Chapter 4: The Racers of Kyovio’Oltren

So much seemed to happen in the course of a week. Neo’s electronic mailbox was being utilized to its fullest potential. Yet, in all of its likeness, the commitment to such a change was something that he was looking forward to as the day had finally arrived.

Neo was spending time at his garage. His bandigara motorcycle was still in pretty good shape. So, technically, there wasn’t much that he needed to do.

Despite trying to keep his mind preoccupied with his motorcycle, he would start to think a lot about Vala’rein, Serrein, and Cordeina. He had been in contact with Vala’rein and Cordeina, but Serrein was more of a mystery. There wasn’t much of a reply to his messages except that she was working on Oshun with other projects. If anything, they seemed to be automatic messages more than anything else.

There was much reason as to why he thought this way. Vala’rein and Cordeina had emotion and character in their messages and responses. Each day, a paragraph would be sent to them. Most of these were really just notifications of a place that he needed to go. From what Neo understood, Vala’rein and Serrein had both just arrived at Oshun a day ago. Most of the time needed was the fact that these two women didn’t expect to receive a proposition. They had to spend extra time and effort in finding a home, but things were on their side. A single separate message came from a T’rintar clan office. This most likely had to do with the fact that Neo would be part of the “Porn Propaganda program” and that they would provide a complete list of things that were going to be done in the following weeks to come.

He didn’t feel any sort of resentment towards his actions. If anything, a part of him was looking forward to meeting these two women, but one lingering question remained on his mind. Why were the film crews so interested in recording him having sex with them at such an early time? Two weeks was hardly a reasonable time frame window. Even with a few messages, the idea of going straight to recording sex between couples just seemed to be an incredible jump. It wasn’t as if he was expecting to have sex with them when he met them, right? Only his trip to a hospital to have his blood withdrawn in accordance with the messages only seemed to make any sense.

There were things that Neo didn’t want to think about too quickly. He kept any form of jitteriness in complete control, even if his mind was starting to wonder about the future events of the day. He had to take things one step at a time. In some ways, the idea of meeting two women instead of three would put his mind at ease a little bit. While he looked forward to the idea, he knew that three women were going to be a handful, especially at a first-time meeting.

“Well, buddy,” Neo said as he tapped his motorcycle. “You feel ready to meet our new companions?”

His motorcycle, of course, didn’t reply. As he rubbed his hand across the pod, he still felt a sense of loss in the recent races. He was so close ... all he had to do was stay behind Meifen and Oluchi, and he would be seeing the glory of being a part of the Oshun-500 and UWALVR. Even the prospect of having three women beside him didn’t quell the calling of winning big in the races.

He tapped the button on the side of his pod. The blue and red canopy opened up as could at least give a singular complement to his motorcycle.

“I wonder if Vala’rein and Serrein’s vehicles are faster than you?” he said. “If that is the case, we need to make you faster. But, then again, you might drive circles around theirs.”

With that, he pressed a button near the bottom portion of the canopy. The entire door began to lift upward as he looked at his blue, black, and red jacket. He knew it was best for the two to see him as he is. He climbed into the pod as he started to lay flat inside of it. Much as he did before, he began to activate the ignition sequence.

The motorcycle’s engine started to rev up as the canopy door closed back up. He activated the garage door as it began to open. Inside, Neo had a clear view of everything on the camera displays internally. He backed out of the garage and into the small thin street that led to the main lanes of all the traffic.

It was one thing that Neo was fully aware of was how nice it was to have an apartment complex that had access to his own motorcycle garage. Being on the first floor had its advantages even if things cost more to do so. As the garage doors closed, he stopped before reaching the central portion of the street. There was enough room for his vehicle to backup and turn by ninety degrees. He then turned the motorcycle just enough to see the occasional car that was coming or going down the main street.

With that, his motorcycle made a great noise as it sped off onto the road and towards his intended destination.

“Wow...” Neo remarked as he turned towards Mandela street. The moment that he pulled onto this road, the area had far less traffic than what he had encountered before. This area was not far from the great ocean that spanned the entire planet. When his motorcycle turned into the road, Neo had an incredible view of the location.

