youth of today...no risks allowed... I am proud and I love you!"

She backed up several steps to the side, as the two powerful reactor engines on the back of the floating streamlined monstrosity fired up simultaneously.

Ship AI: "Thrust level at 0.0001%, infinity reactor core energy density at 100%, shield integrity 100%"
"Attention please, everyone has to leave the grid area now and get to the shuttles!"

As she made her way to the shuttle in a hasty manner, she felt the increasing rumble coming up her feet. When she noticed the anti-gravity effects from the reactor cores setting in, she sped up her pace. The last thing she wanted was being stuck in this zone.

While the racing ships might be free of inertia, all the dust particles on this godforsaken piece of rock floating in space, were not. The rounded edges on the concrete were witness to the brutal effects the engines, some even had holes, punched out by bigger objects. Objects that were unfortunate enough to be in the wake of the ships engines.

5km above New Nürburg Ring
Using the photonic eye glasses, she watched the energy cones protruding from the DuckAndGone II, forming the much sought after ring effects. One eye blink later all the ships were gone, only the energy vapor trails were still lingering in the atmosphere. Followed by a tsunami of dust faster than the speed of sound.

For her it would take six months to see her daughter again. She although, racing at a respectable portion of the speed of light, she would take a few minutes to finish the race around the next star system and back.

Oh, how time has changed, literally.

-THE END-

a reply to: TDDAgain


Staying young at near light speed.

a reply to: TDDAgain

As a car and racing aficionado, i approve... especially the Cosmic Green Hell.

Very good, TDDAgain!

a reply to: TDDAgain

I had to read it twice to grasp how the speed of light affected her aging. Very nice, S+F.

Also, thanks for reading my entry earlier!

Thank you all for the compliments

Yeah there is some hidden technology so my lightspeed math makes sense :-P

@QRST4, nothing to thank me for, I am always happy to see new members in the contests

It will make a killer Sci fi movie, I like science fiction.

a reply to: TDDAgain

Very nice!

a reply to: TDDAgain

That was great! I like stories that carry me along and wonder where they are going!

S+F

a reply to: TDDAgain

Love your story!

a reply to: TDDAgain

Yours is my new favorite of this round of Short Story contest. I love the physics which you have invented, and created terms that sound so very casual, as though we've known them all our lives, like talking about tV or computers or.............. cars.

Very well done! Really super enjoyed your offering.