On Oshun, the most valuable thing was land. This street was meant for the rich and fancy alike. Most likely, these were rentable homes that spanned the entire area. Unlike large portions of residential housing, which were little more than apartments, these were actual houses consisting of mainly two or more bedrooms, real lawns, and oversized two-car garages. From here, you could enjoy the luxury of the ocean or drive into the heart of the great city. What was so regular in most worlds was a premium on Oshun. Even Neo’s eyes were wide at first when he saw the neighborhood.

His motorcycle began to pick up speed as he was looking for the house that would lead him to the two women. His display highlighted the upcoming house on his right. For a second, Neo wondered if his motorcycle was too loud. The area was serene and quiet outside, but the bike was designed to generate sound, unlike everyone else’s ordinary quieter electric cars. Whatever the case was, he didn’t have much to fret over as the house appeared.

On his right was a slightly smaller green two-bedroom house. It had two floors to it and had a triangular roof to it. For Neo, seeing any type of house, in general, was something to remark upon, but he didn’t have much time to admire this home as he pulled up into the driveway that led to the garage.

The garage door was currently closed as his motorcycle almost came to a complete stop. For a second, he considered powering down his bike when the doors quickly began to rise up. The automated system had recognized Neo’s arrival.

He could briefly see two other small vehicles in the garage, leaving ample space for his motorcycle to slip in between. The garage itself was large enough to handle two larger vehicles, but because these were the motorbike size in nature, it was much easier to fit more into it.

Neo drove the motorcycle as he could hear the doors start to close behind him. He hadn’t had enough time to look at the other vehicles when he began to power down his own bike. He could feel a slight amount of apprehension. His heart began to beat a little bit faster as he knew that he was at the right location. Two seemingly interested women would be there lying in wait for him.

“Calm yourself, Neo,” he told himself as he shut off the engine. “They aren’t going to bite my head off. These are just going to be ... my dates? Wives? Yeah ... just a big commitment, that’s all.”

In reality, Neo wasn’t that apprehensive, even if his heart was aflutter a little bit. When the canopy of his motorcycle opened up, he could see the interior of the garage to its fullest detail. He climbed out as he began to look at everything.

Much as any rentable home, the garage itself didn’t have much there besides the two other vehicles and a sliding door that led into the house itself. The smell of clean upholstery perforated his nostrils. So, naturally, his attention went towards the two vehicles.

“Incredible...” He remarked as he walked up to the first vehicle. It was difficult to make out of what it was. He had never seen such a motorcycle of this design if one could call it that at all. The vehicle could be described as a monowheel or wheel bike of some sort. It consisted of a singular rotating wheel for most of the frame. In the center of the wheel frame was a large station for one to sit inside and operate. There was a singular display by the controls. The green and purple frame also had a large stubby protruding block in front. On the rear was the main engine block that most likely drove the giant wheel. The controls also looked unique as well. The grips, which were already big, had some sort of gel interface system for the fingers to press upon. The unicycle-like machine was so tall that it almost scrapped the ceiling of the garage.

“A monowheel bike?” Neo remarked. “We always toyed with the idea in the Oshun races, but...”

He turned his head to look at the other vehicle. He walked towards it as he remarked upon the design. This one was much easier to recognize. There were magnetic locks that held the elongated frame. It measured to be slightly longer than his motorcycle, and it didn’t carry any form of tires on them. There was a cockpit design where one could easily sit inside and control it. On the back were the engine block and a protruding stabilizer fin. On the sides near the cockpit was another set of winglets. The entire front consisted of a metal framework that stretched out. There were other components and gadgets on it that he didn’t recognize.

“A hoverbike...” Neo commented. “They certainly have their advantages in racing ... even Oluchi won’t deny that. Too bad the technology for repulsors is too damn expensive. Apparently, the Itreans have more access to it.”

He could hear the door slide open for the garage. When he turned to look at the open door, he knew that the two were most likely waiting to see him. He nodded his head, smiled a little bit, and decided to head towards the entrance.

“Guess I can’t let the women wait forever, can I?” he asked himself.

Upon stepping through the entrance, the door slid closed behind him. He looked at the area around him. He stood inside a green-carpeted hallway. A couple of art paintings were mounted on the walls, another clear sign that this was a rented home. This was the far end of the house, with a single bedroom and restroom on this side.

“Hello?” Neo called out. “Anybody here?”

He couldn’t hear anything in response, but that didn’t mean anything. He knew that he had to be at the right location, as stated in the messages. So he decided to walk further down the hallway towards the large open room.

As he made his way towards the big room, he could then spot what appeared to be a kitchen. The various appliances and built-in tables lined the space. A marble-like tile floor lined the bottom. There was more space in this kitchen than his living room had. This alone almost made him stop to observe the scene.

“So much space...” Neo commented.

“There he is,” a deep resonating female voice erupted. Neo turned his head to the sound as he looked towards the adjacent room that the kitchen connected to. This was obviously the main living room—sets of couches and tables linked to the tile floors. In addition, there were two sets of large overhead digital displays.

The sound originated from a single person, although Neo immediately knew it to be the spikey-haired Shal’rein sitting on one of the couches. It was such an odd sight at first that it caused Neo to almost be speechless for a few seconds. Vala’rein looked to be different than the other pictures that he had seen of her. He was used to seeing the hard-core racing jacket as before. Sure, her hair had defined her image, but there was more to it. She wore a purple silk-like dress. This dress was thinly veiled and somewhat unique to look upon. It consisted of large woven strips that didn’t completely overlap the entire body. Only her chest and lower extremities were covered, but nothing else. It would naturally shift as she moved. In many ways, it seemed extravagant to wear. She sat on the couch with one leg propped up over her other leg. Her fin-like tail overlapped the cushions as they threatened to touch the floor. The gold earring clipped onto her fin-like ear had shimmered from the overhead light. In her hand was a rather large glass. In the fanciful glass cup was some sort of liquid. Perhaps it was wine, but Neo didn’t have enough time to analyze it.

“Vala’rein?” Neo asked her.

She took a swig from her cup before she looked at him. Her shark-like eyes peered into him. She only gave a brief but short condensed smile of hers.

“Yes,” she replied back, holding the cup close to her. “I saw your motorcycle pull up and let you in.”

First impressions were everything to Neo, and Vala’rein was certainly letting her intentions be known. Her accent was typical of most Itreans. The Japanese and French combination would go in and out. There was even a faint click in her talking, which was commonplace in many Itrean speeches, especially in those who weren’t fluent in English. Supposedly, the complexity of the Itrean language didn’t entirely have whole words but the process of clicks that would go in and out. At first, Neo wondered if it was something that only the Yutilians and Aksren did due to the more avian birdlike nature, but the Shal’rein also seemed to do it as well. Upon seeing her more and more in detail, Neo could remark upon the beauty of Vala’rein even for an alien. Her muscle tone was rather laden and not covered up by the dress at all.

“Ummm ... well ... hello,” Neo practically said as he lightly waved at her. He paused lightly enough that it gave room for her to reply.

“And not even a name to address yourself?” Vala’rein remarked with a slight huff.

“Of course, of course, forgive me,” he replied. “I was taken aback by your appearance. My name is Neo. I’m sure that you already know, obviously.”

She took a quick swig of her drink but didn’t seem entirely impressed. “I don’t know, Neo. Sometimes you humans can look very much alike to us. It’s usually important for people to address people with their names in meeting for the first time ... even amongst Itreans.”

“Actually...” he paused momentarily as he thought about it. “I hadn’t thought of it that way. You Itreans can look very much alike too.”

“You’re telling me that I look like a Yutilian?” she asked as she pressed the cup to her chest. Her brow lifted in confusion and her face almost gave a hint of annoyance.

“No...” Neo said as he lifted his hands in her direction. “I mean like Yutilians looking other Yutilians or Shal’rein looking like...”

“Heh, heh,” Vala’rein gave a stifled chuckle. “Don’t worry about it. I know what you are trying to say.”

“Ah ... heh,” he commented as she showed a genuine smile to him. This time, he could see the shark-like teeth of hers. They interlocked together, almost forming a human-like smile, but the triangular pattern was the most significant difference. It quickly faded as she patted the couch cushion next to her.

“Come and have a seat ... I think that is how you humans word it,” she said.

“It is,” Neo said as he approached her. “Your English is ... unique.”

“It is a different language, but not something too difficult to learn.”

“I heard that it’s easy for Itreans to learn our language rather than the other way around.”

“I’m sure most of us that want to make friendships or mates will learn it sooner or later,” she commented with a click in her voice as she eyed her glass. “For some of us, it’s not difficult for us to speak it. Only this ... Chinese of yours. The alphabet alone is somewhat similar, but English is closer to how we speak if Itrean is used as a comparison.”

He sat down on the couch and could see how big she truly was up-close. Technically, she was only a foot and a half taller than him, but her muscle tone helped add to it. She sat barefoot with her three-toed webbed feet on the couch. She seemed pleased to see him even if she was also preoccupied with her drink. Neo had no idea if she was doing this on purpose or if she genuinely felt this way.

“Would you mind taking a drink?” Vala’rein asked as she offered her cup to him.

“What is it?” he asked with some hesitation.

“We call it Palchifin Click,” she made a slight shift in her voice. “That is Palchifin with a ‘click’ sound after it. It came from here.”

He considered it as he took the drink and looked at it. The purplish-red swirl of a liquid danced in the cup as he took a quick swig of it. The taste was the alcohol of some kind. It was somewhat harsh on the throat, but the aftertaste wasn’t that bad as the flavor was relatively pristine.

“Heh...” Neo almost laughed as he handed it back to her. “I have had my share of alcohol. We call it an ‘Oshun Heavy Sunrise’ here, but it is supposedly called a ‘Brutal Hammer’ back on former Earth. It is a blend of wine and vodka.”

“We always enjoy different tastes in drinks. It’s a tradition on every planet that we go to.”

For a couple of seconds, Neo wondered as to where Serrein was but instead simply remained focused on Vala’rein and learning as much as possible about her.

“Well ... I hope you don’t get drunk ... being a racer and all,” Neo commented.

“Drunk?” she questioned as she tried to understand the word. “Ah ... no. Our bodies are engineered to repel the ... I don’t have the word for it...”

“Intoxication?”

“Yes,” she replied with a click in her voice. “Long, long history in repelling bad effects and poisons that things can bring to us.”

“It is going to take some time getting used to your speech. It’s very interesting, and your English is really good.”

“Serrein speaks it better than me. We need to learn it if we are to race in your tournaments.”

“I mean ... I know with the dating site, I purposely sought for an Itrean to be proficient in English, but it’s still really good with what you have. Most Itreans that I have seen can get three- or five-word sentences and have clicks and warbles with them.”

“Some seem to learn it faster than others. The longer we are with you, the quicker that we can learn it. It’s only been three months since the alliance was made.”

Vala’rein had made a very relevant point. Even with an alien race in which a translation program hadn’t been properly introduced yet, the Itreans were catching onto the human language rather fast. He decided to go ahead and change the topic.

“I have never seen such vehicles like that before...” Neo commented as he pointed in the direction of the garage. “A hoverbike and that ... whatever that other thing is.”

A sense of gratification could be seen in her face as if Neo had brought up a topic of her desire. She set aside the glass and put it on the table before she rested comfortably on the couch.

“I drive the Likersha 565 model,” she said. “It’s an older bike that was used in the war with the Emphra.”

“The monowheel? Err ... the one with a single rotating wheel assembly?”

She gave a couple of quick nods as her spikey hair danced a little bit. “That’s the one.”

“It’s ... quite big. The width of that single wheel is bigger than my own tires. You must have a hard time making those turns.”

“Hmm...,” she paused as her eyes looked away for a short bit. “It’s true that my bike can take longer turns than those hoverbikes, but I can reach higher top speed than them.”

“Really? What is the top speed of yours?”

She paused again. “I have to do the math because your unit of measurement is slightly different. Hmmm ... Yes ... eight hundred twenty-nine ... kilometers per hour ... in straight roads.”

Neo gave a surprising look at first upon hearing that, but not too shocked. “Impressive ... assuming that math is correct, you might be our top speed performer. Meifen, our best racer, can top out at eight hundred twenty-five in straightaways ... at least from what I’ve heard. With the UWALVR coming up, you’ll need that top speed to race on Aphadus.”

“I already know, Neo,” she countered as she gave some hint of agitation. “Even with that top speed, I never brought it up to it.”

“Really? That was all from the shop tests?”

“Unfortunately, yes. The racing competitions never needed me to bring it to such speeds, but my bike could do it with the right modifications.”

“Heh ... don’t feel bad, I never took my bike above four hundred and seventy even if it is rated to reach speeds of eight hundred.”

“And Meifen?”

“She has more than enough prior experience that she can make that speed. What about your acceleration?”

“Can you ... explain what you mean by that?”

“How fast can you reach zero to four hundred kilometers per hour?” He clarified.

She seemed more prepared with this answer. “Twenty-eight of your seconds. What about yours?”

“Ouch...” Neo commented as he crossed his arms. “I can already see your weakness on the road. You have the slowest acceleration. Mine is zero to four hundred in eighteen seconds.”

She put her hand and shifted her hand across her head before she let it drop. She even seemed to move her tail a little bit. “Is this your way of trying to impress or establish some sort of dominance over me?”

“Um ... no ... I’m...” Neo replied, flustered. “Just happy that I have someone that I get to meet that has an interest in the same career choice as I am.”

She did a couple of quick nods as she seemed impressed. “A good choice of words to respond to. Yes, I’m one of the top three racers that will be competing in the UWALVR competition. Both my sister and I worked our way to the top as we always have to fight and win in your races...” she made a couple of clicks in her voice. “In the spirit of the alliance, of course.”

“Hmm...,” another voice could be heard. Neo turned to look at another Shal’rein that looked closely upon him. The punk mohawk hair was the obvious identifying factor of her. She wore the same style of clothing as her sister, but her personality was way more discontent. She had her head tilted so that he could see the large shark-like teeth near him.

“Looks like our meal has come right on time, sister,” Serrein said as she kept a good grasp on him. Her voice was higher in pitch than Vala’rein’s and almost sounded sinister. “We can easily take him together.”

Neo almost reactively tried to pull away. The Shal’rein were known for their powerful strength. They could quickly eviscerate a human with their jaws alone, and this wasn’t accounting for the raw physical power that had to accompany it. His resistance was practically mute as he could feel that he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Serrein?” Neo called out her name.

“Ugh...,” she spat out a couple of clicks at the same time. She even made a slight warble sound to accompany it.

“Neo, this is my sister, Serrein,” Vala’rein properly introduced them. “Serrein ... This is Neo, our new potential mate ... try not to eat him.”

“Why not? He looks tasty,” Serrein remarked as her tone went serious. She walked over, almost hitting her fin-like tail upon him before she sat down on another couch in the large living room. Neo could remark more upon the sister. She did seem skinnier and lankier, but she still had some sort of muscle tone to her. Neo could feel the slight apprehension towards her go away but only in the slightest.

“So ... we finally get our own little human for a ... plaything,” Serrein continued to berate upon him. Neo was still trying to measure Serrein and hopefully see past her jokes.

“I don’t know,” Neo countered. “How about the fact that I get to take apart that hoverbike of yours? See how well it performs in the next few races?”

“HEY! You leave my SMalery 4500 alone!” she snapped at him. She was quick in how she delivered it. She even pointed her finger at him so hard and quickly that her mohawk danced a little bit. Even her shark-like eyes narrowed at him in pure agitation.

“Serrein...” Vala’rein chided in to calm her down a little bit. “Neo is more like us than you think. Try not to get too playful too quickly. He is still making up his mind about us.” Serrein almost pouted as she crossed her arms together in response to the comment.

Oddly, right from the start, Vala’rein almost seemed to be the boss of the two sisters, and Neo could see it immediately. The emotional side that Vala’rein had was there, but Serrein’s was way more on the surface. Perhaps it was primarily because of the presence that Vala’rein had established or the fact that Neo had spoken to her first that he felt that way. Regardless, he was glad to have met Vala’rein first before finally speaking with Serrein. He didn’t feel uncomfortable around her just yet. Perhaps, Serrein was just nervous and just joking around as a way to hide it. He had to give her a chance. He decided to stay diplomatic and professional with the two women, even if a part of him was genuinely grasping what he saw before him. Two alien women ... two rather beautiful women ... and he could have them both. He had to keep his mind situated, somewhat. His heart almost danced a little bit.

“So ... umm ... you drive a SMalery 4500?” Neo almost coughed in how he spoke with Serrein. Vala’rein went and picked up her drink, almost as if she was going to enjoy this conversation.

“What about it?” Serrein replied as her interest went up.

“I never get a chance to see many hoverbikes ... let alone in racing competitions...”

“I don’t get it. Is this your pathetic attempt to declare a mateship?” Her tone was seemingly hostile and derogatory.

“SERREIN!” Vala’rein snapped at her. She practically tossed her cup to the table in disgust. She even stood up as she looked down upon her. It was the first time that Neo could see Vala’rein genuinely angry. Serrein only carried a hint of disgust towards Neo as she looked away.

“Neo, I apologize for my sister’s remarks,” Vala’rein continued. “Serrein, the humans are different than us and how they treat relationships. Our customs are different, but we still hold our ... what is the word... ‘virtues’ ... together. Remember your oath ... your oath to the clan ... your oath to the agreement of the dating services ... your oath to me.”

Neo was about to say something. He found the scene to be emotionally disturbing but one that he could at least have some understanding about. On the one hand, he felt like he should just go, but at the same time, there was a genuine sense of sympathy and caring that was coming from Vala’rein. Serrein only remained stubborn and unengaging towards any form of communication. He could see immediately that she was trying to sabotage any hope of a pairing from taking effect.

“Look...” Neo confessed as he could see the two women stop looking at each other and back towards him. “I won’t pretend to beat around the bush. All this stuff is new to me too. I can’t pretend to be in your situation ... but I imagine that you had monogamous relationships in your societies. Most of the men here at one time would give one of their testicles up if they could have at least one woman or perhaps have some ‘companion bot.’ Nothing is normal anymore. All I know is that I want to live together ... I want to be a father ... I want to be a racer ... hell I want to experience the thrill of being faster ... just like what you two have had a chance to go through. If you aren’t happy about a relationship, then ... maybe I can be your friend or something ... I don’t know. I just want to make you two happy.”

Vala’rein gave an appreciatory nod towards him for the kind words. “That is what I also want and ... hopefully Serrein as well...” she stated as she turned her head towards her sister’s direction.

Serrein seemed to give a dismissive wave at him and didn’t say anything else.

“As Shal’rein,” Vala’rein explained. “Even as part of the T’rintar, we hold our responsibilities to show our respect towards those that aren’t as physically strong as we are. Shal’rein families that were raised in the T’rintar clan make an oath to defend the weak even if others just see us as ... brute soldiers. I wanted to wait till now before I asked this. Why do you enjoy racing, Neo?”

“Freedom,” Neo said. “Since I was a kid, I grew up in neighborhoods when we would build and race machines against one another. It always felt wonderful. To the people that lived in the residential districts ... racing was a lot of things to us. Obtaining the scrap parts ... building the vehicles ... getting them to work ... then finally proving them in competitions just made us what Oshun intended for us.”

“I noticed something...” Vala’rein said. “According to articles, you served in the military.”

Neo paused for a short moment. “It wasn’t that long ... instead, I ended up rejoining the racing field again. I managed to even get a decommissioned military motorcycle to use.”

“I see ... our vehicles are based on the T’rintar clan combat vehicles. Serrein’s hoverbike is the current hoverbikes used by the Shal’rein of the T’rintar clan.”